Need Advice: Should I buy 2002 Legacy GT wagon

[manmanSS]

Hello guys,

New to the form, I have recently found a 2002 Legacy GT wagon with 80,000 miles and its in pretty good shape. At 47K they had the head gaskets replaced and timing belt done. The car is an auto and overall seems to be in goodshape.

Once the head gaskets have been done, should they be an concern again, and the new subaru coolant, should it still be used? I am a little concerned that if this car was having isses when the headgasket was changed, would it have caused any other issues? Other than that, is there anything else for me to look into this car.

They are asking 5800, is it worth it

Thanks again

Manan

[ouch1011]

I would say as long as it is in good shape, 5k would be worth it.

The head gasket problems the 2000-2004 Legacy had was minor compared to the older 96-99 Legacy. The older 2.5 head gaskets leaked internally, so either coolant would leak into the cylinders or crankcase, or combustion pressure would leak into the cooling system. The 00-04 2.5s leaked externally, so coolant would seep out of the engine between the head and block. As long as the coolant was not allowed to get too low, there should not have been any issue other than leaking coolant. As a preventative measure, whenever you change the coolant on that car, you should use the Subaru coolant conditioner, which is fairly inexpensive and should be in stock at any Subaru dealer.

Since it is an auto, pay attention to how the transmission shifts. I've been noticing that a LOT of auto Subarus have shifting issues, especially 1-2 (usually a hard shift) and 2-3 (usually a very slow shift). Mine does both, especially when cold. Also, try going to a parking lot or somewhere similar and make a few very sharp turns while accelerating and check for a binding or chattering feel. This will tell if the transfer clutch in the center differential is binding or not

[jey]

Sounds like a very fair price for an 02 GT wagon.