# Repair or Scrap 1999 Subaru Forester **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** forester, engines, subaru\ **Created:** [July 30, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-or-scrap-1999-subaru-forester/52721 "2010-07-30T21:25:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jessie22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@Jessie22](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jessie22)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-or-scrap-1999-subaru-forester/52721/1 "2010-07-30T21:25:21Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![daeh\_ttub](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/daeh_ttub/32/5010_2.png) [@daeh\_ttub](https://community.cartalk.com/u/daeh_ttub)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-or-scrap-1999-subaru-forester/52721/2 "2010-07-30T22:22:17Z")
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, ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-or-scrap-1999-subaru-forester/52721/3 "2010-07-31T00:30:02Z")
Have priced out a used engine replacement before scrapping it.