So is my head gasket gone and how much for repair?

As you say whatever you do it's going to cost you a wad of cash.
It's your decision
Me personally if I liked the car I'd fix it right
Projects are just that, they take years and buckets of cash slowly dripping out of your account.
I know some lads say yes and some say no johnny makes a great point but your dammed if you do and your dammed if you don't
 
Op

The mates PPP 2.5 Foz

Such a great car I understand the love

Fix it????
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llcoolmac said:
Thanks for all of the replies lads. Good to see there is a wealth of knowledge, wisdom and opinions out there.

Whatever I do this is going to cost me a nice bit of money, be it on a repair or on a replacement car. My thought process is currently somewhere in between scrapping it and reclaiming the tax which if I'm lucky will give me €2000 towards a new car vs. doing a proper job and getting it done completely with forged pistons, STi turbo, etc. I was talking to Dave earlier, who was very helpful. He gave me a good idea of the costs involved.

Doing the minimum to get it running doesn't appeal to me as I know I'd just constantly be on edge waiting for it to go.

And what would I get for €5k that is fast and also not a potential money pit. The fact I got a new insurance quote for the Forester of €570 also sways me. Everything else decent seems to be well over €1000 or outright uninsurable due to age of the cars. So then I'd probably be back to something boring if I scrapped the Forester. I do love the Forester as an everyday car due to its pace and ride comfort/handling compromise. I honestly have never been in car that seems to eat shite roads as if they were nothing so well, yet remain fun to drive.

As I was saying to Dave, I'm half way through an Alfa 156 V6 restoration and the €5k on the engine rebuild would definitely get that finished but I never intended using that as an everyday car and i didnt plan on having that done any time soon. And then there is my MR2 which I just bought and was hoping to have as a weekend car while I finished the Alfa (which is going to be a long term project). Would it be very hard to justify taxing and insuring (classic policy) that after spending €5k on an engine rebuild.

So it is spend a lot and have a beastly everyday car but not really be able to do the MR2/Alfa thing vs. scrap it, have a boring everyday car but still be able to afford my weekend MR2 and Alfa project.
Click to expand...

Your in a similarly position to me, I have a 2.5 impreza as my daily 6 years now, its worth maybe 5 grand, I also have a Alfa romeo 155 that's my classic as a on the road project, I also have 96 impreza that I have been building for a few years now and the engine is currently under construction, I also have old vespa that I'm working on.
To get to the point if my 2.5 shat itself tomorrow I'd know what I'd be doing.

Any pics of the Alfa?
 
DUFFMAN said:
Your in a similarly position to me, I have a 2.5 impreza as my daily 6 years now, its worth maybe 5 grand, I also have a Alfa romeo 155 that's my classic as a on the road project, I also have 96 impreza that I have been building for a few years now and the engine is currently under construction, I also have old vespa that I'm working on.
To get to the point if my 2.5 shat itself tomorrow I'd know what I'd be doing.

Any pics of the Alfa?
Click to expand...

No pics right now. Lots of not so glamorous mechanical stuff gone into it so far (and an epic exhaust which makes the best sound ever) and its amazing how quickly €3k can be sunk into a car with nothing much to show for it. It runs and drives well but needs new shocks, springs, the brake servo isnt working as it should and a respray would be nice. Ideally, the engine would come out and the not insubstantial amount of rust would be sorted too. Aside from that it runs perfectly and has a lovely clean interior.

I'm assuming you are saying you would wave goodbye to the Impreza if it shat iself? The most cost effective option for me may be to get scrap value for the Subaru, tax refund and put the money into the Alfa instead which would get it mechanically sound. I dont know how easy getting insurance on a 19 year old 2.5 litre Alfa is going to be though. The other option is buying my brothers van, which I do need the space as I mountain bike a lot. But then, is it possible to get classic car insurance for the mr2 when my main vehicle is a commercial?

No option sounds in any way easy or appealing :icon_biggrin::hammerhead:

This is such a massive pain in the head. The more logically I think, its not looking good for the Subaru though.
 
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llcoolmac said:
No pics right now. Lots of not so glamorous mechanical stuff gone into it so far (and an epic exhaust which makes the best sound ever) and its amazing how quickly €3k can be sunk into a car with nothing much to show for it. It runs and drives well but needs new shocks, springs, the brake servo isn't working as it should and a respray would be nice. Ideally, the engine would come out and the not insubstantial amount of rust would be sorted too. Aside from that it runs perfectly and has a lovely clean interior.

I'm assuming you are saying you would wave goodbye to the Impreza if it shat itself? The most cost effective option for me may be to get scrap value for the Subaru, tax refund and put the money into the Alfa instead which would get it mechanically sound. I don't know how easy getting insurance on a 19-year-old 2.5 litre Alfa is going to be, though. The other option is buying my brothers van, which I do need the space as I mountain bike a lot. But then, is it possible to get classic car insurance for the mr2 when my main vehicle is a commercial?

No option sounds in any way easy or appealing :icon_biggrin::hammerhead:

This is such a massive pain in the head. The more logically I think, its not looking good for the Subaru though.
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If there are a demand and a spare space, you can take it apart and sell parts - might get more than for the whole working piece but gradually. Wholesale is always at a lower price :)

Just in case you decide to fix it: Original bolts 11095AA042 x12 cost 134 Euro here (I would sell them for 60 in Russia :icon_grin:), but there is an alternative set of 10 bolts GB make bga BK4397 for about 80 Euro+2 originals will be needed, which saves you 30.
I don't want to check everything else, but there might be cheeper alternatives as well.
 
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Would be best off using uprated 11mm bolts or stud and nut like arp but that's something the engine builder will do if you decide to rebuild .

Probley best rest off cutting your losses and getting rid as its 3k once everything checks out parts wise . Could have a scored crank bad cylinder wall all unknown till you open and inspect and it's too late then to go back .

best of luck what ever you decide to do :thumbsup:
 
After reading through the thread again:

1) There are several reasons that would allow you to reclaim tax, but from your info to hand it seems only scrapping the car would apply. See here for more info http://www.citizensinformation.ie/e.../motor_tax_and_insurance/motor_tax_rates.html

2) Scrap value of the car to a breakers is only a couple of hundred if you find one that wants it... else it is only the value per weight for scrap metal which is maybe €100 as the scrap prices are very low at the moment. Going through a breakers either way will not see you back a grand to make up to the 2k you mentioned between tax and scrapping.

3) Only way to get anywhere near a grand back is if you scrap it yourself (as per Lynx's post). Demand for parts is low on these though as not too many out there... not too many bits go wrong on them except the engine, but that of course is the same issue you are having.

4) So, if you are looking at disposing through a breakers your best case scenario means recovering maybe 1200-1400, or else maybe 1100 minimum (including the motor tax refund)... A similar amount would be got trading it in on any 2008 or newer car as it stands with a whole lot less hassle.

5) Taking that cash plus the €3k to put yours right gives you a working budget of €4k for consideration on a replacement vehicle. What would you be able to buy for €4000 that you would be happy with and would meet your daily motoring needs?

Do you need AWD (snow / roads to get to mountain bike trails / etc)?
You mentioned you need space for the bike... Alfa or MR2 will not give you that, so that does mean looking at another daily.

Also another reason for another daily is indeed the insurance uncertainty you mentioned. Insurance companies on normal daily cars are very difficult now once cars are over 10 years old. No bother for classic cover or 2nd car cover on an older machine, but as your primary car insurance companies are putting up loads of roadblocks. It is mental and if our government and regulator did their job this would be addressed - but hey, currently the situation is not good if you want to insure any car as a daily that is more than 10-12 years old... so imagine a 19 year old "performance" car (yes 2.5L would surely see it marked as such).

6) The proper fix will set you back 3k, but will give you enough headroom to up the power to give you a very nice bus with space for your bike, AWD, decent enough handling and serious pace. Keep it for 2 or 3 years and you would still get the same money back as scrapping it today -- and probably more as the built engine would be worth that alone. Buy any other car out there for 4k as another daily... and you will loose similar money in depreciation over that period.

Summary:
a) Financially over a 2-3 year period there really is no difference (well maybe in tax and fuel costs depending on what you buy).
b) Financially today... there really is no difference (spend 3k on replacement or fix).
c) If money is taken out of the equation as per a+b... it comes down to:
- DO YOU LIKE THE FORESTER?
- DOES IT MEET YOUR MOTORING NEEDS?
- ... AND HOW MUCH WOULD YOU LIKE IT WITH A RELIABLE 260-270 BHP AND HEALTH TORQUE INCREASE?

Alternatively buy a cheap car for a lot less than 4k that meets your needs... but that is either going to have issues too (cheap for a reason) or it is not going to meet all your motoring needs.
 
Might sound a lot to repair but what you think some people have to spend on 08+ diesel cars to repair from clutch, fly wheel, dpf, injectors, maybe it's not such a bad option. Better to spend it on what ya like instead of buying a cheap diesel to get you away and ending up spending it on something you hate.

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This is a great forum lads. It's great being able to get all of your views. It's definitely helped me get a clearer grasp of the situation.

I agree, the outlay isn't ridiculous compared to most new cars, we were just saying today that most modern cars will be completely uneconomical to repair in a few years. Turbos are not a good idea for everyday cars and every single new car on the market has one now. Along with a dozen other new emissions gadgets. Even more trouble when parts quality will be dictated by accountants. Going to be a lot of otherwise good cars scrapped in the next decade. (I know technically it wasn't the turbo that failed but they are an added level of complication that regularly go wrong)

I think I'm not going to do anything right now. I have the room, I'll park it up and see how I feel about it in a couple of months, looks like I'll just take the loss of the tax on the chin. (It's a ridiculous system that i cannot claim it back once paid. Makes no sense at all.) Scrapping it is pointless after hearing the derisory offers I received today. I have a work van available so I can use that for now. I'm going to insure it though so at least I'll have my mr2 classic available to me for the weekends.

So has having multiple cars created or solved this situation? I'm not sure.
 
llcoolmac said:
This is a great forum lads. It's great being able to get all of your views. It's definitely helped me get a clearer grasp of the situation.

I agree, the outlay isn't ridiculous compared to most new cars, we were just saying today that most modern cars will be completely uneconomical to repair in a few years. Turbos are not a good idea for everyday cars and every single new car on the market has one now. Along with a dozen other new emissions gadgets. Even more trouble when parts quality will be dictated by accountants. Going to be a lot of otherwise good cars scrapped in the next decade. (I know technically it wasn't the turbo that failed but they are an added level of complication that regularly go wrong)

I think I'm not going to do anything right now. I have the room, I'll park it up and see how I feel about it in a couple of months, looks like I'll just take the loss of the tax on the chin. (It's a ridiculous system that i cannot claim it back once paid. Makes no sense at all.) Scrapping it is pointless after hearing the derisory offers I received today. I have a work van available so I can use that for now. I'm going to insure it though so at least I'll have my mr2 classic available to me for the weekends.

So has having multiple cars created or solved this situation? I'm not sure.
Click to expand...

You can claim the tax back if there is more than 3 months left, and if you provide a proof of the car being temporarily off the road.
 
Lynx said:
You can claim the tax back if there is more than 3 months left, and if you provide a proof of the car being temporarily off the road.
Click to expand...

Not quite the case Lynx...

Have a look at the info in the link I posted earlier... there are few and very specific conditions which would allow you to claim back already paid road tax. Just because you stop using the car is not enough to get a refund.
 
Keadeen said:
Not quite the case Lynx...

Have a look at the info in the link I posted earlier... there are few and very specific conditions which would allow you to claim back already paid road tax. Just because you stop using the car is not enough to get a refund.
Click to expand...

Taking the engine out is not a sufficient condition?
 
paying your years tax is asking for trouble. I did it only once and I got rear ended withing a week
 
It can be claimed back if he can get away with saying it hasn't been used in public since taxing (hasn't gone through tolls or passed anpr cameras) or if he can no longer use it due to injury or illness.

So he could have his GP write up a letter that his dodgy knee injury prevents him from using the clutch.
 
I have been down this road to different extents over the years, and IMO forget about fixing it and move on, you are talking about upgrading this and that and it's all far too familiar, I think you sre going to end up throwing money at it now, and having to constantly drop feed money into it... you will end up in a money pit where you will have two choices, keep digging or cut loses and climb out
 
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