hardtail_pride

I like the EA82 wagons. I had one i drove 200 miles to college and back with over 200k on the Odo and the TOD from college every weekend and it was a champ! I could buy a new car but its kinda a nostalgic thing to have another old Subaru. And i tend to lean towards wagons. But this xt6 came up and i just had to ask if it was a good choice. After perusing the forum here for years im itching to get a good wagon and do a 2 inch lift. So i think i will go that way. Hey Gwilson, do you work at the Subaru dealership in American Fork? So update, i will probably get a EA82 and do a 5spd DR conversion and 2inch lift. Thanks for all the input!

ooh ya im hoping it wouldnt be too hard to up keep. Like my loyale was. So maybe i will search for another Loyale or older wagon. Thanks for the input! Anyone else in utah that wants this one go get her!

Sorry i know i post a lot of these but there is always some downfall about the car so i havent bought one yet. This XT6 is in fair shape for living here in Utah. Cars get pretty rusty here. Its olny rusted out on the front fenders right in front of the pass and driver's doors. The only downfalls to the car the owner will admitt up to is the noisy lifters and bad muffler. I will go drive it in the next couple days and have more info on the car. Here is a link to the car. http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=443&sid=733005&tab=images/view&ad=1420248 Is the noisy lifter going to be a big mechanical issue? Any options like replacing the lifters and oil pump to solve it? Anyways looks pretty decent, just begging for some WRX wheels and love! Give me some info or input please! Thanks

Cool thanks for the input. There is a 92 ea82 loyale sedan that would work out good for the swap. Unless i dont know about the shorter wheel base being an issue? I guess you just shorten the drive shaft right? Thanks again for the help!

I would love a hatch, but old Subaru's are very sparse here. so no input on whether i should buy new vs old? If i were to lift one, it would only be 2 inches.

It would be my dd on pugs with slightly oversized tires. There is an option of buying a newer Loyale for the same price range, and i have debated doing a Dr swap. Which would be better? I checked for a weber conversion on ebay for this motor (the 85) and it would be 300 for a kit at least. So maybe going newer and converting the tranny would be the better bet? And there is always the possibility of wanting to lift it in the future so maybe i should shy away from this GL. Opinions?

So there is a wagon for sale locally, but i wont find out details on the motor for a day or so. Just hoping someone could help me out sooner. Its an 85 Gl wagon. Im wondering if it should have the 1.6 or 1.8 motor stock? And was there any EFI kits around or do they run the craptachi carbs? Also were 5 speeds available this year? I swear i searched but just got run in circles. Thanks for any help!

Nice thanks for the info.

So im about to get a 92 loyale due to the lack of even older subys in my area. I would like the DR option and i searched a bit and just want to make sure my ideas are correct. I believe if i wanted i could switch in a tranny/ diff combo from an older suby with the DR as long as they both match gear ratios? Its a semi bolt and play conversion is what i hear. Also that there is a bit of wiring to the tranny that has to be spliced? If im on the right track let me know. And if i switch the tranny and diff, would i need to switch CV axles also? Different lengths? Also there is an opportunity to buy a GL-10 turbo wagon 88. Seems like members lately have cursed any old turbo suby. Should i avoid it also? Any info or input much appreciated!

Hey ya its moved i saw him driving down I 15 doing about 90. I was way impressed. There are turbo emblems on it so looks like he isn't kidding.

OK so i talked to the dealership more about the 98 OB limited. I brought up my concern with the HG issues and he said if and or when the HG goes out, i will only be charged his price. Essentially tops 600 bucks out the door for the mechanics hours, gaskets, and machine work. This helped me feel more comfortable with the car. I am possibly going to buy the OB tomorrow if everything goes good with selling my current daily driver tomorrow. I don't know, am i making just an awful decision? It seems that every Subaru has its high points and lows. I am starting to get burned out on finding a Subaru that is perfect for me when the ones in my range are reportedly a bad setup. And no one has the old school EA s in good enough shape around here to use as a Daily Driver. Sorry for rambling. Any advice like always is greatly appreciated.

Update, looks like the owner of the GL wants to keep it now. So the search goes on. So if the newer outbacks with the 2.5 dohc are out, what should i be looking for? Just a legacy wagon 2.2? Or keep looking for an older wagon in good shape? Bummer i wanted that GL.

I am leaning more towards the GL now after some feedback. I hate having car trouble and with the outbacks imminent head gasket failure issue and high repair costs, i think the GL would be better for my situation. Thanks for the Replies! If you have more to say keep throwing me advice!

OK here is an update to get you more informed on the decision. Car #1 The 98 OB limited. It has 130.000 2.5 DOHC 5spd. The dealer said if i buy it he will replace the timing belt, water pump if necessary, and the pulleys. I will have to ask about service history next time i go to the dealership. I posted here previously about this car and it has me worried about the HG just going out. Because yes it will cost around my spending limit. $4000 Car #2 The 87 GL 1.8? Dr 5 spd. The body is in amazing shape, the owner did the Chevy 6 bolt re drill swap, And a true dual exhaust with turbo mufflers. Dunno if that would help the motor or not. He says its fuel injected also. Has also 132.000 miles. Here is a link to his local ad for those interested. http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=443&sid=733005&tab=images/view&ad=1243814 It looks like he has replaced everything and possibly the pulleys but just not mentioned that in the listing. Its more expensive than the other gl's and loyales around here but i think its worth the price because of the shape and mechanical condition. Oh and i have a set of pugs already picked out for it. hope this helps you all with some info. Steer me in the right direction! And yes i know its hard to compare the two being ten years apart but the reason why i am comparing these two is because i had good luck with my old wagons and loved how versatile they were. But i would like to have something reliable and i guess cleaner/ up to date. But the old GL is pretty clean inside and out.

OK any input here would be appreciated! So i am debating between newer outback wagon 98 limited or a 88 GL wagon. I have had a GL and a loyale before and loved the wagons minus the underpowered motors. But i never quite felt confident enough to take long trips in them. So that's why i am thinking a newer outback. More power, updated parts etc etc. But there is a GL wagon with a DR 5spd in great shape with timing belt, oil pump etc done recently. Oh FYI this will be my Daily driver main source of transportation besides my motorcycle. So I cant decide on new school or accept the old school for its quirks and repair when needed and just get the GL. I dunno just want to be a happy buyer when the deal is said and done. Thanks!

Oh thanks! Good to know! Um random question also, any chance there would be a LSD in my package because its a LIMITED? I read on Wikipedia that there is but i believe it was a foreign model. Thanks

This is in regard to a 98 outback limited 2.5 DOHC So i have searched around a bit and heard the timing belt, tensioners, and water pump should be replaced between 60-100k. There is a wide range there because of so many different opinions i heard. So set me right if you know. Is this right? If my outback has 130k, should i get those all replaced? Is there anything else that should be replaced while in this process? Gaskets, oil pump etc? Any help is appreciated.

I hope so too! Thanks to everyone for the help and info. I will post later to let you know if i bought it.

ya this one is looking promising. It had the HG done 10k ago, the timing belt and water pump done 8k ago, says he has all documentation available so it may have had the pulleys etc done too. It has 130k so not too high mileage and has the service up to date. he is asking 5200 and its a manual. Clean title, clean body, new tires last year, only downside looks like a windshield crack. And scratches on bumper.

Ya im not too stressed on trim packages and heated seats. I have just had cheap cars for a while and want an upgrade that i can drive cross country if i wanted. So this OBS with the 2.2 is the Ej22 i am assuming? Oh and one other option i may look at tomorrow is this wagon. It looks like its had all the work done on the new HG and timing belt and water pump. Looks like it may be on a fresh start and worth considering. http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=443&sid=&tab=list/view&ad=1237564

shoot that just worry's me more. I'm looking to get a reliable means of transportation that fits my needs and the outback looks like the wagon. But these head gasket issues are just turning me away from them. Was there a year even earlier that had a reliable motor not susceptible to head gasket woes? I hear the 2.2 was a little more worry free. There is an Outback sport 97 that i was considering with this set up. Here is a link if interested: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=1251275 If i were to lift it this would be a better candidate imo because of the shorter wheelbase. Anyways. Any experience with these Outback sports? Are their motors notorious for head gasket problems also?

Thanks pooparu! That was something i didn't know about the newer 2.5 being better. I guess i will shy away from the H6 then cause i love the 5 spd. Anything i should look out for on a newer outback when buying?

So i am car shopping and looking to upgrade from a loyale to a newer outback. I have some questions before i make a decision on which kind of outback if anyone would kindly help me with any info, that would be great! I did a search already and answered many questions but still have some so here they are. 1) So i am interested in dong a lift down the road whether by means of forester struts or a kit by AA. And my question is, with a lift i have taken into consideration which transmission would handle the larger tire size better. Automatic or Manual? 2) It seems the 2.5 motors have head gasket issues more than the alternatives, so i have somewhat decided on a H6 3.0 but i couldn't find too much info on those. Reliability? Power? And was it offered with a manual tranny? 3) Oh and i am assuming the forester strut lift option would work with the H6 version correct? That's all the questions i couldn't figure out. Any help would be great!