05 LL bean 30r reviews?

[TomsSVX]

I am thinking of picking up an 05 outback llbean. Upgrade from my current 00 outback which is slower and more boring than anything I have ever owned... ever... seriously this thing is slowly killing me by boring me to death. Anyone have any reviews on the 30r engines? I like the utility of outbacks but they are way too underpowered with a 4 banger.

Thanks in advance!

Tom

[1986nate]

Just watch for timing chain clatter. They suffer from tensioner pad failures but other than that, great engines. It'spretty typical for them to have reoccurring catalyst efficiency codes so just something to keep in mind if you have emission testing and the CEL is on when you test drive it or if the OBD2 readiness isn't set.

[icingdeath88]

My father-in-law had an 03 3.0 (not sure if EZ30 or EZ30R) LL Bean and it was great. Plenty of power. Not noticeably slower than the SVX.

[Huskymaniac]

I have the 3.0 engine in the Tribeca. It does have decent power if you wind it out to high RPMs. The gas mileage is pretty crappy but that could be due more to the weight of the Tribeca. There is a lot of whine from the timing chain. It just clicked over to 108K with no major issues. It does consume coolant slowly over time though. Best I can tell, there is no oil to water or water to oil mixing going on. At worst, it is an external head gasket leak of coolant. All in all, I neither love or hate the car or the engine/tranny combo.

My favorite car still remains my old 1997 outback. Not for the fun but for the combination of utility and reliability. And that car supposedly had notoriously bad head gasket issues. At 160K and 15 years of driving there was never a hint of such problems.

[SVX92-97]

My favorite subarus are the 2.2 engine legacys, but Ive owned 2 1999 Outbacks 2.5 and so far so good with head gasket issues.

[TomsSVX]

Originally Posted by SVX92-97

My favorite subarus are the 2.2 engine legacys, but Ive owned 2 1999 Outbacks 2.5 and so far so good with head gasket issues.

So... what does that have to do with the 30r engine?

Tom

[subeman90]

I've heard the idler bearing for the fan belt goes bad too. Easy fix just something to maintain once every so often.

What ever happened to that Bimmer?

[TomsSVX]

Got rid of the bimmer a while ago..

Tom

[shotgunslade]

I have a 2006 LL Bean Outback wagon. Great car. Did have a fan belt idler pulley failure. Had some kind of mysterious problem with the trans. After engine warmed up, sport mode light would start flashing and sometimes upshifts would be delayed into high revs, resulting in lurching shifts. After 3 visits to the shop and a couple of sensor replacements, problem has gone away. Car has vey good power. Does require premium gas. Mileage isn't very good. But, great car for trips, lots of room for carrying stuff, very comfortable, especially for tall people, very good in the snow. Did I say it had good power? One of the best cars I've ever had. Got it January 2008 with about 30,000 miles. Now has over 90,000. Car is holding up very well.

[TomsSVX]

Great! Thanks dan. I wasnt sure what gen yours was good to hear 1st hand reviews.. i look forward to checking this one out

Tom