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Comments
-Dave
"Went to the local dealer this morning. The salesman was pretty unwilling to deal with me. He said the best he could do on a 2003, manual transmission, base OB was 3% less than MSRP.
Ok, List is MSRP is $23570 including freight. So, they were willing to sell this car to you at $22863. Almost $1000 profit. Except I am pretty sure there is a $500 dealer incentive on Outbacks right now. The invoice, including incentive and freight is $20,944. 103% of that is $21572. That's over $600 profit.
Don't mind me I am rambling. Went with my brother and stopped by a dealer I hadn't noticed. They had leftover 02 OB's with auto and AWP. They said "under 20"...
- Lou
If I recall, the GT got extra features like sunroofs, stiffer suspension, shorter gearing, fog lights and some other perks over the L.
Check the Edmund's used car section for more specific info.
Ken
Greg
Greg
I searched around that site and found this excerpt from a 2003 Forester review (won't quote in full, but recognizing fair use exemption):
"Order the 5-speed manual transmission and you'll get Subaru's Hill Holder, a device that helps keep the car stopped when the clutch in fully depressed but the car is on a slight incline. Didn't Studebaker come up with that? I had a 1959 Studebaker Lark that used the same type of technology and boy did I love that... I digress. Either way, it's a really great idea and sort of points to Subaru's innovativeness and where they're headed as a company."
It made me wonder: am I the only person who owns one of each?
Ed
-mike
Tamara: I do think even the base Outback had cross bars, so I wouldn't trust that salesman.
-juice
I wouldn't trust that salesman either, that's ~$300 he's going to skim (scam) you for.
-Dave
Yes, I even found a 2002 brochure that says the crossbars were standard on all outbacks. It doesn't say about the mat, but we all know it was standard, too.
On Saturday I emailed many of the other dealers within a half a days drive (as was pointed out, we only have 2 dealers in Arkansas, so I'm talking about people in Oklahoma and Missouri). I haven't heard back from any of them, yet. I am hoping to get a little leverage or something. Although at this point the only reason to buy from the local guy is to save driving 2-3-4 hours, and to keep some sort of good feelings going in case I need to have the car serviced.
My husband has a business trip in June or July to Gaithersburg, MD (isn't that convenient?), so as a last resort he can buy a car there and drive it back here. It would just be a shame to have to wait for summer....
Tamara
We bought our Legacy there, I'd recommend them in a second.
-juice
What's the car train? Where can I find info about it on the web?
Thanks,
Tamara
I thought amtrak ran it, but I can't seem to find it. Anyone more familiar with it? I've had friends take it from DC to Florida. They load the car in the train and it goes with you. It ain't cheap, though, my friend paid $900 or so IIRC.
Anyone else have more info on this service?
-juice
http://www.thecarplace.com/01bean.htm
Bob
Bill
Some of the cheaper brands may not wear as well or their performance may degrade more quickly with wear but some are a real bargain.
Another brand trying to get into the market again with usually great reviews is Sumitomo which is owned by Dunlop.
I'd go for Dunlop Sport A2s or SP5000s for the VDC over the others, they are a good mix of quality and price.
-mike
Greg
bit
oil + filter
air filter
fuel filter
O2 sensor
PCV Valve
spark plugs
plug wires (at least inspect them)
coolant flush/refill
bleed brakes
ATF or Gear Oil change
Differential oil change
Tire rotation
Consider an alignment if tire wear uneven
I think that just about covers it. I'm at 49k miles so I'm getting ready to do all of the above myself.
-juice
20
20.8
19.3
20.7
Oil change
20
19.6
19
21
New K&N air filter
19.6
New head gasket, plugs, fluids, reset ECU, brakes
20.1
22
Rotate, balance tires. Fix flat
21.5
That's it. In god we trust, all others need data.
Greg
1. if I drive less that 1k miles/month, should I have had the service done after 5 years even if I had less than 60k miles on the odometer. Since my car is now 71 months old and was running fine last year, I didn't have the service done at that time. I have always replaced the oil, coolant and air filter on time intervals rather than mileage.
2. why is it essential to replace the spark plugs (or the fuel filter, PCV valve and O2 sensor for that matter) if the car isn't running roughly, mileage hasn't declined, etc.
3. how essential is it to bleed the brakes? I'm under the impression that other car manufacturers don't require this service. In fact, a service technician at my dealership told me that it wasn't necessary. Was he off target?
4. The owner's manual says to inspect the diffential oil (and I believe the gear oil) at 60k. Why change it?
5. Aren't belts (not timing for 2.5 engine) listed for replacement at 60k?
2. You can wait for something to fail, or do preventative maintenance. You just might get lucky and all those parts will last forever, then again Murphy's Law says something will fail when you're 1000 miles from home in heavy rain in the middle of nowhere.
3. There will be some moisture in the lines, and that'll make the pedal feel more and more spongy.
4. If you're going to inspect the oil, you've done 90% of the work. It's a bear to get the plugs out, they are sealed with some sort of epoxy. Once they are removed, a quart of gear oil will cost you a buck or two for conventional 75w90. $8 or so for synthetic. You're not saving any money at all by skipping this service.
5. Belts and hoses might be added to that list, especially if you're hitting 60k after 5 years. Visually inspect them to look for fraying, drying, cracking, etc, and then decide. I'd do them at 90k if you skip them now, though.
That's my take on each situation, any how. Just my 2 cents' worth.
-juice
All this presumes, of course, that you don't have complete faith in the person doing your service (like me). The best option is to simply have a service shop that you are sure won't screw you.
-juice
As we continue to ponder which Outback to purchase, I have a question about the standard security system. How does it work? I know you push a button on the FOB, but beyond that - does an alarm sound if a cat jumps on the car? Or does someone actually have to break a window for it to go off?
Also, is this one of those systems that honks when you set it and unset it? Is there a way to turn that off - so that it only flashes the lights but doesn't honk?
Do all the 2002s come with this standard security system, or was that new on 2003 cars. If these used cars (that we are considering) that are missing the crossbars and rubber mat are also missing the security system, would it be fairly easy to turn it back on again?
Thanks,
Tamara
Any how, the point is not to push your luck to find that out.
-juice
If the security system is missing, then it is not installed. Since it is not installed, I would recommend going aftermarket [with the salesman you're dealing with], cheaper.
Look into the Clifford system. I had them in Al Gator and still have it in Ginger [Pebbles will have it soon].
Reason I like Clifford is that you could arm in normal and silent mode [one button] as well as putting system in and out of valet from the fob.
Passive Alarm locks and arms within 30sec. should you forget to arm after closing the doors.
It can be programmed to open garage door too.
Anyway, I find the OEM kind of a crude, especially Passive Arming. You first must manually lock the doors before closing it in order to activate the Passive... duh?
As for silent arm, yes it does that ... after some rituals to be performed which I forget.
Will the cat jumping on the car set the alarm off? No, unless it fell from the roof (house) onto the car maybe. Actually, I've not tested if they come with shock sensors.
-Dave
Thanks for the advise.
Where do you get them?
Thanks
try heading over here:
https://www.ChaseCreditCard.com/Templates/Subaru2/Subaru-Splash-1- .asp?target=Subaru2&creative=10305
-Dave
There are also several organizations that partner with Subaru, and offer the benifit of buying a Subaru at invoice if you are a member of that organization.
Scarwaf.
Craig
$23K doesn't sound too bad to me, but I haven't ever seen any used VDC's for sale. The only one's I've seen were leftover 2002 models, one of which went for around $25K and change on Fitzmall.
The 2002 leftover at fitzmall.com went for $25,571, so technically I would consider that a better deal, though it's probably come and gone by now.
-juice
Brake fluid is hydroscopic. The absorbed water not only changes brake feel, but is also highly corrosive to lines and caliper piston seals. Eventually the calipers either leak or stick, wiping out your brake pads and rotors in short order.
I have never replaced an O2 sensor. While they may degrade with time, I would think their operation is more digital - they either work or fail. Usually most cars go to their graves with the original still in place.
Steve
True - for most (DOT #3,DOT4, etc.) brake fluids.
DOT #5 is NOT hygroscopic! It is silicone based.
tidester, host