Should I repair my trade-in?

Depending on how handy you are, replacing the water pump and timing belt is hard work but not super difficult, nor ridiculously expensive ($80 pump, $40 belt). It is probably 2-3 hours work with the engine in the car. The radiator may have to come out to give you some elbow room but that's not a huge deal.

Are you sure that after you replace those items the car will be in good running condition? If so, it is like sticking money in your pocket for a couple of hours work.

Remco

Here is a quote from the dealers estimate. Sounds like a lot more than 2-3 hours work is required. I'm handy enough to do the simple stuff, but repairs that require extensive work or special tools/equipment are beyond my comfort level. (Caps in quote are dealers.)

"BECAUSE YOUR VEHICLE HAS DUEL OVERHEAD CAMS THE LABOR IS MUCH MORE DUE TO TAKING ENGINE APART TO GET TO WATER PUMP. THE PRICE FOR THE WATER PUMP IS $107.06 AND 630.00 FOR LABOR.

I replaced the timing belt & water pump using oem parts for about 200 dollars and 2-3 hours work. The radiator & fans must come out (as a unit) and the crankshaft pulley must be removed (130 ft/lbs torque required). You must be able to lock the cams on a DOHC engine ( make your own from wood). The water pump is easy (4-5 bolts straight in bolts). Not a bad job if you've done any type of engine work previously. Most Subaru dealers quoted me for a timing belt & water pump replacement at 375-425 dollars so your dealer estimate is out of line in my opinion.

For me, it would depend on how much I am being offered for the trade. Would it be worth spending $1,063 in order to gain $1500 more in trade?

If it were me, it would have to make a pretty big difference in trade value, as I'd be ready to be done with the old car, and not want to devote the efforts to getting it fixed. Save your energy for the process of buying the new car. That's just me, but it sounds like you're ready to move on as well.

What's more, depending on how many miles are on your Outback, and based on it's age, the dealer is more than likely going to just wholesale your car anyway, meaning that the Saturn dealer probably won't fix it either.

Bag the Outback and enjoy your new car. Honestly, I'm more concerned that you want to buy a GM vehicle.:)

On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 16:22:50 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com(Phil Marshall) wrote in news:20060420123619.436$ snipped-for-privacy@newsreader.com:

"No wonder it runs roughly, it's got duelling overhad cams!"

Your engine is an EJ25 then? (the 2.5 liter engine). Yes, it is quite different than the one I did. Can't imagine it being that much more work as its belt is just longer, I think.

Here are some pictures of your engine:

Here's a picture of the belt with one of the pulleys being the water pump (as Ed suggests: just a couple of bolts - it is not an integral part of the engine in the sense that the whole thing has to come apart). I believe the 2.5L engine is an interference engine so you would need to be careful that it is indeed done right. Follow the procedure and you'll be fine.

Remco

You cracked me up with that one! As I get older (43 next month) the Saturn experience (customers are important, really) becomes more important to me. Just looking to be taken care of, and no hassles to deal with. :) I'm looking at the Saturn Vue, with the 6cyl Honda 250 HP engine. Great overall reviews there...

Thanks, Phil

If you're going to take it to a dealer and trade it in I wouldn't do anything to it. The dealer probably has a set price they are willing to give you, and used Outbacks vary quite a bit in price based on where you live. Most knowledgeable buyers of Subarus will always ask when the timing belt was changed.

BTW, replacing the water pump and timing belt is normal maintenance on a Subaru, or just about any car with a timing belt. And the repair ain't cheap. They always do them together because the labor is about the same for either one by itself.

A ten year old car can actually be a liability when buying a new car. See what kind of deal you can get with no trade. It might surprise you. No matter what condition your car is in, the dealer is just going to wholesale it to an auction outfit. He may actually lose money on the deal when all costs are considered. Just for giggles, take a look at his used cars the next time you are there, and count the 1997 models you see.

Some good friends of mine have a Vue that they've been quite happy with. Maybe too happy...hmmm.

I'm with you on the customer experience of the car buying process. Although, if it wasn't for my dealer, I wouldn't have anything to bitch about.

Good luck!

Jason

When I was buying a car in 1989, the Saturn dealer did not want to give me anything for my 1986 Accord LX-i. So I took it to a Ford dealer and got a

1989 Probe GT. The Saturn was cheaper when paying cash with no trade, but I got the Probe for less money by the higher trade-in offer. Not sure if Saturn still does this or not, then the big deal was the fixed pricing with no haggle and it was not bad until a trade is thrown in to the mix.

Blair

Hi Phil,

Overheating on this year is always the headgaskets. I work on Subbys and have seen and done many.

If yours is an Outback Limited I would be interested in buying it in "as is" condition.

Good luck!

John Peake

Phil Marshall wrote:

No, it's not the 'Limited' model.

~~Phil~~