Lifted Subaru

[Antarctica]

Yeah I actually want this to be my last car for a long time so I can save up and some day buy a real nice newer 4runner. I'm not afraid to run one till 300,000 if it lasts me and is reliable. I guess I'm just scared of rust. Whatever they put on my roads in PA absolutely destroys cars. My family hasn't bought a used car that's lasted 200,000 before rusting out yet. I'm looking around down south (online) to see if I can find something rust free. Once I find something without rust I will have it undercoated this time. That being said, are there any particular rust issues with 4runners?

Also That is interesting you mentioned a tranny cooler. My friend just had her Neon do that exact thing and the car is junk now (not that it was a gem before lol).

They do rust, like any other car (except my BMW, which for some reason seems impervious to rust). There are some spots to check if you look at a 3rd gen. Many will have the bumpers rusting through. I don't really care about that because you can unbolt a bumper - its not the body. On the body or a 3rd gen, the rear wheel wells and the rocker panels are the normal problem spots. Mine developed a bubble on the rocker panel and its slowly coming through. I did nothing to address it, so its partially my fault.

I've looked a lot at dealing with rust (or more correctly - stopping its spread) with regard to my F350. I'm not a fan of undercoating, although some people say that the new formulations (used primarily in Canada) are much better than the old tarry or plasticy stuff.

So, I've started spraying the bottom of the ford with used oil, and will probably switch to Fluid Film come winter. yeah - I know, not exactly the most environmentally sound thing to do, but neither is building new cars.

The other spots to watch and keep clean is just inside the front doors where water runs down fromt he windshield. There's a spot that will clog full of debris. Also, inside the rear wheel well, just in front of the wheel, there's a spot where debris will pile up. Keep those spots clean.

 

[FLAK]

Subarus are for slick ROADS. Not off ROAD.
Just my .02.

 

[applepie_eli]

They do rust, like any other car (except my BMW, which for some reason seems impervious to rust). There are some spots to check if you look at a 3rd gen. Many will have the bumpers rusting through. I don't really care about that because you can unbolt a bumper - its not the body. On the body or a 3rd gen, the rear wheel wells and the rocker panels are the normal problem spots. Mine developed a bubble on the rocker panel and its slowly coming through. I did nothing to address it, so its partially my fault.

I've looked a lot at dealing with rust (or more correctly - stopping its spread) with regard to my F350. I'm not a fan of undercoating, although some people say that the new formulations (used primarily in Canada) are much better than the old tarry or plasticy stuff.

So, I've started spraying the bottom of the ford with used oil, and will probably switch to Fluid Film come winter. yeah - I know, not exactly the most environmentally sound thing to do, but neither is building new cars.

The other spots to watch and keep clean is just inside the front doors where water runs down fromt he windshield. There's a spot that will clog full of debris. Also, inside the rear wheel well, just in front of the wheel, there's a spot where debris will pile up. Keep those spots clean.

Yeah that's what I meant was an oil spray! Not like a full blown undercoat. I have a neighbor who will spray it for me for dirt cheap.

 

[hodgeman]

A 4Runner is probably your best bet in a medium SUV for going over 300k. I've got a 5th Gen and really like it. They're thirsty, but pretty bullet proof.

Most of those high mileage rigs come from the West, long stretches of open country and little salt on the roads to rot them out from underneath. PA would be a different bet.

 

[mgray]

When I was a kid, I bought a Subaru wagon from a couple of ladies. It was a 95 or so. It needed a brake line. I drove it until it had 200,000 miles when the clutch went out. It ran on 3 cylinders and sounded like a baby cummins. Sold it for $100 to a friend who put in a clutch and drove it another 100,000 miles. That thing might still be alive. I would but another one in a heart beat.

 

[Billy Goat]

Sounds like your situation a reliable vehicle is more important that a hunting vehicle. Your young. Make sure you are going to have a reliable vehicle to get to work. You will figure out how to make it acceptable for a hunting vehicle. Living in PA you are in a similar region to where I am. I think a Subaru would be a decent vehicle. I use to just have a Honda Civic. I drove that on the forest access roads around here. I wouldn't have tried it on access roads out west.

Like I said I think it would be best to focus on a good commuter vehicle for now. If you decide to make a trip out west rent a vehicle for it. That's cheaper than driving around a vehicle that could make the trip year round. Besides, you're young enough you should be able to cover the ground.

On the 4 runner note. I have been interested in one. Spoke to a client yesterday about his. 2003, v8. Has replaced the rear axle in it. That's it. Still isn't burning any oil. Uses it to tow his river rocket boat thing and it's his main vehicle as a sales rep. 458k on it.

 

[applepie_eli]

Sounds like your situation a reliable vehicle is more important that a hunting vehicle. Your young. Make sure you are going to have a reliable vehicle to get to work. You will figure out how to make it acceptable for a hunting vehicle. Living in PA you are in a similar region to where I am. I think a Subaru would be a decent vehicle. I use to just have a Honda Civic. I drove that on the forest access roads around here. I wouldn't have tried it on access roads out west.

Like I said I think it would be best to focus on a good commuter vehicle for now. If you decide to make a trip out west rent a vehicle for it. That's cheaper than driving around a vehicle that could make the trip year round. Besides, you're young enough you should be able to cover the ground.

On the 4 runner note. I have been interested in one. Spoke to a client yesterday about his. 2003, v8. Has replaced the rear axle in it. That's it. Still isn't burning any oil. Uses it to tow his river rocket boat thing and it's his main vehicle as a sales rep. 458k on it.

Yeah I agree with that to a point. But with the places I like to go, I know for a fact I am going to tear up a low clearance vehicle. It's not like I'm mudding or anything. But there are a lot of roads I use that have big rocks, huge potholes (basically ponds lol), and ditches. And some of those roads are often 2+ hours away. So I kinda just need a reliable, decently fuel efficient, good clearance, and 4wd or AWD SUV. I Also ski a lot in the winter and need room to haul people and gear to New York and back. I'm definitely open to other options but a car simply won't cut it for me. Unless I had one commuter and one for tougher stuff but I'm not a fan of that method. I just want one car that can be my daily driver but won't get torn up when I drive around the "No Winter Maintenance" roads.

 

[Tod osier]

Your situation is going to change soon when you start work. I made do with sedans when I was younger, and had a lot of good hunts, road trips, etc... Every vehicle has its pluses and minuses. I drive a Prius, fricking great car - average gas mileage for the first 20k is 58 mpg. I have an f250 for things the Prius can’t do. One of the great things/times in my life was when I able to go from making do to having more options. That came, in part, with steady work, which you will have starting fall. Don’t need to make your next 10 years of vehicle choices today.

 

[applepie_eli]

Hey 4runner guys what do you think about this one? Looks nice to me but who knows. I'd have to take a real good look underneath first knowing that it's in PA.

https://www.babosmotorsinc.com/mobile/mdetails.aspx?vid=29301323#

 

[applepie_eli]

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This one looks better but I believe that's about a 7 hour drive. Probably worth it to get out of the rust belt though.

 

[Mike7]

Yeah I agree with that to a point. But with the places I like to go, I know for a fact I am going to tear up a low clearance vehicle. It's not like I'm mudding or anything. But there are a lot of roads I use that have big rocks, huge potholes (basically ponds lol), and ditches. And some of those roads are often 2+ hours away. So I kinda just need a reliable, decently fuel efficient, good clearance, and 4wd or AWD SUV. I Also ski a lot in the winter and need room to haul people and gear to New York and back. I'm definitely open to other options but a car simply won't cut it for me. Unless I had one commuter and one for tougher stuff but I'm not a fan of that method. I just want one car that can be my daily driver but won't get torn up when I drive around the "No Winter Maintenance" roads.

I used to think just as you do since I could only afford one decent car, but having had a Subaru, I can tell you that unless you only drive on flat or heading downhill roads with ruts, rocks, and potholes and on no roads with water bars, you will beat the crap out of it. The subarus that I have driven are high geared, have car suspension, and have big overhangs beyond the wheels. A lower clearance Suzuki sidekick will go far more places and with less damage to the vehicle.

The subaru is a great car for going to the ski hill, but no better than any front wheel drive sedan or wagon with a roof rack and studded tires.

You can get a used honda civic for a few thousand dollars that will run a long time without all of the expensive Subaru maintenance.

My honda civic with studded tires will go through about 8" of snow. My subaru outback, maybe 11". The worst I have ever been stuck was in about 11 1/2 inches of snow in my Subaru...no low gears, nothing to hook to in order to try to winch it around, etc.

 

[Mike7]

I have come to realize that there is no one do everything tent-shelter unicorn, and vehicles are no different. The con to a 4-runner is clearly the gas mileage, but it will actually do what you want. If you go with a 4runner maybe later you can add a cheap commuter car in order to use your 4runner miles more judiciously.

 

[applepie_eli]

I have come to realize that there is no one do everything tent-shelter unicorn, and vehicles are no different. The con to a 4-runner is clearly the gas mileage, but it will actually do what you want. If you go with a 4runner maybe later you can add a cheap commuter car in order to use your 4runner miles more judiciously.

To be clear, right around 18 (I've heard 4runners are anywhere from 15-20 depending on the individual vehicle) would be acceptable for me. Not great, but I could live with it. My escape probably gets less than that right now and the tank is small so I get tired of filling up all the time. But I will also be making more money and I would sacrifice mileage in order to get something that is more capable.

 

[applepie_eli]

I used to think just as you do since I could only afford one decent car, but having had a Subaru, I can tell you that unless you only drive on flat or heading downhill roads with ruts, rocks, and potholes and on no roads with water bars, you will beat the crap out of it. The subarus that I have driven are high geared, have car suspension, and have big overhangs beyond the wheels. A lower clearance Suzuki sidekick will go far more places and with less damage to the vehicle.

The subaru is a great car for going to the ski hill, but no better than any front wheel drive sedan or wagon with a roof rack and studded tires.

You can get a used honda civic for a few thousand dollars that will run a long time without all of the expensive Subaru maintenance.

My honda civic with studded tires will go through about 8" of snow. My subaru outback, maybe 11". The worst I have ever been stuck was in about 11 1/2 inches of snow in my Subaru...no low gears, nothing to hook to in order to try to winch it around, etc.

Yeah I'm pretty sure I've decided a Subaru is probably going to get beat up by me. I'm thinking I need something that's able to withstand years of abuse. Yes getting to work is more important, but there is no chance that I'm going to get a car I feel like I have to treat like a baby. I would definitely consider keeping this for a while then adding a commuter car when I'm financially able to.

 

[cuttiebrownbow]

I have a 2016 crosstrek that I drive for my do everything vehicle in PA. I don’t baby it and I would be willing to bet I drive just as rough roads as you describe.

I have had zero problems and even with a truck you will swerve to avoid large holes because nobody is going to hit them in any vehicle you want to last.

I have driven it though blizzards, roads with zero winter maintenance, mud, old logging roads etc.

Also, I would recommend getting appropriate tires for winter. I put snow tires on mine and it’s a tank. Essentially though unless you get the right tires the awd is a waste.


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[elkduds]

Yeah I'm pretty sure I've decided a Subaru is probably going to get beat up by me. I'm thinking I need something that's able to withstand years of abuse. Yes getting to work is more important, but there is no chance that I'm going to get a car I feel like I have to treat like a baby. I would definitely consider keeping this for a while then adding a commuter car when I'm financially able to.

When I shopped 4runners they were sky high $$$. So I bought this instead.


Gen 2 Pathfinders are Nissan's competition for the 4runner. Just as capable offroad, a little less reliable, stronger engines than the Yotas. 5 speed is preferred, the auto trans has frequent coolant issues you can google. Nissan's 3.5 V6 engine is much stronger than their 3.0 and gets the same MPG. The bigger V6 began in 2000. In Colorado Springs mine cost 2/3 the price of a similar age/condition 4runner. Transfer case/low range, steel skid plates, nice interior, roof rack, sleep in the back, tow 2K#, available limited-slip rear diff. Less prone to body rust that Yotas of the same age! I'd buy another if I didn't have a Ridgeline now. Gen 1 is underpowered, unrefined, incredibly thirsty ( I had one for a few years). Gen 3 is more of a grocery getter, wimpier offroad. Gen 1 is body on frame, all others are unibody w independent front suspension. My mechanic who is an offroad enthusiast said he was impressed by the offroad capability, especially the front suspension.

 

[87TT]

I bought a well kept 1999 Ford f150 ext cab 4X4 with a leer camper shell on it for $5000 cash off Craigslist It has the 5.4 V8 and it gets 15mpg even the way I drive. Point is you have to be patient and look for the gem.

 

[87TT]

I bought my 1999 Ford f150 ext cab 4X4 with the 5.4 V8 and a Leer camper shell off Craigslist for $5000 cash. It only had 156,000 miles on it. Gets 14-15 mpg even with my lead foot. It was well kept and runs great. The bottom line is keep looking for the gem and be patient.

 

[1arrowshort]

Not to be that guy, but how did he know things were going bad as far as gaskets and what not? You dont until it's happened. Doing all the work he did is a red flag to me, head job to be safe is not a normal thing, no one does that unless there was an issue. Everything he did coincides with an overheating issue, think about it. especially at 88,000? I'd walk from that but I'm not an import guy either. for good gas mileage, daily commuter, reliable and offroad capabilities the only thing that comes to mind is a jeep Cherokee. A 4.0 straight 6 will run to 300,000 miles easy. I had a 2.7 liter, 4 cylinder, 4 speed too and think I filled that once a month if i didnt beat on it. Cheaper to fix than a Subaru too. Not a hater Just my honest .02 cents that I would give my own son.

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[applepie_eli]

When I shopped 4runners they were sky high $$$. So I bought this instead.
View attachment 107310

Gen 2 Pathfinders are Nissan's competition for the 4runner. Just as capable offroad, a little less reliable, stronger engines than the Yotas. 5 speed is preferred, the auto trans has frequent coolant issues you can google. Nissan's 3.5 V6 engine is much stronger than their 3.0 and gets the same MPG. The bigger V6 began in 2000. In Colorado Springs mine cost 2/3 the price of a similar age/condition 4runner. Transfer case/low range, steel skid plates, nice interior, roof rack, sleep in the back, tow 2K#, available limited-slip rear diff. Less prone to body rust that Yotas of the same age! I'd buy another if I didn't have a Ridgeline now. Gen 1 is underpowered, unrefined, incredibly thirsty ( I had one for a few years). Gen 3 is more of a grocery getter, wimpier offroad. Gen 1 is body on frame, all others are unibody w independent front suspension. My mechanic who is an offroad enthusiast said he was impressed by the offroad capability, especially the front suspension.

Interesting. Never thought of that vehicle. Two of my sisters both had old Nissan Altimas in high school/college and I remember those things were great other than expensive for parts (that was in early 2000s). Are there any specific things to look out for on the Pathfinder?

Jim Babish Auto Sales Inc., Johnstown, PA, reliable used cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, RVs, motorcycles, boats, quads, trailers

Jim Babish Auto Sales Inc., serving Johnstown, PA for 35 years, specializing in affordable, reliable used cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, RVs, motor homes, Jeeps, Wranglers, Diesels, trucks, luxury, cars, motor homes, vans, Cummins, Volkswagen, pickups, Cherokees, classics, sports cars. No hassle car...

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This is the nicest one I found near me. I would consider it after doing some more research.