Help from Subaru guys, please

I am in the market for a used vehicle, preferably something I can put a yak on top. My budget probably gets me a 2007 or older Forrester or Outback. What are some common issues that I need to look for or ask questions? $7000 doesn't get you much, those things hold their value.
TIA.
Andy

Head gaskets, Rear main seal leaking on exhaust, transmission slip/fail, CV axles.... Otherwise  rock solid

Think about buying one that has had headgaskets already done.  My salvage '00 with a top end rebuild cost me $3200 and never had a hiccup,  Still purrs after being totaled twice.  But later years are supposed to be better on headgaskets.  My o6 FXT has had no major issues (o2 sensor and fuel pump killed each other) and its at 86k.  I would skip the turbo unless you need power for towing or something: it eats gas.  But I agree with the list above, clicking on turns= cv issue.  Smoke under hood at stopsigns after warm up but before it all cooks off=oil leaks on exhaust.  You might not want to self-diagnose the headgaskets.  It can be subtle or fubar'd.

Just to clarify about the head gaskets;

They used too thin a gasket and the head would warp, causing a leak.  The 'fix' was to use a sealant that is put in the anti freeze.  The sealant contains sodium silicate.  Sodium silicate is also called 'water glass'.  It's a liquid until it reaches a specific temperature, then it turns solid.  Bars Leak makes some that works like this;
Bars Leak 1111 Head Gasket Fix

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036VRQ70/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1



I had a 2001 Forester and got a recall for this.  They take your car and add to the antifreeze and send you on your way.  I didn't realize the additive was a preventative for head gasket failure and ignored until I was using antifreeze.  I realized what was going on by searching the web. 

The Bars Leak is not available in California, but is on Amazon.  At least I could never find it in any auto parts store. 

Also, Sodium Silicate is the same stuff they use in the clunker buy back program, where gross polluting cars were bought and then destroyed.  To destroy these cars, Sodium Silicate is put in the motor oil.  It gets hot, turns to a solid and the engine is locked up for good. 

So, buying a used Subaru Forester of certain years is a guarantee of a known problem with a band-aid fix.  (In my opinion anyways) If you are in the market, research which years are affected and if the past owner had the head gaskets replaced, or the recall of the antifreeze additive performed. 

The Subaru Boxer engine is normally a pretty easy engine to work on.  However, to replace the head gaskets, the horizontally opposed block MUST be pulled to get the heads off.  That's the big problem.  If those heads were easy to get at, replacing the gaskets and milling the heads would be no big deal. 

I traded in my Subaru Forester for a new one, 2011, after I 'fixed' my leak.  I didn't want to wait for the band aide to fail on me and be left with little options to repair. 

Now, for the rear main seal leak;
Mine did that too.  It only leaks when the motor runs and doesn't drip when parked.  This allows the leak to go undetected for a while since there isn't a mess on the garage floor.  The only way to fix the leak is to pull the motor, tear it completely down and replace the seal.  That is because the block on the boxer engine is in two halves and you have to split the halves to fix the leak/replace the seal. The good news is; there really isn't any harm in NOT repairing the leaking seal.  Other than losing a little oil, there is no detriment to the motor.  It will run just fine and loose less than a quart between oil changes.  I was quoted over $3K to fix the seal and the head gaskets before I decided to just trade in.  The trade-in value was about $4,500 in 2011.   

I never experienced any tranny problems on mine and I had 120,000 miles on it when I traded it in. 

My front CV axles had torn boots.  To replace the boot is not economically feasable.  The whole axle for each side is only about $100 on Rock Auto website.  It's a job you can do with ordinary hand tools.  An independent repair shop will charge about $300 for one side, including the part.  There isn't any real problem to run the Subaru with a torn boot other than eventually the exposure to water will cause it to fail.  It's not sudden, you'll have lots of time and warning.  The first BIG sign is there is a clicking sound on sharp turns, like in a parking lot.  Of course, torn boots are obvious to observe, but you have to actually look in there to see it.  Many people never look, ignore the clicking, and then the axle fails.  I replaced one side on mine for the cost of parts after paying a shop to do the other side first and I watched.  Youtube videos abound to show you how to do it. 

I also had a water pump failure.  I replaced that too.  At the same time I replaced the serpentine belt and the various pullys and related parts.  I did it from youtube videos and took me maybe at most 3 hours.  Subarus are easy to work on that way. 

Hope my experience helps you in some fashion.