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buying 96-97 ob


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Guest beargrease

Hi, have afew ouestions on buying a96-97 ob. 1st are there any 97-99 ob with 2.2 or non interfering 2.5s. 2nd are most 97-99 ob at 95,000 going to have piston slap or head gasket problems, or is this a small %. And 3rd do i stand a good chance of getting another 100,000 out of one ,which car 96-99 would give me most reliability. Are obs high milage cars. thanks

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Guest lesbaru

I have a 96 Legacy (ok, not an outback, but pretty similar). It's a 2.2 and has no piston slap and no head gasket problems. No oil leaks, either. 102k mile on it so far and I expect to get another 100k at least if it doesn't get rusty. My mileage is 30 on the highway and 22 in the city. From what I've heard the early outbacks were not much different from Legacys. I'm sure some OB folks will post some info for you. Let me just say I'm VERY pleased with my Legacy, and from what I've heard the 2.2s are more reliable than the early 2.5s. (BTW, I bought mine from a member of the USMB. If you post a "want to buy" on the marketplace board you might find just what you're looking for!)

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Guest beargrease

thanks lesbaru, new to subarus and got a little spooked with all that hg & piston slap talk. need a car for around town and to work once and awhile.hopeing a 96 2.2 with 95000 would be reliable. dont like the sounds of the 2.5 trouble.

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Guest wrxsubaru

The 2.5 liter does have a lot of problems with blowing head gaskets, and piston slap. search this and you will find countless threads about blown head gaskets. Subaru did offer the 2.2 liter only during the first year of the real outback(with ground clearnce, and not just side clading), and it was with a 5spd, and rare.

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Guest Commuter

The 96 to 99 Legacy Outbacks have the 2.5L engine. The 2.2L engine was not an option. (I'm not 100% sure on the 96 model year...)

 

If reliabilty is the main concern, you'd probably be better off just getting a Legacy Wagon from those years with the 2.2L engine. You won't have the raised ground clearance and the "look" of the Outback (bumped up roofline, different bumpers, hood scoop, 2 tone paint), but you have essentially the same car otherwise. Don't expect much acceleration wise. Even the 2.5L engine in these cars is still bottom of the pack in that regard. Good torque, they pull well, but not fast.

 

There is also the 2.5GT Legacy wagon, but you are back to the 2.5L engine with that model.

 

Commuter

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