looking to purchase 99 legacy L sedan. anything specific i should be concerned about?

looking to purchase my 1st subaru, a 99 legacy L sedan. anything specific i should be concerned about? 2.2 litre auto. appears to have a cam seal leak and an intermittent acceleration issue. took it for a test drive and could smell oil after sitting in one place for awhile after the engine was up to temp. any info would be greatly appreciated.

http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv133/corlon/3F53J93H35N35H35M3cb4c5a76d44bc181453.jpg

Burning oil smell is likely from the cam seal leak or another oil leak. Any oil leak will drip onto the exhaust, heat up, and smell bad.

Common oil leaks for second gens: cam seals, crank seal, oil pump seal, oil pan, oil pan plug, rear main seal, & oil separator plate.

When was the timing belt last replaced? It should be replaced every 60k. Find that out. If you do it yourself it will be fairly inexpensive. A shop will charge $650-1200 do to the service. A timing service should include replacing the timing belt, pulleys, belt tensioner, cam seals crank seal, water pump and gasket, thermostat, and resealing the oil pump. When the oil pump is removed check for loose screws.

The acceleration issue could be many things. Bad fuel pump, clogged fuel filter, dirty injectors, vacuum leak, etc. Or the auto trans is just slow. Check the trans fluid level. Is the fluid dark brown (should be red)? Does it smell burnt?

When was the last time the spark plugs and wires were replaced? PCV valve may be old and clogged, when was the air filter changed, etc.

Is the CEL on(check engine light)? Mileage? Service history? Price?

How are the brakes? New pads? Rotors?

The 2.2s don't have as many head gasket failures as the 2.5s, but that is also something to look out for. Signs of head gasket failure is slow acceleration, milky coolant, white smoke coming from the exhaust.

Don't be completely discouraged. Keep in mind that you are buying a used car. Second Gens are great cars but you may need to put some elbow grease into it. But those of us in the second gen forum are happy to give you support and help.

thanks for the detailed response. purchased the vehicle the day after i posted. 1st subaru ever. love driving it, feels like a tank!

to answer your questions. the timimg belt was replaced about 40,000 miles ago. the car has 148,000 miles on it. no cel on. brakes are great. trans level is normal and appears to be brand new (red and smells normal, not burnt.) oil, coolant, etc all look good.

the previous owner threw lots of parts at this acceleration issue. heres a link to the other post regarding that.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/1999-legacy-l-sedan-2-2-litre-auto-acceleration-issue-197376.html

Congratulations! Subies are a lot of fun to drive. The BDs are a classic for sure. If your cam seal leak is a slow leak then just keep an eye on your oil level of course and you should be OK.

There are plenty of little upgrades that you can do along the sway. But once you get started, look out, lol.