Hello, I have 5k for a car for door dash. I live in Ohio, so I need AWD, and I don't want it broken all the time
would it be wise of me to buy a Subaru Impreza 2001-2005 with 100,000 miles - 175,000 miles or is that at the end of a Subaruis life spanned
An old Subaru could be OK if the head gaskets have already been replaced, timing belt changed, and preferably with a manual transmission.
No, the older ones have headgasket issue. Also, the AT on Subarus are weak too.
What would you recommend then for 5k with AWD
I would suggest a Toyota RAV4 but with this market, it is hard to get a good one.
Gonna be tough right now. Everyone here is gonna say rav4, but you’ll need to go over $5k in this market. I’d try to find an old Forester or Impreza; you might get one at your price and those models tend to rack up a lot of easy miles.
Or find an otherwise solid car with cosmetic damage.
Okay because I heard that that Impreza is unreliable
Here is the definitive statement on Subaru:
1). The infamous head gasket thing was specific years, specific engines (do your homework)
2). Other than those specific ones, they have no more head gasket problems than any other car
3). Reliability is above average because they are very simple designs.
4). They are inexpensive cars and use inexpensive parts. Things break, but are generally CHEAP and easy to fix yourself.
5). Subaru brand loyalty is legendary. There is a reason for that.
Subaru’s are what they are. They’re not luxury cars, but they’re good for what they are. And if you really want an AWD car for cheap, a Subaru has to be on your short list.
Do you know what year? Also does the impresses all have that problem
In general the Subaru engines with overhead cams and rubber timing belts are the ones affected by leaking head gaskets. (Late 1990s through about 2011.) Usually they start leaking around the 100K mile mark.
The newer series Subaru engines with timing chains don't have the head gasket problems, though there were a few years that had oil burning problems.
A 2001-2005 Impreza would definitely be in the range where head gaskets are a problem and you would not want to buy one if that job has not already been done. Automatic transmissions are a weak spot so a stick shift is preferable.
https://www.licmotorsports.com/blog/the-dreaded-subaru-head-gasket-issue