Lifted Subaru

[applepie_eli]

Since there have been some good threads on hunting vehicles, I figured I'd ask some opinions here. I have an 01 Escape that's on its last leg. It won't make it past August inspection without some pretty major repairs. So I've been looking for a new car. I need it to be my commuter to work (25 minute drive to school where I teach) and also be good enough for some minor off roading. The off roading would be along the lines of a very rough state gameland road, gas well roads, forest service roads, and driving some trails through the fields at the neighbors farm. I'd also like to be able to drive it out west from PA as well as local 2-3 hour drives around home for fishing and what not. So I've been thinking Subaru. Either an old forester or a newer outback. I DO NOT want to take out a loan at all, let alone a big one. But I'm fresh out of college and won't be making much money until September when I start teaching. So I may have to swing a personal loan to pick up something dependable for work. I found this Forester on fb marketplace. It already has a lift which is something I wanted and it was done professionally. Seems to be in great shape and I've talked to the owner who seems to be pretty honest so far. He mentioned a creaking noise when accelerating and decelerating. He said he thinks it's a bushing but hasn't found it yet. There is zero rust on the car since it's from the south and that's a HUGE plus for me. Anyways, take a look and see what you think. The price is a little high but I think I can get him down a little. Plus my escape is probably worth $1,000 the way it sits.

Any advice is appreciated. I can take the heat so be straight up with me lol. My thoughts are that this car with only 88,000 miles on it could easily get to 200,000. I have only put 60,000 on mine in 4 years making a longer commute. So hypothetically this car could last me upwards of 7-8 years.

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[IdahoElk]

What size tires? I doubt the front CV axles were meant for much over stock size tires. What type of lift does it have? creaking noises could be from control arm bushings,struts or lower/upper ball joints.
Does sound like a neat car for what you're doing.

 

[jspradley]

80K... dang my 2017 Forester has almost 80k miles... haha

 

[applepie_eli]

What size tires? I doubt the front CV axles were meant for much over stock size tires. What type of lift does it have? creaking noises could be from control arm bushings,struts or lower/upper ball joints.
Does sound like a neat car for what you're doing.

I'm not sure what size the tires are yet. The lift is 2.5 in the front and 3 in the back. I believe it's an OZ lift which is pretty high end. He said it was custom ordered from Australia where they make the Subaru lifts. I'm not too mechanically inclined so I've just been going based off of internet research. Luckily he had all of it done by a mechanic he knew at a Subaru dealer, which I checked into and it seems to be pretty legit. So it wasnt like some redneck through a lift on and called it a day.

 

[applepie_eli]

80K... dang my 2017 Forester has almost 80k miles... haha

Yeah they're not easy to find! He said he bought this one off of an old lady.

 

[jspradley]

Yeah they're not easy to find! He said he bought this one off of an old lady.

Hmm... just about every low mileage car from "An old lady who only drove it to church on Sundays"

I'm not sure if odometer tampering can be easily verified but the old lady story throws up some red flags to me.

 

[Wrench]

There's a few lifted subarus at my towns high school. These kids beat the absolute hell out of them. They always make it back.

Not my cup of mustard, but it's a fuel efficient way to get where you want to be.

 

[colersu22]

I was looking at doing this to my forester, everything is just a spacer that goes on top of the strut hats. From what I have read if you go over the 2-3” lift it will kill your cv’s. I was going to order something soon so I’m ready for hunting season in August.

 

[homebru.trout]

Check out these guys:

AWD Adventure Subaru Toyota Lift Kits & Accessories | ADF

Subaru & Toyota Suspension Lift Kits, Toyota Off Road Lighting Brackets, Accessories, Mitsubishi, Toyota Rav4, Toyota highlander, 2020 Forester, 2020 Outback, 2020 Crosstrek, lifted Legacy, Ascent, lifted Impreza,

andersondesign-fab.com

If you pick through the site there's lots of info to be found on what's going on at the nuts and bolts level. I understand it's a different lift kit company than you're referring to but the design is similar. Also has recommended tire size charts etc.

 

[elkduds]

I had a stock '02 Forester w auto trans. It was still going strong when I sold it this May w 120K on it. These all need T belt, water pump and head gasket replacement, so all that is done on the one you are shopping. Any lift will put extra strain on all 4 cv axles by increasing the angles of the cv joints. CVs creak, lurch and/or pop when failing. It can cost a couple hundred bucks per axle to replace these, there are 4 of them. Unlifted CVs can wear out @ 80-100K, sooner if the rubber boots get torn. IMO the lift reduces reliability, increases drive train maintenance. If your seller did the lift in the last 6K miles as the ad states, that could well have been the last straw for the cvs.

Pricewise that car would sell for about $5-6K (assuming everything in ad is true) on the Colorado front range where Subies sell for higher prices than most other places. Suggest having a mechanic check it out before you buy it. Good luck, that car should have another 100K of life in the engine/trans. It may benefit from an aftermarket trans cooler, due to the lift and heavier tires/rims.

 

[16Bore]

 

[Antarctica]

You can use a Subaru as a hunting vehicle, but you'll have to turn in your man-card.

In all seriousness, my wife had one and I absolutely hated it. Most over-rated vehicle I've ever seen.

 

[CHAD PEZZLE]

These all need T belt, water pump and head gasket replacement, so all that is done on the one you are shopping.

Like elkduds said, make sure to have the motor/head gaskets checked by a reputable Subaru mechanic. These motors have a notorious oil leak that eventually leads to head gasket failure. Check to see if it's been done, or needs it.

It can be an expensive repair. Generally the water pump and timing belt are done at the same time since the mechanics already in there.

 

[austinphps]

My buddy had the exact same model (no lift or anything). Replaced the T-belt, water pump and head gasket at 100k miles....engine blew at 120k. Everyone boasts on how long a subaru will last, but the fact of the matter is, you never know. There are always lemons. Not trying to discourage you, but a 17 year old car is a 17 year old car.

 

[Ten Bears]

I heard someone refer to a lifted Subaru as a "lesbian boobjob" before, just about pissed myself.

 

[jspradley]

You can use a Subaru as a hunting vehicle, but you'll have to turn in your man-card.

In all seriousness, my wife had one and I absolutely hated it. Most over-rated vehicle I've ever seen.

I love my Lesbaru and if it costs me my man card then so be it.

The hostility so many folks have against the very existance of Subies is so weird to me... I think it may have something to do with a feel of inadequacy over spending 50k on a pickup truck and seeing a vehicle that can do 80% of what their truck can do that costs way less and gets 25mpg

 

[duchntr]

My wife has the same car minus the lift and mud tires. Head gaskets go out on a lot of them so since thats been taken care of it might be worth looking at. However ANY lifted vehicle throws red flags for me. Asking price is easily 2k high when I bluebooked it. If you arent mechanically inclined take it to a trusted shop for inspection. Good luck.

 

[Ten Bears]

I love my Lesbaru and if it costs me my man card then so be it.

The hostility so many folks have against the very existance of Subies is so weird to me... I think it may have something to do with a feel of inadequacy over spending 50k on a pickup truck and seeing a vehicle that can do 80% of what their truck can do that costs way less and gets 25mpg

It's their commercials that irk me and 95% of the local drivers of such in my area. They make it seem like they aren't made of steel, plastic,rubber and run on gas/oil. Simply made from sustainably locally sourced non gender specific love that runs on sunshine dust.

That being said they make a solid car.

 

[jspradley]

It's their commercials that irk me and 95% of the local drivers of such in my area. They make it seem like they aren't made of steel, plastic,rubber and run on gas/oil. Simply made from sustainably locally sourced non gender specific love that runs on sunshine dust.

That being said they make a solid car.

Oh yeah I feel ya on the fanbois (fanpersons?) they are annoying as shit but then again ALL vehicle fanbois annoy the crap out of me

 

[Poser]

Subarus tens blow head gaskets between 100k and 150k miles. That’s a $1500 repair that should be performed proactively at 100k else it’s a ticking time bomb. They are great cars but they don’t make the best head gaskets so I would factor that cost.