Hello everyone , ive been a VW person for 12 years . I have always wanted a Subaru . I have a 1 year old and our 2001 Jetta is way to small , back seat is rediculously small ! (Just sold it today) . I put a deposit on a 99 Outback with cold weather package ,cd , automatic, with 70k miles . This is a one owner car (it was traded back to the dealer) I ran it through car fax ,all OK. I talked the dealer down to 9000.00 (around here on Long Island its a good price) We ran the vin through the service dept . and at 53k the timing belt was done the master cylinder was replaced and engine oil pump / o-ring . Since im buying it from a dealer (North Coast Subaru Glen Cove NY) they are going over the whole car sevice want needs to be done and NYS inspection and giving me a 2 month 20000 mile bumper to bumber warranty . This is our first AWD vechicle . I heard the head gaskets fail on this year . Should I stay away from this year ? Can I expect this car to be reliable and last 5 more years ? How can I tell if the headgasket has been replaced ? What is the reliability on the AWD and tranny systems .I read the reviews on edmunds.com and some people love it and some people have big problems . Just need some opinions from real Subaru owners .. Thanks..

 

how do I know if I have a phase 1 or phase 2 EJ25 engine , after reading alot about this I feel nervous about buying this car . It says in the bulletin the phase 1 ej25's are not affected (some 99 and prior years)

 

im sure most people have seen this

from the dealership:

WWP-99 Service Campaign - Cooling System Conditioner

Subaru has determined that certain 1999 through 2002 model year 2.5L equipped Subaru vehicles may experience an external coolant leak from the cylinder head gaskets. This is the result of normal relative thermal expansion and contraction variations of engine parts. As a precautionary measure, SOA is recommending that a special conditioner be added to the engine cooling system to prevent leaks from occurring or to correct existing leaks.

Only early Phase II 2.5 liter engines are affected by this campaign. Phase I 2.5 liter engines (some 1999 model year and prior years) are not affected. Countermeasures applied to the manufacturing process for those 2002 and later VINS not affected by this campaign have eliminated the need for this campaign to be performed on those vehicles.

In the future, it will be necessary to add Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner to the SUBARU vehicle cooling system whenever the engine coolant is replaced. The updated recommended service procedure as well as intervals for coolant replacement will be added to all applicable service manuals. As a reminder, we will include an update page in the owner notification letters that should be added to the Owner?s Manual and Warranty and Maintenance Booklet. We ask you to keep in mind that replacement of fluids (including Subaru Cooling System Conditioner) during inspection and maintenance services are not covered under warranty.

If the vehicle owner has this Service Program repair performed promptly, Subaru will extend coverage under the Subaru Limited Warranty on the vehicle for cylinder head gasket external coolant leaks to a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was delivered to the first retail purchaser. If the vehicle was used as a demonstrator or company vehicle before being sold at retail, warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was first placed in such service. As a further condition for this extended warranty coverage to apply, the vehicle owner must have Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added to the vehicle at any subsequent cooling system services at the interval specified in the Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading ?Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services?.

Dealers will automatically be sent an initial quantity of Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner. Dealer bulletins and affected VIN lists will be mailed to dealers in early February 2004. Owner notification letters are scheduled for mailing in stages.