Replacement Legacy

About 3 weeks ago some [insert expletive] left turned into me and totaled my car. Took a while to find this out, since a lot of the damage wasn't found until the body shop tore everything down. I had an '08 Legacy 2.5i Limited with 72k miles. It was in great condition with meticulous maintenance, but I'm sure you all know how total loss payouts go. They suck.

 

Not just 2 weeks before that, my family just bought a minivan for our 5 person + dog family, so my budget is restricted to not much over the insurance payout.

 

In my area NE Ohio, there are very few similar vehicles for sale, so I've had to expand my search a lot. I either have to drive to PA or MI to find vehicles I would even begin to like. Almost all the sales are to dealers of all sorts, not many private sales, so no service records...

 

One exception was a '09 Legacy 3.0R Limited with 93k miles only about 30 minutes from me.

http://www.paquetautosales.com/2009_Subaru_Legacy_Madison_OH_222132979.veh#

Looked flawless all over, with the exception of some corrosion around the center of the wheel where the logos are. It drove great in a test drive, but since the vehicle history only shows that it was registered yearly in PA (no reported accidents though), I'm hesitant.

Any strong opinions about the 3.0 H6 engine in this car? longevity? repair cost? I typically keep my cars until they're completely worn out

 

Any help would be appreciated, and FAST! My time on the rental is running out...

For a reference point, I paid $10k for an '08 3.0R about a month ago private sale. I then chose to replace the brakes/rotors ($400) and swaybar endlinks ($70). There was also a bubble in the sidewall of one tire, so I snagged a new set of tires on an E-bay auction for $360 shipped. So buying private sale with some minor repairs basically cost me ~$10,900. That dealer is asking a fair price, and you could probably talk them down quite a bit. I do like my 3.0R quite a bit more than my 2.5i. Also, the H6 3.0 is a very reliable engine with minimal headgasket problems. It has a timing chain, too, so that's one less repair to worry about.

Out of curiosity, would you mind sharing what the total loss payout was? I have an '08 Legacy 2.5i Limited with similar mileage as yours.

Out of curiosity, would you mind sharing what the total loss payout was? I have an '08 Legacy 2.5i Limited with similar mileage as yours.

 

The payout they told me was ~$12.7k. I suppose in the scheme of things it isn't too bad. I had a bunch of add-ons that I couldn't remove and they wouldn't include in the payout either (HID conversion w/ new projectors, handsfree bluetooth phone system).They did an average of 3 comparable vehicles in my "area", all with 10-20k more miles, while leaving out some lower mileage cars at the same time. I'm in the process of negotiating for more. We'll see how that goes.

 

It's been really hard to find anything but the base model without having to drive 3 hours just to go, "... meh"

 

How many miles does your 3.0R have?

$12.7 is decent other than the mods you lost. I' think I'd be happy with that on my 2.5i Limited that has 84k, but I have no mods and it is due for some maintenance. My '08 3.0R has 92k miles.

$12.7K for a 2.5i and you're meh try selling one out right You'll be lucky to crack $10K they don't hold value well oddly enough.

 

H6 is a fine ride youll fine that nearly every owner loves theirs! Good power, decent fuel mileage and lots of features.

Nada is 12800 on your car, so its going to be tough to get much more. It's pretty disappointing shopping used cars to find how poorly many cars are treated especially if you meticulous.

 

The 3.0R sounds good. I wouldn't worry about a corrosion on the wheel; its bound to happen with northern vehicle. It might be a sign that some one didn't wash the car often but it could just be a bad luck. If the rest of cosmetic are in good shape and its mechanically sound, I would think about it.

$12.7K for a 2.5i and you're meh try selling one out right You'll be lucky to crack $10K they don't hold value well oddly enough.

My comment wasn't so much about the 2.5 in general as it was for the condition of the cars for sale as dgoodhue mentions...

It's pretty disappointing shopping used cars to find how poorly many cars are treated especially if you meticulous.

If they were actually in good shape and weren't missing pieces (like those stupid end cap things before the rear tires that like to fall off, headrests, cup holders, only one freaking key) I'd be happy to buy in that price range.

I've always been a fence on selling mine. It's not a 3.0 though. 09 2.5i SE 5 speed manual. Very low mileage, 22k. If you want to make a trip to CA, I can show it to you.

I've always been a fence on selling mine. It's not a 3.0 though. 09 2.5i SE 5 speed manual. Very low mileage, 22k. If you want to make a trip to CA, I can show it to you.

 

Normally I might be interested, given my time frame and current schedule with home/work I don't have the luxury of a trip to CA. Wish I did, bet it's nice this time of year.