Hey all, so I have been looking for a nice, cheap Forester/Outback for my girlfriend. I want it to last 5+ years, but not necessarily any longer (it will get driven only 6-8k miles per year).
A good friend had a niece looking to sell her 02 Forester (NA), and I thought this could be my lucky day. I went to look at it, and it was beautiful. 148k miles, clean interior, exterior, clean engine--not only no head gasket leaks, no leaking of any kind at all--cleanest 10+ yr old Subaru engine I've ever seen--matching tires with plenty of tread, no suspension/drivetrain damage or wear, no rust, AND she was asking for just $2,000!
I was getting really excited, and then ran into some problems. The owner (niece of good friend), clearly didn't care or know anything about cars. That was fine--I was prepared to insist on paying more than 2k if the car was worth it--and I have changed Subaru head gaskets and timing belts before so I knew what to look for to make sure those were done (head gaskets were done, timing was unclear, but I'd change that anyway for peace of mind, as she had no idea what work had been done).
BUT the problem with her not knowing or caring about the car is of course that she didn't stay on top of regular maintenance. I know this because 1) the coolant was just below the Min line in the reservoir, and 2) the oil was low. TWO QUARTS low.
Yeah. So I used my just-in-case oil to top her off, and turned the car on. Sounded fine, drove really well. Then I checked for blow-by.
SO. Now I have to decide if it's worth it. I don't know a lot about piston rings, which is why I'm posting here. Should I buy this car, given the above? From what I've seen, I think it's still worth 2k, but I want a reliable car more than I want a cheap one, and though it's only had 2 owners (we think), the most recent one didn't seem to take care of it.
TL;DR
02 Forester (NA), 148k miles:
PROS: incredible condition, no rust, new head gaskets, drives very well, owned by family friend, asking price is just $2000
CONS: 2 quarts of oil low, and a lot of blow-by (video link above).
Should I buy it, given I want it to last 5+ years?
A good friend had a niece looking to sell her 02 Forester (NA), and I thought this could be my lucky day. I went to look at it, and it was beautiful. 148k miles, clean interior, exterior, clean engine--not only no head gasket leaks, no leaking of any kind at all--cleanest 10+ yr old Subaru engine I've ever seen--matching tires with plenty of tread, no suspension/drivetrain damage or wear, no rust, AND she was asking for just $2,000!
I was getting really excited, and then ran into some problems. The owner (niece of good friend), clearly didn't care or know anything about cars. That was fine--I was prepared to insist on paying more than 2k if the car was worth it--and I have changed Subaru head gaskets and timing belts before so I knew what to look for to make sure those were done (head gaskets were done, timing was unclear, but I'd change that anyway for peace of mind, as she had no idea what work had been done).
BUT the problem with her not knowing or caring about the car is of course that she didn't stay on top of regular maintenance. I know this because 1) the coolant was just below the Min line in the reservoir, and 2) the oil was low. TWO QUARTS low.
Yeah. So I used my just-in-case oil to top her off, and turned the car on. Sounded fine, drove really well. Then I checked for blow-by.
SO. Now I have to decide if it's worth it. I don't know a lot about piston rings, which is why I'm posting here. Should I buy this car, given the above? From what I've seen, I think it's still worth 2k, but I want a reliable car more than I want a cheap one, and though it's only had 2 owners (we think), the most recent one didn't seem to take care of it.
TL;DR
02 Forester (NA), 148k miles:
PROS: incredible condition, no rust, new head gaskets, drives very well, owned by family friend, asking price is just $2000
CONS: 2 quarts of oil low, and a lot of blow-by (video link above).
Should I buy it, given I want it to last 5+ years?