Opinion on a baja im about to buy

General talk about the Subaru Baja.

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FUBARU
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Opinion on a baja im about to buy

Post by FUBARU »

Found a nice 05 baja turbo, has everything except the leather heated/power seats. Is the exact color combo I want.
My only concern is that it has 120k+ miles. I've heard subies last for a long time, but i've never bought a car above 50k or so.
And the only car I have above 100k is a 2000 4runner at 130k, but those are proven champs! dad bought it new and never looked back. Thats what i'll be driving until i finally get my baja. Selling my RSX this weekend for sure, and my pops got a brand new jk unlimited.

back to the baja
Its an auto, has 2 previous owners, its been up in Mass. for quite a while, most of its years, so harsh winters i suppose.
Carfax looks clean. I'll have to fly out and drive it home, but its around 8k, which is pretty cheap, but its got 120k+ miles

what do you guys think?
would like to send them a down payment ASAP if there arent any glaring concerns.
bulwnkl
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Re: Opinion on a baja im about to buy

Post by bulwnkl »

Make sure the timing belt and pulleys (and probably water pump) have been changed. If they haven't, that's a bit of a pain to do yourself, or a bit expensive to have a shop do. Not terrible to do yourself if you like wrenching on your own cars, but a bit of a pain. While you're in there, you'll look for leaking seals: Front crank seal, and all 4 front cam seals. If it's been well-maintained, those won't be leaking. If it hasn't, they will probably at least be seeping, maybe leaking pretty good.

No issues with the turbo engine's head gaskets (unlike the n/a ones), so that's good. Neither the turbo nor the A/T are trouble spots on these, but it surely would be nice to actually evaluate the car in-person (or via someone in that area) before committing. IF there has been poor or no maintenance, 120k is enough time to have done some significant 'damage.' Well maintained, though, there's no particular reason to expect any issues at this point. My '05 turbo A/T had 70-some thousand on it when we bought it a couple years ago, and it appeared to me to have been ridden hard and put away wet more often than not (meaning, poor maintenance). I was able to 'bring it back' though, and it runs beautifully now, just coming up on 110k miles.

When I got it, either someone had put ATF in the front diff (and maybe some gear oil in the tranny?), or else the seal between the transmission and front diff was leaking/failing. I put Auto-RX in the engine, transmission, and both diffs because of the condition the truck appeared to me to be in, and either someone had just put the wrong thing in the wrong place, or else Auto-RX corrected the issue. I've had it do very good things for me in an older Subie engine before.

Anyway, I'd still try to find someone in that area who could look at it, or have it taken to an independent mechanic to look at. Subies should last much, much longer than 120k, but not if you completely neglect them.
FUBARU
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Re: Opinion on a baja im about to buy

Post by FUBARU »

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. Just what I needed.

Okay, looking at the carfax.
Looks like The first owner sold/traded it to a dealership at 15k miles.

that dealer sold it to the second owner.
It appears that that same dealership, which is a subaru dealership, has serviced it regularly since 15k in late 05, to 120k+ in late 09.....

so i suppose thats a good sign?
it doesnt show all of the maintenance on the carfax, but it shows everything from 70k to 100k.
and it says dealers recommended maintenance performed.
since its a subie dealer, im assuming that they know whats supposed to be done on a subie...

I'm not a real gear head, so to be completely honest, i dont know all of the things you mentioned to look at.
I'd be going a long way, and im not afraid to walk (fly back) if its a shite car.... but i'd like to look like i know what im doing when i get there.

thanks again man.
bulwnkl
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Re: Opinion on a baja im about to buy

Post by bulwnkl »

The maintenance history you mention does sound like a good sign. I'd just call the dealer and ask whether they completed the 105k maintenance (that's the one that includes the timing belt change). If so, ask what exactly they replaced/serviced. You're wondering whether they replaced more than just the timing belt itself in that area. Specifically, did they replace any of the associated idler pulleys? The timing belt tensioner? The water pump? Subaru book maintenance only specifies the timing belt itself, but many owners replace some or all of the pulleys, some replace the tensioner (it's a hydraulic unit), and many replace the water pump. Again, Subaru only specifies the belt itself. If that service hasn't been performed, if you're of a mind to negotiate, and if you want someone other than you or a local (to you) & trusted mechanic to do it, then perhaps that service work can be negotiated into the final selling price?

When I did mine, I replaced some of the idler pulleys and the water pump. Frankly, there was absolutely no indication that any of the pulleys nor the water pump needed replacement. It's just one of those things: If any of those items fails, the timing belt will jump a cog or even snap in short order, which will cause very significant internal engine damage on these particular motors. I'm confident, based on what I saw and evaluated my own self, that there won't be an issue until the next timing belt change in ~100k more miles. Other people have had various experiences with other vehicles.

Good luck to you!
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