Fix it or sell it: 2002 Subaru Outback Sport

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I would greatly appreciate some car veteran advice as I am really not a car guy. I am trying to figure out if its worth dumping money into my car or time to get in the market for a good used car.

I have a 2002 Subaru Outback Sport with about 110k miles on it. About two and half years ago I had one of the wheel bearings replaced and the mechanic said the others would probably need replacing in about a year. Right after that I moved to a new job where I only drive about 12 miles a day to and from work. I figured the bearings would last a while so I put off replacing the others.

Also about a year and a half ago I called Subaru direct about the head gasket issue these cars have and they said it was fixed on my model but its obvious the gasket is going. This was just after 100k miles so I wasn’t eligible for their head gasket replacement program I read about on the web. I could see dried coolant on side of engine and it smelled bad so I ended up putting in a bottle of Bars Leak in (my Dad’s recommendation) and that seemed to help a lot.

I bought the car new and have done regular oil changes and had the dealer 30k and 60k services done. Under warranty a “broken spark plug wire” and a catalytic converter was replaced. At 70k I had a preemptive timing belt change done. Last year I tightened up the clamps on the gas lines which were leaking when the weather got cold.

Fast forward to today. In the last few weeks I have started to hear the other wheeling bearings start to sing there farewell song (especially on turns). There is a lot of other work that needs to be done. I am really not familiar with current car maintenance cost and I am in the process of finding that out with local mechanics. The prices I have gotten so far seem on the high side. Here is what I am estimating based on my initial research. Are these in the ball park or are they either too low or two high?

Short Term:
Three wheel bearings: $750 - $1200 (hopefully the one replaced a few years back is still ok)
Brakes: $400 - $600 (assuming no rotor replacement)

Mid Term:
Both Oxygen Sensors: $400 - $600 (my buddies diagnostic car reader said both were reporting faults but millage is still good so I guess they are still working at least partially)

Probable Long Term:
Head Gasket: $1200 - $2000
Transmission: $1500??? (Manual transmission seems ok but there is an occasional “clunk” sound when cruising along which can’t be good).

My plan would be to fix the short and mid term stuff which I think would make sense if its less than $1500 and if the research pans out that the head gasket/transmission will make it another year or two (another 10k miles at my rate). If I get unlucky the total damage would be over $5000 which I think is more than the trade in value.

Given all that should I fix the short term stuff and hope the big hitters (head gasket/transmission) don’t fail? Or is it a losing proposition? Also if anybody knows any good Subaru mechanics in Milwaukee (north shore), Wisconsin please pass them along.

Thanks for your time.

2

Your car is just showing its age. If you spend the money on repairs it should have a lot of miles left in it. I’m not sure about the affects of the “Bars Leak” but I wouldn’t have done that.

The biggest issue is the status of the motor, and in particular the head gasket(s). I’d be reluctant to spend money on the other stuff until you get some compression tests, leak down tests, and pressure test of the cooling system. The coolant residue you noted could simply have been some external “weepage” from a head gasket or loose clamp. You need to make sure the head gaskets aren’t leaking internally and are sound. If they are the rest of the “repairs” are really just reconditioning stuff that you’d expect to wear out over the miles.