2006 Forester buying advice

djk81

Forum Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Messages
4
Location
sydney
Car Year
not bought one yet
Car Model
not bought one yet
Transmission
not bought one yet
Hi all,

I'm new to this forum. Looking to buy a Forester or Suzuki Grand Vitara so I can have a weekend 'adventure mobile'.

Found this 2006 Forester online for $5,500 - 244,500 km on the odometer and I think only the timing belt has needed replacing. It's a manual, petrol :
https://www.carsales.com.au//private/details/_/SSE-AD-3989677?WT.seg_4=EnquiryAlert;PCAA

Not sure if this is a good buy or not as it has a lot of Km's... What typically goes wrong with Foresters at 245,000 kms?

Thanks
 
Gidday Djk, and :welcome: to the ORS forum.

I paid 3.5x as much as that for mine 4.5 years ago, with 101,000 kms.

That one has a reconditioned engine (by whom?).

Check all the underneath. Run your fingers along all seams to see if has been pranged (and badly repaired).

Check service history.

Check brakes, steering and suspension.

Check for bubbles or scum in the radiator.

Check operation of synchro changing up and down - particularly 1-2 and 3-2. High/low range is synchromesh at all reasonable speeds.

Test drive at least 30-40 kms!

Listen for noises - whining/clunking/clicking/scraping.

Check for odd tyre wear, specially on the spare.

Check for signs of submersion, particularly in the spare wheel well - remove the spare to check for dampness or sediment.

Check exhaust system and heat shields for damage; also bottom of the sump.

If you don't know a huge amount about cars (and Subarus ... ), get an independent third party inspection done.

Just some thoughts FWIW.
 
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What goes wrong with them depends on what has been done to them- or not done to them, during the car's life. If oil changes have been missed, maybe you could do an engine. If coolant changes have not been done as they should, head gaskets. If windscreens have not been changed correctly, rust. Same with accident repairs, but a whole lot more besides. Has the car been in the drink? Then lots of stuff. So as said above, service history is vital. If the car has not been abused, then I would be looking at things like clutch, rotors, pads, timing belt, water pump, tensioner, pulleys, timing belt, radiator and maybe oil leaks. Car just needs a good looking at by someone who knows their stuff
 
^ what Kevin said! :icon wink:

Now seriously, I'm selling that car and I can tell you it's in great shape despite the kilometres...

If you want a weekend warrior to do the tracks and go camping, this is it!

Reach out and let's talk if you're interested!

Cheers,
Pedro.
 
thanks everyone! great advice.

Pedro - I love your forester but the km's in all honesty are a concern as I wouldn't want to fork out for a new auto gearbox or engine in 50-100,000km's time :) That said Subies do last forever if well looked after, from my understanding. Will think hard now about your Subie :)
 
Actually, if the worst came to the worst in 50--150K kms time, how much would a) a replacement engine or b) replacement gearbox cost? From my limited knowledge of cars (and subaru's) this is one of the biggest expenses that could happen to a used car.
 
I have a 2006 Forester in a manual. Had very little service history, but wasn't driven hard. Currently at 215,000Km the engines showing no signs of age is as smooth and quiet as my parents 2016 Forester. Only things I have had to replace was the radiator at 190,000km, $240 for an oem one, The rocker cover seals, as I had the very slow Subaru oil leak and the thrust bearing in the clutch at a little over 200,000Km. I haven't seen Pedros car but I highly doubt you'd need a new engine in the next 150,000Kms. I don't have any experience with auto Subarus. AllDriveSubaroo have a good reputation and have had good prices with other things I've inquired about. If you're concerned, a quote from them would give you a fair idea of costs.
 
djk81 said:
thanks everyone! great advice.

Pedro - I love your forester but the km's in all honesty are a concern as I wouldn't want to fork out for a new auto gearbox or engine in 50-100,000km's time :) That said Subies do last forever if well looked after, from my understanding. Will think hard now about your Subie :)
Click to expand...

djk81 said:
Actually, if the worst came to the worst in 50--150K kms time, how much would a) a replacement engine or b) replacement gearbox cost? From my limited knowledge of cars (and subaru's) this is one of the biggest expenses that could happen to a used car.
Click to expand...

ateday said:
At that kms radiator, clutch, if original, possibly don`t have a lot of life left.
Click to expand...

Just out of interest, my Forester has had the following replaced recently:
1) brand new radiator - less than 2,000 kms old
2) brand new battery - Century Ultra Hi-Peformance Battery 75D23L-620CCA
3) new wiper blades - Bosch (Repco brand I got as a replacement first were crap so I threw them in the bin)
4) engine oil, oil filter, air-filter, upper engine cleaner all done about 2,000 kms ago
5) paintwork fully detailed by professional shop - looks better now than when new!

Being an auto, mine doesn't need the clutch done. The longevity and reliability of the 4EAT transmission is widely known, I wouldn't think a replacement would be needed here in quite a long time.

Engine-wise, mine has had ZERO problems throughout its life. Nothing ever went wrong with the engine, period. It has been meticulously serviced at Subie dealers or at Lucas Automotive, who supported a number of rally teams running WRXs for a while (as well as did some running himself I believe). I always only ever used Caltex Vortex 98RON fuel (and other 98RON if there was no Caltex around). I'm confident it is in very good shape and should continue to deliver happy motoring years to the future owner. Provided it gets looked after, it should just keep delivering for another 200k kms...

In the spirit of full disclosure, It will be due for another timing belt change in another 33k kms (250k service) and I think the secondary air pump - for emissions controls in the first 30s of running a cold engine - is on its way out. Many people just remove it, install blanking plates and delete the codes. I was thinking of finding a replacement pump from a wrecker when the time came.

All in all, I'm sure my car is pretty good. I'm only selling it because I no longer need a 2nd car and we got a larger one for the family when my son was born last year. I promised myself I wouldn't "give the car away" after looking after it for so long, but after 7 months trying to sell it, I'm happy to part ways with it for a sum above $9k. I think this is a bargain!

Cheers,
Pedro.
 
To reinforce the above about Subaru engines.
My MY03 2003 Forester now has 350000 kms on the clock, original motor, heads never taken off, little oil consumption, about 1 to two litres between changes, no motor leaks, water or oil, original exhaust system, serviced regularly using UEC regularly.
Has crossed the Simpson twice, Cape York once and been to many other interesting places. Averaged 9l/100 kms fuel consumption mostly on 91 and E10.
I am keeping as I can see no reason at all to change.
On the down side, two clutch thrust bearings, two radiators, two fuel pumps, one set front brake pads (318000kms), one set rear brake pads (160000kms), centre diff (300000kms), timing belts every 100000km, general parts, oil filters, plugs etc wear and tear.
Why change?
 
thanks for all the great responses guys. you've convinced me on the reliability :) now i think the only thing i'd be worried about is resale value once it hits 300K (which is only 80K km away).
that said this would be a car i'd like to keep for as long as possible and probably run it until it dies or something major goes on it. so resale value is probably not a big issue.
still thinking hard about this car!
my parents used to own an old outback and that was a great car. that's why im in the market for a Subaru having not owned a car for a long time (lived overseas for 7 years).
cheers.
 
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