| Author | Message | ||
     Sus (Susannah) Senior Member Username: Susannah Post Number: 457 Registered: 06-2002 |
My husband and I (weird to say that) are looking at buying an older model...93 and up?...Subaru either Legacy Sedan or Wagon as a commuter car. He's traveling 75 miles one way right now and with the gas and wear and tear on his 99 Explorer, it's too much. (not to mention when it's paid for in January I'm trying to convince him to trade it for a Rover!) So, my question is this: are there any years/models that we should look out for? Most of what we are finding for our price range (up to $8000) has relatively high mileage, but I have been told that the typical lifespan of a Subie is 250K! So, if we bought one that was checked out but had 100K would we be ok? Are the newer or older ones better? What about manual versus automatic transmission? He was thinking a manual b/c of gas mileage and power to pull the mountains. Any advice is appreciated!! Thanks! | ||
| EricV (Bender2033) Member Username: Bender2033 Post Number: 191 Registered: 08-2002 |
When I bought my Disco last year my brother in law purchased a 1996 Outback Sport with 175,000 miles for $1100. Let me tell you that little Scooby has been a BLAST. He has driven that everywhere, snow, mud, rally-action in the gravel! And they are very easy to work on. Some of the late 80s early 90s GL wagons actually had dual-range trasfer cases! SWEET. If you keep your eyes open I would think that you could find a nice Roo for less than $3000. Oh, IIRC, there's is a guy who posts in the series forum in Roanoke who was selling a GL w/ dual range for less than $1000. Anyway good luck! | ||
| Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) Senior Member Username: Leslie Post Number: 2283 Registered: 02-2002 |
Sus, I can't claim to be as much of Subie guru as I can in being a Rover nut, but, I can help a bit, I think..... Even old Subies are known for puttering on, racking up really high mileage. IMHO, though, the newer the vehicle, the better.... there seems to be a group of fans of the older simple Roos, which are usually dirt cheap (up until the early-mid 80s). Then the enthusiasm wanes for the next few years (and thus are also dirt cheap), but once you get into the later ones, ie, 95 on, people really like 'em more.... cost a bit more, but seem to be well made and hold up well. The Imprezas seem to (initially) have been a surprise hit, actually... Subaru was just trying to build a good car, a bit smaller than the others in their line but bigger than the Justy-junk, and people discovered that it was great for rallying. The 2nd revision of it, aka, the bug-eye, was designed around the idea of being a rally car. Some older Roos aren't, but everything newer has pretty much been AWD. Their auto trannies in the Imprezas are okay, but you really need the turbo WRX to make it a FUN auto... otherwise, I'd suggest sticking with the 5-speed.... plus, the 5-speeds should be a bit less than the autos. Some places you may hear about the WRX 5-speed being "glass", but these stories are coming from people who are doing 5k-rpm clutch dumps in an AWD car.... not smart. If you drive the thing without trying to kill it, lol, it'll be fine. The 2.5 liter engine is now a good engine. However, I've heard of cam-walk issues with the DOHC versions of the 2.5; the newer 2.5 engines are back to a SOHC design, that doesn't have that problem (ie, ~2000 on, I think, not exactly sure when the switch was). The earlier 2.2 engine is fine as a DOHC, though, from what I've read. The 1.8 isn't as spirited, but it'll get you from point A to B, reliably. The big flaw in Subies seem to be the paint... they just use a thin paint, that is subject to fading and chipping. On the older vehicles, this can account for a lot of rust problems. Newer Roos double-galvanize most of the body bits, so, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. All the usual caveats for any used vehicle apply, of course, check it out, look over its history, etc. Low miles, younger vehicles are better, but, you can always find the one that was ragged by a kid and not taken care of.... I'd go for a pampered vehicle with high miles over something a teen had.... Check out the Outbacks, Foresters, Legacys, and Imprezas, and see what you like, or rather, what you need, size-wise.... if all you need is a vehicle to get a couple of bodies to-n-from work year-round, the Impreza is hard to beat.... it'll get old on reaaallly long road-trips, but is great as a daily commuter. The Outback Sport is a wagon-version of the Impreza.... I happen to like my sedan, but the wagon would be practical. The older Imprezas had a coupe version that the new ones don't offer. A site to look at is : http://www.impreza.net/ Although Impreza-oriented, if you go to the forums, you'll find boards for Outbacks, Foresters, Legacys (and the Baja, yick). There are those out there who still think the Brat was the best vehicle ever made, tho'...  Not me! lol, but, some do... Hope that helps a bit.... -L | ||
| chuck yarbrough (Cptyarderho) New Member Username: Cptyarderho Post Number: 2 Registered: 06-2003 |
Eric, I think he has sold it... alas, it is no more | ||
| Tim (Snowman) Senior Member Username: Snowman Post Number: 463 Registered: 12-2002 |
Hi Sus- We owned an 86' GL Wagon (bought new) with the dual range T-case. It still ran great when we sold it at 145k miles and we beat it pretty bad on a rutty dirt road for years. It never leaked a bit even at that mileage and it never had a bit of major work done on it, just the usual. We moved on to a new 95' Legacy which was slower and worse on gas but very well built. In my area of New England an Outback is one of the most common cars on the road. IMHO you really can't go wrong with Subaru but I would get a Legacy in your case for a long commute. I just feel it will be more reliable than any older Suby and a better investment. If you buy one ask about the timing belt, it can leave you stranded when it goes. We did 3-4 within the 145k on the GL. If you are unsure just do one right off and you will have no problems for another 50k. Leslie- I could not agree more concerning your "Baja" comment, what were they thinking? Tim | ||
| David Marchand (Dmarchand) Member Username: Dmarchand Post Number: 170 Registered: 09-2002 |
I'm a big fan of Subie's. My friend has an '89 legacy wagon with 240K on the clock and it's strong. I've had a '98 outback and now have an '03 VDC wagon. Tim is right, the preferred car for New England is the subaru. You see them everywhere. They are just too damn economical and a great package all around. They last. My '98 had 60K miles on it when I gave it up. The thing never needed anything but the oil changed and 1 tune up. The Baja is a big mistake. The only good that I see coming down the line is the STi Legacy wagon. Good luck with the selection. It should be easy to find a well cared-for subie, even with high miles. I wouldn't bat an eye. | ||
| Tim (Snowman) Senior Member Username: Snowman Post Number: 464 Registered: 12-2002 |
Speaking of the STi, these auctions for the "place in line" on the list always amaze me. Why not wait a few months and save thousands? I can see the conversation with the lender, "Oh I need an extra 3k to have the abilty to get on a "list", no problem, right?" STi | ||
| Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) Senior Member Username: Leslie Post Number: 2285 Registered: 02-2002 |
Tim, A lot of dealers aren't charging for putting people on the list, and a lot of dealers are selling it at MSRP, with no markup. Supposedly SOA is really busting dealers' chops if they mark them up too much... in some markets, they may be able to do it, but if you shop around, you can find one at MSRP. Given that I already have a '02 2.5RS, I don't see it as economicallly feasible to swap it for a STi, given that its primary duty is as a commuter.... mine is a blast to drive, and is probably gonna earn me a ticket anyway already, no need to rush it along even moreso.... -L | ||
| Daniel Covaciu (Danielcovaciu) Senior Member Username: Danielcovaciu Post Number: 324 Registered: 10-2002 |
Subarus are great. I have to agree that from what I have seen the lifespan is 250K miles or more. As far as transmissions go I have seen a couple of diffrent auto trannies go on these, one at 70K. If you dont mind a 5spd for commuting than I would go for that. One less thing to worry about in the long run. | ||
| Chris Marcel (Gumarcel) Senior Member Username: Gumarcel Post Number: 710 Registered: 11-2002 |
The STi is fun, I have driven one once at work, givin it was a JDM suby it was pretty cool! | ||
| Sus (Susannah) Senior Member Username: Susannah Post Number: 459 Registered: 06-2002 |
Thanks for everyone's advice. We are definitely going to look around and see what we can find. I would prefer a wagon, but the (Impreza) Outback Sport Wagon looks ok if we can't get a Legacy. I'm thinking the 5-speed would be a better choice and we are hoping to find something in the 40-60K mile range. If you see any good deals near VA, let me know! |
