buying a gen 4

[jacobAgen2]

hey guys im looking to upgrade to a 2004 gen 4 safety pack manual wagon, does anybody know or have had some common problems with them or know of something i should check when buying it. cheers- jacob

[jslayz]

Tubo or non turbo?

[jacobAgen2]

non turbo

[BillyCorgi]

non turbo

Applicable to higher kilometer cars, which a 2004 gen 4 safety pack manual wagon would be.....
[1] Normally aspirated EJ25 engines suffer from external oil leaks at the head gaskets. On Gen4s these usually commence on the drivers side above the exhaust/catalytic converter where the heat is greatest and the expansion/contraction will also be the greatest. Oil leaks on the oil filter will likely e from the head gaskets.
[2] They suffer inner drive shaft boot failure, usually on the drivers side first, above the hot exhaust.
[3] Central Locking Actuators are known to become troublesome. Internal miniature motors give trouble.
[4] Wagons develop a saggy-butt rear end with time.
[5] Subaru engines do not tolerate missed service intervals. Abusing the oil change intervals leads to the engines clogging up inside.
[6] Gen4 manuals moved over to a Flex-Flywheel, however there were some units with the Dual Mass Flywheel as the model changeover occurred. Dual Mass Flywheels can be troublesome and squeal like someone ran over a cat. Check if the clutch has been replaced and if so, what with?

[7] It is a 12 to 13 year old car, General wear and tear will exist on all components.