Moving to New Mexico from New Jersey. Should I ship my 1996 Subaru Outback west when we move or just sell it? It only has 106,000 miles and no known (!) problems (except old age), garage kept all its life, but kinda neglected (long time between washes. long time between oil changes but not mileage wise) Should I get it checked out before we move? If so, what would be the point of no return, $ cost wise?
Why not have it checked out and DRIVE it here and enjoy the trip?
1996 is not old, and 106,000 miles is not a lot. If the timing belt has not been changed I would definitely do that, as well as changing (not flushing) the transmission fluid and filter.
Just go through the owner’s manual and make sure you don’t miss antything. Proper maintenance involves far more than just oil changes.
Cars last a long time in NM due to dry air. If the Subaru is OK you might as well keep it. No need to check it over before shipping unless you want to use a mechanic you trust. There are mechanics in NM too.
Before shipping get it washed and note all the defects in body and paint. Then when it arrives you can check it for damage. Even with low miles you should get an oil change at least once a year. For a '96 you should have all new fluids in trans, differentials, transfer case, brakes, radiator, etc. if they haven’t been changed in the last 4 - 5 years.
“For a '96 you should have all new fluids in trans, differentials, transfer case, brakes, radiator, etc. if they haven’t been changed in the last 4 - 5 years.”
That’s a lot of money! But a lot less than buying a new car.
We’re driving down in our '03 Toyota 4Runner. The Sube had 90,000 mile service at a dealership in '07, 7,500 service (??) in "08 and a few other things replaced over the years, so I guess I haven’t been such a bad Mom after all it just didn’t seem like I’ve done enough until I looked over the service records that I could find. Still, I’ll take your advice, with thanks. We do look forward to the drive.
The 90k service in 2007 is great as it is major. The car is up to date with services.
If the timing belt was never changed you are looking at a $500-$600 maintenance bill.
I think it has plenty of life.
I guess a key question is how much to ship this car?