Red92

He's not doing a 4" total lift though, the end result is only 0-2" lift. Quote: "if memory serves the coil over sleeves make it sit like 2-4 inches below stock so with that logic a 4 inch lift would make it sit at stock or 2 over." So it's a 4 inch lift from the strut spacers, and a 2 to 4 inch drop from the coil overs. So the net result is a vehicle which is somewhere between stock height and +2 inches, but I believe with less suspension travel. I'm still not sure why you would want to go this route...

Not quite... he said: "i was thinking 4 inch lift (minus the subframe/rear diff lowering)" in the first post.

If you're getting +4 inches from the lift kit (solid blocks), and -2 to -4 inches from the coil overs, wouldn't you have LESS suspension travel than stock?

Oh, hey, there is one thing you can do! Follow the instructions in this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=127525 and get a copy of the vehicle history report! Some states quit recording the mileage past a certain point, but there's a chance that you could see the progression in the mileage history to get a feel for what the true mileage is, and you could also find out if the reporting agencies have flagged it for odometer tampering. It is entirely possible that someone just made a typo at some point.

Yeah, I'm right with you - Get that fixed! It's very easy to say "Oh, it isn't THAT bad", or "It's just a little dent, I can live with it"... and it's a slippery slope. Years go by, you start slowly justifying why you shouldn't fix things, and then one day you suddenly realize that your once prized car is actually now a beater! How the heck did THAT happen? It's better to just keep after it and stay on top of the appearance while you can. An old car in good condition is something to be proud of for sure.

Pre-Purchase Inspection

In the long run, it might be better to take it to a body shop and get a quote yourself, without involving insurance. It sucks to have to pay for something out of pocket when it isn't your fault, but depending on your deductibles and the wording of your insurance policy, and depending on how your insurance company weighs your claim history, it could end up costing you more in the long run to have insurance pay for the repairs. :-\

Welcome to the forum. :cool: Your list isn't "impossible", and depending on how much you paid for it, the condition of the rest of the vehicle, and how much you want to invest in it, it *might* be worth fixing. But I'm pretty surprised at some of the things in your list. Dishonest sellers can hide a lot, but surely you knew about the leaky exhaust, popping while turning, and the title issue before you bought it, right? Do you do any of your own work, or will you be relying on a mechanic to do all of the necessary repairs?

I see this was your first post... Welcome to the message board! :cool: But the question I would have then, is why you would want to know? You already know how much just just paid for it. So that's a good baseline. It's too late if you got a "bad" deal, and whatever you paid is a "good" deal if you're happy with it and plan to keep it. If you're planning on flipping it for a quick profit, do some research here and you'll figure it out pretty quick. Sometimes they sell for a lot, and sometimes people are shocked at how cheaply they go for. It's partially regional too, and the west coast tends to have drastically lower prices than the midwest. If you're needing a valuation for insurance, then you likely will need to get it appraised, and start looking for records of sales of similar condition vehicles if you aren't happy with the appraisal.

So I had a few minutes this afternoon, and pulled the right rear wheel. The right side brake was the one that looked the worst initially, with the outer surface of the rotor having little to no sings of any contact with the pad. I didn't pull the caliper off, but looking at the backside of the rotor I could see that it was a little bit shiny - not as evenly as I would like, but substantially more than the outside. So it would appear as though I did have *some* rear braking after all. I also looked through the inspection hole in the caliper body, and I can see that the inner pad is almost entirely gone, while the outer pad is quite a bit thicker, and still has a bit to go before it hits the wear indicating notch. So based on the pad and rotor wear, I'm assuming that my root problem is stuck slide pins, preventing the caliper body from centering itself? Since the inner side of the rotor has some wear, I can safely assume that the caliper piston isn't seized, correct? By the way, can someone clarify the difference between "slide pins", "guide pins", and "lock pins" for me? The FSM seems to show one "guide pin" and one "lock pin", and it looks like the lock pin has to be removed first (like a bolt), then the caliper body swiveled up, then the caliper just slips off the end of the guide pin and then that pin can be removed? And is it correct that the lock pin has two boots, but the guide pin only one? Thanks again for the help.

If you're really desperate for every last bit, I've had really good luck with my 39" 3/4" breaker bar. It's hugely overkill for most things, but I've never needed a cheater pipe since I bought it. For stuck fasteners, it is always nice to just have one tool that you know you can put a lot of force on, rather than cheaters or other extensions which add slop and give you one more way to slip and hurt yourself. Autozone has 'em for $50 delivered to the store: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Great-Neck-3-4-in-drive-39-in-breaker-bar?itemIdentifier=989265

Ok. How many times have you rotated the tires in those 25k?

If you liked it so much, why not rebuild it? If you're not going to rebuild it, and don't want to junk it, pretty much your only options are to part it out or sell it as-is to someone else who will rebuild it or part it out themselves.

What's the point of an 'automatic' system if you have to remember to turn it on and off? If you want to get really deep into it, I suppose you could have a selective automatic system which is activated based on his-and-hers key fobs, an RFID proximity keychain, weight sensors in the drivers seat, etc. But that's an awful lot of effort for not much gain unless the whole deal *really* bothers you.

Sounds like an alignment issue. What is the vehicle history? Did you buy it like this recently, did you buy the tires, did it develop recently or has it been getting this way over a long period of time, any known accidents or winter slides into curbs, etc?

They are similar, but shouldn't be identical. The keying should prevent them from being used in the other type of headlight, and even if you *could* swap them, the headlight optics wouldn't work as designed because the bulb filaments are in a different orientation. My guess would be that Subaru switched because the 9007's are brighter. More info: http://candlepowerinc.com/pdfs/9004_9007.pdf

A permanent magnet shouldn't pick up aluminum... If you stuck a magnet inside the cylinder and metal shavings stuck to it, then you might have more serious problems with your engine than just a loose spark plug... :-\

Another change on the car - new wiper blades! The old ones had torn blades, and the metal frames were dangerously close to contacting the windshield. :-\ The replacements are Bosch ICONs, a "frameless" or "beam" style blade. I've used them on all of our vehicles for several years now, and I've been very impressed by them. They sit lower so they aren't in your field of view, they are MUCH easier to clean when they get snow/ice on them (and they stay cleaner themselves), and so far, they seem to last a long time too. They also don't get leaves stuck in them, and should be more aerodynamic, for what it is worth. If you look at the wiper selection guides in the parts stores, they don't list any sizes for the ICON on '94 Legacies... but the Bosch website has it. I ended up with a "20A" and an "18A", and they fit perfectly. They used to just sell them by the length, but now they have an A and a B style, with different curvatures. Some websites and review sites incorrectly state that "A" is the drivers side and "B" is the passenger side - but as we can see with the Legacy, this isn't always the case. It just depends on the curvature of your windshield and how the wiper arms sweep across it. The only real problem I hit is that the rear needs replacement too, and Bosch doesn't make the ICON in the 15" length. I started looking at other brands, and in fact, it seems as though NOBODY makes a 15" beam-style wiper blade except Goodyear... and none of the local Goodyear stores stock Goodyear wiper blades. I'll probably end up putting a 16" on the rear.

Will do. I'll have to wait until the temperatures are back above freezing though. So was I right that this debris is from the windshield area? Or does it come in some other way?

Ready for the junkyard??? Yeah, yeah, you guys from the PNW just keep rubbing it in. Anything that could survive that was certainly not ready for the junkyard! If you took the average midwest car and tried those stunts, there would be a pile of twisted rust buried in the dirt after the first jump.

^ That's pretty much what I found too. In my area, any Legacy that moves under its own power seems to go for $1400+ regardless of condition - and like you say, most are in substantially worse shape than that one. $1000 or under will only buy you something that needs major work ASAP. It's easy to say "Spend more and get something better", but those can be hard to find.... particularly this time of year. I looked for about a month and a half, and didn't find anything... so I bought a "manageable project" instead. zzz "Worth it" or not, I bet that would get $1800 here. The only thing I would caution about is this statement: In my experience, 100% of the cars I have looked at where the sellers have said "never needed major work" are in fact cars which have been neglected due to ignorance, and need semi-major work to be performed right off the bat. I'm not saying that this is the case here- but make sure you check everything out yourself instead of relying on the seller's word. The truth is that some people just don't understand cars, and "never needed major work" is their way of saying "I've driven it for years with the left rear clunking and the engine rattling in its mounts and the transmission grinding in second while the radiator spews out steam and the exhaust drags on the ground, but the wheels still roll when you step on the gas so we're good to go!!! Never even changed the oil, these Subarus are awesomely reliable!!"

Here's something else that caught me off-guard: Is it normal for these Legacies to collect so much crud inside the front fenders? I was digging with a stick, but I didn't even get half of it out... it's mostly dirt, but a bit of sand, and some small twigs and leaves too. Where does it come in from? Is this where it drains from the windshield area?

If you go by dates alone, then things are REALLY going to be screwed up. The Legacy production started in '89, so technically the Legacy name even pre-dates the Loyale! But this isn't about manufacturing dates, it is about the generation of the car. The Legacy is a complete redesign - hence, a new "generation". Why '94? Again, going by year alone doesn't make sense. They started making the second generation Legacies in 1993! Agreed.

It could just depend on the conditions too, and whether their driving is on the paved roads, gravel, or off-road. I would certainly rather have a heavily siped tire on ice or in the rain on pavement, or wet ice or snow on top of ice... but for loose or deep snow off-road, it might not matter as much. They're saying that we will get some tonight, up to an inch accumulation by the morning, but then nothing else in the 7-day forecast after that. It's supposed to be in the mid 30's tomorrow, and the 40's on Sunday, so it will probably melt off if we do get any. I love it when it snows, but I'm hoping it stays clear for a little while longer... my car isn't ready yet! zzz

Newer generation thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=128494