Hello Subaru experts! I've never owned a Subaru so hopefully someone here can help me with a potential purchase:-
I'm looking for an estate, fun-to-drive, weekend/occasonal use, big enough to lug the family around (2nd car). I've heard great things about the Legacy/Outback 3.0 H6 being 'bulletproof' and have seen a couple advertised for sale locally. I test drove a Legacy last weekend and was instantly smitten. I know a little bit about DIY car maintenance and I'm not afraid to get stuck in. It looked sound mechanically and drove great but it had a very sparse service history, so I walked away.
The other car I've seen is a 2006/56 Outback Rn with 99k on the clock. I haven't viewed the car yet (I've arranged to this weekend) but the photos look good and the seller has been helpful enough to send me pics of the service history. It looks to have been generally well serviced (every 9k/year) but there is one instance of it going 18 months / 16k miles between services between November 2012 (56k) and May 2014 (72k) . Is the H6 engine 'bulletproof' enough to soak that up?
I've seen warnings about the Y pipe, rear arches and potential HG leaks, which seem to be common themes? I've read something about tensioners? No evidence of any of these items being done. What are these likely to cost and am I likely to have any other big bills as it turns 100k miles?
All told, assuming the car drives and presents well, what should I expect to pay for it (ballpark)?
Thanks in advance for any help