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Hi All,

I know that it has been a LONG time since I have posted. But I had nothing new to offer and my old Loyale was always running great!

I am thinking of buying a 94 outback. However (did not want to use "but") it is not a steal, or is it? There is a foot long crack along the windshield bottom, the head & fog lights do not work, and it is a ground issue, the front wheel, drive fuse blows, I suspect that may be due to mismatched tires, it is close to  200,000 miles, automatic trans, their are small dents and scratches on all surfaces, a large paint loser on the front driver side,  a structural "?" crack across the bottom crossing the tranny hump and exhaust indent, Is is wide enough to affect continuity from the rear to front, is a weld safe? Broken/missing R-hand mirror, missing interior mirror, tranny shifts late, It has not had proper maintenence.

Runs good but "check engine light" always on. This is a big deal in California, Smog laws won't allow it to be registered untill that light is out! There are a few other problems less severe, oh yeah NO abs. The lady is asking $2800 but I think more like $1000 - $1500 is fair. As she is a friend, I want to be fair. So, any opinions on the value of this outback?  If I pay for labor, how much are we looking at? And Ballpark parts? Would be nice. Like I said I am trying to be fair with a friend, but cannot afford to overpay at this time. I'd appreciate any feedback my Suby loving brothers & Sisters!

Thanks in advance!

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psylosyfer,

 

With all of the issues you've described about the car ......   run, don't walk away from purchasing it. There are just too many things wrong with it, and many of them could add up to many dollars to correct. And even then you may have way more invested into the car than what it is worth.

 

In my opinion, you are looking at a parts car, not one to fix up. And such a purchase only makes sense if you are a mechanic and can do all of the work yourself, and you have three other Subies in the back yard that you can grab parts from.

 

Sorry, but you asked for opinions. There are too many issues with this car to make it a fixer upper, unless she just gives you the car, and even then the costs could far exceed the car's value.

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I figured it must have been a typo of some kind.

I see listings on craigslist for reconditioned 96-99 Outbacks all the time selling for under $3500. That's with new head gaskets (or new engine in some cases), new timing parts, new/ good tires, good brakes, little or no body damage or rust, and clean interiors.

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psylosyfer,

 

With all of the issues you've described about the car ......   run, don't walk away from purchasing it. There are just too many things wrong with it, and many of them could add up to many dollars to correct. And even then you may have way more invested into the car than what it is worth.

 

In my opinion, you are looking at a parts car, not one to fix up. And such a purchase only makes sense if you are a mechanic and can do all of the work yourself, and you have three other Subies in the back yard that you can grab parts from.

 

Sorry, but you asked for opinions. There are too many issues with this car to make it a fixer upper, unless she just gives you the car, and even then the costs could far exceed the car's value.

I agree with the above post. Just too much wrong with this car, let alone additional problems that you would find after purchase.  I don't think there was an OBW in model year 1994, but maybe the year is off a year or two as presented to you. You could do a lot better spending 1K to 1.5K dollars for a car.

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For a 96 legacy that drives, but need work, is worth about 600 bucks. That is what i gave for my car needing body work and a water pump (it was only viable for me since i had a donor car for parts.

 

My opinion is the car is only worth repairing if there is no rust, and the price is right, and you have acess to donor parts and are handy with the labor yourself.

 

Otherwise, the same car in operable condition, high miles, would be worth around the 1200-1800 bucks as the book value will cap off once a car is 15 years old regardless of condition or miles.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My 99 legacy was bought for 1800. It might be worth a bit more but not much. The only reason i was okay with that is the issues were all minor, small rust but the frame was fine and it has 173k on it and runs smooth. Ill put money into it cause i plan on having it a long time. Thats a train wreck, run away.

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