2011 Subaru Tribeca 3.6L

[92saturnsl2]

2011 Subaru Tribeca AWD w/ 3.6L flat 6 and 5-speed auto, 125K miles. Body / interior condition certainly above average for a car this age; the usual couple scrapes and blemishes here and there. No major rust underneath, just what would be typical for this area (southern midwest). No leaks.

Any concerns with this particular vehicle as it pertains to engine / trans & major components? I know these are somewhat of a unicorn, but I have a buddy considering buying this for $5K from a private seller. Personally I think it's a good price, but curious what you folks think.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Anything decent is 5k these days.

The EZ doesn't have the head gasket issues the EJ has, and it has a timing chain. However, working on the engine can be difficult since it sits right against the frame rails. Spark plugs and valve cover gaskets will be almost impossible.

 

[Oro_O]

I maintained one of these for a few years, for a friend who was struggling a bit. It had higher miles during that period, IIRC 220 to 260k. 2008my I think hers was, but the same as a 2011 effectively.

Overall I was surprised with the reliability. It had survived and ran well on minimal maintenance up to that point. I serviced the transmission, brakes, replaced some suspension components - lower control arm, etc. - various things like that it needed as it got into high miles. It rode and drove well with basic maintenance and endured a lot of abuse from rambunctious small kids.

As mentioned, real engine work if needed on it, can be a real pain. Otherwise it was generally easy to work on and service, akin to a Toyota or Lexus IME. While the major source of the headgasket issue in these engines has been addressed, the coolant issue that compounds it has not really been as far as I can tell. I suggest reading this and thoroughly inspecting the cooling system extremely well. I have found bad systems on cars as new as 2017 (a 4cyl CrossTrek) after only 3 years/70k miles.

https://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/

If it passes an exam for issues, it can be a good vehicle IMO. Litmus test: would I let my mom own/drive one? Yes. In fact, I’ve wanted to replace the Equinox she drives, and maybe I should look for a cherry one of these as a candidate, as a really nice, affordable RX330 or XC90 is really hard to find around here.

ETA: I should also mention I was surprised to find it relatively pleasant to drive. I thought it would be doggy and dull. However, it is well-balanced with adequate power, well-engineered ECM programming for good shift points, effective brakes, good seating and driving position, etc. It’s not a sporty vehicle, but it is well done overall. I am fairly critical of elements like this, and it impressed me.

 

[fantastic]

I've never heard of this Subaru Model. Interesting.

 

[dogememe]

Price seems very good.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Super car!
But That;s the one with the Generic grille,

I liked the older version

Remeber those old Studebakers?

 

[dumkid]

The Studebaker did it better

 

[tcp71]

If it passes an exam for issues, it can be a good vehicle IMO. Litmus test: would I let my mom own/drive one? Yes. In fact, I’ve wanted to replace the Equinox she drives, and maybe I should look for a cherry one of these as a candidate, as a really nice, affordable RX330 or XC90 is really hard to find around here.

ETA: I should also mention I was surprised to find it relatively pleasant to drive. I thought it would be doggy and dull. However, it is well-balanced with adequate power, well-engineered ECM programming for good shift points, effective brakes, good seating and driving position, etc. It’s not a sporty vehicle, but it is well done overall. I am fairly critical of elements like this, and it impressed me.

Interesting choice of words. My 79yo mother drives a 2009 Tribeca. It has been good except for a leaking transmission filter line that was replaced for a few hundred $$ a few years back.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Super car!
But That;s the one with the Generic grille,

I liked the older version

I'm the polar opposite-- when he first mentioned it to me, I asked "have you seen one?" Because all I remembered were the bubbly nose Tribecas. When he brought it to my place to show me, what a sigh of relief.

The interior is fairly polarizing too, but after seeing it in person after he bought it, it's not that bad, just more "circular" than my liking. There's many worse interior designs out there IMO, especially more modern cars that have psuedo-tablets defying gravity hanging up off the front dashboard.

 

[meep]

I’ve got a co-worker who bought one for his wife when they started having kids. zero problems with it. That six is a really nice motor.

 

[PF52]

I never realized there was a later, more-generic version of the Tribeca. Totally under my radar.

 

[Thermo1223]

Ya the early design was as polarizing as the flying ladybit Impreza's

I would imagine as long as you maintained it like any other vehicle the engine mechanically should be fine. Timing chains need oil changes and and with an almost 7 qt. sump shouldn't be super harsh on it over an OCI.

The best feature IMO is the spin on trans filter. I feature that was absent from my Forester. Other than the issues with packaging with regards to other maintenance seems like a solid runner.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Make sure you get a few sets of wiper blades for it. At the dealership we don’t stock them and they have to be special ordered and we can never find aftermarket ones in stock anywhere either. Apparently it’s a design only Subaru used for the Tribecas and they are odd sized so nothing else takes them. Just wanted to pass that along. Otherwise solid cars I definitely agree too I like this style over the older one.