AWDCar

hey: i'm thinking of buying a '96 Legacy wagon AWD w/ 160K km on it, fully loaded and am wondering where would be a good place to take it to have everything checked out for me so I can get a better idea of the shape it is in..... anyone know of shops in Ottawa that know these cars good? any suggestions on what I should look for? p.s. anyone drive these rigs in heavy snow much (I know you're out there... )?, i'll be using it to go skiing in BC when I move there this summer. i'm not worried about how'll they'll handle in the snow, but if it's sitting through a storm, how deep of snow will it "plow" through? just curious what the comments are on this one.......... AWD rules!

Hey: Kind of a simple question here, but i figure someone must have dealt with this before - because I haven't. Thinking about getting a 96 legacy but the carpet in the back (cargo area) is in bad shape - ie, it is just laying there not attached to the underneath. and it's got a couple of nasty folds in it so it won't flatten out either. Morale of the story - it will just be getting in the way every time I put stuff in or take stuff out - bunching up and stuff.......... any of you have any experience solving such an issue? - ie, any ideas on the best way to secure this piece of loose carpet down again? thanks.

hey guys: went to look at the 97 tonight. they actually had a 96 there too!, 161,000km on it. 2.2L (maybe they didn't even make 2.5's in '96 - i wouldn't know for sure... ) - it looked and sounded better under the hood than the '97! - had power windows too ! and all the tires were the same size - bonus! and non-interference engine is really comforting! anyway, the car seems great!, just have to see past the used interior.... i was wondering though: it currently has 185/70/R14's on it. would a 205/70/R14 work on this car?, have any of you ran this size tire on such a car?, i've got great set of snow tires in this size, so just wondering... ohh, and i took it to a parking lot and did a few doughnuts wound out in first to check for "binding" in the drivetrain - NONE. sounded and ran smooth while going in circles. i've read that this is a good test for the tranny/diff - but not sure exactly what the test checks for?, ie, what is this "binding" probelm? thanks everyone. Happy driving. just viewed my posting, i had to edit and say sorry for so many face icons there - not hard to tell i'm new at this eh?, hahahaa

Cool. thats why i want a 5-spd, less problems than an automatic. however i did notice yesterday when looking at it that the tires were not the same. 2 rear were the same with not a lot of tread, and 2 front were the same with lots of tread - ???? And I've been reading about interference vs. non-interference engines which can impact potential damage if the timing belt breaks. I've read that pre-97 2.2L's were non-interference. but what about this one?

So is it fair to say that if a timing belt goes on a pre-97 motor (non-interference) it will NOT do any damage to the motor?

Forgot to mention: it is a 2.2L, with a manual transmission. how long does the head gasket typically last on a 2.2 motor? with respect to the timing belt - how often should they be replaced?, are they easy to inspect?:-\ thanks.

Hi there: I am new here but am really interested in getting a mid-late 90's legacy wagon - AWD of course. This era interests me because of the body style and price range that I'm at right now..... I've got my eye on a '97 Legacy Wagon AWD. they're asking 5,000 CDN for it. It's got 180,000km on it. It's got AC, cruise, but no power windows (one less thing to break so that doesn't bother me). It's a 5 speed. What should I look for when I go take it for a test drive? If I take it to a shop what should they be looking for? With a 10 year old car with 180K km on it?, what should I expect to be replacing?, is this a lot of mileage for a subaru? I've heard that these cars will last a long time, and I'll be doing a lot of driving in the snow this winter, so obviously that's a big reason for me wanting this car. Any comments or suggestions on what I should look for on this car would be helpful.... Thanks, Mark.