2003 Subaru Forester issues: Should I cut my losses and get a different vehicle?

[vortalexfan]

Greetings everyone, in 2018 or thereabouts I had bought a 2003 Subaru Forester that when I got it, it had 125,000 miles on it and the body was mint (no rust or anything on it, as it originally came from Pennsylvania where they don't use salt on the roads in the winter.)

Well fast-forward to 2023, the car is now 20 years old, it has 155,000 miles on it, and going through several rough Indiana winters where we use salt on the roads to treat the roads in the winter, the car has some rust developing on the passenger side rear fender/wheelwell area, the door seals are all but shot (although it was like that when I got it.)
The frame has at least 2 spots where the frame is rusting through/failing and the evaporator/vapor-lock portion of the car's fuel system has at least 2 leaks in it, and to properly repair it will be at least $700 or more in just labor costs because to repair it, the whole back end has to be dropped in order to get to the fuel tank to repair one of the leaks and the car isn't even worth what its going to cost to fix it up properly.
BTW the fuel system issue is causing gas fumes to leak into the cabin of the car via the HVAC vents in the car's cabin, and the only way to "solve" that issue was to keep my gas cap loose.

As far as the frame damage goes, none of the body shops in my area are willing to do that kind of repair work because of liability reasons.

My parents want me to keep driving the vehicle even though its possibly a safety hazard, just because I just recently bought new tires for it (I bought them before I found out about the fuel system issue and the frame issues.)

My question is, should I keep driving the car until it literally falls apart (even if its a safety liability, or should I cut my losses and just buy a different vehicle?

[dishdude]

If the frame is rotted out the vehicle is a safety hazard and should be taken off the road.

[init4fun]

Originally Posted by dishdude

If the frame is rotted out the vehicle is a safety hazard and should be taken off the road.

Agreed.

Cut you losses and move on. Perhaps you could buy something not rotted that your new tires will fit

[Electronic M]

If it costs more to fix it then it's worth cut your losses.

I kinda plan to drive my suburban till it rusts in half or gets totalled, then pull the LS motor and trans to reuse on some future 50s car for my collection. If it wasn't for dropping the rear end I'd almost suggest the evap as a DIY task...I pretty much do everything that I possibly can do on my truck myself (everything from oil changes on up to brake work and pulling the transfer case), unless something that can't wait unexpectedly fails in winter...Then I usually find a shop... Except that one time the battery crapped out in the driveway and the captive nut spun and I had to pull open the inner fender in the snow to fix that...Good times. :thmbsdn:

The body on my truck has multiple rust holes, a couple years into owning it I found the Bondo patches when the metal around them rusted, then lacking a welder I used a 75W soldering iron to solder in steel patched after cutting out the rust and bondoed over that...That was before the pandemic, and it's about due for round 2 of that...It looks like holes formed in exciting new places. The one good thing with mine is the frame has held up better than the body... It don't have to look great it just has to work...Till I have a house and save up enough for a better SUV.

I've heard Pennsylvania is infamous for salting their roads so bad it ruins cars. I think whoever sold it to you didn't winter drive it and lied about why it wasn't rusty.

[vortalexfan]

So I had the car in at the mechanic today and they showed me the undercarriage and they showed me that the frame is definitely rusted out in spots but its still good enough to drive for right now but I would definitely consider looking into getting a different vehicle within the next year or two, but also there is an oil leak as well that seems to be coming from the topside of the engine which I suspect might be either the head gasket or the valve cover gasket, and both of those issues are something that the Subaru Horizontally Opposed "Boxer" Engines are notorious for having failures with, and are both expensive fixes, plus I have a leaky brake cyclinder on one of my brake calipers which I think I'll have my dad help me change that this weekend.

So I guess I'll be driving it for at least another year but also saving up and also keeping an eye out for something different in the mean time.

[zeno]

The car is worn out.. Get rid of it. If you do a private sale be SURE
its to someone over 18. Have a disclosure of known problems SIGNED
by buyer. Sell as " PARTS CAR ONLY".
Or sell to junk yard. In N.H. they pay $200 for almost anything.

Go find a non fleet Crown Vic. They have very few problems that
are hard to find & expensive. MPG not bad at 28 MPG HWY. Had
I had two that went 250 K / 15 yrs before the rust got them.
No major problems, ran great till the end.

good luck
73 Zeno
LFOD !

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by vortalexfan

So I had the car in at the mechanic today and they showed me the undercarriage and they showed me that the frame is definitely rusted out in spots but its still good enough to drive for right now but I would definitely consider looking into getting a different vehicle within the next year or two, but also there is an oil leak as well that seems to be coming from the topside of the engine which I suspect might be either the head gasket or the valve cover gasket, and both of those issues are something that the Subaru Horizontally Opposed "Boxer" Engines are notorious for having failures with, and are both expensive fixes, plus I have a leaky brake cyclinder on one of my brake calipers which I think I'll have my dad help me change that this weekend.

So I guess I'll be driving it for at least another year but also saving up and also keeping an eye out for something different in the mean time.

All cars seem to have a weak point. The well-loved Toyota has water pump and wheel bearing problems, plus rust. Being in Wisconsin, rust is really a problem.

[Electronic M]

It's worse on the Toyota pickups, some years actually had a recall for rusting frames.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

It's worse on the Toyota pickups, some years actually had a recall for rusting frames.

A friend has a mid-90's Tacoma pickup. He opted to have the frame replaced instead of taking the money they offered him. His vehicle was very well-kept and had low miles. It was really a project to transplant all the parts.
I guess Toyota quoted Blue-Book wholesale. It ended up costing Toyota a lot more than them settling for a decent agreed upon price!

[mr_rye89]

Subarus of that era love to rust. If it looks like Hoovie's Baja (search on utube) then get rid of it. But maybe pull that EJ25 motor to put in an old VW. The valve covers are probably leaking, and leak oil. Bad head gaskets (common on naturally aspirated EJ25 engines) usually causes overheating and Mountain Dew in the oil. I did the valve cover gaskets on the EJ255 (2.5L DOHC Turbo) in my SH Forester. What a PITA, no room! and had to loosen the motor mounts and lift the motor up cuz the valve cover hung up on one of the cam journal bearing caps when I tried to get it out.....

[nasadowsk]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

It's worse on the Toyota pickups, some years actually had a recall for rusting frames.

And it seems that they STILL will honor it, though they don’t say so officially.

Then again, they once had a recall because their odometers wouldn’t go beyond 299,999 miles…

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by nasadowsk

And it seems that they STILL will honor it, though they don’t say so officially.

Then again, they once had a recall because their odometers wouldn’t go beyond 299,999 miles…

It was probably a marketing ploy, to prove their cars will last for more than 300K.

[DavGoodlin]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

It's worse on the Toyota pickups, some years actually had a recall for rusting frames.

My 2006 Tacoma got a new frame 8 years ago, many others sitting at dealer lot waiting for frames (from Mexico) had it far worse than mine. I spray water all under it several time over winter but the steel around frame's punched out holes literally delaminated like a wet phonebook.

PA uses Magnesium Chloride on any freezy rain days for low-temperature de-icing, it doesn't even need to snow It lives to eat metal and sneak under any paint that has chipped off. Its bad stuff compared to Sodium Chloride.

I have had three Subarus and while they will easily make it to 200K with known issues, frame rust can and will make your car less safe.

Hitting a pothole or just a curb buried under snow could instantly spell the end of your ride.

Consider how the car would protect you in an accident if a designed "crumple zone" is compromised or extended.

[kf4rca]

Here's what I do.
The next you change your oil, save it and "paint" it all over the underside of the vehicle.
You'll need a 4" wide paintbrush. Its a messy job so wear some old clothes.
If you get it on the exhaust system, it will burn off.
The plus side is that it saves the chassis and you only have to do it every couple of years. Good luck!

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by kf4rca

Here's what I do.
The next you change your oil, save it and "paint" it all over the underside of the vehicle.
You'll need a 4" wide paintbrush. Its a messy job so wear some old clothes.
If you get it on the exhaust system, it will burn off.
The plus side is that it saves the chassis and you only have to do it every couple of years. Good luck!

Good to drive over a dirt road immediately after doing that. The dust will mix with the oil and form a oily sludge that's harder to wash off than the oil alone...that stuff, if it builds up thick enough, can protect cars for decades.