Just bought used Subaru Outback Limited

AridianSea
Mon, 06 Jan 2020 05:19:25 +0000
Buying/Selling

I just bought a 2009 Subaru Outback Limited from a private seller.

Prior to the sale, I test drove it, had a mechanic - friend of my extended family - look at it and run codes and find nothing of concern come up.

The sellers were a young couple - college girl and her older boyfriend, who seemed very nice. The car was given to the girl as a Christmas present from her parents, weeks prior. It was shipped to them from a neighboring state and they said they never really drove it, which I could believe, as it was never registered, although it was titled, in its’ new state. The girl said they were selling it because she wanted to get a used Prius instead - for better gas mileage for her college commute, plus she had no need for the racks and trunk size, since they don’t have any kids or pets, for one thing. They also already have a truck. The previous owners were an older (near elderly) couple, apparently, who didn’t do a whole lot of driving.

The car has 82k miles on it and both the interior and exterior are in very good condition, with only a very few minor knicks, scratches and no dents.

I can change oil and tires, spark plugs and fuses if need be, on my own, but that’s about it. I’m no mechanic, to say the least, but the car seemed fine to me. It runs well, brakes seem very good, and it sounds pretty good when idling. The oil was very clean and it has brand new tires on it. I really like the car, in general, or I wouldn’t have pursued and committed to buying it. I got the sellers to come down on the

price a little bit, too.

My only concern was some amount - not terrible, but some - of corrosion under the hood. The family friend mechanic wasn’t at all bothered by it, nor was my spouse and another family member.

As it’s an 11 year old car, I realize that maybe a certain amount of corrosion is normal, perhaps, especially, considering that it’s spent most of its life in a SE coastal climate (South Carolina and now Florida).

I’m attaching some images of it to give a better idea of what I mean.

Also, what else could I do to check for any issues that may have been missed, initially?

I understand the importance of regular maintenance, but is there anything specific to this year, make and model of Subaru that I might want to keep a close watch over? The mechanic is a sweet guy with years of experience (not sure exactly how many, though) and I am grateful that he took time out to come look at the car, but I am not sure he really knows his Subarus well enough to advise more specifically, beyond running tests and doing a once over. Really, he just told me to make sure to change oil on schedule, which I already know.

Any suggestions or feedback is appreciated.

25 posts - 12 participants