Because I'm salty...This car has been a lemon.

I went through my maintenance log tonight, looking at 8 years of ownership of my 2005. I still love the car, especially with the upgrades but I'm seriously considering whether its been worth it. I've easily plowed half the purchase price back into the vehicle in parts...and god forbid all the time and busted knuckles and swearing and other shit. It reads like the "Common maintenance problems" list here and "required maintenance" by the Unabomber over on NASIOC:

• 
  Clutch (twice now!)
  Flywheel
  Turbocharger
  Both CV axles
  Both rear hub bearings
  Power Steering Pump (TWICE!)
  Alternator
  Starter
  Both LCA's
  Radiator
  P/S lines and reservoir
  

I'm sure I'm forgetting some things. Anyone know of something not on my list to expect to explode in the next few thousand miles? :lol:

And how far and hard has it been driven? Distance and how hard it was driven also plays a role in how much you have to put into the car.

The only item that shouldn't have been impacted by usage as I see it is the radiator unless you got a rock in it.

I suspect that the brake calipers could be a suspect item to come up. But they actually prefer a bit of a tougher driving since they will be heated and exercised then. Parking brake cables are also items that are candidates as I see it.

Only 267 post...I guess you've missed that I've posted here a number of times, I bought my 05 wagon new in late June 2004, I'm well into paying for it the third time.

But every time I push my right foot to the firewall the car still brings a big smile to my face.

The only thing suspect on your list is the clutch and PS pump twice, depending on your mileage. Everything else is either a wear item, or expected to give out at some point but not necessarily wear-related like the radiator.

Knock on wood, hope your motor doesn't blow up.

Power steering racks tend to leak out of the shaft seal. Shifter linkages tend to go after 150k. TMIC tend to leak by 120k even at stock boost. 4th gen LGT radio/HCAV controls tend to go wacky (3 of mine did) but you can fix them if you are decent at micro soldering. Engines and head gaskets are ALWAYS suspect. Pesky air bag light? Cracked clutch pivot tubes, seized hvac actuators, the list goes on. Its what makes a Subaru a Subaru. They are kinda of like a drug. You know you need to quit, but...

Thinking the Forester is it for me. I am "married" to it I have so much invested in it. If the engine or trans goes (again) I might just be pissed enough to burn it. Next car will not be a Subie. 17 years so far and its been rough. LOL.

Pretty much everything on that list would be considered normal wear items that could happen to any 13 year old car. Especially one with higher mileage that is used up. What did you expect?

Of the 7 Subarus I've owned so far I haven't had one that I would consider a bad purchase yet. My current car is a 2004 with 260k on it and needs ball joints and wheel bearings but is otherwise good. That doesn't seem to be too much to ask at that kind of mileage.

You want something that costs money to maintain, always needs maintenance, and always has the potential to have a $10k+ repair waiting around the corner? Try owning and maintaining a light airplane. The money you spent on 8 years of ownership of a Subaru and think is bad is probably the same or less than what is spent on an average light plane each year.

Shifter linkages tend to go after 150k.

I've had the ps leak at the shaft seal, cracked clutch fork at the pivot (I think, that's what the dealer said), and airbag light.. I'm at 230k, so you've got me thinking about the shifter linkage.. What usually goes bad and what are the symptoms?

I've had the ps leak at the shaft seal, cracked clutch fork at the pivot (I think, that's what the dealer said), and airbag light.. I'm at 230k, so you've got me thinking about the shifter linkage.. What usually goes bad and what are the symptoms?

Super sloppy. Difficult to find gears. Stick goes round the world in a circle.

Super sloppy. Difficult to find gears. Stick goes round the world in a circle.

Really? I can see them breaking due to corrosion, but just due to age and in CA, I assume? Surprising.

Super sloppy. Difficult to find gears. Stick goes round the world in a circle.

Seems like an ordinary VW bus with tail engine.

Throw around the stick a few times and hope you got a good gear.

Super sloppy. Difficult to find gears. Stick goes round the world in a circle.

The solution is just do every single shifter linkage bushing you can. It only makes it more noisy, otherwise feels great.

For a Subaru 5mt.....

Really? I can see them breaking due to corrosion, but just due to age and in CA, I assume? Surprising.

They wear out. Sometimes there is no bushing left, just the metal tube. Ocean air does not help.

I am familiar with many brands of car. I was Datsun/Nissan specific for many years. I have lots of experience with Honda (cars and bikes), Toyota, Yamaha and HD. They all have their quirks. But in all honesty my Subarus always needed MORE than any other cars I have built in 30+ years of it. Love/Hate relationship LOL.

The solution is just do every single shifter linkage bushing you can. It only makes it more noisy, otherwise feels great.

 

For a Subaru 5mt.....

I did this only to find the shifter linkage was the culprit. As Mike stated the ting was in horrible shape. I still have it around, maybe I'll post a picture.

They wear out. Sometimes there is no bushing left, just the metal tube. Ocean air does not help.

 

 

I am familiar with many brands of car. I was Datsun/Nissan specific for many years. I have lots of experience with Honda (cars and bikes), Toyota, Yamaha and HD. They all have their quirks. But in all honesty my Subarus always needed MORE than any other cars I have built in 30+ years of it. Love/Hate relationship LOL.

I use to own a Mazdaspeed Protege, best handling car I've ever owned but it was just as needy or even more than my Spec B so far.

I use to own a Mazdaspeed Protege, best handling car I've ever owned but it was just as needy or even more than my Spec B so far.

I had bad luck with Mazdaspeed 3's. I would not recommend modifying one of those. I almost bought a Speed6. Glad I did not in retrospect. The trans was total crap and did not hold.

I BEAT the ever loving snot out of my B13 turbo Sentra I built right after high school. Bought the car for under $6k new off the lot and dropped 6 times that in mods. It ran 12's at Carlsbad and I put over 115k on it before I sold it (and it was NOT broken). Stock shortblock, thing never broke (but I did have it upside down once). It was the energizer bunny of modding. We had very few major issues with all my Dads (full race) 510's. I guess I started spoiled.

I had bad luck with Mazdaspeed 3's. I would not recommend modifying one of those. I almost bought a Speed6. Glad I did not in retrospect. The trans was total crap and did not hold.

 

 

I BEAT the ever loving snot out of my B13 turbo Sentra I built right after high school. Bought the car for under $6k new off the lot and dropped 6 times that in mods. It ran 12's at Carlsbad and I put over 115k on it before I sold it (and it was NOT broken). Stock shortblock, thing never broke (but I did have it upside down once). It was the energizer bunny of modding. We had very few major issues with all my Dads (full race) 510's. I guess I started spoiled.

Honda's where my equivalent of your Sentra, minus the upside/down. I owned two civics, a RSX Type S and now an Acura RDX. Had superchargers and turbochargers, this was of course before ethanol was a thing. I'm currious how those cars would have handled the ethanol.

Its only got 115k miles on it, never been autocrossed or tracked. Some spirited driving on the road but I don't hard launch or stuff like that. So these wear items seem to have worn out pretty damn quickly. I had a 13 year old BMW M3 that had required nothing like this much work.

Everyone here is right, they're still a very lovable car to drive...and its not like there's a lot (any?) USDM manufacturers making an AWD, turbocharged, MT wagon.

For the other things people listed here- I've already rebuilt the brake calipers 2 years ago. Shifter linkage I inspected last week while doing the clutch, as well as a new pivot point and clutch fork. All new shifter bushings REALLY improved the feel of the shifter.

Also I forgot some things:

-Harmonic balancer exploding on the freeway

-AC compressor idler pulley disintegrating

-Usual leaky valve cover

And of course everything is compounded by salted roads rusting things up and causing bolt heads to twist off regularly.

One thing is for sure, without you guys and this amazing community, I never would have stuck with it. There's no way I could have ever done all this work myself, and learned so much without the posts here. I've never once taken Peggy the Leggy to a mechanic, and only ever to the stealership for warranty work. Thanks you all!

When I bought a Legacy GT, I hadn't owned a turbo car before, and had never done more than swap an intake on a car or changed the oil.

Thanks to this forum I've learned a ton. I've changed my timing belt, changed brake fluid, coolant, transmission fluid, differential fluid, power steering fluid. I've swapped calipers, coil packs, spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, every major exhaust component, installed a new sound system, learned how to solder wires, changed out a very wide variety of suspension bushings. Changed a clutch (not my own), and helped a number of people in my local community fix their cars as well. The only thing I haven't done is pulled the motor, but I'm confident I can/will when it becomes necessary.

Subarus have a way of making people become halfway decent wrenches (or financially insolvent).

Indeed, while I wrenched on cars before, LGT took it to the next level (heh, lost count how many times I pulled the motor...).

It also helps these cars are exceptionally easy to work on.

 

Subarus have a way of making people become halfway decent wrenches (or financially insolvent).

1st fiscally insolvent, then halfway decent wrenches out of necessity.

Indeed, while I wrenched on cars before, LGT took it to the next level (heh, lost count how many times I pulled the motor...).

 

It also helps these cars are exceptionally easy to work on.

I agree - they are easy to work on. Most of the items you usually want to access are easy to get to without a lot of special tools or the need of it being a two man job.

I once encountered a car where you had to be two persons just to manage a pulley - one from above and one from below the car, both with socket extenders.