Takami826

My first subie was 89 Justy, I couldn't afford the FUN Justy at 17, but I got it financed on my own and I beat the crap out of that car, racked up over 110K miles on it, sold it for $1000 (only paid $5800 new!!) and it ran for that buyer another couple years. 3 cylinders, burned thru tires like mad, but otherwise great mileage and easy to maintain, even after sitting idle for 6 mos, fired up and bulldozed thru bumper deep snow better than any car we had. If people buy that Rubbermaid er Scion tC, why wouldn't they buy a revamped Justy? As a starter car, it would be awesome.

My 97 Legacy is at 150,000 right now. Nothing major has been repaired or replaced other than recall items. Tires, battery, brakes, those kinds of things, of course have been replaced as necessary and I did the big routine thing around 75,000. I'm in the market for a new car, been kicking around the idea of a new Subaru, but after 10yrs in Cleveland weather, my Legacy is doing great, no car payments for 5yrs... I'm running it into the ground or trading it when a repair is >$1000. I'm just now this year starting to show bits of rust: under the gas door and the corner of my trunk... not bad considering every American car I owned or that my parents owned never made it over 100,000... I think people who buy Subarus keep them until they are unsellable which may be why there's more Hondas online for sale than Subarus. People just don't let them go.

so much for unique design and styling. it looks like a focus or some cheapo import. is this the 'rebirth of a legend' the subaru site is blithering about? The year I'm ready to buy a car and Subie designs are just disappointing, man-wagonish (B9) or old-fartish (legacy and now this impreza) I'll get old fart when I'm old fart but while I can still get in and out of a car without a swivel seat, something that's not so... bleh....

They need a small Justy replacement. I love my Legacy, but as a primarily solo driver, it's way more car than I need. As it is, my choices are impreza or forester right now, and that's kind of 'settling' because I will need a new car soon. A small AWD like a new Justy would be perfect for me. I miss my Justy so bad! It would be the perfect 'entry level' to compete with those godawful deathtrap scions that people around here seem to love. (UGH! you can't lean on the thing without the door feeling like it's going to cave or fold). Small, fast, plowed thru snow like any other subie with good tires... Or make the forester slightly taller so I stop getting heckled that I want a station wagon (meh to me the outback is a wagon, forester is a stumpy suv) cuz you know, that's all about me!

back around '96 or so we got HAMMERED with snow like we did the past couple days. I remember my parents pushing me into selling my justy (it's a death trap p.o.s. blah blah) and they got me a *gag* escort because it was bigger and they felt it was cheaper to repair (that's a whole other nightmare that drove me right back to subaru) anyway, my escort was stuck in our flat but 12"+ snow driveway. Couldn't move it, couldn't rock it, it was like a lump of crap. My dad's taurus wouldn't budge. The two cars sat there like a poor man's Ford reseller. bleh. I fired up my Justy that had sat idle in our squishy muddy yard for 4+ months, 3 of which were cold and generally crappy. It started right up, despite being almost up to the bumper in snow and partially sunken into the muck, I threw it into gear and it trundled forward like it was any other normal day. Needless to say, I put the for sale sign on that craptacular racecourt and sold my Justy as well, but only to put the $ into the 97 Legacy I still drive today. It's stuff like that that makes me a diehard soobie fan

This makes all the difference!!! After the last 2 days of chugging on by as cars and suvs slid all over, I noted which cars to never ever consider buying. Driving conditions like that remind me why I am a die hard Subie fan. My only negative is that I can't bloody move when the snow is up over my bumper. :-p

This is a great write up and thank you! I desperately need to do this to my car as mine, too, are becoming a safety concern and I'd like to get another 6+ months out of my legacy before I trade it in or sell it. Now that I live in a rural area with minimal lighting, at night, it IS DARK. Are the lenses a pain in the butt to remove and reinstall, though? (I honestly haven't looked yet) I have no problem doing the labour, but given the current temps, tendonitis doesn't allow for much dexterity. I already have to fix my grill piece (I went to put in washer fluid a couple days ago and the whole thing just fell at my feet) so if it's easy enough to take out the lenses while I'm in there, I can clean them in the house and throw them back on.

is it me or does every subie just look better in the snow or covered in mud? glad you won the deer vs human battle!

My '89 Justy's clutch lasted until about 110K. It probably would have lasted much longer but I was a kid and I learned to drive stick the day I drove (lurped) it off the lot, so I am sure for a few thousand miles it went thru abuse more severely than typical.

I kinda like the boxy look of the 2007 Forester. I just can't get into the whole wagon thing. Course, I'm running my Legacy into the ground, but since a WRX is financially out of the question, the Forester is looking to be my choice. I do like that they raised the suspension a bit, but not so much that like every other suv out there.

dang what is it with people who believe they are indestructible simply because they have AWD or 4WD -especially in an SUV?? A couple days ago coming home from work some dingbat in a CRV was crusin' along at about 75mph, blew past me like I was sitting there. There was ice under the snow in the speed lane, so most everyone was in the other two lanes. She went sailing by (chattering on her phone of course ) and her back end started to sway and she wound up spinning a couple times and was VERY lucky most people were alert enough to get out of her way and she ended up on the rumble strips on the side, got control and kept going -all the while she stayed on her phone. :-\

1997 Subaru Legacy L Sedan. I've currently got 150K on it and the most recent 'expensives' have been the CV Joints (right one 2 yrs ago, left one about 3 months ago), the brakes (everything) were completely replaced about6 months ago. After 10 yrs, things are just now getting to needing more pricy repairs, but broken down, it's less than 6 months of the average current car payment, and I've gotten quite spoiled not laying out a car payment for the past 5 yrs. As much as I want a Forester or Impreza as my next car, this one is still going strong, only a few spots of rust (primarily where jerks dinged me or hit me, or in one case, a stamped of kids running across the hoods of cars in the apt complex I used to live in) but given I'm in the Cleveland, OH area, such little rust 10yrs in is not too bad. Compared to my friends who drive primarily American cars or cheaper imports, all of them are on their 3rd cars/suvs in the time I've owned this one Subie. (and heckle me because of the problems that I recently had) I'll take $1000 in repairs per year over $400/mo car payments for 5 or more as long as I can!

That switch has wreaked havoc for me, but only when I've allowed someone to clean my car. Twice now the same twit did me the favour of tidying up my car and such and hit that stupid switch and didn't think anything of it. Sadly, I was out of town both times and didn't know he'd done that, so therefore didn't know to check the car. After sitting for a week, I jumped in at 5am to head off to work and nothing. Dead. Twice. Great surprise. I have since warned him I will smash his xB if he tries to surprise me again and doesn't leave the switch alone or at least be mindful of it. For me, personally, as a long-time Subaru driver, I find that switch menacing, but know just to leave it be. The electrical gremlins cause me more grief than that switch.

I agree 100%. This was one of my issues when I wound up buying my 97 Legacy 10 yrs ago... I prefer 2-doors, but the only thing I could afford was a 4dr and I couldn't afford anything Subaru offered at the time in a 2-door. Don't get me wrong, I love my Legacy, it's been serving me VERY well, but I just HATE 4dr cars. I cannot stand them. I hate 4dr as much as I hate automatic transmission. In the next year I have to decide on a new car and it's probably going to be a Forester because I can't get a WRX in a 2dr so I may as well go with cheaper because other than Toyota or maybe a Honda, (and the civic just feels like a death trap to me) I'm not keen on considering anything else. Toyota had a nice 2dr but they quit making it a year or so ago (the Celica I believe...) and the Scion tC... *shudder* my friend has an xB and it feels like a flimsy piece of crap.

I had the right side replaced about a year or so ago and a few weeks ago had to do the left. I went with entire replacement with new (about $20 difference between new and rebuilt) because I want at least another year out of my 97 Legacy. I've gotten way too spoiled not having a car payment the last few years. I guess it depends on how long you want to drive the car and if the boot was recently damaged or if it has been for quite some time.

Nah, I'm not asking to justify a purchase of a WRX and I'm not looking at the STI, so the costs (at least on subaru.com) are fairly close between the Forester and the WRX for the features I'm looking for. I'm just looking for opinions now from people who have driven these cars and have knowledge of them -basically still gathering information before I test drive the cars. Subies had random quirks sometimes (at least the two I've had were randomly quirky) so I was also looking for that type of info from those with experience as well. Speeding tickets aren't an issue for me, I don't drive like a maniac. And the $ won't be an issue when I'm ready to purchase, I don't dash out and buy a car on a whim -obviously given the two subies I've owned I've driven for 8 or more years -pretty much giving up only when the repair costs outweigh the value of the car. I'm far too analytical and stingy with my money to dump money into a pit. Insurance costs, however, are a concern, as is fuel economy, and moreso, comfort. Subaru reliability has not failed me yet (hopefully it never will) and I don't want an Outback or the standard 4 door impreza sedan. Out of the current Subies, the Forester and the WRX are just what I'm most interested in. Porcupine, thanks for the details. I'm going to check out that cars101.com Nipper, why do you say it's a rolling brick?

My 97 Legacy has always done that tick tick tick thing. I figured it was another quirky Subie.

Ugh explode? I had my RF replaced 2 yrs ago and just had the LF replaced two days ago... should I be concerned? They're new, not remanufactured. There was about a $20 difference, so I went with new since I want to get another 60K or so out of the car before I trade it. To the OP, I agree about checking the cv boots, it's pretty easy to look to see if they're torn and it's not too expensive, probably less so if you're capable of DIY.

I've been a devoted subaru fan since before I was old enough to start driving. My parents had a little Subaru DL in the late 70s that they beat the crap out of for about 10 years. That hooked me and I bought a new 89 Justy as a graduation gift to myself. In 98 I ugraded to a previous lease 97 Legacy that I'm still driving today. I'm in no hurry to trade or sell my Legacy just yet. However, given that it's at 140K, repairs are more frequent, I figure it's time to do research while the Legacy is still, mostly, going strong. It's got some quirky flaws, but nothing horrific and repairs have been annoying but tolerable. I hope to get at least another 60K or so out of it, but just in case, it's better to be prepared than rushing into something in a crisis. I'm currently debating between a Forester and a WRX. Both get decent Consumer Reports reviews, and my own experiences with Subarus leaves me to believe that either one will far outlast the payments. I tend to run my cars into the ground until the repairs outweigh the value of the car. I'm doing a lot more highway driving than ever (about 2 hrs daily commute) and my back and right leg are painfully noticing the change in driving habits. Obviously, fuel efficiency is important, but just as much now is my being comfortable and not having car butt at the end of each leg of my journey. A decent sound system (which I did on the Legacy after the warranty expired) would be nice to have from the beginning as well. What are your experiences with long distance driving and either vehicle? Part of me wants a nice new sporty car before I'm too old and bent to enjoy one, but the other part of me wants to be able to get out of my car and be mobile without numbness. I value the input from the other USMB members here. I've been able to fix a lot of things on my Legacy on my own and, when I can't, know what I'm getting into before I get to the repair shop so I don't get too screwed. So, thank you in advance for any thoughts anyone cares to share on the subject.

My rear passenger side belt has been locked and unmoveable for 7 of the 8 yrs I've owned it. The front seat belts never retract when we get out of the car. Or it retracts just enough to hang out the door and jam it up when I close it. Haven't found a good way to fix any of the problems yet. The front belts do retract if I guide them, but what a pain. And that rear one, well we just put the person we like the least in that seat.

Unless the snow has been up to my bumper and super heavy, I've never had a problem. When it's deep but fluff, I can go without a 2nd thought. Just gotta watch for ice under the snow cuz of that whole stopping thing. My Legacy has been a winter dream so long as I have good tires. When I had my Justy, the car EVERYONE made fun of me for buying, I never had any problems in deep snow -it was a stick, so that helped. (oh how I miss a manual subie!!) We got nailed once (Lake Effect Snow, fun stuff!!!) and my dad's Ford POS got stuck, my mom's GEO got stuck, and the stupid Ford POS they made me get (cuz they felt my Justy "roller skate" was a dangerous menace and wanted me to have a 'good' safe car...) just slid off into a drift. The Justy, which hadn't been run since the fall, fired right up and chewed thru that snow like it wasn't even there. I still regret selling that little Justy, but I was young and still lived at home and *fades into flashback of battling fierce blizzards in the little roller skate*

my AT OIL TEMP light starting flashing a few weeks ago. I took it to a car place, they looked it over, said they couldn't find any problems, all is well, I was reading too much into the dash lights because they couldn't get the light to flash on start up. (this flashes 16x at start up, which I have learned from here means nothing other than an error) Tried the infamous secret handshake EVERY time the light flashes. I get nothing. Got new tires 2 weeks ago. Got a new filter and transmission fluid flush as well. Nothing for almost a week, then this week the AT OIL TEMP light is doing its thing again. Where can I go or how can I find out the code meaning without laying out $90 at the dealer? It seems, for the most part, to drive and shift fine except when it's been sitting for awhile. Shifting into 2nd is a little slippy to me and reverse sometimes gives a slightly harsher jolt than normal. Again, I'm told that I am being overly sensitive because, conveniently, this doesn't happen when anyone else is looking at the car or riding in it. Maybe I am, but that flashing light is getting to me and I can't afford a major repair nor can I afford a new car any time soon, so I need to resolve this. thanks

thanks everyone. I knew that was way out of line. I search on some auto sites showed me I can get a can of stuff at Sprawl Mart for $16 that does pretty much what you guys all said. I wouldn't pay that much for A/C anyways, it wouldn't be worth it to me. I've gotten on for a long time without air in a car, so it was no big to-do but if it's cheap, and I can do it myself, I will get my coworker to help me out and we'll do it this cheapo way. thanks a bunch for your commentary. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being naive by NOT doing this.

OK, bear with me. I have a '97 Subaru Legacy L with about 125K miles on it and near the end of the summer, the a/c wasn't as cool as I'd like it. Given it was near the end of the summer, I didn't bother having it checked out. I have my car in the shop right now getting an oil change and asked if they could give me a price on recharging the a/c. I have never had a car with A/C before, I've always realied on 4x80 air (4 windows down, drive 80mph) but the air's been horribly thick and I figured for my lungs, getting the a/c up to par would be worthwhile. The price I got was $800. Needless to say, I said just do the oil change. Something about they charge $60 base cost and then it's $35/lb of freon after that. They put in 2lbs and I have to drive around for 2 weeks using the A/C and then bring it back in and they check for some sort of green residue in the unit (huh???) and go from there. If anyone's willing, could you explain why it's so expensive and what this 'test' is supposedly for? Does this even sound legit to anyone because to me (someone very a/c ignorant) that just seems strange. Thanks in advance.

Thanks, Handtool, I will do that. Subiegal, I thought so, but it was getting to be far more hassle than it was worth because I went around with them twice with the keys and the third time is when they got snippy with me. This also was the dealer who demanded payment of close to $800 when my alternator failed despite my discovering it was a recalled item. They told me repeatedly the car was out of warranty and that I would have to pay for it, recall or not. Needless to say, I don't go to that dealer anymore and no, I didn't pay for it, I raised holy hell about it, dealt with Subaru of America and resolved it. But when they finally let me pick up my car (a week later) they asked me not to come to them for repairs anymore. As if I would. The other nearby dealer I tried told me they'd have to send in my key, which I refused to do because I didn't understand why they'd have to do that if there was a code for the key, plus, how would I get home! After that, I just gave up. I'm not looking for handouts, either, I was/am perfectly willing to pay for spare keys.