outback_97

mystro: Well, this is on an '03 Impreza but it might be the case on the Legacy also: it was wired for fogs but I needed to add a relay and of course the switch to control the lights. You may find that these parts are overpriced (IMO) from the dealer, I bought them used from a guy at http://www.nasioc.com. I didn't have to add a fuse. Here's my writeup, it may help explain things better: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/mods/fogs/ No guarantee that any of this applies to the Legacy model, but in my experience with our Impreza, the wiring for various features it lacked has been more or less in place already. That includes the fog lights, the rear cargo light, and the map lights, all three of which I've added with very minimal wiring effort. Steve

I would be nervous about buying a car that had a temp spare fitted to it, just doesn't speak well of their commitment to maintenance and upkeep of the car, IMO. But I'm probably being picky there. On my 97 OB, yes, a full size spare fits and that's what I had when I got new tires the time before last. The only problem is that I had to take the plastic organizer tray (do regular Legacies have this?) out of the spare tire well because the full size tire is wider than the skinny spare and there wasn't room for the tray if you wanted to close the cargo floor flat. Now I have 205/75/15 A/T tires (bigger than stock) and I'm 99% sure that one of those would not fit in the spare well, so I'm back to a not-quite full size spare. Oh well. Steve

Outback XT=turbo 2.5 These are n/a or turbo? That's great you got two Subie's in the fleet. My boss used to work for GM, so guess what we have here for company vehicles. Steve

Very funny! But spoken like someone who hasn't been there... I never saw any deer in town Actually you get extra credit for realizing that North and South Dakota are two different states. So many people don't get that. Steve

If AWD vehicles are as in-demand there as they are here in Salt Lake (I'm guessing they are) then that price isn't as far out of line as others have said IMO. Look what this guy's asking for a similar car, just one year newer: http://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/car/104381877.html I have 117K miles and no head gasket problems on my 97, but realize I may have to deal with that in the future. I wouldn't worry about such problems on the newer ones though, they seem to have addressed that and even my 97 has been very reliable. Sounds like you should keep shopping around, but if your market is like ours October is not the best time to get a deal on a Subaru, they're in high demand and the sellers (including dealers) know that the snow will be flying soon and there will be someone else in line behind you to buy that car. If you go with a FWD car you could get it fitted with winter tires for much less than the AWD adds to the initial and operating cost of the Subaru. Hey, I survived four years of college in Fargo with a 20 year old RWD Ford Torino with lousy tires. Steve

http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/Head_gasket_replacement.html How about a thorough step by step description like that? Steve

This is a common problem and has been discussed many times before, the fuel gauge is reading too low. You may be able to fix it, search around for a fix involving the sending units. I've never tried it but some people have successfully. I just go by the trip odometer (reset it every time you fill up) and that has always worked for me. Plus, it allows you to check your mileage to make sure the car is running normally. Yes there is a low fuel indicator light that comes on when you have around 2.2 gallons IIRC. That's assuming that it works. Mine does, but I've only seen it once in several years of ownership. I prefer not cutting it that close, I rarely put more than 10-11 gallons or so in the car to fill it up. Steve

Lots of information here: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/headgasket.html Steve

A search on "legacy clunk" will yield several discussions, and even a link to this: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/tsb/04-09-01_tsb.pdf I posted that a while back, it's a TSB from Subaru regarding a "clunk" in the steering and suspension that sounds like what you're describing. My car does it big time, has for quite a while. I didn't attempt to get the TSB performed, doesn't sound like many other people have either. Another one of those endearing Subie quirks Steve

Sorry if this has been posted here before, but I found this on Edmunds.com: http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/driving/articles/106842/article.html It's an article where they test a few gas-saving tips, found it interesting. What speed are you going on the highway? Ours do best at 55 (around 30 mpg for the TS and 28 for the OB) and drop slightly as you go up from there. Do you have ethanol in your fuel? That can reduce mileage too. We don't have it out here but I know it's big in the midwest. Steve

Keith: I agree, I'm all for clarity. I'm assuming you read the contents of the link I posted above, in that I've attempted to address some of the differences in the Phase1 and Phase2 HG problems, as well as providing helpful links to HG discussions including the evolution of the gasket itself. I've posted this before when the question comes up, as it is a common one here. If there is unclear or misleading information presented there, please let me know so that I might improve that, thanks. Do you have a source on your assertion that the majority of Phase 1 2.5's have HG failure? Just curious, as I've never seen it quantified and wonder how that's even possible to know. Agreed that the 2.2's don't seem to have a design flaw that leads to HG problems, at least in my limited experience and research online. Hopefully we haven't scared the OP off Steve

jbsig2: Welcome to the USMB. This link has some HG relevant info: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/headgasket.html FWIW, mine has almost 120K miles now and no HG problems. They don't all fail. You'll hear a lot about it because a number have, and boards like this tend to discuss problems more often than a lack of problems. It can fail again, not necessarily in the same time frame, and not necessarily ever. Search around on this board and you'll find many threads regarding head gaskets. Most people will tell you it should be fine to buy, but budget in the cost of a repair in case it happens. So it really depends on the price. The 2.2 has had HG failures too, just a much lower percentage of them. That's my 2 cents. Steve

Juan: I can understand that, we're big fans of Subarus and when we got the wife's Impreza, we didn't really test it out that much either. Of course, coming from an '89 GL, it was a big leap forward in power, comfort, handling, amenities, so it was not a hard decision and we haven't regretted it. I've assumed my next vehicle will be a newest gen Legacy or Outback (without having driven one yet), so it's disappointing to hear the negatives. But if I don't like the new ones as much as my current wagon, I'm not sure what else in that price range with AWD would be available as an alternative. I'd love to keep the current vehicle going for a good long while, that's for sure! The fact that it's been paid off for a while is a very nice feature that I wouldn't find in any new car. Steve

Handtool: at the firewood car, that's great. Looks really safe Andyjo: Good point, it's Yakima cross bars on the factory rack. The Yakima rack itself should handle the weight IMO, but the Subaru's rack itelf, I dunno. I was also a bit worried about the leverage exerted by that much weight hanging fore and aft of the rack if I go through any dips in the road. Sort of a see-saw effect. Steve

Thanks for the interesting opinions, I know weight wise it's definitely pushing it, maybe a bit far. I don't know how likely it is that I'd even get the beam, as I don't have a specific project in mind at the moment, but we do want to build a deck and something like this might be necessary. We have access to a pickup, but it doesn't have a ladder rack... not sure how else a pickup with an eight foot bed would haul a 24 foot piece of lumber... we also have a big cargo van at work I've used for 14 foot lumber. Thanks for the feedback, probably I'll pass on doing this, but if I do I'll be sure to take pictures! Steve

How much is too much for an Outback roof rack with Yakima cross bars? In the local classifieds there's an ad for a 4"x8" 24' wood beam that I might have a use for, I'm always looking for good deals on building materials and I thought hmmmm... that may be going too far. Based on some material density numbers I found online and some wild guesses, this sucker would weigh around 150 to 175 pounds. Before you tell me I'm an idiot for even considering this: 1) It would only be transported a few miles at low speeds, and 2) The load would be very well secured with nylon webbing ratcheting and/or cammed cargo straps, not just tied up there with a piece of twine. The front and back would be connected to the tow hooks of the car. All of this reminds me of one of my favorites from http://www.snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/photos/lumber.asp What's the heaviest or biggest thing you've carried on your Yakima rack on a Subaru? Am I crazy for considering this? Steve

Arthur: I'm pretty sure he was referring to these guys: http://www.ccrengines.com/ Although this CCR engine might be fun in a Subaru http://www.koenigsegg.com/thecars/engineering.asp?engineering=2 Steve

I know this is old, but there was an LA Times article earlier this year that described how Subaru won the top spot for highest quality brand: http://tinyurl.com/bz9a6 Sorry, this is just a summary of it, you have to pay for the article since it's older, but I have a paper copy of it. Subaru owners reported 8 problems per 100 vehicles, the average was 16. The quality ratings are based on surveys from 810,000 vehicle owners, covering 17 areas for vehicles up to 8 years old. Juan: No offense intended, but did you test drive the vehicle before you bought it, or are the above listed things what you've noticed over time? I can understand that the comfort level of seats is hard to judge in a short test drive, but did you not notice the other stuff right away? Steve

I'm guessing the results would change if the time period was a couple of years, but the lack of options as mentioned above can't be helping things. Oh well, we love ours, who cares what some other people think? I read a survey once that determined that 75% of surveys were inaccurate... Steve

Len: You might ask the poster of this thread, he's got WRX wheels and tires on a 96 Outback: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=41265&highlight=wrx+wheels You might already be using this page for your calculations but if not it's a very handy tire calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html Steve

mwatt: If one compensates for the increased wheel diameter by going with a shorter sidewall tire (thus keeping the rolling tire circumference constant) then the computer won't see the difference, correct? It's true that changing the diameter of the tire will throw off odo, speedo, gearing, etc. but changing the *wheel* size doesn't necessarily do any of this if the right tire size is selected. Just trying to clarify. Len: Better make sure that wider tires will fit, the WRX wheels will have a narrower track due to their offset and you could start rubbing on the struts if you go too wide. FWIW, I've done the opposite of what you're doing, I have a 205/ 75 /15 A/T tire for more sidewall height plus more tread, and there's not much room for a wider tire on my car. Steve

Phase I is Subaru's earlier (97 to 99 in most models) 2.5 liter although I believe some (all?) 99 Foresters got the Phase II 2.5l engines. Phase I's are DOHC and Phase II's are SOHC. Yours should be a Phase I. Unfortunately, some people have had HG problems with both phases, although the specific problems differs with the phase. For more on that, check out this link: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/headgasket.html I don't know if there is a Forester manual but the Legacy Outback manual will have some relevant information (at least for the engines) as the Foresters and Legacy Outbacks used the same engine in 98. Steve

I'll add something to the good advice you've already gotten: maybe you should consider better lighting. The stock headlights on my 97 OB suck, to put it not so eloquently. If I drove where there were a lot of animals on the road I'd absolutely improve the forward lighting of my car. I don't know if your 96 has the same headlights as mine, but if they do and you've driven other cars at night you know the headlights are poor compared to many cars. WRX wheels: you can find them on http://www.nasioc.com, look in the for sale section or the region closest to you. I got a set for $250 with almost new tires, this was not for my OB but for the wife's TS, although IMO they look pretty good on OB's. Steve

Autoweek was incorrect per this: Erroneous Report in Automotive News TO: All Subaru Dealers FROM: Nobuo Obara DEPARTMENT: SOA Corp Communications DATE: 8/31/2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You may have read in this week's issue of Automotive News a story regarding FHI's plans for a minivan in the US market for 2007-2008. This report from an unofficial and unidentified source was in error and we are working to correct it. FHI had planned a minivan for the Japanese market, as part of the original FDR-1 business plan, which has since been reviewed and changed. Subaru product planning strives to be responsive to current market conditions and Subaru of America currently has no plans to sell a minivan in the US. I wanted to clear up any misunderstanding or rumors regarding this reporter's incorrect speculation. Should you have any questions, you can contact the corporate communications department directly Taken from Subie Gal's post in this thread on Nasioc: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=835839&highlight=minivan Sorry, no minivan yet. Check the News and Rumors forum on Nasioc for stuff like this, odds are it's been posted, refuted or backed up, overanalyzed and nitpicked and the thread has fallen back to the third page by the time it makes it to USMB. Steve EDIT: also mentioned on http://www.cars101.com: No mini-van: August 31, SoA denies plans for a US minivan as reported in Automotive News, Edmunds.com etc

That's pretty normal. Our 2.5's get around 21 in all city driving and go up from there as you add hwy miles. Straight highway / freeway is usually 29 or so and the best ever tank was 33. Steve