Greetings from Kentucky. You guys have a great site & wealth of knowledge here!

 

I've found a non-running '87 Wagon for sale and I'm going to attempt to purchase, license and use it as my DD this winter. It's a 5-spd 4x4 and that's close to all I know about it right now. It's at a shop about an hour away and I hope to go put eyes on it this afternoon. I'll be able to scoop it up for >$500.

 

Now here's the rub, the ad states "No title" and since this is KY I may not be able to obtain one. The only sliver of hope I have is that it's at a mechanics' shop so a lien may be on it & if this is the case it's more likely a title is obtainable.

 

I'll post back after I talk with the shop owner. Thanks!

 

Edit: Ok, just got off the phone with the shop owner. The car has been sitting as his shop for several years with a blown news gasket and fuel system problems. The owner "didnt want to spend that kinda money" so he abandoned it. (This is Kentucky, old Subarus are rare and people are leery of anything that doesnt say Chevrolet or Ford. Ha) The last time he messed with it, he bypassed the tank and ran it out of a gas can and it ran fine (albeit smokey).

 

Any thoughts on whether this one is worth a try?

 

Edited October 2, 201312 yr by Trident

  Blown news gasket? 

yeah, sorry bout that. Blown head gasket

I'd say it's definitely worth a try.  Car looks pretty straight in the pic.  Give it a thorough looking over--any Subie can be fixed.  Then offer him less than he's asking (obviously it's of no great value to him!)

 

Good luck--let us know how it goes.  And welcome aboard USMB!

The biggest issue is rust with these, look around windscreen ( paint bubbles )   inside door/ frame surrounds inside/around  rear tail gate. underbody edges.inside wheel arches, to get a general idea.  rust is a lot harder to fix unless skilled or wish to spend the time completely stripping vehicle back to body shell in order to  to do a good job.  much easier to to fix / replace worn everything else ie engine/drive line etc

 

Or if get a runing one, engine:  check for overheating / blown head gaskets / cracked heads / scaled up radiator/heater core all meaning lack of cooling system maintance ie:

Brown rust coloration / white "scale" discolouration around,  inside engine bay  /inside radiator/cap (white scale in radiator) 

Engine not coming up to temperature / heater not working properly   because  themostat removed to mask cooling system problems.(heater not working- heater core - bypassed coz blocked,leaking)

Have had two of these -  great cars  even despite one of them having theSe issues, managed to save it

Edited October 3, 201312 yr by subnz

I'd buy it. Live across the lake near Hoptown. 

Ok fellas, update time. I went tonight and checked it out. It's an '86 GL not an '87. 155k on the odometer. No rust at all except for that light surface stuff you see on the hood. Seriously straight car. The interior is good, however mice have moved in and it stinks to high heaven. It's been sitting since 2007. The guy put a battery on it today and shot some ether down the carb and she fired right up. It's seriously depressing somebody let this sit. Oh yeah, 4 new Goodyears on it, dry rotted to bits.

 

The title situation is turning out to be very interesting. I'll leave it at that for now. Thank y'all for the tips, much appreciated.

With no title upon sale, try to offer around 300 bucks or so as that is what the car is worth roughly as scrap. How do you title a car with no title in KY? so many years old?

Kentucky is not a Bill of Sale state so you've basically got have the title signed over. Trouble is, the owner's widow has stated she's not going to help one bit in the acquiring of the title. I just learned of this in the last 30 mins.

 

One last ditch trip to the county clerk's office to see what I can do. A duplicate title was filed for & issued 2 years ago. One year after the death of the owner. The family says they never filed for it. I'm thinking that was done by the executor/executress of the estate. Whew boy, this is a trip.

Stick with it, Trident--don't give up.  Go to county officials or even state legislators if you have to--there's gotta' be a way.  It's worth the effort!

 

Good luck. 

Thanks for the nice words guys!

 

alrighty......new update with tenative good news. Turns out, the title was junked last year and the mechanic in posession was never told. So in speaking with the county clerk's office I think I'll be able to go the salvage/junk title route and get her on the road legally. Getting closer now

Most states will allow a salvage title vehicle to be "reconstructed" The title then is branded but the car is road legal again. Usually this entails getting a signature/form filled out by a certified mechanic And/or sheriff's dept. that the car is in road-worthy, safe condition to be registered and the title can be reconstructed.

 

Takes some time, but for an older car like this, worth the effort. I've had a few cars like that pass through my hands over the years.

The deal's done. $400 and I've got myself a car. Gonna tow it home tomorrow & get elbow deep. Anymore I post will be in the proper GL section. Thanks again guys

Congrats, Trident!  Happy wrenching!

Glad to hear it!   I've never known someone to regret buying an old subaru. Probably happens somewhere, but not that I've seen it.