Hello everyone!
My name is dan.
I am in the process of buying a baja but I have a few concerns... I have read tons of information regarding this vehicle in thw past two weeks and still cannot fully decide to commit to buying one or not. All I keep reading about is tons of head gasket problems..
I have went to see quite a few bahas in the past couple days al of which are different, the year, turbo or none, auto or manual.. id say the one im leaning towards the most is a 03 with 75k miles on it going for 13000, what impressed me is the service records they provided. It also had its timing belt and head gaskets replaced when it was traded in.. so my question is, did they replace the gaskets due to the fact that it is a issue with this specific baja or jus to be safe?
Is there a specific year regarded by the baja community as the most reliable?
Keep in mind, my knowledge of mechanics is limited to the computer and I am simply looking to take the best course of action
baja shopping concerns
Moderator: mikenmel08
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dtwhite21789
- Scoobytruck Lurker
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 5:13 pm
Re: baja shopping concerns
With those two maintained items out of the way, you should be in the clear for many more miles, as long as the head gaskets were changed with the upgraded mls ones.
Otherwise there aren't too many issues that I know if or have encountered. Keep up with recommend services (oil, plugs, diff and tranny fluid, coolant, etc) and it should be a very reliable and unique vehicle.
Otherwise there aren't too many issues that I know if or have encountered. Keep up with recommend services (oil, plugs, diff and tranny fluid, coolant, etc) and it should be a very reliable and unique vehicle.
Re: baja shopping concerns
phone double post...
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dtwhite21789
- Scoobytruck Lurker
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 5:13 pm
Re: baja shopping concerns
Thanks for the reply appreciate your input
Re: baja shopping concerns
Dan,
It's not really 'tons' of head gasket problems - it's just the one issue that we all come up against:
because of the layout of the H4 engine - cylinders on their sides, the wear on the head gasket is somehow different or more uneven or something compared to most other 4-cylinder engines. Subaru recommended we change the head gasket with the timing belt at 90k miles (for my '03 non-turbo). The place that took in the trade probably did it at 75k so they could back up what they're selling - otherwise they wouldn't know the condition cause they don't know the driving habits of the previous owner. It could be they offer a drivetrain warranty and don't want to get bit by something that breaks at 89,995 miles. Sounds like the right thing to do.
If they've got the service records that's a HUGE plus. I haven't deduced any one year/configuration/trim being significantly more reliable than others from what I've read. Well, nothing beyond Automatic transmissions having their issues, and turbos having their own issues, etc...
I'm guessing you haven't had a Subie before; I think you'd have already convinced yourself if you'd had. I think of it this way: Subaru, Honda and Toyota all have great reputations for reliability, etc. Subaru is a subsidiary of Fuji heavy industries (think LARGE earth-movers). Sometimes I feel that Subaru keeps ace'ing the crash tests because they put concrete in their doors. My tailgate EASILY outweighs a tailgate from most any domestic full-sized pickup. Subaru's is just the only one willing/able to find workarounds to the "chicken tax" which make the importing of small trucks financially unfeasible for the manufacturers. I'll be holding onto my trucklet until I die.
Best of luck!
- K
It's not really 'tons' of head gasket problems - it's just the one issue that we all come up against:
because of the layout of the H4 engine - cylinders on their sides, the wear on the head gasket is somehow different or more uneven or something compared to most other 4-cylinder engines. Subaru recommended we change the head gasket with the timing belt at 90k miles (for my '03 non-turbo). The place that took in the trade probably did it at 75k so they could back up what they're selling - otherwise they wouldn't know the condition cause they don't know the driving habits of the previous owner. It could be they offer a drivetrain warranty and don't want to get bit by something that breaks at 89,995 miles. Sounds like the right thing to do.
If they've got the service records that's a HUGE plus. I haven't deduced any one year/configuration/trim being significantly more reliable than others from what I've read. Well, nothing beyond Automatic transmissions having their issues, and turbos having their own issues, etc...
I'm guessing you haven't had a Subie before; I think you'd have already convinced yourself if you'd had. I think of it this way: Subaru, Honda and Toyota all have great reputations for reliability, etc. Subaru is a subsidiary of Fuji heavy industries (think LARGE earth-movers). Sometimes I feel that Subaru keeps ace'ing the crash tests because they put concrete in their doors. My tailgate EASILY outweighs a tailgate from most any domestic full-sized pickup. Subaru's is just the only one willing/able to find workarounds to the "chicken tax" which make the importing of small trucks financially unfeasible for the manufacturers. I'll be holding onto my trucklet until I die.
Best of luck!
- K
Baja '03 Blk, non-turbo, M/T, OzzBros, Bed Extender, JVC, ScanGaugeII, Garmin
"Well, ya see, son, when a dune buggy, a jeep and a sedan really love each other..."
"Well, ya see, son, when a dune buggy, a jeep and a sedan really love each other..."
Re: baja shopping concerns
Where are you located?