Mr B

That price is high . Low mileage never guarantees a good car, it just guarantees you pay too much . dealers in general are stingy as hell and never prep/repair cars well before sale . Either be sure it absolute A1 order, great set of tyres and extras and worth price to you or keep looking . Doubt they put much effort in a 90K service, I want belt replaced with all new idlers, expect they took that car for under 5K . Dealers are in business of making money from hot air sales, you always do fairer/better deals privately with decent folks .

Forum just quiet Hopefully wheel bearing, try rocking vehicle left to right and see if noise goes away and note direction you rocking it . also after longer drive feel wheel hubs for heat or use a infra red heat gun if got one . If a manual you can dip clutch and see if noises change speed or stat same to road speed . If is wheel bearing not to big a concern but be sure no other surprises and be sure price reflects faults you find. Hope you buy a nice one, best of luck ...

2 things that can be done. 1, Line hone the journals (assuming conditions/tolerances allow for it) . 2, machine journals to take bearing shells (good but expensive) You need a good machine shop and they hard to find, we have many local but still take parts 160 mile round trip for proper decent machine work .

Plenty parts in europe/east europe . If you did get that SF you could get the struts and springs while here and possibly basic bits like cambelt and some service items . I can give you parts numbers and links for most of it . I never had issue with SF or SG in snow or muddy tracks, with proper decent snow tyres they amazingly good and hence why so popular in russia canada and alaska . you can mod the SF auto solenoid clutch pack with a switch so it like a diff lock function which handy trick at times . Just be sure buy a decent one, they should run sweet/smooth and no real oil leaks, any doubt don't buy until doubts confirmed . The blue SF also don't have the usual sigma alarm which good as that one less thing play up and it just has factory transponder immobiliser and remote locking .

Plenty parts around for these used and new, very cheap and built that well one that had sensible servicing got a potential lifespan of 25 to 30yrs . corrosion gets them in end so be sure rear turrets and subframe are all pretty solid ( bit of wax oil spray on these puts years of extra life on them) 120k is nothing on these. out of choice I would always buy a tidy SF over any later models. Wouldn't bother with lpg for under 10K a year . The blue one on eBay does need rear struts and springs as see it sagging a bit, I would want 200 or 300 off that price and wouldn't want AA cover as it useless. May want even less off as expect tyres crap (i like matching sets on AWD cars and something half decent) and no idea on history/cambelt. cambelt easy diy if half competent and read guides on here, we charge max of 380 for cambelt and oem idlers etc fitted . MOT history not bad on it either, no mention of corrosion but it needs proper visual and physical checks/inspection before parting with cash, if was more local to me I probably looked at it for resale or adding to the fleet as always got people wanting proper tidy late SF models with All Weather Pack although most not want Auto . Plenty more SG autos about if look, good SF models bit harder find and most people don't sell late winter . You get more niggles with SG's though, window motors, boot handle, flimsy interior, thinner steel in some body structure areas, later models with more emission control hassle etc

Old is gold, the SF foresters are way better and less trouble than any newer ones . I pulled tree stumps with my old SF and towed around 2T in low box in tracks yards and fields (SF has lower geared low range than SG onwards), 20yrs old and everything works and never any bother . If you want no bother and easier parts/repair go SF or SG, the 2.0 NA engines can do over 200K if had sensible servicing . Auto normally easier find in tidy condition and low miles, most manuals been used pretty hard by at least one owner . I would avoid 2.5 and xt if you want easy no hassle subaru legendary reliability. Check for corrosion on rear arches and subframes (look at front subframes too) and sagging rear ends, struts and springs can be replaced with kyb non SLS setup (parts around £200-£300) . Is a nice looking auto 2.0 SF 2002 on eBay .For sure be a few SG and SH around 2005-2008 if look, don't rush it or you will buy trouble .

Do you have bidirectional control diagnostic ability and have you tested the egr operation via this and also via bench testing it . Lot of time the may open and close what appears normal but the position sensor output is wrong and that flags code, other times the valve movement position sensor feedback not matching comand as valve partially sticking or has reduced travel range . The egr lives a hard life, we only fit new oem as used and aftermarket waste of time . You had any running symptoms like poor idle, sluggish .

Big enough issue that they will all do it given enough time . Even revisions of crank and block not resolved it 100% Pattern is just fatigue and generally like one incident like a downshift or something creating a final load that causes crank fail . I had one towed in off of motorway end of last year, down shifted wrong gear and kaboom, What a mess that was, both block halves damaged around broken journal, valve bent on one cylinder as obviously one side of crank is no longer attached to cambelt lol . Generally they never worth rebuild and design fault not fixable even if rebuild with newest revision crank, boxer design also reduces machine work can do to block main bearing wells. Used engine hold silly money and obviously have same design fault, best way forward is using early 2011 and swapping parts so common rail and dpf etc match your cars electronic modules . The diesel was absolute disaster and pretty much writes your car off, new crank costs us just under 500 and all parts/materials to rebuild is between 1400 and 2k, add to that labour for removal, strip, machine shop, rebuild, refit and test and you got a silly bill. desirable used engines are 2 to 3K . I can buy super clean low mileage diesel subarus with crank failure all day long for about twice scrap value, nobody wants them and not many owners want or can afford cough up cash to put it back on the road ...

Well you could check expansion tank hose closely for splits or blockages and if nothing found you could get a new oem radiator cap . I still be suspicious of HG if problems still continue, I don't use the chemical liquid tests often on these as not sensitive enough, I use emission gas analyser .

^ Glass is thinner as easy area reduce weight at no additional manufacture cost and improve mpg which big concern for manufacturers these days . Not concerned enough spend out on few more alloy or polycarbonate panels though 😕

With good turbo's, water cooling and modern ester synthetic oils it not really needed unless been spanked silly and glowing like a cherry .

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Impreza/1997-1998/

If your rad leaking/system not sealed it will not draw coolant from overflow tank very well or at all . Get gas sniffer on it, 8 out of 10 overheating/cooling issues we see on the 2.5 all end up at HG and unfortunately in early stages it hard diagnose 100% clear cut with test results .

People would be best avoiding euro car parts or at least cherry picking parts they get as ecp really sell low quality and not always that cheap . an alloy one on eBay made in china would be better than what ecp stock . ones ecp stock can be found for £70, cheap alloy is about £130 (use a eBay coupon on it and they great budget value buys) I fitted couple customers supplied and quality/fit was fine, invoice sku started with UKZZ . Sounds very much like HG is going be issue, getting diagnostic proof can be hard but as it gets worse gas sniffer or chemical test on coolant will register it . Look at the bottom off head to block seams and see if look damp and oily . HG need sorting quick as left too long and turns into a full rebuild . suspecting left too long already .

is an easy job as long as you can manage the hose and clips without drama, you do not need remove bumper . If you had long term over heat issues randomly is a high chance it HG as inevitable on the 2.5, very hard prove via hydrocarbon check on these . Standard crimped rads are not best but over heat issues will help finish them off .

I would charge your battery, refit and lock car with fob button then after next false alarm event use the diagnostics to see if get a last trigger status . Trigger status is going dictate what diagnosis you do probably but do realise that poor voltage will make alarm functions and diagnostics unreliable so don't overlook the basics of cars battery power including some visuals of alarms wiring for water/corrosion damage etc . Regardless of results of diagnosis I would also do a test of locking car with key after car been unlocked and running. With the car locked via key your car should not have alarm on unless someone set it to auto arm (auto arm is off by default and best off as good way lock yourself out lol) point here is with alarm off and no auto arming if alarm goes off it more likely internal fault or perhaps voltage level fault You can also alarm car and have the ultrasonics disabled which good way rule them out The alarm measures voltage, it has audible bleep for low voltage warning and function of viewing voltage via led blinks . Low voltage (car battery or siren battery) can cause issues and as your new battery low I would do some diagnosis on battery charging, parasitic draw before going deeper into alarm modules wiring . Do note this just my assumption based on your 12.1V reading of new battery, use your own gumption to conclude why battery may of been low at time you checked it . Most faults we see on these are bonnet switch, main module board gone bad or siren battery failure or water damage . Used parts are pretty cheap and diy fixable, if do need buy replacement used module be sure comes with 4 pin code or a working remote at the least .

First observation is battery voltage low, 12.1v is 65-70% disharged . Other observation is don't turn alarm on, lock car with key in lock cylinder and see if alarm goes off (should not and would indicate fault including low voltage issue from car batt or siren backup 9v pp3 ) . View the user manual below as give you tips on isolating internal motion sensor and viewing what set alarm off if you lucky . They very easy alarms swap out used modules and program and siren can be opened up for battery replacement . Read the manual and see how you get on ... https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7Ub2apq5-pfcjJhSm5XUHNyUzQ

diesel or petrol ? assuming going be diesel ... but best assume nothing :-)

2010 is still in the age of worst crank failures . No modern diesel is great thanks to dpf's so not really worth anyone having a modern diesel unless doing very high miles and not short trips as simply to much maintenance costs for more average user . I don't recommend subaru diesels to any of my customers, petrol legacy is great, stuff from early 2000 way better than newer . If buying diesel cars only buy pre dpf models or don't bother unless like hassle and spendy garage bills . Also buying earlier diesels or petrols give you potentially more future stable road tax and mot emissions . If you want reliable stress free motoring look at quality older models in A1 condition, I work on the junk day in day out and newer just means cheaper engineered or sourced parts ...

All depends on leak severity and amount of time been like it and overheat it been subject to and tune/usage of car. I done a lot of 2.5 head gaskets only and only ever had one back and that was ringland failure 10 months down the road. Got be done on individual basis as lot of these imprezas get spanked and with poor tuning/mapping all while suffering early HG failure . Hopefully not too much of a surprise as any standard 2.5 will have HG failure, it inevitable by factory design .

Want monitor live data of lambda sensors as possibly help give direction in finding issue . check wiring integrity and vaccum leaks .

another 15% eBay coupon today and runs to 12th, coupon code XMAS15 Works on tyres as just tried it (set of winter for a customer). Got it on 2 accounts and just spent little over £600 thus saved a 100 on various parts to stock and some tools as prices already good on select items and with extra 15% way cheaper pricing than any of our parts factors . Enables me give better prices and still use quality parts I like and have items on shelf so no delay .

Lot of these are HID from japan . Left and Right is fused separate so for fuses it need 2 gone . HID can be PITA, bulbs and ballasts play up and bad wiring either from tampering or corrosion in terminals/earths .

15% discount today on eBay, coupon code PRESENTS . Not sure if this one site wide or limited categories as not looked into it .

only cheap ones I could recommend is riken rp, park of michelin group, they around £44 a tyre and if get lucky with coupon could work out in high 30s . With UK weather and roads half decent tyres a must, Hankook kinergy nice, nokian weatherproof nice all rounder for a forester but spendy, Cheap but good options are truly a few . maxxis AP2 not bad all weather or the hankook kinergy, if budget difficult consider riken as sensible balanced budget tyre . If buying used always check date codes on sidewalls as many sellers say they only few years old and when look the about 9yrs old and starting dry rot .