Gammon

Hey guys, I have an old Subaru Loyale. It's a '92 wagon with 4wd. It was my first car and has served me well for many years in Wisconsin and now Chicago winters. It still runs well. Unfortunately, the rust is getting to it. I finally decided to upgrade when a good chunk of my front right fender fell off on I-290. The attached picture shows what shapes it's in. There's significant rust on the other wheel wells and the rear gate. I got a great deal on a '97 Legacy wagon that I'm happy with, although it doesn't have the same character. I'd love to keep the Loyale around as a beater, but given that I am tight on cash for insurance and I'm moving from Chicago to Providence, RI very soon I don't think that makes much sense. I tried selling it on Craigslist, but people in the city are not at all interested in such a car it seems, especially with that much rust. I'm sure someone in WI would be, but with the move, I have no time or inclination to get it up there to sell. So to get rid of it soon it seems like I'm faced with donating or junking it. A friend recommended CarMax, but I've heard mixed things. What would you guys do? If anyone from the Subaru community here is interested, I would be more than willing to let it stay in the hands of someone who would put it to good use, even if just for parts. I wouldn't be looking for much for it at this point. It just seems sad to junk a car that's been so good to me. Thanks for any input. -Ryan P.S. Is Providence in or near anywhere you guys would consider good "Subaru territory"? Once I have a little more money, I'll probably want to get my hands on another older Subaru.

Thanks for all the advice. I had an error message when I tried to post originally, so I thought it hadn't gone through. I was pleasantly surprised to find two pages of replies today. Anyway, I'm very busy for the next couple of weeks, so I probably won't attempt any fixes until after then. Is this something I should be concerned about such that I should avoid driving the car in the meantime or should I just drive normally and take care of it when I can?

Hey guys, I drive a 1992 Loyale wagon (manual, 4wd, non-turbo) and as of yesterday it has started lagging very badly when I push the accelerator. I push it down and the car takes a second or two to react, usually lurching quite noticably. It has done this in the past, but infrequently and only in first gear. The problem would go away and not resurface for several weeks. Now it does it every time I drive, much more noticably, and in every gear (though it hasn't been over 3rd since I noticed the issue). Does anyone have any ideas? I had a friend suggest it might be an issue with the fuel pump, but he wasn't sure at all and I figured the board here would have some suggestions. The car also has had an idling problem since I bought it last spring. This also comes and goes, but happens about once a week or so. When I'm stopped at a light or something with the clutch in or with the car out of gear, the engine speed will "bounce" between about 1,000 and 1,250 over and over until I move the car. It will do this everytime I stop, usually for the duration of that trip, but the next time I take my car out it is usually gone. I don't know if this is related to the lagging issue, but I thought it would mention it. It happened yesterday (when the lagging started), but didn't happen today, though the lagging hasn't gone away. Thanks for any tips. Let me know if I can provide any more helpful information. I want to get my baby back in shape. I was back home this weekend and my dad (a long-time Subaru owner) was seriously missing the old Loyale he used to have that was just like mine. His newer Subaru wagon keeps bottoming out on the paths to his favorite fishing spots where the Loyale never had any trouble. -Ryan

Hey guys, I'm new here. I'm a college student in Chicago, so my '92 Loyale wagon is the first car I've owned personally, but my family has driven Subarus forever. My friends like to make fun of it until a good snowstorm hits and I just click on the 4WD and go without a hitch, perhaps on my way to help shovel out their Neon or Camry. Or until I remind them that the whole thing cost less than two months of their car payments. I love my car. Anyway, I don't have much experience working on my car myself (aside from changing oil, lights, etc.) and I don't have a specific problem or project in mind at the moment, but I'm hoping to get better at hands on repair. I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for finding a service manual. Perferable one I could order online. And if you have any quirks to warn me about with my particular model, that would be great too. Thanks for any advice you can manage, Ryan