nhruby Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Howdy, I'm new here, so I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section and/or posted someplace else.. I searched but nothing seemed readily apparent. My wife has a '91 Loyale and we love the thing so very much (beat to hell as it is), we're considering getting another one. We have two options: - '91 Legacy Wagon.. It's white and has been sitting at a used car dealer down the road for a while other than that I don't know a lot. They don't turn things over a lot but it's $1500 which seems resonable. - '95 Legacy Wagon (ABS, AWD, Roof rack, 162K.. dunno if it's the OB, L, etc..) in the paper, $2300.. there's one other person looking at it who wants to buy it but the owner seems to think the other dude is flaky, so maybe. Anyway, when I go and look at these cars, what should I be looking for (other than the obvious look/paint stuff..?) to see if they're near death or good deals? I currently have an RX-7 and these things have a laundry list of things to check before buying. I'm thinking the Subaru's don't, but there's probably at least a few things that probably bear looking at. Also, I'm not great with cars, so if you could assume I have a dunce cap on, that'd, errr.. be helpful Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coloradosubarules Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 get the 95 if it has the 2.2 (EJ22) look under the hood for the emissions tag and there you will see 2.2 or 2.5 then see if there is any paperwork on it. Subaru reccomends the timing belt be changed every 60K miles. If you but it do a carfax on it (might want to do it before buying) and see what it reveals then go ahead and change the timning belt, and water pump. While the belt is off go ahead and change the seals (3) on the oil pump and tighten the screws on the back. If you do the work yourself be sure to "burp" the sheeot out of the cooling system....then.... Drive on for another 60K miles. I have 242K on my 90 and I love it. IF you do not get the 95, see if the lot will come down on the 91....because you will have to do the same procedure on it. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsUBARU Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 the 95 Legacy definately has a 2.2 regardless of trim line. good luck with the purchase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT95 Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 I just started driving my 95 Legacy wagon 4 months ago. The 2.2 is a GREAT engine. If the car is in good shape, that's not a bad price considering what I have seen other 95 and 96s priced. I lucked out and got an LSi without pulling much from my wallet--my first car with leather seats--but any model will have a bulletproof 2.2 if the owner took care of routine maintenance. If you have the $$ and like the condition of the 95, I'd snatch it today. Is the guy selling it the first or second owner? See if you can get any of the history on it. I was able to call the dealership where my car used to be serviced and have them pull up its service record. Read all the papers in the glovebox and see what you can learn about what's been done to it. Find out if the timing belt has been replaced. My car is about to hit 160,000 miles and runs butter smooth. My thermostat went bad last month, and when I replaced it I had problems with needing to "burp" the coolant system because it still kept overheating. That was a pain and although I like doing my own work, I think I'll let the dealership do a cooling system fill next time--apparantly that's a quirkiness of Subarus. Changing oil and spark plugs is a cinch. Look at your CV boots on either car and see what they are like. If torn, that'll be a repair bill coming up, so take that into consideration. If the 95 seems to run well, the people here claim 200,000 is just breaking in a 2.2. That's what I'm hoping... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91subaru-Bruce Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Besides what everyone else has mentioned, take a look at the A/T (if is an automatic) and sniff the fluid. It should be a transparent red and not smell burnt. Most of all take if for a test drive and feel for vibrations, slipping clutch (for manual), hard or slushy shifts (for automatic), rough engine, or pulling severely to one side or another (signs of front end damage). Also ask if it has a clean title (it's not the end of the world if it doesn't, but it's worth less and you need to take a closer look if it does). It's never a bad idea to have a compression check, if you can't do it yourself most shops will do it for around $50. This will give you an idea on how the engine is doing. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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