is mileage a major concern?
Asked by Guru9H7NLN Nov 27, 2021 at 10:01 PM about the 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium
Question type: Shopping & Pricing
My son is looking to purchase a 2013 OB premium with 125k. Car is mint,
serviced by the dealership for all eight years. Should I be freaked out by the
125k? The price is 13 k.
1 Answer
No, mileage is definitely NOT the issue with a '13-14 Leg/OB, especially as it has the very solid 2013-2019 modern DOHC 2.5i. BUT the risk of losing the CVT is very significant with all 2010-2014 iterations. As with some other years, the 2013 CVT is all alone in the used tranny pile, so prices for used ones are very high ($1.8-2.5k!), plus $500 to swap in. $13k is a reasonable price for a leathered up Limited; $11-11.5k for a simpler cloth Premium, with solid brakes, strong tires, quiet wheel bearings etc. Just keep your fingers crossed re the CVT lifespan. If you hear what seems to be front wheel bearing-like noise it's as likely to be a worn-out CVT, which cannot be rebuilt. If the vehicle, after full warmup, struggles to maintain idle and stalls occasionally then its valve body is shot, requiring a $1k repair. But then the entire CVT may wear out anyway later. Can't win!