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jmorton822

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Posts posted by jmorton822

  1. Auctions are fine if you can check it over first. Sight unseen is always bad. The newer the vehicle the better chance of not getting a problem child.

     

    The H6 motors are great and your best bet. Those vehicles are also the safest, they come with side impact air bags, VDC and are big vehicles.

     

    As for reliability the H6 or 1996 EJ22 are by far the most reliable. But for the EJ22 you have to get a manual outback.

     

    If you have to settle for an EJ25 get a 2000+ OBW, those EJ25's are better than the earlier models. When the head gasket blows (their biggest problem), these later ones don't leave you stranded. The 2000+ OBW EJ25's will start leaking but not overheat until it runs lows on coolant, which usually takes awhile and is easily refilled.

     

    Also - if you know where to look the later ones are easy to tell just by peaking under the hood. The earlier models can avoid detection for a while and wont' show on a test drive. But they will ocassionally overheat no matter if the coolant is full or not - which means you're stranded.

     

    I would avoid the 1996-1999 EJ25's, they are the worst by far on a number of counts. Still a good engine, it's not like they're junk, but not nearly as consistent and reliable as other options.

     

    I agree. Those years are what made me go back to 80's Subarus. Post-2000s cost more than I'm willing to pay right now. Do get all the recommended work done as per another post. All Subarus will need all those done and labor is a grip and a half.

  2. I got 242,xxx out of a 90 Legacy LS with just normal things like timing belt changes and oil seal changes. It ran great even then. The only reason I sold it was because the sensors started going, making the check engine light come on, and CA won't smog a car with the light on. Had I had that car here in KS, I would have literally driven that car until the wheels fell off. Its wiring harness is now in a Subaru Vanagon.

     

    I'm happy to say I got an 82 GLF recently with only 99,xxx for only $900!!!

  3. How much did it cost to have it painted? (I guess I'm assuming you're the one who got it painted) This is my 6th Subaru - model years 82-98. It wouldn't be a Subaru if it didn't have some kind of funky electrical issue. Luckily mine have had to do with inside lights, malfunctioning automatic seat belts, rough idling for no reason only to stop when turning the car off and then back on (the dealer couldn't even figure that one out and the Car Guys didn't take my call!), and having to hit the dash (hard) to get the defroster to come on. I hope number 6 is different. Good luck with yours! I can say that pre-1995 are the best years, although they got complicated in 90.

  4. I'm the one who posted looking for the 82 GL hatchback that I used to have in Las Vegas. I found out through here that it has been in a pull a part yard out there. I even called to see if they'd sell it to me; they said no. It was a frustrating experience.

     

    Anyway, in a cool coincidence, I found a blue 82 GLF with 99K in the next town at around the same time. It's front wheel drive and an automatic, while the other one was 4x4 and 4-speed, but it is sure fun to drive!

     

    I sometimes think people laugh at me for being in that little car. I'm laughing because my insurance is only $117 for 6 months for a car I *want* to own and nothing is too expensive to fix!

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  5. Okay, here's the deal: I found an 82 GL for sale out here (pretty beater-ish shape but low miles) where I live in Kansas and drove it the other day. I used to have an 82 GL (the one lost in Vegas) so driving it was fun. Well, this one held straight at 45-ish but would wander some (but not pull) at highway speeds. It handled freeway speeds like my old VW. I'm not sure if my old Subaru did the same thing because I was young and it was way more modern than the previous car I owned. Do they do that, or is it that it needs better tires, or what?

  6. They would not confirm or deny the existence of the particular car in their yard. They also said I would have to buy the car part by part - the thought of the piece-by-piece price of the remaining parts on an 82 Subaru is kinda funny, although frustrating at the same time. If someone goes out to Nevada Pic a Part, please take a picture! If it still has plates, it would possibly have the silver NV plate 143 FLK, assuming I was the last registered owner. The sticker in the back window is the kind that lets light through, and has the Grateful Dead bears "dancing in a ring around the sun."

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