75subie

depends which way you look at it i guess. if you buy a $200 junker, and put 500 into it, then you are up to $700 and it could still look like junk and run good. for $1000 and a little shopping you can find a nicer car, and save your time on something that was well taken care of, looks and runs good. and i wasn`t comparing a $1-2k soob to a new $14k car, i was comparing buying a junker impulsivley vs being patient and waiting for the right deal to come along. its well worth the wait IMHO. i've messed around with junk before, and you can keep putting time and money into it, but you still won`t come out too far ahead of a car that was always taken care of and not beaten on by a ricer kid or pounded off road. plus an all original car is usually worth more than a pieced together car that has had the motor/trans/interior/body panels/ ect replaced. ebay is proof of that. in the end you get what you paid for. it a funny thing though seems like people are always posting on here and other boards complaining on how thier free-500 dollar subaru is giving them problems and what junk they are or how they'd like to throw a brick through its windshield.

i was going to run down there tommorow but i just got a helluva cold/fever today. a report on ea81 cars would be awesome!

one thing i've learned with cars is if you start with junk it will always be junk. don`t rush into something just because its cheap or free. sure you can find good rigs for free or cheap, but it takes time. i have never had any major problems with a subaru as of yet. i bought my 85 brat off its original owner for $2200 and i couldn`t be any happier with the purchase. it was a little more than i like to spend but it is taken on 300 miles trips quite often, and ran 70-80 mph on the highway. give subaru another shot, but try to find one that is in nice shape. also use the KISS method w/subes. keep it stock and like it for what it is, nice reliable transportation that is a blast to drive even without speed. modifications usually result in more problems/loss of resale value.

sell it to me reasonably priced:grin:

brat looks awesome John!! glad the cap came in handy!! you guys are brave, i`m too chicken to start drilling out my hubs/bashing fenders to fit some 28s on it lol. but seriously, if anyone is interested in having a lifted brat, i'd probly sell mine for $2250ish.

did you hear it? Adam in ME has a FE that was converted to electric. he has some new enkies mounted on it as well. Moosens has its old fe ea71. it is red as well........

i`m a low topper guy myself, but not bad. if you were closer brizat i'd hook you up with one for free, but you'd need a bottle of simple green to clean it. its pretty mossy.

you may be able to use a tercel 4wd wagon rear axle.

gas and a lighter always seems to make things easier you must be a light weight cause when i jump on a hub to brake a strut loose, it always seems to come right apart:lol:

and with the struts, you are going to have to pull them completly out. bolt the top back in loosly, then take both bolts out on the bottom, and jump on the hub a few times or hit it with a hammer towards the ground. you have to push them down quite a ways the clear the bottom of the strut, but its self explanitory once you dig in. then unbolt the top, remove block, and reinstall. the x-members, well good luck with those lol. i put my lift on w/o any help, and lineing the x-members up was a pita. sooner or later, with patience you'll get it.

wow i agree with Shannon, looks just like a mazda 3 wagon. in fact, i have one right outside to compare it to. i actually like the mazda better. on the 3 they put the air induction vents through the grill and routed it into the intercooler for a cleaner/scoop free look.

you'll be a sick twisted subaru freak in no time:slobber: i'd like to see pics

how bad is the rust? if you are thinking about turning it over to the subaru gods, please let me know before hand, i`d rescue her! for money of course.

you have to know where to look i'm a bargain hunter, not an impulse buyer. if you hold off eventually a bargain will pop up. make sure you look for possible future problems when you are buying a car as well. some cars are just destined to be money pits. my impreza was doing 28mpgs

hahaha teaches me for not reading the first post after i read 195k miles but still the miles hurt. try to sell a 250k mile car, its not fun no matter how many parts you've replaced. i owned a forester for a very short period of time, and currently my uncle has a 98 s with blown hg's he said i can have for free. frankly i just don`t want the headache. heck, i`ll sell you a 97 outback sport with 58k for $1300 if you just want a wagon.

heads are your biggest worry. a compression test couldn`t hurt. 2.5's are common for whizzing headgasket/cracking heads. and that usually comes at the 150k mark, 200k if you are lucky.

no you are incorrect. mcbrat once wanted to customize his brat with an atv dual wheel setup.....

if you are not in a rush, i`d say hold off for a lower milage one. if you are in a rush, pay no more than $2800. it is not uncommon to find a deal (like $3k or less) for one with 125k or less around here. plus at 195k, what could it have left in the original motor/drivetrain? foresters are not known for high milage. repair bills are usually pretty high on these as well.

could i ask why? just curious. its funny tho, theres people with their carbed ea81s switching to spfi, and now people withs ejs wanting to go back a step to carbs.

uhh 5 lug is not going to improve your ride dude. you can have stiff susp that comes with good handling, but will shake your guts out or..... you can have marshmellow soft susp that glides but doesn`t handle worth a damn. there are not too many bolt on options for ea81s, but i have heard of people using newer ej stuff with fabrication.

no more than $3k for a really nice one.

man if i was there i`d be all over this. we have no place to wheel over here it stinks.

yea, my brat has never seen salt in the time i`ve had it. the west coast is spoiled enough, i think they can spare a few. if i remember correctly turbone, didn`t you yourself offer to drive a nice west coast soob out here for another member?

i was there at that mueseum with Goulds micro/mincar show. nice place indeed, wish i could make it. its a cool collection!

yea and i`m willing to pay $700 shipping for something that i`m just going to bathe with salt and then throw it in a field for years to rot it out beyond repair. just because i have loads of money to throw around like that and ruin rare cars that are nearly non-existant around here.