looking to buy a 2004 MY05 3.0R things to look out for??

[jcahill100791]

going to check out a 2004 SUBARU LIBERTY 4GEN MY05 3.0R on friday with 101 000 on the clock, anything in particular to look out for?? is it really worth the extra money over a 2.5L?
also does anyone know where i can view the service schedule for this model? as in when the timing belt (chain?) needs changing, how often what fluids need replacing/ flushing etc, in particular what should have been done by the 100 000km mark.
sorry about all the questions, i'm new to subarus and only have used car reviews from nrma/drive to reference from.

[hamish_023]

[quote="j is it really worth the extra money over a 2.5L?[/quote]

yes they are. Especailly is you go the manual specB version as it came with 6speed sti gearbox, bilsteins, etc etc etc over the 2.5i

viewtopic.php?f=45&t=11259&p=156100&hilit=22005#p156100

[Robbks]

there's already a thread on this, basically with the same title

is it really worth the extra money over a 2.5L?

oh f##k yes.
an asthmatic 120kw, 20 year old (in design) 4 banger vs a newly designed, free revving, 180kw 6pot....
add the almost unbreakable 6speed and you have a winner

EZ30 has a timing chain, so only the tensioner and wear of teh chain needs to be inspected at about 200,000km
major tranny / diff /brake/ clutch fluids at 50k km intervals, coolant at 100,000km and probably 50k km thereafter
brakes as they wear out
just keep an eye on the oil levels, some 3.0's had oil consumption issues

[kiks]

Its not an sti 6 speed. It's just a 6 speed box. There is nothing special about it or STI noteworthy, they still understeer like a pig with the stock diffs. It's just a 3.9 6 speed thats a fair whack stronger than any of the 5 speeds bar the auto.
Open front diff, 4kg visc centre, R160 visc rear etc.
The good thing is they dont chew syncros like pre 06 sti boxes as there isnt a really big gap from 4th to 5th. You still dont get the good bits though, and a clutch dump in a 3.0RB in the dry will still mince a rear drive shaft (tiny).

If you ripped a 3.0RB box out and threw in a helical front lsd and 06/07 DCCD and left it with a fairly basic map the car would be transformed.

For what its worth, STI boxes range from having various front LSD's (surecrap, torsen, plated), various centres (4kg visc, 12kg visc optional on early RA, DCCD (open with up to 100% mechanical lock plates, permanant 65% rear torque bias), DCCD (06+ 3kg viscous with up to 100% mechanical lock plates, permanant 59% rear drive) 1:1 centre or 1.1:1 06 onwards, steering angle sensor 06+ etc.

As for 3.0's. They dont have oil consumption issues, they had owner issues. Buy 55k subaru and baby it around = never runs in, bores glaze over and car drinks oil. Run it on 91 unleaded and they ping their tits off = drink oil. Those that were thrashed regularly never had these issues (mine doesnt drink a drop, bought it off a bloke who seemed to like fanging the nuts off it). I'd look for one with brake dust all over the front wheels and no evidence of the engine being apart (factory gasket sealant around timing cover, rocker covers, consistent dust/dirt on everything etc) so you know its been driven properly. As a couple of subaru mechanics from then have said, every old lady and lease driven 3.0RB is a timebomb because of cheap fuel and no revs.

There is really nothing mechanical that can go wrong with them. Fresh fluids in everything as soon as you buy one and it'll feel like new. Throw it on a hoist at your local servo or mechanic and try and move everything with a crow bar. You'll find most of the hydraulic bushes (oil filled) will be rooted with wetness or dirt around them. This is normal for a 5yo 100km car driven on aussie roads. Whiteline sell a full compliment of replacements for very reasonable prices.

If the front lower control arm (rear most) bush is cactus (it will be), the whiteline replacement will self destruct without also using this: http://whiteline.com.au/product_detail. ... mber=KBR14 due to the weird notched cut out in the factory brace on the MY05 3.0RB's. This was fixed in 2006 and in all the outbacks.

Air con compressors can die if left unused due to corrosion through the lines when people turn their AC off and drive around with the sunroof open and their flat brim cap on. A car thats always just had the AC left on will never suffer this. Not much else can possibly go wrong with it though.

[smythie]

Its not an sti 6 speed. It's just a 6 speed box. There is nothing special about it or STI noteworthy, they still understeer like a pig with the stock diffs.

They do understeer. I wouldn't say "like a pig" but they will understeer if you play hamfisted with the steering wheel and throttle - just as most cars will. Driving the car in a manner that any car should be driven on sealed roads in order to go quickly (i.e. NOT the way you see car show presenters driving) and it will shuffle along as well as you are able to drive it and still have reserve left for when you develop some more talent.

Don't bother trying to fix the "plough understeer" by reducing rear end grip though as you'll just increase its already nasty tendency towards lift-off/trailing throttle oversteer. This is still something everyone needs to be aware of in these things, particularly the fact that it can snap at you. It's not whispering in your ear that it's going to kill you the way an 80's 911 does but you need to be aware that the wrong actions can have the rear letting go.

[jcahill100791]

Thanks everyone for the help, especially 'kiks' a lot of useful info there. I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me if I buy this car and will be sure to put picks up once I put some nice 18 or 19s on it, amongst other things

[kiks]

Id stick with some 18's purely for tyre choice, but I am a bloke who drives a 3.0RB with poly and rose jointed suspension and semi slicks so noise doesnt bother me obviously :p

Smythie is right, dont try and make it turn in. They just dont. About the best you can do is run 2mm toe out on all corners for some turn in and stable corner exit. A decent plated rear diff and some hardcore toe out with an open centre on decell and minimal throttle openings is the right way to go about it though. But for the sake of a rear sway bar and a decent alignment you'd be hard pressed to find a medium sized car that'll do the same as a late BEBH or BLBP subaru.

[smythie]

I went down to 17's for the better choice and price of tyres and a much better ride/handling compromise.

[bradh]

do yourself a favour and get the 3.0RB - its a LOT better then the 3.0R
the "B" spec gives you the STI 6 speed gearbox and the billstein suspension which makes A MASSIVE difference in the ride and handling.
i recently went up from the 2.5 RX and test drove both the 3.0R and B spec models and honestly you will be very dissapointed if you dont go the B spec.

[GTbee]

Don't bother trying to fix the "plough understeer" by reducing rear end grip though as you'll just increase its already nasty tendency towards lift-off/trailing throttle oversteer. This is still something everyone needs to be aware of in these things, particularly the fact that it can snap at you. It's not whispering in your ear that it's going to kill you the way an 80's 911 does but you need to be aware that the wrong actions can have the rear letting go.

I've had my 3.0RB for a month or so and I've noticed this. So far it is the only really disappointing aspect of the car. The Liberty RS Turbo I had a few years ago was extremely neutral in comparison.

Are all the 4th Gen Liberties like this or just the RB? I do plan on getting the Cusco bars which should hopefully mimimise it.

[smythie]

all gen 4's. Bars alone won't fix the problem -increasing the stiffness of the rear in relation to the front will make it worse while increasing the front stiffness will increase the tendency to understeer. a geometry change such as kiks has done may make a difference though. He's changed dampers too which will also change the way it performs.

[GTbee]

Thanks. I'd be replacing both front and rear bars as a set anyway. A closer look at alignment would also be a step in the right direction.

In regard to the dampers, if the Bilstein's aren't good enough (and I thought they were about the best there is) - then what would be, without resorting to coilovers?

I find my car's (which is totally stock) ride is quite stiff especially on crap roads and yet given this stiffness it doesn't quite handle as well as I would have expected it too and it also rolls a bit more than what I expect.

Depending on the result I might get with different roll bars, I was also considering other springs like the Teins as they could be a better match for the Bilstein's. I'm not really interested in lowering it although I know it would look better as that will almost certainly worsen the ride, everything else being equal. I want to be able to drive the car on a variety of roads with some degree of comfort so no point in stiffening it to buggery. If I wanted that I would have bought a Rex STI or Evo etc.

[kiks]

It isnt the bars. Its the centre and front diff that's the problem. Toe out on all corners for a static ackerman angle change along with a helical front LSD from an STI would fix everything. A DCCD centre left unpowered goes a long way too.

[bates91]

Central locking actuators can stop working...theres a walkthrough on here how to fix that so dont worry
same with the clock in the middle on the dash - can be fixed
I havnt had any oil problems with mine

jcahill100791 - Like everyones said go for it over the 4cyl - im guessing youre 19 or 20 by your username.
im 19 and cant justify any other car over mine for what it is & what i need
One of the best all-round cars for a P plater -probably the fastest non-turbo P-plate legal car in this category i can think of off the top of my head [but someone will probably prove me wrong]. Also chicks dig the leather interior...makes your car look even more luxurious
+1 on the specB for the Bilsteins & gearbox

[Robbks]

probably the fastest non-turbo P-plate legal car in this category i can think of off the top of my head [but someone will probably prove me wrong]. Also chicks dig the leather interior...makes your car look even more luxurious

BMW, Audi, Merc, Lexus (IS300), etc

i was comparing the 3RB vs a BMW 530i Wagon
steptronic sports auto, etc.
but the Suby won me over simply due to AWD and wanting the manual again.

but when you move to sedans in the euro market you get a much bigger choice too