Hello all! I'm a very new Suby owner of a relatively old car (2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport). It has around 156k miles right now. From what I can tell and have been told, the timing belt / water filter was replaced around 113k, but I want to be absolutely sure that the car is in good order before I start frequenting Tahoe/Yosemite. I'm in-between grad schools right now so money is tight, but I consider this car one of my biggest commitments and am willing to invest in its care accordingly.

So, my question to you experts is: for an initial post-purchase inspection, should I take it to a local & reputable general mechanic, or bring it to some place like LIC? LIC is only about 30 minutes away, but my guess is that their maintenance fees (inspection + motor health diagn ~ $250 - $350) is more expensive than what I would pay someone local and less specialized. Would it be worth my money to take the car to a specialist like LIC, even for a general check-up? I would like to cut costs, but not corners.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

 

Bump! I would love your input.. thank you!!

 

I would 100% take it to LiC.
They will give you honest feed back and tell you what truly needs to be replaced along with different options to choose from.
Depending on the extent of the inspection they may charge you less than the 250-300.
Just my .02 cents

 

+1 take it to lic. You may be able to find something cheaper but I highly doubt youll get the same level of service and same quality inspection. you can save a buck now and pay for it down the road. I used to drive from the southbay to lic just for service

 

Ah - thank you Snoopy408, flat489! I appreciate you two's input. It was the little push I was looking for - I'll schedule an appointment at LiC for next week