Riehle

As the title states, in the morning in going to check out a
2005 Forester XT. It has the premium package, with black leather.
Has all weather floor mats, sunroof, and all extras that come in the premium package.

The car is the Aspen White color, and have just shy of 88k miles on it.
It's at a smaller dealership, and he's asking $11,999.
Looking at the pictures, everything on the car looks very clean,
And it is a ONE owner car.

Let me know what you guys think!
Any questions please ask!
KBB suggested retail is about $13,500

Thanks! -Mike

bkbajan

Take it for a drive and put it through its paces.

Radio off and listen for any weird noises that may come from the turbo,passenger side.
Check fluid levels and condition.
Perform some tight turn in both direction (full lock) with light accelerator pressure and listen for clunks and to see if the diffs are binding.
I imagine this wont be your first time buying a car so you should be covered with checking everything else.

Note: the timing belt and all other corresponding components are recommended to be changed at 105k. Maybe the deal can do that for you or you can always leave it till you reach that mileage.

Good luck.

Riehle

Thread Starter

bkbajan

That is beautiful!

Auto?

Riehle

Thread Starter

Stick! I don't think I could ever go with an auto lol. It would be a disgrace to the turbo!

Thanks for the info though. I know all the typical stuff to look for.
Just was wondering if there was any little twerks to look out for, since
This to be the place to find that info out

bkbajan

Haha,mine is auto. Nothing is more fun than calling the gears but I love my 4EAT.

Riehle

Thread Starter

I bet its still pretty zippy. There's an auto 06 FXT near me with only 48k on it for a very good price. I just don't know if I'd be disappointed after getting an auto tranny

bkbajan

Test drive it too,haha.

There are the pros and cons for each transmission. I'm sure you can find some threads on here.

Shef

Nice find, manual with a sunroof! Beautiful.
Check for leaks: Valve cover gaskets, radiator, CV joints etc...

__________________
04 FXT 18G E85
00 Outback 5MT
8th & 9th Subarus

builtnotboughtauto

my AUTOMATIC 05 fxt turbo is just shy of 300whp. Nothing to turn your nose up at.

look for rust, mods, evidence it was previously modded like missing bolts.

make sure all the power stuff works like windows, wipers, defrosters, ect.

check the oil

check the tail pipe for smells and smoke and oil

and most of all, low ball and good luck.

never buy on the first visit. make them sell it to you, don't just buy it.

and remember, 90k mile service is coming up. timing belt, waterpump, fluids, ect. $1000.00 worth of service.

Riehle

Thread Starter

Yea the 100k maintenance will be my primary reason to tell them the price needs to be cheaper. Tires are a biggie for me too. If they're not in good condition, that's a biggie for me because I'll have to get new ones before the Buffalo winters.

alperkins

Some things I've encountered and seem to be common:
rear wheel bearings, listen for noise, especially on turns,
wind noise at front window gussets,
have them run a code check, even if no CEL; could be a pending code.

Riehle

Thread Starter

Went to see it yesterday. The interior was spotless, exterior was nice. Some minor suface rust on the chassis. There wasn't anny leaks, inspected the engine bay pretty hard. Everything works, lights, heat, radio, all the knick knacks.

I did notice the front of the drivers door whistling a bit at highway speeds.
Can that be fixed with replacing the weather stripping, or shimming the door maybe?
I'm sure theres a write up on here, just haven't looked yet.

I was really surprised with the get-up and go of this car.
That turbo really kicks in :)
Overall i was very satisfied with the car, and will likely be purchasing it tomorrow!

alperkins

I got the window gusset here, installed myself: https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/oe_parts_cat.html

Riehle

Thread Starter

Well....I bought it! Love it so far! I'll post some pics tomorrow