Carries Car Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 (edited) Hi all, I joined up with USMB back in 05 when I owned, er, "wife at the time" owned a 87 GL wagon, I mean “she” had some carb trouble with it and you people graciously helped me through it. I got the car running, she left, and life has been peaceful ever since. Fast forward 6 years to today, and here I return, my Jeep costs too much to operate, I still want to go off road, and I really do miss that old 87 GL wagon that we, er, “she” had back then, the thing would go anywhere the Jeep would, at half the cost. I’ve been watching Craigslist for a good deal on another one, but not sure what I should get, I want a GL or Loyale, but most all the ones I’ve seen so far have really high miles. I need to have me a look around the boards, figure out where to post my questions, and how to change my name, (this is her name because it was her car) What I would like to know is: were there any particular years or options that were better than others? And if ‘m starting from scratch, is there a particular car or type of wagon I should be looking for or looking to avoid? My wants are simple, I want a wagon, and I like the style of the Loyale that was produced from about the mid 80’s to mid 90’s or so. I Would like to raise it about 2 inches, but not go to radical, maybe stick with the stock tire size or go just a hair bigger? I’d like to lift it enough without having to change axels, drive lines suspension components ect. I'm not sure if I want the 4-hi and 4-low that only came with the manual 5 speeds (I think), or just the push button that came with the automatics. the old Subaru we, er, “she” had was an automatic. I’m on a budget, and I’ve been watching craigslist for cars, but so far haven’t really found anything that sticks out as a good buy, the criteria I’ve been going by is low miles, 100,000 or so, (I’m seeing a lot of 200,000 plus miles and I think that’s more then I want to deal with), something dent free and rust free would be nice, and I’d like to find something that hasn’t already been modded, I’ll do that stuff myself. There is a dealer ad on Craigslist that is selling one for $1,000 with 150,000 miles on it, I may look at it this weekend, but I think the miles are to high. Thanks for reading, Stuart Edited June 2, 2011 by Carries Car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 EA82s are great cars, a lot of people use them for offroading. My car has "low miles" - Ned has 172,444.4 (awesome huh) miles and hes a 1986 GL Sedan. Thats an average of less than 7k per year... Most people average about 10k+ per year. These motors are known for 200k+ miles. Hell, my Dads 85 DL that he passed onto me had 454k when he gave it to me and I sold it running and driving for $800 with 456k and a cracked windshield... Finding one with "low miles" as in <100k isnt going to be easy, but Im sure it does happen. If I were in your position though, I would look for one with ~ 150k-175k miles and just run it like you want to, if something breaks, fix it, do maintenance (I change my oil just about every 2300 miles so I know I keep up on mine) and youll probably see 250k out of it, and then if the engine blows, shucks buy another EA82 with ~ 170k miles, reseal it and drop it in. There is currently one on the motor that has 170k miles, needs complete reseal, 100 bucks. Not too shabby... OR Buy a high mileage subaru for cheap. Swap in an EJ22, have tons of power and a bulletproof motor. I believe theres a few members on here with over 300-350k on their EJ22s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Wouldnt go dealer though. Its used, usually means no warranty and plus, they have to make their money somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carries Car Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 I found a 93 up in Washington, (not to far away from me) with 59,000 origional miles, but it's a dealer, and their asking almost 4,000 for it, way to high I think. it looks like the average going price around my area is about $1200 or so. with 150,000 to 200,000 miles or more. I figured if I do end up with something that's either got a bad engine, or it goes bad on me after I've owned it for a while, I'll probably find someone that can rebuild one and have something rebuilt. there's a guy locally that rebuilds the EJ22's which I would consider, but I don't know how hard it is to do the 1.8 to 2.2 swap. (he won't rebuild a 1.8, already asked him, aand don't know why he doesn't want to touch the 1.8's but that's ok) at any rate, I'm probably putting the cart before the horse, first thing I need to do is find a car, so the search continues ... my Jeep has 200,000 on it and the celica has 216,000, I'd really like to find something with lower miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 The EJ22 swap doesnt *SOUND* too difficult, I have never done it. There are quite a few write-ups on them, but it does get expensive if you dont do the work yourself. Thats another option. Get a high mileage cheap one, drop in a semi high mileage motor and rebuild the other one... Im sure you could get info on rebuilding the EA82s in Oregon, someone is bound to do it. Although you will hear that the EJ swap is a better bang for your buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 (edited) my old 89 GL wagon, 5 spd, FWD had over 265K when it finally got junked due to rust - still ran great, but she just wasnt safe anymore. I bought the car with 152K on it - drove it for nearly 8 yrs - rust got so bad that a jackstand put a hole in the front subframe when i was attempting to get it up in the air for some brake work... (i live in Wisconsin - rust belt) Knowing these old Subies as well as i do, i would not hesitate to get one with 150-200K on the clock - perform some basic maintenance on it and drive it till it drops. Still going to be cheaper to maintain than pretty much anything else. Out there in the PNW - your cars will last much longer as you dont have the rust issues we have here. some other examples of cars that I or my other half have/had over the years - 89 GLwagon 1.8 w/DR 5 spd - 250K (+/- a few) - 1990 Legacy LS wagon, 2.2 auto, AWD 211K and counting - 1990 Legacy L sedan, 2.2 5 spd FWD, 264K and counting (purchased this one with 202K on it already) I know, 150-200K sounds like a lot of miles, but on a Subaru, it really isnt all that much, especially on an older car - 200K divided by 22 yrs (for an 89 model) is only 9091 miles a year average - given decent care they will run darn near forever - it is things like rust that kill these cars, not high miles. keep the cooling system up to par & keep oil in them and they are pretty happy. now, getting to what to look for - if you want to do offroad you want the dual range 5 spd. best of all worlds with that tranny - FWD for "normal" daily driving, 4wd hi & 4wd lo for your offroad/nasty weather needs. I personally would go for the SPFI version of the 1.8 as they have fewer issues than the carbed ones IMHO and usually get a little better in the mpg dept. (the 5 spd DR wagon we had got 30-31 mpg when driven "gently" - not too shabby for an "old technology" car) the 3 spd autos are not the best - especially if you plan to do offroading - fuel mileage also suffers greatly - 24-25mpg with the 3spd auto vs 30mpg or better with a 5 spd...your choice tho Edited June 2, 2011 by heartless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 My opinions would be to find an 88-89 gl, since they are more refined than 85-87, and the loyales carry over the 88+ engineering up to the 94 loyale, but the GL's are a little bit nicer in options and style than a loyale, where the loyale is more econo box, or limited in options based on order. But, any option that a loyale does not have, will be able to swap over from a GL since the plugs and fittins already exist in the design of the car. 5spd manual is the best bet. Or something with a 4eat(full-time 4wd) versus a 3spd automatic. Usually you will find the 4eat in a turbo or mpfi model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carries Car Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 I was up all night watching Miles videos, very informitive, I think I got an engine sap down pat now, and I don't even own a subi yet, you have some really good videos Miles. you guys have helped me nerrow it down, I want an 88 or 89 fuel injected GL 5 speed. Rust isn't much of an issue out here, so no worries there, I'll set my limit at 150,000 miles and see what I can come up with. I travel a lot, and it's not uncommon for me to put 100,000 miles on a car in a years time, I did that with the Jeep thanks for the help, I'll keep you posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 if you take good care of it, you could feasibly get 3 or 4 "100K" years out of one - seriously. yeah, Miles has some AWESOME videos! hopefully I will get to see tha man in action in person this weekend!! (just so long as I dont end up in one of them videos - the car can be, but not me!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carries Car Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 if you take good care of it, you could feasibly get 3 or 4 "100K" years out of one - seriously. yeah, Miles has some AWESOME videos! hopefully I will get to see tha man in action in person this weekend!! (just so long as I dont end up in one of them videos - the car can be, but not me!) I watched a bunch of his videos last night, he's good at what he does. I'm still looking for a car, but haven't seen anything yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 You gonna go for Push Button 4WD or D/R 4WD or just 2WD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carries Car Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 (edited) You gonna go for Push Button 4WD or D/R 4WD or just 2WD? I'm not sure what you mean by D/R 4WD but my plan is to find something that's got a 5 speed, with a 4 hi and a 4 low, just like my Jeep, only more economical:) I think I'll be pretty safe to look for anything that's fuel injected from 1988 up into the Loyales, I don't want to limit my search to much otherwise I'll end up with nothing . doing a quick search of craigslist from Portland to Seattle shows nothing, patients is key, something will show up I've been using a web site called searchtempest (dot) com it searches all of craigslist starting local and goes out from there, so if there's a car forsale within 500 miles of me, I'll find it Stuart Edited June 2, 2011 by Carries Car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I'm not sure what you mean by D/R 4WD but my plan is to find something that's got a 5 speed, with a 4 hi and a 4 low, just like my Jeep, only more economical:) I think I'll be pretty safe to look for anything that's fuel injected from 1988 up into the Loyales, I don't want to limit my search to much otherwise I'll end up with nothing . doing a quick search of craigslist from Portland to Seattle shows nothing, patients is key, something will show up I've been using a web site called searchtempest (dot) com it searches all of craigslist starting local and goes out from there, so if there's a car forsale within 500 miles of me, I'll find it Stuart D/R stands for Dual Range - which is what you are looking for - the 4 whl hi & lo - it has a seperate lever for selecting FWD, 4 HI and 4 Lo PB or Push Button 4WD is a single range set up that has button on the shifter to engage/disengage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Yup D/R is Dual Range. Ill keep my eye out for an 88+ GL/Loyale with 5 Speed D/R, Im on craigslist constantly and I have a few peeps that see my old car all the time. Never hurts to ask... If you see a cherry looking one that isnt for sale, inquire about it... Thats how we got my old Loyale... My dad saw a guy go into the store and was looking at his Subaru, had 91k on it and my dad waited, then talked to the guy about it, saying he wanted one and could spend 1500 said "if I ever wanna sell it" and took my dads number. Guy sold it to him a day later for 1300. This was back in 2003 so the economy wasnt as crappy, but hey, you never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaraK Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (just so long as I dont end up in one of them videos - the car can be, but not me!) Haha! Apparently this is the price of hangin w/these guys! I was already warned- It made me think twice about the trip up to you!! :-\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carries Car Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Yup D/R is Dual Range. Ill keep my eye out for an 88+ GL/Loyale with 5 Speed D/R, Im on craigslist constantly and I have a few peeps that see my old car all the time. I just noticed you are local, I've been watching craigslist for a car, but so far, nothing. Were the DR subies manufactured up through the Loyale versions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 No Loyales are push-button. I think thats part of the "luxury" because if I recall, all the GL-10s are push-button. I could be wrong, but all of them I have seen are push-button, my 92 Loyale was, my friends 86 GL-10 was etc. My 86 GL is a D/R though and I love it Yupp, not too far away, in the Hillsboro/Beaverton area. That red 89 GL thats "slammed" doesnt seem slammed but thats the only 88-89 GL Ive seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carries Car Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 No Loyales are push-button. I think thats part of the "luxury" because if I recall, all the GL-10s are push-button. I could be wrong, but all of them I have seen are push-button, my 92 Loyale was, my friends 86 GL-10 was etc. My 86 GL is a D/R though and I love it Yupp, not too far away, in the Hillsboro/Beaverton area. That red 89 GL thats "slammed" doesnt seem slammed but thats the only 88-89 GL Ive seen. I saw that red 89, but from the looks of the picture, and the paint job, I'm going to guess that it's been abused Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Yea, I wouldnt be surprised if it was "slammed" by cutting the springs. I am keeping an eye out, since I get on Craigslist about 20x a day lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carries Car Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 there's a GL-10 on there tonnight, but it sounds like it might have a blown engine "I have a 1989 subaru gl-10 wagon. Lets start off with the bad: Does not run. Coolent hose had a leak that has been fixed. the tags have expired. As well as time and love both which im lacking these days. The good: It is the alpine addition ( has the high roof line ) New bypass coolant hose ( the one that had a hole ) New clutch New water pump New intake and turbo gaskets Newer aftermarket muffler ( non-fart can ) New tires less that 500 miles on them New front and rear struts Tri-plier pod with boost guage 8000k hid head light conversion Bike rack" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Im assuming you wanna avoid the GL-10 since its push-button and an EA82T right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Oops, didnt see the previous post. Yea, 1500 for a car that is a mystery "run or not" is never good. And its an EA82T - turbo = more problems. Its also most likely a push-button 4X4. I would skip on it though, unless its pristine inside and out and could just take an engine swap, and even then I might give them 1/2 that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Too bad this isnt an 88 or 89. I like it, but not for $2500 http://salem.craigslist.org/cto/2397096286.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Well HELLO SUBARU http://oregoncoast.craigslist.org/cto/2418011533.html This fit your needs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carries Car Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 (edited) Well HELLO SUBARU http://oregoncoast.craigslist.org/cto/2418011533.html This fit your needs? I'll call on that one, but with my daughters graduation this weekend, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to drive up there and look at it, from the pictures it does look like it’s a 5 speed, but it’s a bad weekend for me to be looking at cars I'm pretty confident that when the time is right, the right car will show up at the right time. oh and your right, no turbos for me, I've done some reading up on them, I think I need to keep it simple, from what I've gathered, a turbo give you more opertunity for more problems and more expensive repairs Edited June 4, 2011 by Carries Car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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