Subaru Repair: 1998 Forrester engine: replace or not?, subaru forrester, subaru product

Question
I have a 1998 Subaru Forrester (125k miles) purchased used from Carmax in 2003.  The car ran great until the 3/36 warranty ended.  In September I drove from Northern California to Tucson and back, and had numerous problems.  The car’s acceleration seemed to weaken and when I found myself in urban traffic after driving on the freeway for several hours, it would overheat suddenly and rapidly.  After several investigations and piecemeal repairs to the cooling system, the check engine light kept coming on.  The last mechanic who looked at the car was my regular mechanic (who knows first had that I’ve taken care of this car), and he told me that one of the cylinders is misfiring and that there’s a good chance the car has a cracked engine block.  He also said that this seems to be a frequent problem in late-1990s Forresters and that it likely comes down to a defective engine design.  Finally, he said I faced a choice between getting rid of the car or replacing the engine with a rebuild that will likely succumb to the same problems, and he advised me to get rid of it.  I want a second opinion.

I find this car particularly useful for my lifestyle, but I’m terrified of not getting my money’s worth if I do replace the engine.  Any advice?  

Answer
WHOAAAAAA.Nothing against you're regular mechanic but the engine design is great, the original headgaskest design was the problem.Really in reading you're post im afraid the real problem is that Techs that weren't as familiar with the Subaru product as they should be, have been working on your car.I have done lots of headgaskets to the 96 to 99 2.5l found in your Forester.It is a good repair in my opinion as the updated gaskets don't seem to have problems.But if you have been driving it for a long time with an incorrectly diagnosed problem then some engine damage may have occured.But what is the actual diagnoses?I would suggest looking for an independent subaru specialist in your area and taking the car to them for evaluation.I really wouldn't give up on the car at all.If a good quality repair can be done by someone who really knows the car you will really be much better off.

Justin
All Wheel Drive Auto