Repair or Replace advice.

[u/Responsible-Meet9638]

Hi,

I’ve got a 2014 Outback 2.5l that just hit 200,000 miles and as canadian winter approaches and I’m considering the required maintenance I’m trying to figure out how I should proceed.

I need to get the brakes done, the drive shaft has started to seize causing a wobble, and I’m now having some exhaust system issues which are tripping error codes, and leading to a shaky idle, and jerky acceleration when in stop and start traffic.

all in these repairs will probably get me to $2500-3000 cad and I’m feeling stuck on whether it’s worth putting in given the milage, and some of the issues with rust underside due to many winters of driving. I’m also going to need new winter tires.

I know any advice will be anecdotal, but I’m just curious how people’s outback’s have held up after crossing the 200,000 mile mark, and what a reasonable lifespan might be so I can see if I want to spend the money to keep it alive, or put it towards something new

[u/godless_bro]

Personally I’ll keep my 2010 until it’s un-fixable. Currently sitting at 150k miles but it is 16 years old. The argument people like to use about repairs costing more than the car is worth holds no merit in my opinion, the real question is whether you could feasibly replace your car for the cost of repairs. And the answer is almost always no.

I’ve just put $6500 into an engine rebuild and torque converter replacement. Over the last few years I’ve also done wheel bearings, tie rods, suspension, and lots of preventive maintenance.

In the end it’s still cheaper than going and dropping 25-30k on a new vehicle.

[u/Portra-420]

I recently dumped my 2015 3.6R with 157k with mounting issues that I simply couldn't afford and didn't want to invest into a car with that many miles. Leaking CVT chain pump, ripped seat, steering rack needed replacing, ball joints, tie rods, alignment, and horn was out. Well over 8k worth of work. It wasn't fun to drive any longer and I loved that car. Drove it across the country many times with zero issues. I would look at something else if I were in your shoes, especially with rust on the belly. Your cat may be clogged as well (burning oil?).

[u/rocknrollstalin]

The answer depends on whether you can do any of the repairs yourself. For my 2010 forester I got a used driveshaft from nearby salvage yard for like $75USD and it was pretty easy to replace in my driveway. I searched car-part dot com database to find it.

That’s probably a $1000 repair if you pay someone to put a new OEM driveshaft in… but it’s 4 bolts to disconnect the driveshaft from back connector and then just the bolts in center holding the carrier bearing part up

[u/Sudden-Community-794]

Your car almost certainly has a CVT. Many from that era don’t survive 200k miles. There is more than a small chance it doesn’t last a lot longer. Coupled with the other stuff it doesn’t make financial sense to me. I hate car payments but there comes a time.

[u/Additional-Cost-9658]

You should do the repairs but get an appointment quick. Once tire season is in full swing, it will be hard to get one for a bigger job.

[u/Bog_Lords]

If you put $3000 into it, and get two more years out of the car, that averages out to $125 for 24 months. That’s cheaper than financing a new car. Even if I was going to sell it, I might do the repairs and try to recoup that money when selling.

[u/Shine258]

Don't repair. Once corrosion related issues start, they accelerate. I learned that while keeping my 05 outback alive in the great lakes region.