OK so my girlfriend lost the only key to her 97 Legacy.i have a 91 Legacy that is my donor car with a keyed ignition.will those inter change?they look the same and the key from the 91 fits in the 97.already have the 91 down to just the column.is it easier to change the whole column or just the key part

If I remember right you need the correct key in the ignition to get the cylinder out. 

 

Overall a locksmith might be your cheapest route.  If you want to go to the locksmith you can pull out one of the door locks since they take the same key and have them cut one for it which should work for the ignition

Try Subaru dealer with vin number and photo id. Key should cost about $20

Go to the dealer, give them the vin and have them cut a key off of it. Usually, they will want proof of ownership (registration) and ID. It's not that much. Might be worth getting two. Unless of course you've changed the tumbler before.

yup, go to the dealer and they will cut you a new one.  Cheapest way.

alrighty! thanks guys,the closest dealer is 90 miles away but ya.

When I needed a key for my 97 obs the dealer said they can't cut keys for cars older then 2000. They refered me to a lock smith.

No guarantee that the dealer will have the correct equipment to cut the key. I work at a fairly busy dealership, and we can duplicate keys, but we can't cut one just from the code.

 

 

Any dealership has access to the ignition key code, although they will have to verify ownership.

 

 

With all that, and the fact that you're 90 miles from a dealership, in mind, you might want to get in touch with a local locksmith. The local locksmith here can cut a key from the code out of his work vehicle (which is actually a BG Outback...). So it's not uncommon for him to go out to a customer, he'll verify ownership, and then call us for the key code.

Edited April 25, 20178 yr by Numbchux

Get a new key cut - much easier. (or obviously we should say get *two* new keys cut) 

Dealers can look up the 4 digit key code via the VIN.  Might want to call ahead and make sure the person can/knows how and what they want you to bring to verify ownership.

You can pop out a door lock cylinder, they're the easiest ones to get to - and read the 4 digit key code off of those.  Not sure if a trunk cylinder is easier or also has the code?

thanks everyone!ended up going to the Subaru dealer in Whitefish Montana.had two keys cut at the cost of thirty dollars.worth the drive!plus we had a dentist appointment for the kid there anyway.

Sorry this comes too late, Torry:  I would have had the dealer cut one new key--test it--then run down to Lowes and have a copy made!!!

 

(Contrary to what my kids say, I'm not cheap . . . I'm just frugal.)

Fwiw, ilco blanks are the only blanks that work in Subaru. Hillman access plus don't seem to ever work. I cut them at work with a Hillman automatic machine and 90% of the time those keys come back.. My Subaru dealer carries ilco blanks.

Just a quick follow-up.  When my son and I were driving his "new" '98 Outback from Colorado Springs back to Seattle, we stopped by a Lowes near Ogden, Utah, and had 2 duplicate keys cut.  They were Axxess+ (Hillman) and worked perfectly right out of the cutting machine!

had a key cut for my '98 no problem, bring your registration

When I needed a key for my 97 obs the dealer said they can't cut keys for cars older then 2000. They refered me to a lock smith.

i had a simalar issue at my local dealer who had cut me a new key for my 95 legacy from the vin code but then 2 years later told me they could not do the same for my 98 outback

There might be some reason that's why they refused to make a new key for 98 outback. Also, have you tried contacting a locksmith for getting a 98 outback key.

paging @dburton97128

12 minutes ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

paging

No need. 3 year old thread, dredged up by a 1 post member with an advertisement link in the text....probably not a real inquiry.