daeron Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 okay folks, ive shot this guy an email now with a couple questions, but this car is less than a hundred miles from me. Im driving an 87 GL10 and wouldnt really think too much about buying a legacy, but this price is RIGHT, and so is the drivers seat thats right its a mail carrier edition.. right hand drive, baby!! any info on these guys? were they all _______?<--- fill in the blank.. im wanting 5spd, hoping for 4wd.. and hoping for AC. here is the craigslist ad in question.. im crossin my fingers, if i can come up with this cash in short order and enough question have the right answers.. HMMMMMM.... it might be time to abandon the EA-82 after all... as faithful as its been....just a little short on the "cool" factor. if i am thinking more seriously about it in 24 hrs and might end up looking at it, what to check for? no urgent replies needed on that, as i can search before going, but comments always welcome :- ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 those cars are tough, good motor and all. it looks in poor shape, but seeing it in person will help you. need to be very cautious about something needing a water pump. i traded for a car that "needed a water pump", yeah right, it needed headgaskets! i didn't care too much since i've done plenty of headgaskets. that's 208,000 hard miles if any of them are on a mail carrier route. those aren't highway easy engine miles. assuming the diagnosis is correct, the engine was likely overheated. who knows how many times or by how much. if coolant/water got in the oil then the internals of the motor may not be in top shape if it has sat that way for a lengthy time (looks like it has). bearings, cylinders, rings don't like coolant/water sitting in them. it is cheap, but with the condition, rust, dirty engine, the probability that it's been overheated....it's not necessarily a great deal. looks like it's been sitting for quite some time as well which presents it's own issues (coming from a guy who had 10 subaru's on his property!) personally i'd hold out for something around the $500 mark in much better condition if that's the price range yo'ure looking for. i guess down there the market might be worse, but up here i'd think you can find a better deal. you'll likely need $200 or more worth of parts, batteries, tires, water pump, timing belt...and more to get it running anyway. BUT - if they listed it for $250, they'll probably take less! so worth a look for sure!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 15, 2006 Author Share Posted September 15, 2006 my thoughts exactly as far as what to look out for... ive seen one RHD legacy and thought it was the bee's knees, man...almost literally!! i mean, how often do you see the bee's knees???!!? headgaskets wouldnt bother me... its HEADS that would frighten me off. what do you think the odds are that i could re-sell it if i get into a headgasket job and need to replace the cylinder heads?? i mean, some soob freak would have to take it for 100 bucks with a thorough engine diagnosis, and the disassembly already done, wouldnt they? eh, i guess worst case scenario i have to source heads on the internet. since i may have lost my job last night, it MAY be moot point anyhow.. but alot still depends on his answers to questions about 5spd and 4wd, and the AC. i am NOT buying a car with an automatic transmission. my GL10 has one but it was free. i hate having my shift control tied to my throttle control, and i wont manually shift the gears... ive seen too many people go thru trannys like that, coincidental or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 heads are usually fine if they aren't abused. i'd be more concerned that coolant/water has sat in the oil, engine bearings, rings and cylinders for an extended period. if the oil/antifreeze looks like it's mixed extensively and it's sat that way for awhile, that would turn me off. i've done a number of head gasket jobs and the only one i ever had to replace was driven for months by just continuously adding coolant like gasoline. the head wasn't completely destroyed, but certainly had visible damage. that being said, buying a used head is no big deal. can't imagine it would be that hard to find one, i have them lying all around my place. remember...he's asking $250, i bet they take $150 or $200. cars that don't run and need this much work often sell very cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ionic Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 All Legacy Postal Carrier wagons are AWD automatic. It was standard. Mail carriers do not usually like manual cars. I'm not exactly sure why you'd want one unless you're a mail carrier. They usually get pretty beat up and high mileage that's all stop-and-go. Imagine how many times the brakes have been stomped on, the transmission shifted, and the engine revved versus an average high-mileage car. This will have much greater wear. It's the exact same car as a standard Legacy L wagon, except RHD with a full-size spare tire. Some repair parts may also be harder to find, as the RHD models will use some different parts from LHD models due to the flip-flopped steering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I have two right hand drive Legay's wagon, I also have not seen one with a standard transmission, most parts will interchange but like ionic said the steering comportants are the main ones that wont change out, also the heater core wont. I also would agree with ionic on the beating they take. The one I bought new in 96 is still in good shape because I put new stuff on it as it wears out, the other one that I bought for 100.00 dollars with the transmission bad has not been taken care of and it was in sad shape. I have got it close to decent shape but it has cost a bunch and lots of work. If you want to buy the one you are looking at I would check and make sure the bushing at the back side of control arms are good they wear out really fast on mail del. and they cost around 70.00 dollars each with the postal discount we get. Also check struts, drive axles , and wheel bearing. okay folks, ive shot this guy an email now with a couple questions, but this car is less than a hundred miles from me. Im driving an 87 GL10 and wouldnt really think too much about buying a legacy, but this price is RIGHT, and so is the drivers seat thats right its a mail carrier edition.. right hand drive, baby!! any info on these guys? were they all _______?<--- fill in the blank.. im wanting 5spd, hoping for 4wd.. and hoping for AC. here is the craigslist ad in question.. im crossin my fingers, if i can come up with this cash in short order and enough question have the right answers.. HMMMMMM.... it might be time to abandon the EA-82 after all... as faithful as its been....just a little short on the "cool" factor. if i am thinking more seriously about it in 24 hrs and might end up looking at it, what to check for? no urgent replies needed on that, as i can search before going, but comments always welcome :- ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I just clicked on the pitcure of the car it looks worth 250.00 dollars to me. I would pay that just for the parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.