Rant: That week my $800 Subaru went from diamond to junk in 3 days

I picked up a 2002 Outback with 180k miles for 800 bucks and for the first 2 days it ran like a dream. Then day 3 the head gasket blew on I-35 near Waco and the tow cost me more than the car did. I know head gaskets are the Subaru curse, but is it worth fixing a car that cost less than the repair, or should I just scrap it and start over? What do y'all do when the math on a beater flips on you like that?

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logan6483mo ago

Heard a guy on a car forum say Subaru head gaskets are basically a scheduled maintenance item at that mileage. I'd scrap it and look for a Buick with the 3800, those things are tanks.

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mark6113mo ago

@logan648 makes a fair point about the 3800, but have you actually checked whether that Outback has the single-layer or multi-layer head gasket yet?

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