Looking to buy a Liberty

[Tomi]

Hey guys,

I'm looking at buying myself a 2004 - 2008 Liberty (currently have a '96 Lancer). I used to have an old WRX before which was a lemon and even though I have learnt much since then, I'm just wondering if you guys can give me any pointers on what to look out for (common issues, etc.) specific to Liberty's. I would prefer to get a reliable car this time haha.

Cheers.
-Tomi

[Veldex]

Hello fellow Perth-land person.

One of the best places to buy a Liberty from is from a Subi dealer themselves. Often if there is an issue with the car (Like mine) they will fix it for no extra cost. I purchased mine last week for just under 10k from Subi Osbourne Park and it had two chips in the windshield (One resin filled, the other not) and they are replacing that and the bonnet had a few stone chips and a look as if something had been dropped on the passenger side of it, they are repairing it and respraying it, both at no extra cost (And i'm happy as the paint job alone for a white 3 layer pearl would be upwards of 2k).

The main issue that you will come across is engine failure due to poor maintenance - happened on our old Outback. Didn't look after it and got a catastrophic leak around the rear main seal. Only way to fix it is replace the block.

Hope this helped a bit.

[Tomi]

The dealers do that? Even if the damage is already there?

With private sales, if the car has solid service history, there shouldn't be a problem?

[Veldex]

The dealers do that? Even if the damage is already there?

As far as I know, not always (I got mine through a Subi dealer so I had much more of a chance). The window was already chipped so I gather so. Either way, I was quite lucky.

With private sales, if the car has solid service history, there shouldn't be a problem?

Don't forget, service histories can be forged. It's always a good idea to get a history check on your potential purchase whether it is private or dealer. Mine was done through Subi Osbourne Park all along and they cross checked it with their records and it checked out.

One thing to remember thought, try not to be upsold by the person who attempts to sell you extra bits. You can normally do all that stuff yourself on the cheap, most of the time with better equipment.