My New Chase Vehicle

[Tony Laubach]

I joined the Subaru family yesterday with the purchase of my third chase vehicle. Too many issues with the van lead me to make the purchase. It's a 2008 Outback 2.5i with under 47K mileage. Various mounts are on order and I figure to get it chase-ready by next weekend.

More on my vehicle upgrade here...

 

[Dave Rennie]

Congratulations on your new ride. I hope it serves you well. Does Ram make a laptop mount for Subarus? I just wish the weather would warm up here so I can do more preparations on my vehicle before I head out to chase!

 

[Wes Carter]

That's what I've been pining for as a chase vehicle for quite a while. Did you get the manual tranny or automatic? I'm interested in hearing what kind of fuel mileage you get with it. I'm contemplating going for something more fuel efficient, and even with a small payment I might come out ahead if the gas prices go high enough. But that is a nice ride and I really dig the color.

 

[J Tyler]

Man, Tony, I don't think I'll recognize you in anything but a white Cobalt!

 

[Tony Laubach]

@Dave, I didn't look... I just purchased a universal mount from Jotto Desk and will bring the setup from my van over to the new ride.

@Wes, I got the automatic transmission which has been reviewed to be a bit sluggish. It's not terrible, but noticable. I don't think I'll have any major issues it with it though except, so I'm fine with it. And unless you come up with a large down payment or buy a very high mileage Subaru, there isn't anything small about the payments. These cars are expensive purchases thanks to their higher resell value and overall quality, so be prepared for that. I have budgeted hard to ensure I could do something like this and believe me, I'll be owned by this loan for a few years.

@J Tyler, or a white minivan!

 

[Darren Addy]

Nice choice, Tony. I have come to the conclusion that if I were in the market for a newer vehicle my choice would be between the vehicle you got and the Subaru Baja (which is even harder to find used):
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/images/baja_tot1.jpg

IMHO, ugly isn't a bug. It's a feature.

 

[Rob H]

Nice ride, Tony! I'm starting to look at a new car now as well, and it will hopefully be an Outback or a Forester if the wife approves. Subaru makes a fine car for going offroading in the middle of Kansas.

 

[Jason Foster]

Tony's getting a Legacy (aka Outback) and I'm getting rid of mine (Head Gasket failed, so gonna part it out.). Keep an eye on that 2.5L Tony, most of the new ones like yours don't have any issues, but it's still the same basic motor as what all Subies have had including the gasket failure prone Legacy cars from 90s through ~ 2004.

Be sure to sign up at subaruoutback.org & legacygt.com. legacygt.com is tons better, but they focus more on street performance of the GT line, but they are all the same cars too.

I'm still in a love/hate relationship with Subaru cars. But you can't argue with an "alternate" SUV style vehicle with decent AWD. Not as good as a truck, but the 2.5i with out will get you 28mpg to 31mpg on the highway with conservative driving. One recommendation is to look at a lift kit. I think for the 2004 to 2009 they have suspension and some sort of body lift kits (this is where subaruoutback.org is good). It'll resolve the issues of the long overhangs.

Good Luck and congrats.

BTW...That Colbolt SS must have been fun to drive with the Supercharger. They're like 260hp or something right?

Add: That's right...they are popular there in CO. I can see why you'd pay more. Not too bad here, on an 2009...probably ~ $2000-$3000 less.

 

[Jarrod Barnett]

AWD > FWD

FWD = WWD

Nice buy Tony! Shoulda went with an STi though.

 

[Scott Hammel]

Congrats on the new ride Tony and welcome to the Colorado Chaser Subaru Club hahaha...I've had my 2010 Forester now for about 6 months and I love it. The gas MPG is great and it handled the snow (granted we didn't get much) with no problems. Definitely a wise buy!

 

[David Douglas]

I have a Subaru STI (blue). I may be the only STI around with a RAM mount and hail dents!

 

[Mark Blue]

Hey Tony, looks like a nice car and I'm sure you'll enjoy the new ride. I actually have the universal mount from Jotto and before buying it I worked with Bill Dornan there (he's a head sales guy) and he said as long as your floorboard is relatively flat the universal mount will work just fine. I thought I'd pass that along since it was a tip I've kept stowed away for an occasion just like this. I have the universal mount in our Nissan Murano and it works like a champ. Have fun building out your new chase vehicle!

 

[Ben Tillotson]

Good choice Tony!

Jason, how many miles did you put on your outback before you had HG failure? I have a 98 forester at 180k miles with the same 2.5L engine and I think I'm starting to see signs of the HGs going bad - bubbles in the coolant/thin film of oil on the coolant etc... Any advice as too whether I should get the gaskets replaced or just put in a new/used engine.

 

[Jason Foster]

Jason, how many miles did you put on your outback before you had HG failure? I have a 98 forester at 180k miles with the same 2.5L engine and I think I'm starting to see signs of the HGs going bad - bubbles in the coolant/thin film of oil on the coolant etc... Any advice as too whether I should get the gaskets replaced or just put in a new/used engine.

I only got 107k on the odo on mine. That was only 16k since my purchase in May 2009. I paid 5K for the car, got $500 knocked off when the motor mounts were suspected as being bad.

Yup...sounds like you got HG failure. Internal failure is the problem with these, so you never see the coolant on the ground.

The problem with HG replacement in Subaru cars is the horizontal cyclinder design means you have to pull the motor to do the repairs. This is why it's so expensive to have a shop do the work. You don't really need a 'new' engine, the overall engine is good (as you see, same engine in Tony's 2008). Even the new 2010/2011's have the same motor. 2012 might have the new FB blocks (completely new motor), but I'm not sure. You might have some shops that will do it for less around your way, labor here on the E.Coast runs $105+ per hour. Make sure a good person/shop does the repairs, as fixing the HG isn't always a sure bet they won't fail again in 20k to 50k more miles. Many have however done the job only once.

I'd say you have two options:
1) fix the head gaskets, and know it's done so you are not stranded while on the chase. Start saving up to replace the car in a year or two with a new car (Subie of 2004+ vintage).
2) sell the car as is, where is, with known gasket failure. Take that money and put toward a similar or newer Subie that has had the HGs done already...and perhaps lower mileage or switch to a Subie with the 2.2 motor (which you trade off MPGs with more reliable HGs).