TheBrian

If the rest of them say (Turbo), then it means naturally aspirated. You might check the glossary of whatever publication you're looking through. What publication are you looking through, anyway?

How is a hole in your muffler killing your gas mileage? Mufflers are flow restrictions that create pumping losses. I've heard of low backpressure killing torque, but not fuel economy. You should also consider the option of rigging up a cheap muffler. AutoZone sells a 2.25" inlet /2.25" outlet 13" canister for $15. Add some strapping, a few clamps, and a 18" length of pipe so you clear the bumper, and you've got an ugly, noisy, adequate muffler for $25. Guaranteed to rust out in three years or your money back.

I've owned a '96 Legacy Brighton 2.2 5MT for two years now. It's a great car for the most part (the other part being replacing rusted-out components). Remarkably reliable. Only I paid $2800 for mine ($3100 CAD), and it had 117kmi (188Mm). Yeah, I said megameter. It's a real unit. It's a wonderful car, and you'll love it. That's just about the best engine/tranny/chassis combo Subaru ever made.

Definately put the $1850 in a savings account instead. I can't imagine $1850 worth of stuff going wrong in years 4-6 (which would be required just to break even, neglecting interest). Most add-on sales are designed to improve the seller's profitability, and extended warranties are no exception. I'd bet it costs them $700 to issue that warranty.

Cool to see another Buffalonian Subaru enthusiast. If you just walk in, they'll charge you list. What I do is phone Northtown, asking what the list price is, then politely ask if that's their best price. Or, "What's my price on that?" They've always offered me about 20% off list, versus the ~30% off you get at dealers with an internet parts department. Then I call West Herr, and ask if they can match Northtown's price (since I live closer to West Herr). The worst they can say is no.

One of my front sway bar end links is very sloppy, and the suspension is creaking. AutoZone and CarQuest want ~$85 for the endlinks. Dealer wants $42 (list is $53). None of these prices are very good, and the local U-Pull-It is out of Subarus at the moment. Anyone know where can I get some sway bar links on the cheap?

If the engine management computer thinks it has a problem (which is usually accompanied by a Check Engine light), it may enter "limp home mode", where the computer's settings are designed to give you the best chance of making it to the mechanic, neglecting goals of fuel economy or performance.

I respect your cynicism, but cut him some slack. Worst case: he's hawking a $5 magazine. But maybe he's a guy who's duly proud of his carbon fiber STi.

I think MTBE contaminates groundwater, kills trees, and makes baby Jesus cry.

Is it a stamped, rather than cast, impeller? If so, I would return it without hesitation. You can get a stamped impellered new water pump in the aftermarket for maybe $40 - which may be what Subaru are doing. Or, even better, I'll bet NAPA has a pump with a cast Al impeller for about what you'd pay at the dealer. Don't pay full price for parts where the manufacturer has cut corners. Perhaps SubieGal or someone else with dealership parts experience can shed some light on this?

Setright is right. I got in the car this morning, turned on the wipers, and they wiped the whole windshield and parked right where they should. They were misbehaving for almost a week. It's a 96 Legacy Brighton. I don't know. Maybe what I'm observing is an undocumented feature. Maybe my wiper linkage still has slop in it. Maybe by checking for slop at the wiper arm, I corrected the problem. I'm not going to tear it apart to find out in weather like this, though.

Thanks, Chef. I can't quite picture what effect loose fasteners in the wiper linkage would have, but I'll remove the cowl tomorrow and figure it out. Hopefully I won't need any parts from the dealer.

Are you sure no air is getting in between the engine and the second O2 sensor? That can cause a CEL, too. What's the spacer look like? Maybe try removing it. Any idea how old the O2 sensor is? However unlikely, it's possible the sensor genuinely is worn out.

The wipers park about five degrees above where they should, and when wiping, they stop about five degrees short of where they always used to. This happened suddenly. One day, I turned the wipers on, and they wiped an inch too little on the left, and they parked an inch too high. They've been that way ever since. It was icy that day, but I always scrape the windshield by hand; I don't run the wiper motor with the blades frozen in place. What's wrong, and how do I fix it?

My mileage is great: ~27mpg. Weight savings: Done that. But actually, weight savings won't help me save much gas since I seldom brake anyway. In the case of a 70mph freeway cruise, I'm only spending power on: engine inefficiency, driveline losses, aerodynamic drag, and accessories.