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I have a 2002 Outback with 206,000 miles. How long might it last?

muklukmukluk Member Posts: 38
edited February 2018 in Subaru
I am the original owner and car has had regular maintenance. Clutch was recently redone. It's had a new radiator. Regular oil changes. It is running fine my typical mileage in a year at this point is not more than 10,000- 11,000. Drive to work 10 miles each way. Drive to town 30 miles round trip once or twice a week. Some 60, 250, 500 mile round trips but not that often. Would be interested to hear how many miles Subarus of this vintage or similar have gone before being declared dead. Miles to work and to town are on rural roads- not highway miles but usually 40 to 55 mph with a stretch of highway on most trips to town 65-70 mph. Longer trips are mostly highway miles.
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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I don't have my crystal ball fired up but there is a moderate rate of failure on the head gaskets on the 2.5L Subaru engine, so in theory you are on borrowed time. I"m actually amazed you got this far. Usually most Subie owners with 2.5L log a head gasket failure at the 110K--130K mark. But of course not ALL 2.5L will fail. I would just keep the coolant clean and full and check it often. If it stars to drop, or you notice EXTERNAL leakage of coolant (this is the typical failure of the gasket), then it's time to intervene before you overheat.

    A car's longevity is closely tied to how well you take care of it, and obviously you've been pretty good about it.

    If you want to talk about "statistics of longevity", most engineers estimate that most cars can go 225K no problem these days.

    So your car is apparently healthy but still on Social Security :)

    Good luck, treat it well and don't worry.
  • muklukmukluk Member Posts: 38
    But I really want it to go to 300,000!!!!
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    It can go 1,000,000 ... if you dump enough money into it.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    dcm61 said:

    It can go 1,000,000 ... if you dump enough money into it.

    The OP could also go 1,000,000 or more if he/she is willing to dump an unlimited amount of money on something new each year.....
  • muklukmukluk Member Posts: 38
    Well it's tempting to keep it running because it's a manual and all the newer ones are automatics and therefore less fun to drive.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    As a car ages, especially over 200K miles, it's going to nickel and dime you more and more often. So if you want to keep the car running, you might want to start putting aside a repair fund for the inevitable breakdowns that will occur as time goes on. Also you may want to gear up your "proactive" maintenance--change the oil more often, and have the car inspected carefully at each oil change, and if you see anything marginal, like glazed belts, soft hoses, splits in axle boots, rust in the exhaust system, dirty brake fluid, coolant over a few years old--things like that--get in there and replace them before they give up the ghost.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 236,830
    mukluk said:

    Well it's tempting to keep it running because it's a manual and all the newer ones are automatics and therefore less fun to drive.

    I'd drive it until it falls apart around you... Especially if your replacement vehicle has a CVT transmission.

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  • muklukmukluk Member Posts: 38
    I think 2014 is the last year that the Outback made a manual transmission. My understanding is that you can get a manual transmission Outback in Canada but it is on a more "bare bones" model. What's with the CVT transmission is that an awful thing?
  • muklukmukluk Member Posts: 38
    https://www.planetsubaru.com/lineartronic-continuously-variable-transmission.htm

    They make it seem like the best thing since sliced bread!!!!
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 236,830
    mukluk said:

    https://www.planetsubaru.com/lineartronic-continuously-variable-transmission.htm

    They make it seem like the best thing since sliced bread!!!!

    Have you driven it?

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  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Our Hondas have CVT transmissions and so far, no complaints. I guess time will tell. We might as well get used to them. The new Accord come with either a CVT or a TEN speed automatic. Which one sounds more scary?
  • muklukmukluk Member Posts: 38
    kyfdx said:

    mukluk said:

    https://www.planetsubaru.com/lineartronic-continuously-variable-transmission.htm

    They make it seem like the best thing since sliced bread!!!!

    Have you driven it?</blockquot

    Nope. What happens when you drive it?

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 236,830
    mukluk said:

    kyfdx said:

    mukluk said:

    https://www.planetsubaru.com/lineartronic-continuously-variable-transmission.htm

    They make it seem like the best thing since sliced bread!!!!

    Have you driven it?
    If you drive a stick, you should test drive a new car with a CVT. It might make you want to buy a different vehicle.

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  • muklukmukluk Member Posts: 38
    Yes will definitely test drive. I don't think I will like it at all.
  • MukluksMukluks Member Posts: 5
    Well my subaru finally died. So now I really have to replace it. Will have to go with used due to budget constraints. Not looking forward to the delightful process of attempting to find a decent used vehicle at a good price. I am wondering if anyone has used carvana and what the experience was like. The vehicles have no accident history and you get a 7 day trial period - so I can get it looked over by my trusted local mechanic.
  • MukluksMukluks Member Posts: 5
    I live in the boondocks and trust my boondock mechanic. I may need to go to the "big city" 150 miles away to find a vehicle.
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