New owner of a 1997 S/tb

Hey all,


My name is Ryan came across this forum and decided to join up. I picked up a 1997 Forester S/tb yesterday! It’s got a EJ20G, auto, 80,000kms, WRX suspension swap and a few other minor things. Engine just had a oil change with rotella, the previous owner said this was a good oil for the car and it burns no oil. My intentions buying the car was not to modify it but to keep it reliable. I have a 2016 Tundra work truck but wanted this for road trips and camping.

I have done some searching on various forums and have not found a “new owner maintenance guide”

After my inspections of the vehicles the only thing I could see it needing are :

Front Brakes pads - Have read that the part for these are the same as a 1994 legacy turbo... thoughts?

ATF change - Not a flush but a drain and fill. Appears it hasn’t been done, the fluid is still red but starting to dull in colour. Thoughts on what fluid to use?

Spark Plugs - No records of these being changed anytime. Thoughts on that?

Air filter and cabinet filter - Part numbers?

Throttle Body Service - pretty straight forward


I’ve been looking for the factory maintenance schedule with no luck. Is there anything else I should think about replacing due to the kilometres on the car? The car came with all the manuals but I don’t read Japanese. Besides those things the car seems solid. No rust and the body is 9/10. I’m aware the timing belt will need to be done at some point too. Look forward to learning more about the car!

Ryan