What is a 2005 Liberty 3.0R - B worth?

[boltz]

I'm looking at buying a Liberty 3.0R-Bspec.
Every mechanic I have spoken to says don't touch it - they are expensive for parts, difficult to work on and when it inevitably leaks oil it's a 3 day job to fix.
One Subaru specialist told me they recommend their customers sell the car if it's leaking oil, because it's such an expensive repair.
Having said that, my wife and I really like the car. It's had one elderly owner with 120 000km on it and in very good condition.
I do most of my own mechanical work, so paying a workshop is not a big worry, but resale value is.
As a car just on 10 years old and with a reputation for being expensive to repair, I'm worried that it's value will drop fast in the next few years.
My mechanic mate advised that if I must buy it, make sure it's really cheap.
The seller wants $8000 with RWC but no rego. How much should I offer for it?

[BillyCorgi]

You say ".....As a car just on 10 years old....." makes it an MY05 or MY06.
The 3.0R-B with auto was introduced at MY06, so is it a 6MT manual or an Automatic.
The 6MT manual is arguably the more engaging drive.

If the service history is all there in record and with 120 Thousand plus an elderly owner, then it starts as being a good purchase.
The elderly owners generally looked after their cars and did not abuse them.

I have no working knowledge of oil leak issues with the 3.0R engine????? These are usually reserved for the EJ25 NA engines.
You say ".....Every mechanic I have spoken to says don't touch it - they are expensive for parts, difficult to work on and when it inevitably leaks oil it's a 3 day job to fix....."
Mine has just ticked over 140 thousand and had its RWC this week. Engine does not have a drop of oil out of place.
Also, my garage man says great car, great engine, but DO NOT skimp on the servicing.

Finally, you are responsible for making your purchase decision, however there are a lot of forum members who have previously made the same decision and not been disappointed.
Recently an experienced forum member picked up an MY06 at auction for 8K and he thought that to be a good buy.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31533&p=420740#p420740
The price your elderly owner is asking is in the sweet spot.

You say ".....I'm worried that it's value will drop fast in the next few years....."
Resale values for cars past the 10 year point is a lottery?
Come on, for 8 thousand you buy it and enjoy it and enjoy driving it. You enjoy it for 5 to 10 years and wait till it eventually dies and then buy the next 8 thousand car to replace it.

P.S. I can do the oily leaky head gaskets on a N/A EJ25 engine in a day, not 3.

[RX25SE]

Pretty much as above.

Mine has over 130k on it and the engine is bone dry. It's not uncommon for some mechanics to shy away from Subarus, mostly because they are not familiar with them. Yes they are expensive for parts but they are one of the more reliable brands so I guess in some way that offsets the cost of parts.

I think now is a good time to buy a top end Subaru as they have had their nosedive in price. When I bought mine, they were holding their value exceptionally well but plummeted in price over a short period and have now settled down. The B4 in the GenIII's did a similar thing.



One day for EJ25 head gaskets BillyCorgi? Your'e a bit quicker than me! It took me 6hrs today to get the wife's engine out, heads off and all parts cleaned.

[BillyCorgi]

One day for EJ25 head gaskets BillyCorgi? Your'e a bit quicker than me! It took me 6hrs today to get the wife's engine out, heads off and all parts cleaned.

EJ25 N/A Engine
Start with a cold engine
Two hours for the engine out
Two hours for Timing gear Off/Inlet Manifold Off/ Heads off
Two hours for Block clean/heads prepared/heads back on/timing gear back on/Valve Lash check-adjusted
Two hours for engine back in
BEER!

It helps that I have done the HGs before (on another car)
And you need an assistant.

[boltz]

Thanks for the replies Billy Corgi & RX25SE.
It is a 6 speed (apparently the same as an STi), so I know there won't be any gearbox issues.
With regards oil leaks, a workshop told me you need to take the engine out to do the front and rear timing cases and they have around 124 bolts in each.
Anyway as I said, it is a nice car,so we'll probably take our chances and make an offer

[RX25SE]

Some get noisy in the timing chain tensioner later in life. AFAIK they can be done in the car (just radiator out) and there are about 54 bolts in the cover. No need to pull off anything else.

[bigBADbenny]

I've said it before but my local mechanic does H6 head gaskets with the block in the car
H6/2.5T 6mt is very similar to the STi box but the former has an open front diff and viscous center diff...

[Tonic]

Nearly 190,000 in mine. Still uses about 400ml oil per 1,000 km. make sure no engine clicking as it runs... Could mean a big end bearing and $10,000 rebuild. Yeah ran it low on oil once and paid.
Check for viscous coupling - sounds like a cv click on turning after warmed up. That would cost you $1,500. Mine recently went.
If the electric is locks, windows and stereo are ok then they should be good. Recently I have lost 2 rear door locks and one rear window..... Wreckers do at reasonable price.
Check for wiper arm movement as the bushes wear. $66 for wrecker part plus an hour to fit.
Still my accountant says get a new car but nothing in the same price range offers such a good drive.... Especially after Matt gave it a Kido tune...
Good luck.

[boltz]

Thanks for the tips Tonic.
Can you tell me about the Kido tune please?

[BillyCorgi]

It is good to see that your interest is rapidly increasing.
Many of the H6 30.R Liberty owners on the forum have had a KiDo tune on their cars from Matt.
Matt, a.k.a ThrottleHappy can be found on Facebook.
KiDo_Tuning may be contacted on the forum by placing a PM.
I myself have an E85 Flex Fuel tune on my car, courtesy of Matt.
I have not put 98RON back in the tank since going over to Ethanol. Lovely stuff!

Everything is better with a KiDo Tune.

When you have done that you may also contact me for a Short Shift Adaptor, possibly a Gear Shift Rejuvenation Kit if your gear change is at all sloppy, plus a Centre Differential Viscous Coupling rebuild when you require one.
Welcome to the forum!

[Murry_Gen4]

I'm looking at buying a Liberty 3.0R-Bspec.
Every mechanic I have spoken to says don't touch it - they are expensive for parts, difficult to work on and when it inevitably leaks oil it's a 3 day job to fix.
One Subaru specialist told me they recommend their customers sell the car if it's leaking oil, because it's such an expensive repair.
Having said that, my wife and I really like the car. It's had one elderly owner with 120 000km on it and in very good condition.
I do most of my own mechanical work, so paying a workshop is not a big worry, but resale value is.
As a car just on 10 years old and with a reputation for being expensive to repair, I'm worried that it's value will drop fast in the next few years.
My mechanic mate advised that if I must buy it, make sure it's really cheap.
The seller wants $8000 with RWC but no rego. How much should I offer for it?

You do your own mechanical work on your cars, yet you ask mechanics for their opinion?
Yeah ok. You should really be knowing what to look for if you do your own mechanical work, otherwise don't even lift a spanner.

[BillyCorgi]

My "mechanic" now calls me Mr Subaru and occasionally contacts me for some advice.

[boltz]

You do your own mechanical work on your cars, yet you ask mechanics for their opinion?
Yeah ok. You should really be knowing what to look for if you do your own mechanical work, otherwise don't even lift a spanner.

[/quote]

That's a bit of a defeatist attitude Murry.
I've never owned a Subaru, so of course I'm going to ask the opinion of mechanics who have experience with Subarus.

There are a lot of us who can't afford to send our car to a workshop for all repairs. I have found if I do my research beforehand, the mechanical jobs I have undertaken over many years have been quite successful. Admittedly sometimes I have to learn by experience - just like many mechanics.

[Tonic]

Thanks for the tips Tonic.
Can you tell me about the Kido tune please?

Sure! Stock tune is lumpy at 3,500 and 4,500. Kido tune can smooth this out and more. Matt has done a follow up tune which has improved even more. I wanted torque and smooth acd withfuel economy. I average a saving of 1 to 1.5 litres per 100km. On fuel savings alone it paid for itself in 20,000 k or about 6 months for my use. And it is a better driver.

Search Kido Tune here and you can see a lot more info....

[spoolin]

You do your own mechanical work on your cars, yet you ask mechanics for their opinion?
Yeah ok. You should really be knowing what to look for if you do your own mechanical work, otherwise don't even lift a spanner.

That's one of the stupidest things I've ever read, how on earth are you supposed to learn anything if you never lift a spanner?
Im personally considering buying a new car for my wife and pulling the perfectly good engine out of my lib to strip it down and build it back up for big power just for the sake of learning more about boxxer engines.