I've been away from Subaru too long, help me choose a new car.

julian · Post by **julian** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 4:58 pm

Hi folks.
I've been away from ausubaru and Subaru for a while now. Last time I posted on these boards I was driving an L touring wagon with an EA82 turbo with all the fruit, bought here and subsequently sold to a board member here in sweet condition.

I've been tooling around with Euro cars for a while now and will soon sell my diesel mercedes wagon.

I am looking at a wagon and love having low range on tap so for now I will limit my research to the forester or outback. I want some feedback about these models from the early to mid 2000's. There are plenty of cars with more than 200,000km advertised up to around the 10 grand mark and this is the limit of my realistic budget on the outlay, assuming a few little things will need tidying.

Here are a few specific questions:
-Am I better off getting an older car with fewer kilometres?
-Are the automatic transmissions reliable?
-Anything specific to look out for when buying?
-Should I avoid the high K turbo models?

I recently drove an 04 H6 and loved the torque and effortless power.
-Do the flat 6 motors have a good reputation?
-The owner says he burns a bit of oil but subaru aren't worried. Is this a known issue and does it have an identifiable cause?
-Is the H6 motor and the transmission behind it reliable on a higher km vehicle?

Thanks guys, it's been too long.

julian · Post by **julian** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 5:38 pm

I would also consider the liberty in a wagon.

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:32 pm

I will let some others who have these cars talk about them more.
My 2c....
The liberty wagon sits very low, lots of space except for rear passengers.
2.5L 4cyl has plenty of power in ours.
The low range is barely low, good for the offloading that a car with that ground clearance can do but nothing more.

If your still in Adelaide, talk to warren at Eblens on Belair road kings wood.
And go to Eblens glenelg.

Cheers Cam

60766244 · Post by **60766244** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:17 pm

I owned a 2000 model forester GL with 240,000km on the clock.

Looking back she was capable, versatile and efficient. I was mad to sell her.

Comfortable, handled well and was of a quality build.
Only the 2.0L motor so I always wished she had more poke, but other than that I now realize the small motor was the only thing that let it down.

Look forward to test drive photos.

julian · Post by **julian** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:22 pm

I'm in Orange now (sorry, just updated profile) but regularly travel to Sydney.

I borrowed a 2001 forester and it was great but gutless with 3 people and a weekends worth of gear.

Is the later H6 (MY04) EZ30 less prone to the oil loss induced failure than the earlier cars?

sven '2' · Post by **sven '2'** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:52 pm

Hey man, welcome back!

Never really heard of H6's using oil - they are a great motor though.

So during your 'European Vacation' just how many cars did you own??

What takes you to Orange?

Sven

julian · Post by **julian** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:05 pm

Hey mate!
Yeah it has been a while. I had a lovely Peugeot turbo diesel for a while and on sold that to fund an overseas holiday. After that one I spent some time on w123 mercedes, owning a diesel sedan and now a wagon. Fantastic cars but I am now ready for something with a few more hp and all wheel drive.

I am still a sucker for the rear engine Renaults of the 60s though.

No subaru for you either it seems.

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:35 pm

The only oil issue I have heard of is oil that accumulates in the bore after the engine stops and cools and oil seeps past the rings. When the engine is started a small puff of blue smoke comes out the exhaust. A common issue with flat engines and not a cause for concern.

sven '2' · Post by **sven '2'** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:41 pm

julian wrote:Hey mate!
Yeah it has been a while. I had a lovely Peugeot turbo diesel for a while and on sold that to fund an overseas holiday. After that one I spent some time on w123 mercedes, owning a diesel sedan and now a wagon. Fantastic cars but I am now ready for something with a few more hp and all wheel drive.

I am still a sucker for the rear engine Renaults of the 60s though.

No subaru for you either it seems.

Have a Brumby in Victoria in pieces, but CBF doing much with it...but a R10 with Virage motor on the other hand...

GL with the search

Kustomchris · Post by **Kustomchris** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:05 am

My H6 has been ok, same as most engines where you just have to pay attention to the engine noise. Im now past 240k and as long as they have been looked after ive heard they can be great, try get one in a maual though as the autos really take away from the torquey engines.

julian · Post by **julian** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:55 am

Hi mate.
Looking at MY04 series outbacks were they available in manual in Australia?
Is the 5 speed auto in that series any good?

Members on this forum here talk of burning through 2L of oil/5000km in the H6: http://performanceforums.com/forums/sho ... ure-common
That is huge!

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:20 am

My wife's 2001 H6 has over 470,000kms on it's original engine and would use about 1/2 a litre of oil every service (which I do at every 10,000kms).

The early H6 models were only available as an auto but the later ones come in manual. None of them are available with the Dual Range setup but depends what you're planning to do with the vehicle? The 5 speed automatic is smooth and with good services can last a long time. I haven't heard of any issues with them but like any model, it depends on what day it was built.

Trying to choose a car for someone I don't know (budjet, needs, physical size, what it's going to get used for, etc..) is very hard. My best advise would be have a look at Gumtree and pick some cars within your budjet and take them for a drive. Don't buy the first one and try and look at all the bad points.

Cheers,
Paul

Kustomchris · Post by **Kustomchris** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:54 am

Mine has the 5 speed auto, when you put it into sports shift basically the transmission will change gears a second or two after youve told it to which kinda bugs me.

There also isnt as much aftermarket parts to upgrade the H6's compared to the EJ's but they really dont need to be upgraded.

Oh yeah and theres the idler bearing issue to watch out for, heaps of info on here to know what to look for.

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 11:33 am

If I had to upgrade my current car, a Gen 4 H6 auto Outback would be pretty high on my list. An XT Forester would be cool, but the Outback is stacks more comfortable and has more boot room

julian · Post by **julian** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 5:18 pm

Kustomchris wrote:when you put it into sports shift basically the transmission will change gears a second or two after youve told it to which kinda bugs me.

Hi Chris.
When you get tired of that let me know!

Any more feedback on what to look out for? Anyone got the service schedule for the H6 in MY04 and later?

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 5:36 pm

Welcome back Julian! I've missed your Avatar mate!

Cheers

Bennie

julian · Post by **julian** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 6:08 pm

Thanks mate, it's good to be back and feelin' the love!

Still want help with choosing a ride. Any comments will be well received.

Julian

julian · Post by **julian** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 6:27 pm

How about a liberty 3.0R-B?
With the 6 speed manual.

Thoughts?

Kustomchris · Post by **Kustomchris** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 11:58 pm

Nah this car aint for sale for awhile yet, ive seen afew pics and been reading up on lowering the OBs by fitting LGT suspension.. Seems like alot of bother to avoid buying a GT in the first place. (They look mean as hell though)

Hell yeah go the manual 6 speed, would love to drive one and feel the full potential of the H6

julian · Post by **julian** » Mon May 20, 2013 8:36 pm

Will probably test drive a 2004 3.0R-B liberty this week if I can get the time.

One owner and dealer serviced since new, with books.

How many k's is too many...?