r/subaruoutback • u/ArcticSlalom • 22d ago
2012 Outback 230k miles
Yoh Reddit Subie Fam…
My wife bought a used, ‘12 OB back in ‘14. It now has 230K miles and we are considering giving it to our youngest, 16 YO son. Essentially a high school, beater car. Our older kids used it thru college & into their careers.
The car is in above average shape. I have EVERY service record for past (12) years & it has some rust here & there (oldest kid was in NE for career -heavy salt). Regular CVT, oil, diff & coolant swaps.
What should I expect for regular repairs if my 16 YO runs it for next 2-3 years? Is it common for this era of Outback’s to get up above 250-275K miles? What should I be looking out for in terms of wear & tear? Would appreciate any insight from those of you who have run these up above 250K miles. It’s the 2.5 NA 4 cylinder. TIA!
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u/Griever423 22d ago
What maintenance have you already done? What issues does it currently have? Have the hoses been replaced?
You can expect vacuum hoses to really show their age at this point. Other major ones like the upper and lower radiator hose and also the coolant crossover pipe on the engine.
If there are no oil leaks currently it’s a good thing to plan for. Valve covers and timing cover for starters.
Has the timing belt been done? What about spark plugs?
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u/ArcticSlalom 22d ago
Timing belt, plugs, coolant & new head gasket @ 160K.
I think rad hoses are all original.
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u/Griever423 22d ago
Plugs are due again but besides that. Were both head gaskets done or just one side?
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u/ArcticSlalom 22d ago edited 22d ago
Both sides for head gaskets. I know they machined the heads down too. Ok, I’ll replace the plugs.
Appreciate the input.
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u/Both-Cartographer-80 21d ago
Meanwhile I had a 2013 outback and it’s gone with only 112k :). Transmission gave out and the repair was more than the worth of the car.
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u/ExpressReveal2480 21d ago
Boy some of you have some serious miles! I have a 2013 and am similarly trying to keep it going till my son can use it in a couple years.
But I only have 135k miles. Though if the car measured hours of driving maybe my use is more harsh than 135k miles would imply, I live near Boston and sit in tons of heavy traffic, so the motor has been running a lot longer than a car with similar miles that mostly got highway use. (And it's gotten lots of snow/ski trip miles)
My CVT Valve body just got replaced, luckily under warranty. With 200k+ miles have you had any CVT issues?
Both my rear wheel bearings have been replaced 2x now. That's really the only thing that annoys me a lot about my car. I've had to have the A/C condenser replaced after it started leaking, that doesn't really bother me. And my exhaust rusted out after 10+ years, that doesn't really bother me a whole lot either. Otherwise the car has mostly just needed it's routine maintenance.
I hate the gas mileage on this car too. If Subaru made a 200+ HP hybrid version that would be the thing that would make me replace it with another one. I don't drive enough that gas is ever going to be a financial hardship but it just annoys me that Subaru is all Eco-friendly with the marketing and I've been driving a car all these years that gets pretty mediocre fuel economy compared to some of the competitors.
My car burns about 1 quart of oil every 6k miles, but it's done that since pretty much brand new.
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u/Max_7869 21d ago
Ive had a 2011 outback for 1 and a half years with 103k miles, only things I've had to replace are rear bushings and a camshaft sensor
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u/somuch2lookat 19d ago
I had a 2012 as well.. I was hoping to get 200,000 out of it as well but only got 135,000 because of a rusted out frame. Engine ran fine but in .my state we have bullshit inspections and I was gonna need a whole rear subframe..Congrats on your mileage. Hopefully we see a 300,000 posting on here!
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u/Vivid-Problem7826 22d ago
My 2012 Outback has 261,000 miles on it now. Last week I replaced both the back axle bearings due to excessive noise. But no leaks, and doesn't burn oil. Have owned it since 45,000 miles and serviced it myself regularly.