Tell me about - Subaru Diesels ?

[KennyN]

Appealing to the broad automotive knowledge base on the forum regarding the above.

Looking at a small SUV for general daily usage and one has popped up close to me :Subaru Forester 2.0D X Station Wagon 5d 1998cc

Had a quick look today and it looks ok for an eight year old motor and i am going back tomorrow for a test drive, mileage is a bit high but as i will only be doing 2-3k a year it wont be long till it has average mileage.

Started Googling the 2.0 Subaru diesel and it has a habit of breaking crankshafts on the earlier ones so hopefully the one in the link should be OK as it is a later Euro 5 engine.

So has anyone had any experience of the Subaru 2.0L diesel , not too concerned about the drivetrain as that has proven itself over time.

Thanks in advance

K

 

[Piff]

I've always quite liked Subaru but never got to the purchase stage. When I first looked they didn't do a diesel. When I next looked they did diesel but not a diesel automatic.
Fast forward and I sort of looked again a few weeks ago and came across an article (can't remember where) and they were listed as being far thirstier than they claimed to be. Maybe not too important if you are only doing 2k - 3k a year

 

[grober]

Heard horror stories about Subaru diesels. Subarus get the rep for being well made but expensive to repair when they go wrong partially due to that boxer layout. They came very late to diesel technology and one got the impression it was from necessity rather than inclination. My instinct if buying a "leggy " Subaru would be to go petrol despite the fuel economy drawback .
Diesel horrors? Reliability?

 

[KennyN]

Diesel horrors? Reliability?

Cheers , i had a look at that site earlier today.

Seems that 07-09 (Euro 4) models have the cranks made from chocolate , later (Euro 5) engines and onward seem to be an improvement but not perfect by any means.

The type , and price , of vehicle that i am looking at seem to be mainly diesels - CRV / Rav4 / Outlander / Shogun etc. all of which seem to have their issues.

K

 

[Smart320]

Have had 3 RAV4 's , but all 3 door and 2 L Vti version. Bombproof but unfortunately they finished making these in 2006! Latest is an auto version, runs beautifully , now on 75 k miles and has cost nothing other than routine servicing over last 3 years, just like the other 2 we have owned. Do only about 3/4 k miles a year so being a bit heavy on petrol not an issue and it is surprisingly quick if you need it to be.

 

[KennyN]

Drove the car on Friday and it drives fine , usual diesel racket but quite smooth for an oil burner . It had a very slight drift to the left on the motorway but not too concerning . Huge rear interior space when the rear seats are down which is one of the reasons i am considering it.

+ points , £4k ish for a 2011 vehicle, only £100 extra per year to add it to the other car , £235 tax which is half that of the Shogun / ML i was considering , one local owner , partial S/H , matching decent tyres (X climate) , mid 2011 model so it has the revised block which has minimised the crank shaft issues the earlier boxer diesels have , pretty clean inside / outside for a car of that type.

- points , 95k miles , no proof that the car has been serviced since 2016 (30k miles ago) , no receipts for any work that has been done , one key and Subaru want £250 for another one , fog light glass broken.

Car comes with an RAC warranty for three months (max claim £500 ) , a years silver RAC warranty is £245 with a limit of £2k.

Just not too sure how decent these aftermarket warranties are ??

I would like to have a chat with the previous owner regarding the servicing and the other key but that may prove difficult with the "privacy" laws now-a-days.

Going back tomorrow for another chat with the dealer.

K

 

[optimusprime]

Ken my friend had one 2 years ago but changed it for a new Skoda estate . From then on he purchased one after another 4x4 .And to-day he keeps saying to me i wish i had never parted with my Subaru .

 

[KennyN]

Deal done today , so should be getting it delivered at the end of the week.

A few mods planned already ,first of which is to replace the headunit with an android one with nav etc.

No give on price but managed to get a 24month RAC Gold warranty and a spare key in with the price , lets hope i wont need either of them.

A full DIY service will be around £100 in parts so that will be the first job.

K

 

[optimusprime]

Ken that looks a cracking truck . Now its like waiting for Christmas day to open your present .

 

[KennyN]

Ken that looks a cracking truck . Now its like waiting for Christmas day to open your present .

Should be here by the end of the week so i have been scouring all the usual places for bits + bobs to make it mine. It needs bigger alloys as the 16`s look tiny , good thing is that most Subarus have a similar fitment so ones from an Outback / Legacy will also fit.

Just waiting on some snow ,or a big slippery hill, so i can "lord" it over the minions in their 2WD vehicles , .

Insurance for the 440i and the Forester is just £450 pa so pretty pleased with that.

K