zyewdall Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 I was thinking about all the subaru's many of us have owned, and why we don't own them all any more... and what the reasons for not owning them is... mechanical failure, rusting, accident, etc.... For my list, all but three are still on the road. The three retired ones, the '82 GL was from rusting, the '85 GL from me accidentally selling it to a non-suburu person, who had it crushed when the starter went out. , and the '91 loyale was rear ended, then gave its good parts to my '87 GL (now sold) and '89 GL. All the others I used to own but sold (even one I bought as a parts car) are still running around and I see them occasionally and wave (sometimes to a driver who is twice removed from who I sold it to and wonders why I'm waving ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 Well - I can't possibly list them all, or even remember them. I can say this: None have ever been retired for rust Of the one's I've *really* driven as personal daily's for extended periods, I still own all three. 84 wagon is on it's second engine, and shortly will be on transmission #3. Brat is running EA82 gear, and my sedan is just a high-mileage beater with a Weber. Most were bought specifically for parts, and have been crushed. That's soon to include a 91 Loyale out on the curb - it's stay of execution having mostly to do with the weather ATM. A few were sold. Several that I've been the caretaker of (and driven) went with ex's. To my knowledge those are still on the road. My current GF drives an 87 3-door, which I maintain. 3 rigs seem to be the lucky number for me - I try to own three at all times. Gives me the freedom to take any of them off the road for repair. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 I sold my first subaru (86 EA81 hatch) because of rust. I still got a 1000 bucks for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petersubaru Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 to the other extreme, in my area, most, if not all of them were retired several yrs ago because of rust problems...both of my subies are from 86 and are very solid thanks to the excessive oiling to the interior and exterior around the moldings, lights,etc....it looks very messy during the winter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldDiggerRoo Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 Mine have usually been sold or junked due to not having a title or needing more cash than the car is worth to fix (rusty cars here). My first went to the crusher because it sat in the snow for a week with no hood (other wagon needed it). It was only fwd, I never could get it started again, I regret getting rid of that thing every time I look at a EA81 car, none will ever compare to it..... you only have one first. Wrecks take their toll on them too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef_tim Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 When the hearse comes to your house................. A sad day indeed . But as a organ donor he made a difference in the life of another subby. Later, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted November 17, 2006 Author Share Posted November 17, 2006 I regret getting rid of that thing every time I look at a EA81 car, none will ever compare to it..... you only have one first. My first (subaru, and car), was an EA81 wagon. I still regret getting rid of it too. It was still running, but needed $800 of work, and considering you could see through the doors from the rust, I decided not to do it. But I did by buy another rust free identical wagon now for my project car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 When the hearse comes to your house................. A sad day indeed . But as a organ donor he made a difference in the life of another subby. Later, Tim I have a pic just like that! except it was of my blue wagon and the flatbed driver was just turning around so he could back up our driveway, and leave it in our garage! the ones I've gotten rid of. the '85...totally because of rust. when I bumped into a tree doing some light wheeling, and it changed the shape of the car, I decided that was enough. but virtually all of it's parts live on in my current cars. the black lifted '88. mostly because of rust. it just couldn't hold up to the beating I was giving. and my mom was going insane with all the cars I had stored at her house. so I gave it to a really good friend of me. who welded a whole crapload of scrap metal onto the framerails and radius rod brackets...and wheels the crap out of it to this day. my mom's old DD. the '92 legacy. coming up on 240k miles, almost all of them here in MN (we bought it in florida with 30k on it). needed an axle, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings etc. etc. and I wanted the motor. so she bought an '01 legacy, and we parted out her old one. many of the parts went into my dad's current DD, the '94 legacy BJ wagon, that was supposed to be a parts car, and turned out to be in awesome condition. the engine is in my loyale. and I've saved the front suspension parts to go towards the 5-lug swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixracing Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 only had/have one.........old lady rear ended someone with it.....bought it for the tow bill...(75.00) in 1999...drove it as it was...hehe.....retired it......unretired it this summer.......lifted it 8",added light bar,winch,toyo wheels,stripped int.,tube bumper,unmuffled exhaust,painted w/flames and grass lol...soon to have weber and dual bats...........its quite a conversation peice around my body shop................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virrdog Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 Most of my cars were sold. Only one went to the wrecker, EA82 wagon that broke a valve or something. Dead middle of winter and it was cheaper to just find another one. The hardest one to watch go away... That's the guy that came from Atlanta to Ohio to pick it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 as far as daily drivers that i owned for awhile: first XT donated due to overheating first XT6 lost due to an engine fire. i was in the laundry place during college in downtown atlanta. someone runs in hysterical that a car is on fire in the parking lot. i walk to the window and look out and see my XT6 up in flames. i stood there, laughed, realized i couldn't do a dang thing and walked back to removing my laundry. someone asked if it was my car and i said "yep" and i kept unloading and folding my clothes. everyone in there was frozen, looking at me with squinting eyes, either expecting or hoping for more reaction out of me. second XT6 - accident third XT6 - at 220,000 fire wood on the freeway ripped my entire exhaust off (i mean all of it but the header flange) and i believe punctured a hole somewhere in the oil supply as the motor seized a day or two later. as it sat pending warmer weather and a decision on it's fate - i was playing in the snow with another soob and ran into the drivers side door/fender. too much rust and body damage so it got parted and scrapped. Others: parted out a few some to the scrap yard due to moving and couldn't get rid of them or part them quick enough sold some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 In the 24 years I've owned Subarus, I've never sold one! Still have them and they all work great! None have had any engine work. Some have changed a bit... (due to rust issues) They just keep going... Glenn 82 SubaruHummer 84 GL Mad Max 01 Forester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgd73 Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 I do not give up easily, but have let 2 soobs go. One was excellent condition and totalled (I am ashamed at what it took to total it- but hey 1781cc cars can't really way a ton.) The other was soob I bent in the middle just by existing, no extremes. All door edges go bad, I have found entire chunks of wheel well missing. Rocker panels, the very arms that hold the engine with holes, holes by the battery, attacking the same arms, all the way to below your feet entirely missing like a flintstone mobile.I have yet to see one with a bad engine where I live. Below is an example of how bad they can get here (this one is repaired btw).I see a soob in good shape over 10 years old, I am doubletaking a second look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petersubaru Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 Rare in deed..I have never seen one like that before... Most of my cars were sold. Only one went to the wrecker, EA82 wagon that broke a valve or something. Dead middle of winter and it was cheaper to just find another one. The hardest one to watch go away... That's the guy that came from Atlanta to Ohio to pick it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virrdog Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 Rare indeed..I have never seen one like that before... Custom House-of-Colors paint job. Last and first time I made a car pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobGoob Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 That's soon to include a 91 Loyale out on the curb - it's stay of execution having mostly to do with the weather ATM. GD thats the only sobie i retired but i kept the engine for the new one and GD took about everything else. SG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumby Boy Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Ive only owned 3 sobs in my 3 yrs of driving 1st brumby was stolen and burnt, 2nd one was a liberty which im stripping for parts including the engine for the ej swap into my 3rd soob a 90 brumby twas a sad day when my first got stolen but a much sadder day when they found it:horse: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Well, my Soob is my 1st one, and for those of you who remember when I 1st got on these boards, I was a little shy about even admitting I had one ... Now, I'm a die-hard fan. I would imaginge I'll let this one go if a) it rusts beyond structural repair, I find a better one & pick it up, at which point I'll find someone to give it away to (ala Erin Brokovich), if it c) gets stolen or d) totalled. Honestly, i can't think of many reasons other than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DasWaff Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 '87 DL wagon, drove it 3 years, became a Subaru junkie, but had to quit driving it because of the insane rust... But I traded what was left (mostly the sweet spfi engine and cabin electricals) for my current GL-10 wagon w/dead engine plus a working EA82t with 220K on it. Bought a wrecked GL-10 for parts, it was crushed soon after. I imagine I'll still be here when the topics are distilling your own fuel, electric conversion, and modifying your wagon to be horse drawn. DW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 the body rust on mine is so bad, around the rear glass, that i havent had any hopes for it from day one. I have been driving on borrowed time for two years and 40,000 miles. It is just not worth repairing, I promise I will get some fotos of it soon for everyone to laugh and laugh about... BUT i have been (idly) looking for my second sube for a while now, if that counts for anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subieguy Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Let me see here, My first subie was a 88 XT. Got me hooked on subies for sure. Had serious rust issues but I drove it for nearly 4 years before retireing it to the junk. Other Subies I have since retired go like this: 86 XT. Parts car for my 88 XT. 87 GL-10 wagon. It was my parts car for my 89 GL-10 wagon that I sold. 2 78 Brats, 2 79 Brats. Those where used for parts for my 78 Brat project. 87 DL wagon that I got a few parts off of for my 85 GL-10 sedan that I have right now. Just took the 87 DL wagon and a 79 Brat to the junk 2 weeks ago. So my 2 current Subies are my 78 Brat and my 85 GL-10 sedan. More Subarus to come I am sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 I have yet to retire a Subaru, though rust is coming close to retiring my brother's 3 door coupe. It'll either see a part out, or the crusher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 All of mine (except one accident) were retired due to rust. All disassembled for parts. Except my last 78, which I sold to the scrapyard, since I had moved on to the GL / loyale style. A few were only bought for parts. On guy came up to me in the parking lot & sold me his old 78 wagon for $1.00. Years later, I was informed of a garage where there were some Subarus. Turned out there was a GL-10, regular wagon, sedan, and I think an XT. I tried to arrange for a rig to haule a whole car, but the plans fell through, so I just stripped everything I could get and filled up my wagon w/parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quidam Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 I was thinking about all the subaru's many of us have owned, and why we don't own them all any more... and what the reasons for not owning them is... mechanical failure, rusting, accident, etc... #1 two wheel drive, rust. Sold it and a guy is putting a JDM engine in it as i type. A Justy with the infamous oil pressure problem @ 130000 miles. #2 two wheel drive, rust, 329000 miles. I still have it. Still parts on it I want and it makes good storage for parts... #3 I junked the title on this one, rust, 4wd but automatic. Still have this one too. Paid $400.00 and drove it a couple of years. Lots of good parts on this one. I consider two wheel drive cars parts cars for the 4wd. Tho I have a white '87 5 speed GL from Miami that I haven't parted yet. It's too good a body for that. It's all about the 4wd for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hush777 Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Of the 20 or so that I have had. Several were parted out due to wrecks. Some were just picked up for parts and stripped. Several of them I still have and use. 5 or 6 of them I have got, fixed the minor problems with them and then gave them away to someone who needed a rig. Hush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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