Winter Car Update

"ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback" (armadaexpress) 01/04/2016 at 17:04 • Filed to: None

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So a little while ago I posted this ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ), and I have an update.

Meet my 2006 Outback XT w/ a manual transmission.

I had a call into a Subaru place out here that deals in used Subarus so they knew what I was looking for. My ideal was a 2006-’08 Forester XT but a Wagon XT with a manual was my second choice.

A few weeks in and I get a call from the shop that one of their customers had this available. His insurance provider totaled his car after two hits by deer in the last year and he was looking to sell it cheap. He was the original owner and this shop had done all of the maintenance on the vehicle, with the documentation to show it. Oil changes with full-synthetic religiously every 3k-ish miles and an engine rebuild at 90k miles. Before I got it they replaced the timing belt and two wheel bearings.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, because originally I told them I was going to pass on the car. Fortunately for me, my wife secretly contacted the shop and with the help of my brother (a Turbo Legacy Owner himself, rebuilt by this shop) purchased the car for me as a Christmas gift.

The car has a dent on each side from different deer running into it, but very minor rust and 189k miles on the body. I’ve been driving it since Christmas as frequently as I can and I haven’t noticed any other issues yet. Not even in 10 degree weather.

Thanks for all the feedback on my last entry. I’m looking forward to all the snows this winter! I’ve deemed this my winter beater (A.K.A- Rally Car).

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/04/2016 at 17:32

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SWEET! Just out of curiosity, what was the final price? I’d love to pick up one of those some day.

Dusty Ventures > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/04/2016 at 17:47

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One of us! One of us! Congrats on becoming a member of the OBXT unicorn club. They only made about 1,000 manuals in 2006.

There are a few things you might want to take care of. First, if the PO didn’t do it, swap the stock uppipe for one without a cat. If/when the cat comes a part it can take the turbo and/or the engine with it. Bad times, man. There’s also the filters on the banjo bolts in the turbo oil line, which can get clogged and starve the turbo of oil. Being religious with the oil changes can help prevent clogging, but a lot of owners take an extra step of caution and remove the filters. It’s up to you.

Beyond that there’s little things you can do to keep it happy for the long run (aftermarket oil pickup, sway bar end links, stuff like that). Legacygt.com and subaruoutback.org are great resources for preventative measures and troubleshooting on these cars.

JGrabowMSt > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/04/2016 at 18:14

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If I missed it before, welcome to wagonhood!

The Finker > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/04/2016 at 19:24

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Congrats, but terrified about what the wife is going to expect of you in return, lol.

Stupidru > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/04/2016 at 20:00

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Man, I miss my old LGT. I’ve been half-heartedly kicking around the idea of getting an OBXT since I’m a dad now and need more storage room for baby stuffs, but the LGT was juuuuuuust enough of a headache to make the thought of getting one only half-hearted

My TL so far has been the anti-LGT (in both a good, and bad way)

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Stupidru 01/04/2016 at 21:29

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Just keep an eye out for one in the range you feel comfortable with. If it comes by then it does, and if it doesn’t you can take solace in doing the responsible thing.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > The Finker 01/04/2016 at 21:31

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Fortunately my wife knows things will work out evenly in the end. And she does get her FX50 back for summer driving now too. I was DD’ing it when we traded in my E60 535 because she got the Acura MDX.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > JGrabowMSt 01/04/2016 at 21:32

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Thanks. I like to consider my FX50 a wagon, but this is a bit more legitimate. This one is a manual too, and that’s very important to me.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Dusty Ventures 01/04/2016 at 21:35

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Thanks. I’ve read the bit about the up-pipe on other Subarus and wasn’t sure if that applied here, so I’ll have to look into that.

The banjo bolts I had read about before, but I question what risk you have if you remove the filters. Although if removing the filter wears out the turbo faster ..... would having to a reason to replace the turbo really be a bad thing?

I do want to keep this for the long run, especially now that I know there were so few of them produced that year. I’ll look into your suggestions and see what I can do. Of course I’ll keep updating the Oppos.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 01/04/2016 at 21:37

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The guy was firm on 3k and I was happy to oblige. He did absorb the cost of the wheel bearings too, so there’s that.

Dusty Ventures > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/04/2016 at 22:04

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Yeah, the 05 and 06 came off the line with the catted uppipe, but the 07-09 were catless because by then Subaru was wise to the risk. The risk on removing the filters in the banjo bolts is, of course, that any crap they would have stopped now is free to get to the turbo. Again, being religious on those oil changes should minimize the risk potential there, so it’s up to you which way you want to go.

I’ve had mine (an ‘08) for just over a year. I’m working on a review post about the ups and downs I’ve had. And yeah, these are rare cars. The entire five year run produced less than 20,000 Outback XT’s and less than 5,000 manual versions, and half of those were 2005 models. Your manual ‘06 is rarer than a 2006 Ford GT. My ‘08 is one of about 450 manuels for the year, which makes twice as rare as an Audi R8 of the same year.

JGrabowMSt > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/04/2016 at 22:15

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For sure! Any plans for snow tires, or are you just going to see how it does with what it has currently?

gawdzillla > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/04/2016 at 22:59

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if all the reliability stuff needed done was done then dont do anyhting to it

it’d last you forever

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/04/2016 at 23:51

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You lucky bastard. Nice one!

Turbo. 5-speed. AWD. Ground Clearance. Cargo versatility. Damaged and high-mileage, but still solid enough, which should be fun to bomb around in and not care about scratching up.

Winter superiority achieved.

I wish Subaru still made anything anywhere near this with the first five criteria listed above.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/05/2016 at 00:18

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Thats a great deal! Welcome to the Outback club from a 2015 owner.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 01/05/2016 at 14:06

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It kills me that it’s so hard to find vehicles at a reasonable price that meet those criteria.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > gawdzillla 01/05/2016 at 14:08

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Seems like they all have been done and I’ll keep it up as well.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > JGrabowMSt 01/05/2016 at 14:10

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I’m undecided so far. Tires have 50% tread and the winter has been really mild. I also only drive 2-3 times a week. So I’d hate to put winters on and then switch to All-Seasons later. If it gets bad I just work from home and skip dealing with crappy drivers.

gawdzillla > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/05/2016 at 14:12

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just dont mod it lol.

thin ice

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Dusty Ventures 01/05/2016 at 14:12

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Do the ‘07-’09 up-pipes work on prior years?

The up-pipe I’ll probably do sooner than later if it’s not already done. I’ll talk to a local tuner out here about the banjo bolt filters. The body work will get done in the spring when I can use the FX50. So far the car has been awesome. It was -1 this morning and although she was a little noisy when I started her up, after warming up she drove completely fine.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > gawdzillla 01/05/2016 at 14:16

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Yeah I’m torn on that front. If I do anything it will be very mild. I want it to look and sound very close to stock. I want it to be a sleeper and reliable more than anything else. I don’t need to draw attention to myself while I’m driving spiritedly.

Dusty Ventures > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/05/2016 at 20:38

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I don’t know any reason why the 07-09 pipe wouldn’t fit, but I can’t guarantee it will.

Yeah, mine doesn’t like it if I try to drive her in the cold without letting her warm up first (not much power, the gearbox feels like it’s filled with molasses, and even the display screen is slow), but once I let her warm up a bit she doesn’t care what temperature it is out. Or how much snow there is. I don’t know where in New York you are, but I’ll actually be driving her to Ithaca this weekend

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Dusty Ventures 01/06/2016 at 09:15

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That’s cool that you’ll be in Ithaca, I’m in Buffalo, NY, so you won’t be that far away. Only a couple of hours.

JGrabowMSt > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback 01/06/2016 at 09:43

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Lucky you, I commute 70-100+ miles a day, 5 days a week. I opted for Yokohama IceGuards on the HEMIWagon, and they worked out amazingly last winter. I can never go back to all seasons in winter weather. A set of tires is cheaper than a car, insurance claim or body work.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > JGrabowMSt 01/06/2016 at 12:12

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Yeah I definitely agree. If I had to drive much I would definitely get them.