Advice for engine repairs in a 2000 Subaru Forester

vermonter_out_west
Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:21:18 +0000
Maintenance/Repairs

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice. I bought a 2000 Subaru Forester two years ago with 107,000 miles on it. Since then, I’ve put about 30,000 miles on the car, and I’ve loved it. I’ve also sunk a lot of money into the car: new timing belt, new suspension, and two years ago, a major head gasket repair for the notorious engine problems (which I didn’t know about when I bought the car, silly me) common in Subarus with a 2.5 l engine. All told, I think I’ve probably spend $4,000 on major repairs in the last two years.

I just moved out to Wyoming, and had the car checked out before I made the drive. Lo and behold, one day into the drive west, the engine began showing signs of overheating. I made it to Wyoming, and my new mechanic here (who I found by recommendation) has diagnosed yet another head gasket failure. I’m looking at anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 in engine repairs, depending on how bad the engine looks when he opens it up.

Here’s my question: Would you continue to sink money into this car? I’ve always been told by my mechanic back east that I was doing a great job of putting in major repairs when necessary, and that by treating the car well I could be one of those Subaru drivers who drives their car upwards of 250,000 miles. Now, I’m not so sure. I could get about $2,500 for the car in a trade-in if I went to a dealership. I wanted to drive this car until it died, but now family members are recommending I cut my losses. What do you think?

4 posts - 4 participants