Someone please tell me.

In late July, I bought a used 99 Outback Wagon, manual transmission, higher
mileage, 120K. I didn't pay a lot for it, but having bought it from a
dealer who stated that the vehicle had been thoroughly checked, I assumed
that I had made a decent, at least moderately reliable, purchase.

Two days after purchase, I noticed the temp gauge climbing. No engine
light, but after driving it a bit, I opened the hood, and the coolant was
boiling. Dealer towed it, said the head gasket was blown and there was
piston damage. They towed and repaired at no charge. Good.

Four weeks later, the engine starts sputtering and the check engine light
comes on. Since the dealer is 40 miles away, I take it to my local
mechanic, who has serviced other cars for me over a 10 year period and in
whom I have a lot of trust. My mechanic says the engine light came from a
problem with the cam, that the crank had jumped three teeth and that it
looked like there could be engine damage, all effects which would have been
consistent with an inappropriately-performed gasket replacement. At this
point, the car is out of the 30-day, 1000 mile dealer service period (even
with the car being in the shop for a week with the gasket issue; also I have
1050 miles on total). But I call the dealer, they tow it and instead feel
that the problem was caused by a tensioning wheel. No evidence of engine
damage, they say. They offer to split the repair cost, which I think is
fair, and offer to drive it a bit.

Three days later, the repair is done. Then I get a call with, "Oh by the
way, the clutch is slipping and you're going to need to replace that."

Now, I don't expect a higher mileage used car to run like a new one. I
anticipate having repairs to a used car. Brakes will go, clutches, pumps
and all that. But I find it amazing that I have now had two significant
engine repairs, and the clutch is on the way out, within six weeks of
purchase. The dealer clearly stated that the car had been looked over
carefully before I purchased it, and, of course, touted the service
department. Am I unreasonable to think that some of these issues should
have been obvious if they did indeed look over the car carefully? Should
any of this, or could any of these potential issues have been disclosed
prior to purchase?

I am one unhappy Subaru owner who now walks to work every day. Thanks in
advance for your replies.... cars are not my specialty.

Be angry with the dealer and yourself but, not the car.
"JCF" <cf1992@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:ee4b3002gb@news1.newsguy.com...

"Edward Hayes" <erhayes@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:UEiNg.24192$QM6.13714@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...

Umm, yeah, being upset with the dealer was kinda the point of the original
post.

JCF wrote:


Hi,

Sorry your experience hasn't been good, but one must remember used cars
are a "buyer beware" item. Some states' laws may require disclosure of
"known" problems, but that's not universal practice.

Probably the most important question I ask when looking at a used car is
"Why did the previous owner want to replace it?"

With luck, these problems will soon be resolved and you'll become a
happier Subie owner.

Rick

"Rick Courtright" <rcourtright@iname.com> wrote in message
news:4505C106.24C04A5@iname.com...

Thanks for the response. I certainly hope it gets better, because the car
itself, when it works, is awesome. Stable, responsive, a pleasure to drive.

In my case, the car I bought was billed by the dealer as "a trade that the
previous Owner made to buy a new Outback. We usually don't sell high
mileage cars, but this one was exceptionally clean....all the maintenance
has been done." Buyer beware, I know. On one hand, I am thankful I bought
from a dealer because, in an effort to keep their reputation intact, they
performed some extensive repairs that they had not counted on; if I had
bought privately, I would be SOL. On the other hand, I question whether
they bought a piece of junk, couldn't figure that out or knew it and then
tried to pass it off onto the next buyer.

I'll have to look into the disclosure laws, and at the very least, will be
writing a terse letter to the dealer.

JCF wrote:

Other than the HG, which Soobs of that model range are known to
occasinally have problems with, I don't think your experience is unique
either to the car or the dealership. I could argue that it would've been
nice to know if the TB was seviced on schedule and if the clutch was
original - but really, you could substitute the word toyota, or mazda or
Ford for subaru in your story and I bet it has happened a dozen times to
someone else. I think also, because folks tend to keep their Soobs
around longer, even dealerships are so hungry to be able to offer used
models they tend to keep cars that, if a similar condition used Ford
showed up, they would send it to the wholesaler. I must say though, it
seems your dealership was fair.
Ask questions here, look around at www.ultimatesubaru.net and
www.nasioc.com and learn about your car. It will likely be very
enjoyable now and hopefully, when you need a new O2 sensor or MAF or
rear wheel bearings, you won't be surprised and might be able to fix
some of them yourself.

Carl


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On 2006-09-12, <stephandlulu@gmail.com> penned:

Because people buying new cars are not necessarily making a logical
decision. Because people buying new cars may have more money than you,
and therefore aren't as concerned with that dollar difference. Because
people buying new cars are often buying them for the perceived features
(bigger engine, better AWD, etc), not because there's anything
objectively "wrong" with their old car. Because people have different
priorities, and some people may put "shiny new car" at a higher priority
than you do.

In short, because there's a lot more to a purchase than pure logic, as
car dealers and any other salespeople have known since roughly the
dawn of time.

--
monique

<stephandlulu@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:FZzNg.415$e66.257@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com. ..

I disagree. I have traded in used cars while buying a new car three times.
Two out of the three times, the car was in perfect working order. I traded
because my needs had changed and the car I was trading still retained some
value which could be applied to a new car.

In this case, I started my own business last year. I am an architectural
consultant, and occasionally need to carry ladders and other testing
equipment which do not go in and out of a sedan easily. Furthermore, while
business has been successful beyond my expectations, I did not feel that it
would be financially responsible to spend $20-25,000 on a new vehicle in the
business' name. I also have a newborn son, and so a pickup truck in which
he couldn't fit is not an option.


If you're like me, you do some research on the make, model and year of any
car before buying. In my case, that included talking to my mechanic, doing
a carfax search for the VIN and looking at the consumer reports data (which
gave generally very good reports on most major systems for this model and
year). Seriously, are you going to go into google groups and type the make,
model, year and every single issue that could eventually arise, from brakes
to engine to gasket, to other things. Before last week I had never even
heard of the term "tensioning wheel."

On the eurojunk comment, I have two VWs, a 99 Jetta and an 02 Passat with a
combined 190,000 miles on them. 11 years+ of ownership and not a single
significant problem. Normal wear and tear, brakes, tires and such, that's
it. Perhaps my experience is not typical.

"JCF" <cf1992@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:ee4b3002gb@news1.newsguy.com...

Just to follow up on my original post, in case anyone is interested.

Late yesterday I spoke to my sales rep, who referred my call to the
dealership's general manager this morning. The dealership is concerned
about my dissatisfaction and has asked for an opportunity to look over the
car once more, have their service manager drive it, etc., and then work
either towards another repair or to "get me into a comparable vehicle."
There is a long way to go between here and there, but at this point, it is
the best I can hope for.

Again, it has been a bad experience, but I am so thankful that at least I am
working with a dealer, and that the dealer has been cooperative in
attempting to address my concerns.

JCF wrote:


Yeah, I bought a car for my daughter that was treaded in because a
school teacher was being given a new car for xmas by her husband. Not
all cars traded in have issues. And many that do, are easily repaired.
Some folks just get int eh mindset "Ugh, the CEL light came on TWICE
this year! We better dump this car!" And maybe it just needs a front O2
sensor and a new evap system vacuum line or something.

Carl


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