Im seriously considering buying one very soon, its an import, I like the side height interior etc, I've read good reviews on the subarus. this evening though in conversation I've heard there either good or bad its not worth taking the risk, expensive to repair. Any body out there had one? Whats been your experience!
brapbrap8,
Aug 17, 8:03am
Yes I had one, it will be a 3L right? Think they were all 3L engines. Nice cars, and the 3L engines are known to be reliable and have a cam chain rather than a belt that other Subarus have. Great to drive, use premium petrol in it and servicing will be slightly dearer as they take a lot more oil than a normal car.
Edit: Just saw that LL Beans are 2.5L I have heard they can develop leaky head gaskets easily but I have never owned one. Someone else on here might have experience with the 2.5.
caleb.b,
Aug 17, 8:04am
I have a 2004 Legacy 3.0R which has basically the same running gear I think. Highly recommended. Solid engine, Solid performance and great road handling. I have 3 friends all with the same car, other than a set of shocks, nothing has gone wrong with any of them. Some people dont like the Subaru name and that is generally caused by badly maintained EJ20 turbo charged engines getting a bad reputation for expensive repairs. The EZ30 engine has a really good reputation and although some might say its not quite as powerful or punchy as some of the turbo charged setups, Im all for a bigger engine without the added stress of a turbo charger, especially when it comes to your everyday wagon. So its all a load of crap. If you buy a good one and have a proper mechanical inspection done before you buy it, you will enjoy every minute of owning it.
teine2,
Aug 17, 8:27am
Thanks barp. thats right 2.5 this one has just had a new belt put on. caleb.b thanks for your comments, all the reviews I've read on line and also the dog and lemon say a similar thing, good reliable, recommended, I also have been told that by a car dealer about the turbos, so I really appreciate hearing from a subaru owner, much appreciated : )
gunhand,
Aug 17, 8:29am
Im not going to add anything at all, but, what the hell is an LL BEAN? sounds like a dead rapper?
sw20,
Aug 17, 8:33am
LL Bean is a clothing company in the US.
It may as well be a Krapmandu version.
westwyn,
Aug 17, 8:34am
L.L Bean is a fashion chain / brand from the United States, the name was licensed by Fuju HI (Subaru Japan) for use on selected special editions at the time- the Forester being one of them. Same deal as the 'special editions' we get here all the time on new cars, except the fashion-conscious Japanese thought more of a fashion house brand tie-in than say a motorsport second-rate driver, or farming analogy.
Marketing makes the world go round!
teine2,
Aug 17, 8:39am
I know gunhand, I immediately thought of Mr Bean, then coffee. Your comment had me do a search and this is what I found. So for 2001, as Subaru faced the task of improving on a successful redesign, it did what car companies usually do: it added power and came up with a marketing gimmick. The power comes from a new six-cylinder engine -- the company's first six since it discontinued the sporty SVX coupe in 1996. The gimmick is an agreement with L. L. Bean, the Maine-based purveyor of outdoor gear, to use that company's name on a fancier Outback, the H6-3.0 L.L. Bean Edition.
gunhand,
Aug 17, 8:44am
Well that answers that then. Thank you.
tamarillo,
Aug 17, 10:49am
I'm confused. Op mentions a forester, but all this talk of the 3.0 which is a six. Forester didn't ever get a six surely? Think it's a bog standard 2.5 4 cylinder just like the legacy, outback etc isn't it. Op, think your getting some confused advice here. ll bean spec can be on forester or legacy/outback, but Forester is smaller and four cyclinder only. Forester is based on Impreza not the legacy.
franc123,
Aug 17, 1:27pm
Who cares what it is or isn't based on, its getting old for a Subaru and the criteria for buying one is dead simple, get a good PPI and road test from an expert who will look for signs of good service and possible abuse, look for evidence of salt exposure from north Japan roads on the suspension and underframe regardless of whether its just been complied or not, and preferably buy examples with well under 150k on the odo. They are by and large good wagons if cared for.
teine2,
Aug 17, 8:23pm
Thanks Franc 123
battleaxe,
Sep 14, 6:43am
forester is either a 2 or 2.5 litre and is based on the imreza. The outback is either 2.5, 3.0 or 3.6.
321mat,
Sep 16, 12:36am
The early 6 cylinder models would sometimes burn the rear pistons due to poor EFI fueling (heat build-up). This issue was ironed out by the time your model (BP/BL) came out.
However, even though they are cam-chain driven, they must still be serviced regularly, or vastly expensive problems can occur. . Including regular (every 50,000km transmission fluid changes). And, whilst they are a great car to drive, some dealers are not as nice, and will want your first born as payment for servicing.
mainlander05,
Sep 17, 6:30am
I hope they have the fuel problem sorted by now.it would work out cheaper to run a v8.
ryanm2,
Jun 18, 11:23am
Having owned numerous cars in the past the later model Subaru's (ive owned 2.5 outback, 3.0 lancaster, 2.0 legacy) are much better, if not better than other 2wd cars of the same era. My first legacy, 1992 VZ-R which is a non turbo 4wd certainly enjoyed the fuel nozzle being poked in its rear end.
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