'96 Legacy Outback 2.5l automatic

You can check out this weblog:

Beyond this, just my common sense comment that, at 10 years old, any car is going to start to have a lot of problems.

-LK

Thanks LK. Single-owner, 41K miles, completely gone over by a dealer/shop that I trust, so I'm hoping you're wrong. Rick

Good luck. The low mileage is remarkable. Is it possible that the speedometer (and hence odometer) was replaced somewhere along the way? The electronic sending unit in the 96-99 Legacy Outback speedometers sometimes failed. I have a 99 Legacy Outback with a new speedometer, but the odometer was rolled forward to show actual mileage (122,000 and going strong by the way).

-LK

I've had great success with my 2.5 auto 96 outback, with 186K to date. I bought it from my dad in 04, and he bought it used from a Sub dealer in 2000.

Only thing I watch is the oil, as it seems to burn about 1L between oil changes.

I especially like it in Ontario winters.

Cheers

Thanks. I had a '99 OBS which I was very pleased with once we got the rear wheel bearing issue straightened out. I'm just wondering if there's any widespread or recurring problems (like the '99 bearings) that I should be aware of. Rick

Based on my experience, you probably have some repairs ahead. At

50+thousand miles I had the continuing check engine light problems noted by others. Bad cam sensor was finally diagnosed and replaced. At 60+thousand miles the notorious Subaru oil leaks started. Front cam and crank seals were bad and had to be replaced (along with the timing belt). Now at around 114000 miles there is some slight oil leakage through the rear crank seal, enough to drip on the exhaust and be smelly. A oil additive to "restore" the seals has helped.