I am going today to test drive a 1990 Legacy with 161,000 miles on it. It seems that you all are quite knowledgable about these cars and I was wondering if there was anything specific that I should look out for. The asking price is $1300. I plan on using the vehicle to do pizza delivery, being that I'm a student I need a car that is cheap and reliable.

 

Most specifically how routinely does the clutch need to be replaced. The guy is the second owner and says he has never replaced the clutch. Also, does this car have a timing belt, and if so is it an interference engine?

 

I'll continue to search for this information on my own, but any and all feed back will be appreciated.

The car has a timing belt but is non-interference. As for the clutch...who knows...if that's 160K on the highway it could well have another 100K left. 1300 seems fair for one of the most indestructible cars ever built.

my 91 legacy has 190k and has only had the clutch adjusted once or twice that i can remember. 1300 seems good, id pay that for another one.

Madmax, welcome to the board. Find out when the timing belt was last replaced. If you are not mechanically inclined, it could be an expense you don't want to encumber initially. Clutch should be good for a while. Look at the brakes also, and ask if there has been a problem with the alternator/charging system. Overall, a great choice of car.

Thanks for the quick replies.

 

I've changed the clutch on my last two vehicles and am pretty good at doing most general work on automobiles, but I'm also lazy and no longer have a garage, so a clutch change is not something that I want to get into right now.

 

I'll ask about the charging system thanks. The owner did say that he recently replaced the rear brakes and that the fronts could probably need some work in the future.

 

Is it difficult to change the timing belt on these cars. I have yet to do a timing belt change myself. What's the going rate to change the timing beltat a garage?

Well, I went and looked at the Legacy today. I would like your guys opinion on wether I should go through with purchasing this particular Subaru.

 

As stated above it is a 90 with 161k. The exterior has some rust places and the paint is faded with a few dings here and there. The interior seats had quite a bit of wear and the rear seats were slightly spotted and dicolored. The only other thing I noticed is that there was a low odd noise that came from the front right when turning. The guy told me it was similar to a noise he had in the rear, but he changed the rear brakes and everything was fine. Also, the shifter seemed to have a little play.

 

Now for the positive. The car ran very strong, no hesitation, shifted smoothly and the brakes and charging system seemed to be in good shape.

 

The guy said he would give it to me for $1200. So please give me your opinions, does this seem to be a decent deal for this car? It's no beauty queen, but have you guys bought a similar Subaru for a better price?

1200 is a good price. I got my 93 (it had 239k on it when I first got it) for 1800 after the sales guy found out who I was (apparently he knew my bf) that was dropped from 3500 before tax and licensing (it blue books around the original asking price) Other than a couple scrapes on the bumpers this cars in damn good shape for a 12 yr old car.

 

Clutch replacement totally rides on how you drive it. If you ride the clutch all the time it wears faster so it'd need to be replaced more often. I wouldnt worry too much about the shift play unless its so bad it pops out of gear (I had this problem with my bfs car, he forgot a bolt somewhere then decided I should drive haha)

Well, I went and looked at the Legacy today. I would like your guys opinion on wether I should go through with purchasing this particular Subaru.

 

As stated above it is a 90 with 161k. The exterior has some rust places and the paint is faded with a few dings here and there. The interior seats had quite a bit of wear and the rear seats were slightly spotted and dicolored. The only other thing I noticed is that there was a low odd noise that came from the front right when turning. The guy told me it was similar to a noise he had in the rear, but he changed the rear brakes and everything was fine. Also, the shifter seemed to have a little play.

 

Now for the positive. The car ran very strong, no hesitation, shifted smoothly and the brakes and charging system seemed to be in good shape.

 

The guy said he would give it to me for $1200. So please give me your opinions, does this seem to be a decent deal for this car? It's no beauty queen, but have you guys bought a similar Subaru for a better price?

I would think your noise is a wheel bearing. Sounds like you are mechanicaly inclined so you would know whether or not it is a CV joint. If the brakes are making a noise you may have a stuck caliper. The brakes are VERY easy to change on these cars so don't worry about the difficulty factor. However you will need a shop to press out and refit the wheel bearing. BTW-the original clutch on my last 93 wagon went over 204,xxx miles and then I sold it but it was still strong.

 

Good luck,

Greg

$1,200 is a great price if everything is working well. Watch out for that charging system and radiator. Both went bad on my 90 at that mileage point. That can be fixed on your own without too much trouble though. I would not worry about the engine if you don't see any leaks below it. Look down at the CV joints for rips. Offer him a grand and see what happens.

Sounds like an okay deal to me. I paid $2000 for a '91 Legacy L wagon in good condition. This one would be a good deal; just needs a little TLC from what you describe.

 

Good luck

OK, unless I missed it, no one has told you to check that the FWD fuse has not been put in and there is no binding when making tight circles. The old screwed up tranny bit.

 

Wheel bearings are a constant complaint, but the 2.2 is generally a sound performer. Fuel senders seem to go frequently too plus a lot of trim crap like visors.