Judd

3.0 litre H6 is a peach, lovely gearbox too. Chain cam engine, HG trouble very rare, and the spark plugs whilst awkward can be done from underneath without too much cursing though your wrists will be shredded 😣 Check the rear subframe in particular for rust and check the front inner CV joints at the time of purchase, on the previous model to that one (a very good car itself too) those inner sat right over the CATs and the heat would cause perishing and splitting of the boots, easy enough DIY to fix but check at purchase, also check the exhaust out, it isn't cheap. Myself i avoid all cars that have lived in Scotland due to excess salt usage leading to corrosion issues. The model you are looking for is the pick of the bunch for Outbacks in my humble, had the present low mileage Forester not cropped up we would have got another H6 for wifey, as you allude to they need an annual service at the very least, not many low mileage examples about but take your time and the right one will appear, i'd rather buy these privately so i can judge the owner as well as the car. Don't pay too much for high ved years, few people want anything @ £555 annual tax.

Get my 2T oil from Westaways, and have noticed they do all sorts, up to now for for the rest of my oils i use Exol Lubricants who have a local distribution site in the next town. As you say MrB, there's not much point in putting Gucci oil in @ £60 a 5 litre can (unless you're racing i suppose) when its only in the engine for about 2000 miles tops, think i pay about £55 for 20 litres of full synth 5W40, and a healthy £46 for 20 litres 10w40 semi synth Diesel specific oil for my Toyota 4x4. Can't understand people who believe this long life cobblers and leave their oil in for 20,000 miles as some european makers suggest, i'd be having nightmares about what was happening in the bearings and oilways of my motors, and often enough they don't even have a dipstick to actually see the oil, what's that all about about.

Yes all pistons should be able to move freely in their bores, but inevitably even with brand new pistons one piston will be slightly freer in its bore and move more easily, gentle hand pressure via a screwdriver holding the moving is all that should be needed to make the other piston move instead. Opposed twin and 4 piston calipers are the best out there for 'exercising' the pistons in their bores during annual brake servicing, ie take pads out and as you push one piston in the other moves out. I exercise the 4 piston calipers on my Landcruiser like this, all 4 more or less the same pressure required to move. Sounds like a rebuild is on the cards.

Subarus can be very fast, and yes given their possibly bigger engines and lack of transmission drag its quite likely some modern German machinery is faster still, but as said that isn't what Subarus are all about. Where we gain is having cars that you can still accelerate away quickly and safely on slippery roads, and enjoy swift predictable handling in any weather on all sorts of surfaces without looking a complete twerp when 2WD cars are spinning screeching and scrabbling for grip unless treated with care, often the various traction systems having to cut in continually to keep the thing driveable in the wet, we get none of that, a Subaru is composed and competent in poor weather, arguably that's when they really come into their own.

If your Seat is still in good condition, look after it and keep it that way for as long as you can. That PD 130 engine is probably the best Diesel car engine ever made, to drive the Scooby at the same rate as knots as the Seat you will more than double your fuel consumption and i think you will miss that fantastic surge the PD has when on stream. If its grip that's lacking, hence the Subaru interest instead invest in some good all season tyres such as Michelin Cross Contact or their Goodyear or Conti equivalents.

Few things you can do to help your calipers last the life of the car. During winter make sure when you wash the car you give the brakes a good splosh too, keep some of the salt off, and when the salt is gone in spring its time for a full underbody wash, and then take all the pads out clean and inspect them, clean the calipers carefully and 'exercise' the pistons in and out a few times so they are free moving. Do not use coppaslip for lubing (its ok to use where metal to metal rubbing sets up that horrible squeal) get some of the proper red brake grease, a litre can will last you a lifetime for about £11 if my memory serves, lube the sliders with it and anything else that is likely to come into contact with rubber, it won't affect rubber but coppaslip will over time, its ok to carefully peel the dust seal of the piston back to check for corrosion starting. Worth removing any anti rattle stainless spring clips that hold the pads in place in the caliper, clean under these with chisel and wire brush and refit the spring clip. Whilst doing this i also give a coat of black paint to the rear drums and any non friction area parts of the discs, also the calipers if they are starting to look a bit scabby. If you do this clean inspect lube routine at least every other spring, though preferably every year, your brakes will never seize and your calipers will see you out, and best to do this yourself unless you have a proper mechanic to entrust the work to, at most main dealers their idea of brake servicing is to peer at the things and squirt brake cleaner fluid at them, useless.

Suggest you'll be disappointed with the handling, instead of flowing over undulations and ridges on bends the car will 'hop', the ride will be little short of awful and road noise likely increase to boot.

Hilux you want is mk 6, so roughly 2006 on (2.5 engine available in mk 6 from 2005), 3 litre engine arrived in 2007 we had one of the first...anecdotally we ordered it only a week before that Top Gear Arctic special went out, got a decent discount that had i ordered a week later would not have been the case because the phone started ringing at Toyota dealers the day after it screened. So, 2007 to 2011 would be ideal and HL3 spec is just about perfect, you can go later model but i'm not sure when they started to put DPF's in the exhaust, 2007 to 2011 you should be safely out of that danger, try and look at late 2008 on if you can, 2007 and early 2008 they were still fitting copper injector seals to the 3 litre which can leak, they changed production in 2008 to fitting aluminium seals which cured the issue, chances are the seals on affected engines might well have been retro changed in the meantime, so if a bargain 2007 came up it might be worth checking if that refit is in the history, you can search affected engine numbers for this problem, if you are interested in a Hilux suggest you log on or join HPOC forum, i was a member there at one time and there is a wealth of knowledge there to tap...ISTR the 2.5 engine had no such issues but please check that for yourself as its a while since i read up the latest. We had front and rear parking sensors fitted to ours, and it had a quite remarkable turning circle for its size, so the length of it really didn't make much difference, like the LC120 they are comparatively narrow and not as cumbersome on the road as one might think, the autobox on them is a gem. Be aware, some are badged VIGO, these are not genuine UK imports, and are sometimes different spec entirely, indeed some might not have been fitted with a heater as standard being destined for Thai market (european Hilux made in South Africa, far east etc made in Thailand) and aftermarket heater not up to Scottish winters, also odd things like rear isofix child seat fittings are missing.

Sadly Subaru Diesels have a habit of trouble, look how many for sale for spares/repairs with blown engines, won't happen to all and some reach really high mileages but if you want a Diesel buy as cheap as you can afford to throw away, because the costs to fix them are serious. That one linked by Tidgy i wouldn't consider myself, looks good though no mention of SH i can see, unless those 6 previous owners were all family members or is misleading due to private plate changes. Be prepared to travel to buy, i will not buy a Subaru or Landcruiser (we have both) that have lived in Scotland or the north of England, purely due to the excess salt used up country during winter. Foresters are good if looked after well, we have a 2008 XT and its a well made little motor, word is the later model isn't quite up the build quality but if you found the right one that had been cared for well then you could do worse. Consider also Outback up to 2009, there are some really good examples of these floating about in England, the pick of the bunch is the 3.0 litre but if regd after March 2006 goes into £555 road tax banding, so a 2.5 would be a better bet, the 2010 onwards new shape model gains a CVT (i believe) auto gearbox and even if you found a manual it will be blessed with an electric parking brake. I would say find a Landruiser 120 series, but they are still holding serious money for good examples, suits me already having a good one but its an expensive vehicle to buy into and unlike what the public seem to assume they require good regular maintenance and constant rustproofing measures under body for the ladder chassis, also consider Hilux and benefit from van road tax rates, Hiluxes are better on fuel than Landcruisers with the same 3.0 litre engine (2.5 better on fuel, manuals better still) because lighter and selectable 4WD unlike Landcruiser which is full time 4WD, we had a 3 litre Hilux automatic and i regret selling it, a much nicer vehicle to drive than you would expect and because 'dual purpose vehicle' you get car speed limits. Those 4 cyl Diesel Toyotas have the easiest cambelt to change that i've ever come across, even easier than 200 series Volvos, 1 hour the first time DIY, roughly £80 buys the full kit, only need basic tools too.

Did the conversion not include a flashlube kit, a simple cheap vacuum fed dispenser not good enough for one of these and electronic (or pressurised as fitted to our XT) kit is needed to combat valve seat recession. I've looked at an Outback H6 before with LPG fitted, it had flashlube kit installed but when we inspected it there was no oil in the container, it had been a pool car so probably never been topped up, result engine was missing on at least 1 cyl noticeably. Good luck with the sale, too much work involved for me to take on sadly.

Looks a decent motor that, lovely colour combo (no good for us, dogs) appears to be sitting pert on a set of matched Falkens, which are decent quality fair priced tyres, wheels appear untouched from the pics, one or two chips around as expected, front side light glass need a polish up as all of these get sun damage in the same spot, seat and arm rest wear about right for the mileage (if i bought it i'd put a sheepskin over the driver's seat to prevent it splitting further), can't see the discs so can't comment on those. I'd certainly go and inspect it, but don't expect any sort of warranty at that price they're already stating its a trade in, they state 2 previous owners so its a 3 owner, the only thing that would concern me would be if the current owner only owned it for a few weeks or months, if i bought it i'd service it myself paying particular attention to stripping cleaning and lubing the brake calipers with the correct brake grease, fortunately these have the best parking brake going, drum inside disc design so none of those horrid auto adjusting rear calipers that double as parking brake adjusters. If i was looking i'd be down there first thing tomorrow, but do all your checks and inspect carefully, pay attention to the clutch for signs of slipping, could have been towing anything and it aint a 5 minute job or one for doing on your own, the box is pretty heavy on these.

All depends how its been looked after, obviously things will have worn over that time but if it's been serviced sensibly and parts oils coolants and other fluids replaced as needed then there is no reason why it couldn't go on for many years yet, especially at your low mileage needs. MOT history is impeccable, one of the best i've ever seen for a vehicle of that mileage not even a low brake lining warning or advisory for suspension bush or similar (those headlight aim issues might mean the headlight levelling system, if fitted, is seized, but i wouldn't worry about fixing that, just keep the lights adjusted to pass the tests), but what's the service history like, think cambelt due? not cheap, obviously you'll check it out fully yourself, and the very first place you look is underneath, because if rot is starting then no matter how well maintained its on borrowed time...note check where the vehicle was serviced and MOT'd, Scottish cars in particular suffer from salt corrosion damage badly and personally i avoid cars from that part of the country and its obvious from the annual mileages this car has seen all year use, but it looks like it might be regd originally in Birmingham so hopefully this isn't an issue. You can only judge a vehicle like this in the flesh so to speak, so examine it carefully starting from the underside and include the wheels tyres and brake discs/calipers, take a torch and something to lie on, then progress to under the bonnet, check all dipsticks for levels and condition of oils, check the coolant for contamination, check under the filler cap for mayo. The Mot history suggests to me its a one or two owner vehicle, because the annual mileage has been consistent, so i'd be looking to see if it's been bought and sold on again recently, which might give a clue someone bought it and found it has a problem lurking, if it's a one owner car then that is the best scenario. I have no idea of the value of the car, but it sounds reasonable enough at that price if its a good one.

A 255/60 x 17 tyre is exactly the same size if you think about going 17". A 255/65 x 17 tyre would increase the size by 3% = 25mm diameter. Might be worth looking at the tyre pressure info chart on the door (or in the handbook), maybe the winter tyre sizes might give you some ideas. Going up to 65 aspect on 18" (+7% overall) increases the diameter by 51 mm, so an increase in sidewall depth of 25.5mm, by getting out your trusty measuring device and going all around the tyres on all steering angles including full lock, don't forget to allow for spring compression over undulations, you'll be able to see if there is any likelihood of fouling. These are all from the tyre size calculator i use. What such an increase would do to your transmission i don't know, but before you fit tyre/wheels of a size not listed in the handbook (incl staying at or above stated speed and load ratings) run it by your insurer, better find out before you spend £hundreds if they're happy about this. If its ride quality and/or noise thats getting to you, a change of tyre make and model can make a world of difference, i've just dumped the summer set of Fuldas which were hardly worn and a set of new Federals are now on the summer wheels in my garage, for both of the above reasons, the Fuldas offered fantastic wet grip but at an unacceptable cost of noise and harsh ride. Actually, rethinking this, are you sure its 255's you're on, i would have though 215/225's, cos 255's are Hilux width and they are massive tyres?

Good news that, you have several months now to decide what next. If you're going to keep the car several years, it might be worth leaving the Nokians with their chunky tread for winter use and buy a cheaper set of tyres for the warmer weather, maybe find a cheap set of wheels for the winter season so your best wheels don't see salt? We tried a set of very well priced Japanese made Falkens (501 IIRC) on one of daughters two Civics, they are lasting well and she reports really good wet grip, she really puts her cars through the mill so if she says they are gripping well that's good enough for me. I have two sets of tyres on wheels for our SG9 XT, a set of Cooper Winters in 16" flavour, made in England which surprised me, and a set of 17" Fulda Sport Contacts thingies for summer, i can't knock the Fuldas for grip which is quite amazing in the wet but the downside is too much road noise and a crashing ride, they have plenty of meat left but seriously considering a set of those Falkens for quieter more comfortable summer use. Both sizes used are on the door label as suitable, and like yours for snow tyres as low as Q speed rating is allowed, like yours my winters are H rated, the Fuldas V or W, the 16" provide a much softer ride as a bonus, so good in fact i've considered ditching 17" altogether and going to 16" all year.

Did you describe them as all season tyres, or winter tyres eg separate tyres designed purely for winter use, to be removed out of winter season? Because the only reason i can see for their objection is that these are all season tyres for all season use as against a pure winter only tyre, and as such would need to be of the higher speed rating for all year use. Its a bit of a grey area this, i'm sure i read there was some sort of agreement within members of the ABI, might be worth contacting both AXA again to speak to someone more senior and possibly get in touch with the ABI and see what they have to say.

The only trouble with shipping is that you'll more than likely be stuck with a RHD car, which would make the driving over there less enjoyable and arguably sightly less safe, though you could get a very well priced post 2006 H6 which are cheap now due to £500+ VED over here, if you could find a LHD H6 it might be saleable over there after though that's probably an even larger can of worms. Would it be any easier/cheaper in vehicle costings to start your trip in the USA, buy and insure there? You could buy an older car in a dry state, oh and if fuel costs aren't too much of an issue, there's some supremely reliable Toyota 4x4's in the States, Sequoia, Landcruiser to name just two, many of which sit on at least rear air suspension and would prove roomy and easily saleable again after your mega trip, again especially dry state vehicles that won't have any chassis rot, a good LHD Toyota 4X4 might even be worth shipping it back for sale in europe (we won't be leaving the EU in yours or my lifetimes), but be aware large Toyota 4x4's get under your skin they are that good, i'm on my 4th and have no intention of not having one in my life. Just chucking some thoughts at you.

Much as a like Foresters i'd be more inclined to buy an Outback with the 3.0 litre H6 engine. Either the model finishing in 2003 or the 2003 to 2009, both are very good cars indeed, quieter and more comfortable than a Forester for those long drives, that engine is very reliable benefiting from a timing chain instead of belt and suffers only rarely from head gasket issues, smooth auto box. One tip, look down with a torch both sides of the engine, you can see the inner drive shaft couplings, the rubber boots can perish because they sit directly over the CATS, very easy repair though, the whole drive shaft comes apart quite easily.

I bought an 80w equivalent led bulb for the single reverse light on my previous Landcruiser, powerful as a decent spot light, probably not legal and i didn't submit the motor for MOT with it fitted, the red lenses for the rear fogs were prone to fading on that model, red led from the same seller sorted that too. Sadly i didn't keep the name of the seller and it's too long ago to be on ebay's history, not cheapies by any means, a UK seller. On my previous Hilux, again one measly reversing light and leds in their infancy, i had a sparky wire in two very small Ring spotlights fitted under the rear bumper wired in to the main reversing light feed but via a relay, had the more powerful led as fitted to the Cruiser been available i wouldn't have needed those extra lights.

You learn summat every day, had Japanese cars for many years, mainly Landcruisers (i still have one. the Forester is really SWMBO baby) and in all that time i never knew that they had a specific screw head pattern.

Thankyou chaps, i'll invest in a set of JIS screwdrivers, and keep them separate, only have the one old verging on classic Merc now so any tinkering i do from now on will be on Toyota or Subaru, or the odd whatever box the daughters buy into, one is into Honda in a big way, not sure what screws they use both cars made in Swindon. My only complaint about Subarus is just how awkward spark plug changes are, i still bear the scars on the back of my wrists from fitting a set to the H6 Outback some 5/6 years back.

I wish it hadn't happened, my fault leaving that blinking gate where it was, it's hardly a surprise when a cocker and sprocker/retriever (appears to have been something else in our cocker's heritage, hence George's rather unusual make up) go bonkers when chasing anything that moves. Whatever the screws are, this is one aspect of Japanese cars (Subaru/Toyota) i really like, even after donkeys years seldom does a bolt or screw fail to undo, unlike other euro makes where you are lucky if anything underneath suspension wise especially comes apart without extensive use of an angle grinder or gas axe.

lamp unit arrived quickly, well packaged and in good condition, all at a very fair price £23 plus free postage 😎, i transferred the small loom and light fittings and bulbs from my broken light onto the bought in lamp body cos mine is a low mileage motor that has seen almost no salt...thanks goodness Scoobys are old school made ie philips screws to hold the loom on, doing things like this isn't always possible on euroboxes. not sure how much they are involved with Subarus, they seem to be a general scrappy, but you could do worse than look up ''daautopartsdirect'' (Dumfries based i believe) on the bay of E if you need used parts if my experience is anything to go by.

Found one on the bay, have bought it, hope its a good un when it arrives. Thankyou for looking peoples.

Thanks The Hoff, very good of you anyway. edit, thought i posted this thankyou reply yesterday, either i'm losing the plot (most likely) or it vanished, here's hoping.

Sadly not, mine is the last year of SG9 production, but thanks for looking. Fortunately the clear cover is punctured with a 50p sized hole which clear tape has waterproofed, so it's not desperately urgent to replace, just looks bad...could have been a lot worse, luckily the tailgate was open when the tubular steel gate fell on the car (one of the dogs trying to get at birds in the hedge must have shifted it) otherwise the tailgate rear window might have been smashed as well plus the tailgate would have needed painting, so i'm grateful it was only the light unit. Any idea what a new one from Subaru would cost, just out of interest.