livetoclimb

Aaaah now I’m disappointed 😂

Great - thanks for the tips. It’s a Subaru specialist in Brislington and he Seems to really know his stuff. Will let you know about the Pedders. The existing suspension is knackered (and appears to still be original) so anything will be an improvement!

Cheers flat6. It’s currently in the garage having the suspension changed (Pedders all round inc front strut mounts, as well as any worn bushes. Also probably changing the trans fluid - need to speak to them tomorrow and check if anything else is needed... so you were bang on the money! The boot handle is actually sticking a little so I’ll grease that up - thanks for the tip! I’ve also just put on a full set of Michelin Latitude Cross which look great and should be good enough for all year round use... I do have a set of winters for it in the shed as well just in case we get Beast From The East next year. Sadly it’s already been keyed so once Subaru are back up and running I’m going to speak to them about getting some paint and I’ll buy a touch up kit and sort that out. It’s on 101k miles but initial prognosis when I dropped it off is that it’s pretty clean looking. Will update when I get it back.

Recently purchased a late 2006 facelift Outback. Very happy as it’s a more comfortable ride than my previous car, plus faster and has a LOT more character. And cheaper to insure. And to buy... I paid a good price for it knowing it would need a little work, inc. suspension work. Suspension is fine at moderate speeds, albeit a little bouncy. Slight creak/clunk from offside front. Suspect ARB bushes/drop links? Low speeds are where things seem a bit ‘loose’ - I can LCA bushes and drop links when I deal with the suspension... Back end bouncy at higher speeds. Probably shot shocks, as it’s borderline on the ‘bounce’ test... replacement options? I’ve seen that the Pedders ones (Shocks and springs for rear) are well reviewed as an alternative to the self levelling ones which I presumably have, but they don’t seem available for the front for an all round fix. If I’m to replace shocks at rear I may as well do them all round. No concerns about the springs as they seem to support the car well and it’s not bottoming out. Other things... slightly sticky boot handle. WD40? Boot lift piston things slightly juddery. Grease, or replace? Gearbox and paddles seem to work well. Is transmission worth servicing for peace of mind? Is this DIYable? Is there anything else worth doing for peace of mind? Unsure whether AWD system is serviceable. Answers, thoughts and general ramblings are much appreciated. Thanks, Shay.

A ny suggestions for useful tips and tricks/tasteful mods are much appreciated!

Thanks Macka. Saw this a few days too late I’m afraid. Best of luck with the sale - looks like a lovely car. I have actually found one - 100k miles, early 07 facelift with full service history and seems v well looked after. Paid a fair price too, including winter tyres in case we ever get snow again so v pleased. Probably needs new drop links as slight clunk from front offside over bigger bumps but will get that sorted as well as new summer tyres. Picking it up in a week or so and will report back!

Thanks Juddian. Really helpful response. When I find one I’ll make sure I check these particulars - although it seems these are relatively straightforward cars compared to more modern turbo or Diesel engines. Subaru’s glory days perhaps? I noticed that one for sale on AT sold on here privately a year or two ago for less than £3k, now up for sale with 20k more miles for £4.3k. Private seems like a better option! Theres a Subaru specialist not far from me so once I find one worth buying I’ll probably get them to give it a once over for peace of mind. Part of me keeps thinking about a newer 2.5i but I think I’d get fed up with the lack of oomph very quickly. If anyone selling a facelift H6 sees this please let me know..!

Hi everyone. New member here - UK. I currently own a 4 year old Skoda Octavia Scout and whilst it’s been a good car I could do with freeing up some money due to an impending wedding/baby. I only do about 6-8k per year, with most of these miles on A roads/M ways - I commute on my motorbike. When I bought the Scout, the other contender was a Gen 5 Outback 2.5i, but I went with my head as the OB was hugely more expensive, and on the test drive I was impressed with everything but the power delivery. The thing was gutless, albeit with only about 500 miles on the clock so perhaps not really run in. I wasn’t particularly enamoured with the CVT either and was concerned about potential reliability issues with the transmission down the line. I’m now wondering whether a facelift 07-09 OB might be the way forward - with the 3.0 H6. Not concerned about low fuel economy or high VED as I do relatively few miles. So what are the general views on these cars? Looking for ride comfort, winter/rough road abilities, load lugging abilities, and (ideally!) reliability. More than happy to carry out preventative maintenance. I’ve seen a few on AutoTrader and EBay which seems to be in good condition but have 120k plus miles and not heavily advertised as having FSH which is important to me. Prices vary disproportionately and do not particularly seem to really reflect MOT history or condition. Whilst I’ve seen them in the wild, I’m yet to sit in or test drive one There’s one for sale for about £4.3k currently, at a small dealer near Heathrow, with 125k on the clock - it ostensibly looks good but I’m concerned by the inconsistent reviews on the dealer, plus it’s a lot to spend on a relatively high mileage car. Any advice greatly appreciated. I’m ideally looking to spend between £3.5k and £4k on something with fairly low mileage, FSH and ideally owned by someone who has looked after it. Is this realistic? Even better, is anyone selling anything good?? Thanks in advance.