The Ultimate Used Subaru Buyer's Guide

Guys, this gentleman is giving you all the ammunition you need to purchase a quality used car. Very detailed instructions for a quality purchase. Bravo my Brother

This is almost a public service. Very thorough. 👍🏽

HAHAHAHA! I've received those odd looks from salesmen before. They've found me laying on the ground looking under a vehicle more than once.

I sent this video to my friend last year who was helping her brother buy a 2003 Outback with the 2.5 so that she’d know what to look for. Car passed all the inspection points and even had brand new head gaskets installed before purchase. Got it for a great deal with only 138k miles, and aside from needing a new starter a few weeks ago, it’s been doing them good.

My God man, This is so fracking helpful! I've work in surgery now retired, I'm the guy you guys laugh at because they know don't know much about car's! Lol... So thank you this is VERY HELPFUL!!! Thank you Sir....

The information is why I came, the accent is why I stayed. Thanks for the detailed info

"AUSTRALIA". Hi Mr Subaru, 2007 forester 2.5 serviced my self from new. Just did my first head gasket at 335'000km with the help of your videos, runs like new. Fantastic car and this was the first major problem cylinder 2 miss fire. My last repair was rear suspension and front wheel bearings, everything original, very reliable. Keep up the good work mate, helped me heaps. Hope I get another 300 +

Another good brake check on a test drive is to lightly hold the steering wheel while applying the foot brake firmly. If the car pulls left or right it could indicate a seized caliper piston and/or worn or defective brake pads/discs. Needs to be done in a safe manner, preferably on a level clear road as the road camber can also influence the ride.

Climate control got me one time. It wasn’t a Subaru. But one side of the defrost blowed hot air and the other side was ice cold, car didn’t have dual climate control. Had to replace the whole heater box underneath the dash. The complete dash had to be removed down to the firewall to remove heater box. Always something to consider. If I hadn’t done it myself it would have been well over a $1000 to take it to a shop. Great video.

Thank you for posting this video. I’m in the process of buying a used Subaru and this has been very helpful. Unfortunately everything in my budget is over 100k miles and has at least one thing wrong with it. So now I’m trying to weigh my options, and trying to decide which car will have the best longevity after the initial repairs. I’d love to see more videos for owners who want to be informed and proactive with maintenance but aren’t mechanics. Like explaining what sights/symptoms to look for, what it could be, what could happen if repair are put off, and what to talk to your mechanic about.

As always, great tutorials and appreciate your informative videos. I'm about to use these tips on a 2003 Legacy wagon that I'll be taking a look at today.

Thank you so much for this very in depth and detailed inspection process on a used Subaru!!!

This was great I’m checking out a 2010 Forester tomorrow I took detailed notes and made a checklist of everything you showed I will have it with me and go through it. Thank you! Liked and Subscribed 👍🏾

To your list and from actual car inspections I've done, I'd add: 1 Beware the hornet's nest living in the driver's side door. 2 Seriously, has anyone ever opened the hood on a cheap used car and not found a rodent's nest on the intake manifold? And seriously, who would want to buy a car that isn't even good enough for rodents to want to live in or rats have already abandoned? On older cars with dead batteries, rodent's usually chew the wires. They don't much like the taste of oil and grease and they don't get that 12 volt buzz, but on new cars where those wires taste like fresh rubber your likely to be needing some soldering. 3 When you find the engine compartment stuffed with plastic bags, there's for sure an opossum somewhere under the hood. He might look dead, but for sure he ain't. Just close the hood softly and walk away for about half an hour and when you come back he'll be gone. Note: unlike rodents opossums don't usually eat wires or hoses, they just kind of live there. Just pull out all of the plastic bags and you're set to go. Lastly, don't ever forget to be kind to the vermin living in your new car as you evict them, remember they likely saved you a whole lot of money off the purchase price.

Hey, Mr. Subaru! Last week, I did a transmission service and front and rear differential service, on my 2011 Tribeca, with 100k miles, changing it's fluids. I did it as preventive maintenance, but surprisingly, the gear shifting is more responsive and the ride is smoother. Thanks a lot for your videos!

Here, I better pause this and write that down ‼️‼️ I'm a 60-year-old woman I don't have a clue but I sure am willing to learn... I understand that writing things down and checking off the list is the way to make sure you checked it all 👍 Can't take you enough for your experience and knowledge I am definitely going to check everything that I possibly can... Going to make a list and checking it tight 👍👍🤕🤣😂🙏🙏💖

Amazing Information! Very well explained, I took note carefully, I'm looking for my first Subaru, probably a forester 2003. I feel more confident to go for an inspection! Thank you so much for your help!

Brilliant! I think I'll make myself a checklist based on your video for the next time I go car shopping.

Thank you for the lengthy video.. very much appreciated.. I already own a 2000 s turbo forester and am very happy with it indeed .. I need to do some work and your info helps in diagnostics. If ever you get time to do a second gen forester video I shall be watching.. many thanks from the French alps