Repair or Scrap 1999 Subaru Forester

1999 Subaru Forester AWD just broke down (85,000 miles) and shop said it needs major engine work of about $5000 to fix. How do you decide if it’s time to scrap a car or fix it? The body has several scratches & a few dings but otherwise is OK

A good start is to take a look at the blue book value of your car and compare it to the repair cost. It is unusual for a Subaru transmission to fail that early unless the tires were not properly matched (torque bind, etc.). This “early failure” may be an indication that the rest of the car isn’t in very good shape mechanically. If it’s a 2.5L you also have a head gasket to worry about (the first 2.5L engines had issues).

You might be better off selling it to a Subaru mechanic/fan and use the proceeds plus $5,000 to buy another car.

JMHO.

Good Luck,

Have priced out a used engine replacement before scrapping it.