axgutt

I'm happy to report that we failed the oil consumption test! About 700 miles after they did the oil change the oil light came on. A new short block is on the way to be replaced under warranty. We're going to get the clutch done as well while the engine is out, which is going to save a bunch on labor. Anything else that I should have them do while they have everything apart?

We're bringing it in for the oil consumption test next week, as well has to have them check out a couple of things. Part of what I wondering is if they'll honor the warranty since we bought it used. Most of the subie's I've bought have had 120,000 or more when I bought them. The only warranty repair I've had done was a frayed seat belt at 392,000 miles on one of my '95 Legacies. Apparently the seat belts are treated differently.

We just bought a 2014 Forester with about 93,000 miles. It burns oil like crazy! We knew some of this going in (prior owner gave us all the records and showed me the 2 quarts he carried in the back), and I'm debating whether it's worth it to have the dealer do the consumption test and potentially replace the short block. If we elect to keep just putting in oil (i.e. about a quart every 800 - 1000 miles or so), I wanted to get a recommendation for what type to use. I know it should be 0w20 full synthetic, but there is quite a variety of price points at WalMart. I was surprised at how many variations of Mobil 1 there were, and it seems like all the companies are making 0w20 full synthetics now. This car will be driven about 15,000 miles a year, so it's not a huge amount of money either way, but I'm sure I can come up with something to do with the money.

My '95 Legacy wagon hit 400,000 a few weeks ago (now a little over 402,000). At some point I'll need to replace it (AT has gotten pretty sketchy and I'm starting to smell fuel a lot), but I'm (irrationally?) scared of the 2.5 engines. Are there any newer models that approach the reliability/durability of these old Legacy's? How are the newer Imprezas with the 2.0 engine expected to hold up? At this point the thought of buying another 20 year old car isn't so appealing. I'd like to get something with more airbags and structural integrity.

I've had a few '95 Legacies with the EJ22 over the years. One made it to 386,000 (MT), another died of a freak headgasket problem a little after 200k, and my current one (AT) is at 387,500 or so. The transmission was replaced with a used one about 200,000 miles ago. The clutch pack started having problems a couple of years ago, so I've been running it in FWD for a while. The shifting has been getting wonky over the last year or so - i.e. sometimes won't come out of first gear, and the speedometer doesn't move, then suddenly will shift just fine. The problem is that I've been telling my wife for years that these engines never die, can go for 500,000 miles . . . I think it will be time to move on when the transmission finally goes. She says we should just put another one in. Given the age/mileage of salvage yard transmissions at this point, plus the cost and overall age of the vehicle, I think it will be time to retire the car. As much as I'd love to keep it going forever, I feel like it's reached the age where it's time to enact a DNR for anything major. What do y'all think?

Thanks for the reply. I'll get the codes checked again tonight.

I replaced the speed sensor a couple of months ago. At first I thought it had helped, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Just a couple of days ago it wouldn't shift out of first and the speedometer never moved. Then a minute later it worked fine. What would be the next part to test/replace in the chain? Clearly, the signal isn't getting from somewhere to somewhere else.

This is leaving me with a real quandary as far as what to get for my next car. I ran one '95 Legacy to 386,000 miles, and my current '95 Legacy is up to 366,000 miles. It's definitely showing it's age, and hopefully it will hold on a bit longer. The thought of buying a 20 year old car isn't so appealing given the advances in safety features, but I also don't relish the thought getting something that's almost certain to be less reliable.

I have a 95 Legacy LS wagon with an automatic transmission. About 360,000 miles on the motor, and 125,000 on the used transmission. I've been having a weird, intermittent problem over the last couple of weeks. Taking off from a standstill, it sometimes won't shift out of first gear. If I put it in neutral then back in drive, it will usually work. When this happens, the speedometer also sometimes stays at 0 MPH, then suddenly jumps up to the correct speed. The transmission is also sometimes a bit reluctant to downshift. I have to mash the accelerator down further than I used to to get it to drop to a lower gear. Maybe it's just trying to protect me from the whiplash inducing power of the 2.2. The CEL has been on for a few years, and when the parts store pulled the code it only shows the bad O2 sensor, which I already knew about. From what I can gather, this sounds like it could be a bad vehicle speed sensor. I know there are two - one on top on the passenger side (http://www.autozone.com/engine-management/vehicle-transmission-speed-sensor/duralast-vehicle-transmission-speed-sensor/363995_0_20285_1277/?checkfit=true) , and one underneath with a built-in cable (http://www.autozone.com/engine-management/vehicle-transmission-speed-sensor/duralast-vehicle-transmission-speed-sensor/363996_0_20285_3498/?checkfit=true). Does this sound like the likely problem? From what I've been able to find, I think it's likely the first one I listed above (on top on the passenger side). Before I spend $85 or $150 on one of these, I thought I'd check and see what the gurus thought. Thanks in advance.

I have some friends that are moving back to the states and asked me if I could help them find an Outback. They're looking to spend in the $12-15k range, which puts them in the 2007-2009 range. For a little more money you can get into the 2010 with the CVT, which get better mileage. I was wondering how the CVTs are holding up compared to the 4EAT. I'm personally a 2.2 / manual guy, so I haven't paid much attention to the newer models. Would you advise someone to pay a little more for the CVT? Should they try and find a manual instead? For what it's worth, they will be in a pretty hilly area - Floyd, VA. Thanks in advance.

Great site - I have the app on my phone. Ditto to what someone else said about small engines. I heard about the problems a couple of years ago and now I'm anal about only getting real gas for the mower, trimmer and snowblower.

It was a couple of years ago that I ran the numbers, but I want to say it was a pretty consistent 2 mpg better with the real gas. I was keeping pretty detailed records at that time. I'd say I drive about 95% on the highway, so it's relatively easy for me to see how variables affect things - i.e. cruising faster or slower, real vs. ethanol.

After my 95 Legacy wagon died with 383,000 miles a year ago, I was lucky enough to pick up a 95 Legacy sedan on Craigslist with only 141k miles for $1300. It needed some work, but it's a great commuter car. Now my wife's 95 legacy with 309,000 miles may be down for the count. I really like the 2.2, but I'd like to get something newer for her. I know the 2.2 stuck around for a few extra years in the Impreza, but I'd also rather get something bigger. I'm a bit scared of the 2.5, and there seem to be a decent number of 3.0 H6 Outbacks floating around. My question is about "real" gas versus premium. I'm very lucky in that there are three gas stations in our little 20,000 person town that have non-ethanol 87. It's usually about 15 cents more per gallon, but the extra mileage makes it well worth it in my Legacy. It's also much cheaper than premium. My question is whether the lack of ethanol somehow offsets the extra octane of premium that the 3.0 calls for. We drive a lot - she'll put 20,000 miles a year on this, so the extra money for premium can add up to a couple of hundred bucks a year.

1995 Legacy Wagon, automatic, with just shy of 300,000 miles. When you take it out on the interstate and crank it up to 70 or so, it's smooth as can be for about 15 - 20 minutes. Then the front end starts to shake pretty severely when applying some torque - i.e. going up a hill, or just working to maintain speed. Definitely shakes the steering wheel. As soon as you let off the gas the shaking stops. The tires are old (Michelins with about 130,000 miles - still not down to the wear bars yet), so I swapped the tires from my 1995 Legacy Sedan over, which only have about 7,000 miles on them. That didn't help, though the ride was smoother. I've done lots of searching through the forum and on the Internet in general, and haven't seen anything quite like this - i.e. it only shakes when it's been driving for a while. It seems like most people either have shaking or they don't. Any thoughts on what to check for? Adam

'95 Legacy Wagon with 295,000 miles, auto tranny (replaced a little over 60,000 miles ago). At the end of a road trip we noticed a burning smell, and when we got home there was lots of ATF fluid leaking from somewhere. I moved it outside and let it sit for a week until I could buy a giant pan, jack it up and take a good look. Medium story short, when I start it up there is a steady stream of ATF fluid coming out where the driveshaft connects to the AT. I checked the ATF fluid before and after and it definitely dropped from medium to low in a couple of minutes. It stops dripping when the engine is off. So I looked in my Haynes manual and it sounds like it could be a bad extension housing seal. If that failed, would this happen so suddenly? It's certainly beyond my skill level to take this on myself. About how many hours of labor am I probably looking at for this $10 part? Is this something a general repair shop can probably handle, or a transmission shop? Unfortunately the mechanic I trusted retired last year.

So I recently picked up a 95 Legacy Sedan, 5 speed, with 141,000 miles. It had a torn axle boot up front, and one red flag was that it had different tires, front and rear (I don't remember which were newer). During the test drive I took it to a parking lot and did a bunch of circles in both directions with the wheel fully turned - no clicking. Anyway, I immediately got new Michelin's and had the axle replace, which made a huge difference. I know I should have had the stock boot replaced, but so be it. Anyway, there was still something loose in the front end, and the shop just replaced some sway bar bushings. That seems to have helped. The remaining problem, and it's been there from the beginning, is a low level vibration. It's most noticeable once you get to 40 or so, but if I coast down I can feel it continue at lower speeds - it just gets harder to notice as the frequency slows down. The pitch stays the same though. It doesn't matter whether I'm coasting in neutral or have a gear engaged. It also doesn't change if I go around a curve. I only paid $1300 for it, so I can still afford to do some work and come out ahead. Any thoughts on what it might be? I do have a set of jack stands to do some testing, but I'm not really sure what to look for.

Well, I don't know if I'd call it easy, but I was able to do it and it works. That was a pretty tight area to be working in, especially upside down on my back! If there was an easier way to get to it, please don't tell me. I think I'm going to hold off a bit on trying to swap the cruise control - that looks pretty involved. They're both manuals, but it's a lot for someone at my skill level. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks for the replies. They're both manuals, so I may give the cruise control a go after I drive it a bit to make sure it's a keeper. How hard is it to get to the resistor pack?

So, my 95 Legacy wagon died a little while ago. 384,000 miles - no complaints at all. I got lucky (knock on wood) and just bought a 95 Legacy sedan from someone on Craigslist. 140,000 miles, 5-speed, $1300. Mechanically, the engine feels smooth, the clutch was recently replaced, the tires need to be replaced, and one of the front boots is torn. No biggie. Two swapping questions. The blower fan only operates on either 1 or 4 - i.e. putting it on 2 or 3 stays at 1 speed, then it goes to full blast on 4. Where iIs this likely something I can swap from my wagon? Would it be at the switch, or somewhere buried behind the dash? I've replaced stereos in it before, so I'm comfortable getting in there a little bit. Second, the "new" one doesn't have cruise control. Can that be swapped over. Or I guess I should ask, how hard would that be to do? Adam

Just a followup. The car made it another 2 1/2 years & 50,000 miles before it shot out a spark plug at 384,000 miles. (It's in my driveway, waiting for a good mechanic to give it a good home). Towards the end it was burning through about of quart of oil every 2,000 miles or so. From what I've read on this forum, that's pretty common. I usually had whatever seals were easy to get to replaced when having other work done - i.e. rear main seal when the clutch was replaced, and the front seals when timing belts were done. I did the valve cover gaskets myself once.

The new Imprezas must be in really high demand and/or low supply. Looking around the dealer websites in the region (Virginia) there are tons of Legacy/Outback/Forresters, but just a handful of Imprezas, mostly with the CVT.

One thing that I did when I put my new stereo in was to swap the little storage compartment and the stereo. This way you can see the stereo even when the cup holders are in use. Also, be careful the the cigarette lighter plugs when you pull the face plate off. Adam

So, my 1995 Legacy Wagon is finally dead. I posted in another thread a while back about it shooting out a spark plug. Long story short, the first mechanic did a hack job, I bought a Timesert kit to try and fix it myself, and that didn't work. Either there wasn't enough material left, or I did it wrong. The spark plug kept turning, then snapped the insert. Then my neighbor and I figured out that it may not be getting fuel. It has 384,000 miles, would need another timing belt, tires, a new head, probably a fuel pump, etc., and I'm not capable of much more than an oil change. Sometime soon I'll put an ad out. Anyway, I've been debating between getting a new Impreza versus one that's just a few years old. I built a spreadsheet and it looks like the cost is pretty much a wash over the long term. The MPG improvement of the new one is significant enough that it will make up the price premium over the lifetime of the car since I drive about 20,000 miles a year. I'm pretty easy on cars - I have a basement garage that keeps it warm overnight, and my commute is almost entirely on the interstate. I'm definitely going to get a manual transmission. My question is, which drivetrain would you guys expect to be more reliable? I know from this group that getting a 95 Legacy with a 2.2 is more reliable than a 98 with a 2.5, so bigger certainly isn't better. I don't care much about power.

So I headed out to the car after a meeting around noon, and the car would crank, but wouldn't start. Before looking under the hood too much I had someone try and jump it, no luck. Then I checked the spark plug boot and it was loose. AAA to the rescue - towed me back home, 40 miles away - very glad we have the "Plus" service. Once home I went to the dealership and bought new boots. No luck - but I did manage to destroy a new boot trying to remove it. Apparently I don't know how to do this. Anyway, I pulled the spark plug and it has a "ring" of rubbery compound at the top of the threads (the threads closest to the middle of the plug). I shone a light in there, and it looks like the original threads to me. I'm wondering if the mechanic may have just cleaned up the threads a bit and put some threading compound on it instead of using an insert. I think my plan is to call around on Monday and see if any local shops have the Time Sert kit. Ughhhhhhhhh.

So, the mechanic just called and it's ready - $135. I can't complain about that. My plan is to drive it for a couple of weeks to make sure it's going to hold, then do the 60k interval I skipped at 360k and get some new tires. It will run about $1,000 for all that, but as other people have mentioned if it buys me another year it's worth it. Maybe my seven year old will drive it some day after all. This has forced me to start thinking more seriously about what I'll replace it with eventually. Frequent oil changes, a warm garage, and rural interstate commutes have helped my wife and I get lots of mileage out of these for next to nothing in cost. $5200 total purchase price for both '95 wagons, and we've driven them for a combined total of over 300,000 miles over the last 9/7 years. One used AT, one clutch, a few wheel bearings, a couple of alternators, and two spark plug ejections. Other than that it's just been brakes, tires, batteries, timing belts/pullys, oil, wiper blades, etc. But, at this point the newest 2.2 you can get in a Legacy is what - 14 years old? At some point the age/durability lines have to cross.