PhoenixDownVII

So I'm down to the wire here, probably about to purchase one of 2 Legacy GT Sedans. One is a 98 Limited model, Black on Black leather, looks/drives nice. The other is Dark blue with Charcoal grey interior.



Both have near 130k on them, and are pretty cheap likewise.



What's the deal with Subaru, I don't know much other than I keep reading about "Front/Rear main seal" replacements, and that some consider them great others crap...meh?



It's either this or a Honda Accord for a daily.



I believe the 2.5l boxer engines are Non-Interference Motors....

rowtareh

I love the way the engine is in them. Boxer style engines are great, consdiering you have no gravitational pull/push on the pistons.



I remember driving a 05 WRX with the 2.0L I-4(or 1.8L) and I was impressed, and I just drove in a straight line. However, I was not impressed with the power. Don't know if this'll help or not Dan.

Seppuku

Ive worked on a few and drove a few. I wasnt around them enough to get a good idea of how long theyll last. Driving aspect was good though, motors a little bit of a bitch to work on certain things but youll probably take it to a shop for that.

Midnightdriver

I've had one for several years..2.5 rs 2door..I have beat the tar out of that car..even turbo charged it..had no problems...subies will get you there and are very dependable..if you want to know more about them as some questions here (when its back up) a few even have the car you want to buy.. http://wwwl.seccs.org/

many are so knowlegable on subies its sick...like a member named DEAN and MattS and Sperry..

rfreeman27

gravatational pull??



dude lay off the reefer, the pamplet said it allows a lower center of gravity

rowtareh

What, I have not smoked any in, three hours. Haha, just joking. I am serious, think about it!!

inanimate_object

From what I have heard scooby reliability is nothing special.



Mark

1988RedT2

I had a low-mileage '01 5-speed Outback that I absolutely hated. Mostly due to a horrible lack of horsepower. With the turbo engine, it might have been a different story. This car needed a head gasket (under warranty) which is standard procedure for that year, and the clutch was very "juttery" on take off (also standard, there's a TSB, but they wouldn't fix it under warranty. $2k if I wanted to pay it myself--NOT!) Also, body roll was pretty bad. Tire squeal was way too easy to achieve. Body and interior had held up well--the car looked new.



Most Subarus rate pretty highly on reliability/durability. Your results may vary.

Cheers!

I have a 2003 Subaru legacy GT with 20,000 kms on it right now.



My friend has a 91 legacy GT with 660,000 kms on it. Original everything minus wear items. THe only thing substanial he had to replace was the CV 1/2 shafts at 500,000 kms.



Things to look out for on high mileage subarus is the sound the engine makes. If it makes a very distinctive tick, tick, tick sound, it usually means the ownwer didn't change his/her oil frequently, and there is wear on the two pivoting points of the connecting rod. As well if they really let the oil changes slip the oil breaks down and the boxter engine suffers. Since it's always on it's side, the bottom side of the piston ring and the bottom side of the bore gets excessive wear and the clearence between the rings and the bore is very far off.



You can spot this problem by the engine running rough, ie shaking in it's mounts excessively and failing to pass etest since oil is passing through the rings a tiny bit. The exhaust smells sharp (not like gasoline rich like rotaries). But not so much so as black smoke pours out.



You may also want to check the door seals. Since subarus use frameless doors the seal is critical for the water not coming in.



Check the 1st gear synro in the tranny. The subarus share the front differential and it's tranny oil. Due to that you are forced to use GL5 lube in there for the higher spec/higher temp operation. GL5 makes it difficult for the syncros to sync properly in the cold. In the cold alot of the times even in my brand new one you can't engage 1st gear even at a roll. Some people then just shove the stick into first as hard as they can to get it there. Couple of more tries and the tranny will grind everytime you go into 1st or 2nd downshifting.





http://www.nasioc.com/

RONIN FC

Never force the gear lever in... Come to a stop, release the cluch, re-depress clutch, then engage first gear. If your rolling rev-match to get into first. I drive my bros impreza alot, it works every time.