[Flat6er]

1) "official repair shop"..... seriously? they won't do compression test, they won't do leak test, they won't do video of internals of cylinders... (actually - nobody will do that, because that would cost like 4-5hours of labor). but that is only way to get at least some REAL information about engines state.
what they CAN do - check for leaks (maaaan... you can start it right there - if it has leaks, you need to open engine). try to check for exhaust gases in coolant.
you can scan for errors and use some kind of diagnostic stuff to look for bad sensors, how is engine working in sync (both heads... avcs, avl).
2) 0-100 is 9sec from factory. that is one of the ways to test overall state of car, of course.
3) shifting - it shouldn't like "hang" while shifting, it shouldn't change gears with impact.
4) there are people who do something with TCM, but there is no much need - valve mod from [email protected], some ecu tune(from somebody who can alter ecu calibration to work better with valve mod) and you are good to go... to order raptor stuff - https://raptorsc.com.au/subaru/
p.s. where are you from? I don't recognize the flag.

 

[Flat6er]

cracked head is NOT usual suspect (unless you have some specific, local to you, things happening).
spark plugs, coils and ecu needs some soldering - those are.

about what is wrong - do you have tactrix cable or kkl cable accessible? Tribecas ECU has specific error codes per cylinder about misfires...

bushings - I am assembling list of bushings for all around. fronts can easily be had original, rears are tricky. when I finish - that might become useful.

p.s. Bulgaria?

 

[Flat6er]

oh... car dealerships... I recently looked at one car for my friend - that sucker was beyong my wildest dreams:

• can I drive the car for a little bit to check transmission?
• no
• can I turn it on to hear engine?
• here are the keys (but battery is DEAD)... come by other day......

I did come up with lowball offer, but that guy was like "aaaand what is my comission on that?"DD

 

[Flat6er]

there is quite of ooomph (at least - should be) for Tribeca(of course, if your current ride is sub5sec car - then it is an old cow
but still - you have to remember that this car was 9sec 0-100kmh from factory.
if not - maf, lambda sensors, fuel delivery... a lot of things can be off.

as of small bumps - most probably - suspension is dead.

 

[Flat6er]

1) make pictures. what you consider "rusty" might be just worn/aged/normal. there are no pictures, videos, not even links to seller webpages - NOTHING real and without your personal opinion(read - nothing objective)
2) "rarer"... yeah, right... 3.0 ended manufacturing at about 2007. 3.6 were used up until ~2019...
remember - sellers goal is to SELL (get your money), not to HELP you.
2.1) from what you describe - there might be issue with chain tensioners, there might be valves needing adjustment, there might be oil pump worn out... there are a lot of possibilities what can be wrong.
2.2) "issue" is misplaced bumper?!!????????????????????????

looking at your choice of cars - makes me thing you either have deep pockets or you are not 18 and don't know where mommy/daddy get their money from...
you are looking at rare (read - higherish end) cars. either, as I said, you have enough money to throw at them (2022-2006 = 16years... ) or you KNOW how it works and can REPAIR it yourself.

and I can bet my whole allowence money - you haven't got yourself 20bucks elm327 and you haven't even read error codes or looked at live sensor data to even see ballpark condition of those engines... am I right?


so - what do you want from us?
may be you wanted to ask us - "I am new to cars, don't know much, have XYZ money, I like Tribeca, I am lokated Bulgaria - how do I proceed? "

 

[Flat6er]

ok, good that you have sense of humour ))

try JDMSCAN (it didn't work for me, but people highly recommend it for Subarus). or Car Scanner Pro (very good software).
for bumper - it does not look anything serious, but it "asks" for checking geometry of car (FSM has a section about control points and distances, but it's a bit tricky to do - especially if on your own).

About higher end cars - I have nothing against it (I personally like them too - maserati's look tempting... charger's... ), it's just a bit unclear what is your approach )

on more serious note - may be it would be best to try to write down checklist for YOUR inspection? and also list of your criteria for choosing car