Hey guys. I'm new to the site and new to the Subaru world, other than head gaskets on my daughter's 99 wagon. (Stupid head gaskets)

So I just looked at a 1988 gl wagon 5 speed turbo. I just thought it was cool and I was gonna help a buddy out and buy it off him cause he's in a spot.  It's been sitting like three years and started on the second try. I wasn't really looking to aquire another vehicle, but after seeing the knight rider dash and a turbo under the hood. I think I may have to have it! I've never seen one like this before, are they rare? Am I buying into a money pit? Do I need to convert it to a rallycross car? Maybe I'm just looking for some opinions on it. I'm getting cheaper than I care to admit, and not sure it's worth holding on to or selling to someone who would appreciate more than I would.. 

Thanks for any input..

Money pit, yes - unless you ditch the EA82t and drop a wrx conversion into it, then it starts to become somewhat reliable if you don’t go overboard on anything. Slap a 5 stud and brake conversion on it and you’ll be set for that retro look/vibe with some modern day power and reliability while retaining the turbo performance aspect of it. 

If you keep the EA82t you’ll be forever working on it to make it reliable for a drive let along a trip away. Parts are hard to find and the heads usually have a crack in them between the valves, no a deal breaker unless they extend all the way down the exhaust port where it can crack into the coolant jacket. 

Don’t expect the 1.8L turbo setup to do anything spectacular other than make some good noises. An EJ turbo can do the same noises but with the Amalie that comes from the rush of turbo performance. 

If you’re going to do it up as a classic resto, go for it, if you’re not really passionate about the vehicle and (especially the) drive train, either make plans to convert it or walk away.

My 20c on that one. 

Cheers 

Bennie

Yeah watching the green light on the dash is really about as cool as it gets. I mean I had one just like you’re looking at and it was ok but you have a fickle older turbo engine - just asking for trouble in my opinion. Take a little time and read up on the EA82T. 
 

Could be a short term fun project but hopefully you don’t dump money on it. 
 

If you just can’t resist I’d suggest you look up the inter coolers folks have made or integrated. At least keep that sucker cool and it’s a closed air system so check all ducts and hoses. 

Excellent post above! 

Enjoy ! 

Edited February 12, 20224 yr by moosens

Thanks guys. Those couldn't have been any better answers than I was looking for. I think I got overly excited when I saw awd turbo. But at 115 horse can't be to excited. I appreciate the input, looks like I may just clean her up and let it go.. 

EJ it and have some fun.

Listen to these guys.  They know their stuff.  I had one without issues but was extremely lucky apparently.   First order of operations is to make sure your cooling system is ok.   Then I'd have the fuel injectors cleaned and brought back to life.  What I noticed was m #1 and #3 fuel injectors were worse than my #2 and #4.  I noticed that those two injectors were close to the turbo itself.   And lastly, an intercooler.   I had all three of these done and the car ran reliably.   Can't say you will be so lucky though.  

Good luck!