I bought a good running 1998 Legacy L for next to nothing. The struts/springs are done. I found a 2000 Impreza Outback wagon for parts with good struts. Can these be swapped into my Legacy ?

Yes. The spring perches will probably be a different height. They would swap but you would be better served with new struts that are for your application. 

 

GD

Edited March 9, 20179 yr by GeneralDisorder

I agree but if you're willing to deal with a few issues then go for it.

 

I don't know if spring height/rates are different.

You may need to re use your legacy top mounts.

The brake lines may attach to the strut differently.

If you have a donor car, you can swap out the brake lines too.

 

If you have to swap the brake lines, keep the legacy ones in case you ever need to or want to switch back to legacy struts. But this is assuming they attach differently. I'm not sure

Edited March 9, 20179 yr by GreaseMonkey03

Yep. Rear tophats may be different but you can swap the legacy ones on there if so. As mentioned there may be slight differences but unless you are running oversize tires, it wont be an issue.

Thanks guys. I'm going to be running the stock wheels. These struts are only $100 for all for and the owner says they're in good condition.  

How many miles on the donor car and are the struts original?

I'm not sure about the mileage. I can't afford new ones and  I need this car for commuting.

Just keep in mind, they're still 18 years old. Might be better off holding out for better used ones or saving up for new ones. Outside of that, do what you gotta do. You can find struts pretty cheap online. Hopefully you can inspect before you buy and at least see if they are leaking first.

Depending on the reliability of this car I won't mind replacing struts with new ones when I am able to. Wreckers here on Vancouver Island want $700 for decent used ones.

$100 for the set is not bad. I paid more than that here stateside for used forester struts to lift my legacy.

 

If they're in decent shape, I don't mind buying used because, while they wont have the long term life of a new set, they save $$$ and save time when you can swap the whole assembly rather than disassemble each one to swap just the struts. Compressing springs scares me. I'd rather do a motor swap than swap a full set of new struts.

 

When you're ready for new - KYB is highly recommended. American made is fine too. Avoid the inexpensive chinese made though. Lots of reviews of them failing inside 10,000 miles.