Ok, so i just got my car back from my body guy because i hit a few deer a couple months back. When i picked it up he said not to put too much money into it because the undercarriage is on it's way out. This is not what i wanted to hear. I looked under the car, and it doesnt look that bad. I dont know what to do! Should i get it undercoated or what? Run it until it sags in the middle? This is making me rething getting the rusty body spots fixed in the spring. ARRG!! What would you do?

Eh, most old Loyales I've seen are rusty. My 91's fenders have practically rusted off.... there's a hole in the rear quarter panel big enough to stuff your fist through.

 

The car's still reasonably solid underneath, though, I never feel it flex excessively or anything. Hard for us to tell how bad yours is without seeing it, but I'd guess its solid enough for at least a few more years service.

Why are Leones/Loyales rusting so fast? Our Leone we had from 1988 until 1994 was so badly rusted, we had to give it away. After 6 years!!!

 

Lukas, doenst drive my Leone in winter

Looks can be decieving, and if you really want to know the extent of rust damage, you'll need to strip out the interior.

 

Assuming that you are willing to replace bolt-on panels as needed, you can focus on the condition of the unibody in making your decision. With the side panels and carpeting out you can easily inspect the seams between floor pan and outer body metal (where rust first forms on the EA82's). If there are soft spots in the floor, around the wheel wells or on the firewall, the car is probably hosed. Minor rust can be slowed down or repaired, but when it gets out of control, the returns diminish fast.

 

A word about bolt-ons: These are the most visible, but least critical panels in terms of structural integrity. They must be dealt with if you want a nice looking Sube, but the unibody is the acid test in whether your car is worth saving. Fenders, doors and hoods can be had if you are dedicated and dilligent, but a solid uni is like gold - especially if you live in a rust belt area. Rear quarter and rocker panel rust is a serious problem, but treating or repairing the damage might still be feasibile if the rest of the uni is solid.

If you really want a definitive answer to your dilema, tear out the interior, and you'll know everything you need to know.

good luck, John

What I've heard is that certain Leon/Loyales were made from recycled steel that was less durable than the new stuff.

I'm gonna have to tear some of my interior out to inspect the damage. In my opinion, it's not too bad yet, but the rear wheelwels in the front are starting to go. I'm haveing them replaced. I really want this car to last me another 10 years. Hopefully!

i have had cars so rusty that anyone else would have junked them being too afraid of the matter. rust so bad that the framerails were goen enough for one of the radius rod bolts to not mount to, the floor in back where it curves up rusted out and wires poking thru

 

like john said looks can be deceiving, say rusty on the outside and solid underneath, or solid outside and gone underneath. my sedan has hles rusting thru the upper rear quarter and the wheel arches are half gone, but the underside is rock solid. this car is worth patching up

 

the others being so far gone are no hope, but i would drive them anyway, for the fact they run. run them into the ground till the wheels fall off!

 

no the car wont fall apart or fold in half. the worst example was the rear suspension started to torque away, causing a bind in the u-joint angle. but this was from off-roading. parted the car off to use the parts, not because the car wasnt driveable(or fixable-[hillbilly style welding fixes]

Why are Leones/Loyales rusting so fast?

 

What I've heard is that certain Leone/Loyales were made from recycled steel that was less durable than the new stuff.

 

Is that true? Anyone got an idea why they are rusting that fast?

 

Lukas

rust? whats rust?

 

one thing i love about the west coast

How do you alaskan guys handle the rust? Are you all welding-champs or what?

 

Lukaslooking foward to drive the Leone after easter

I always try to sand/paint before it gets too bad - I am far enough south that rust isn't too bad here

The only thing I do is, taht I am not driving my Soob in winter.

 

Its hard not to drive for 5 Month, but it will last longer, I hope.

 

Lukas

How do you alaskan guys handle the rust? Are you all welding-champs or what?

 

There is a fair share of piecing in and welding that happens here, but regretably the truth is that we generally run them until they fall apart - I mean that quite literally - and then go buy another soob and run it until all that's left are the wheels. There are plenty of rust buckets here.

Where do you get the good ones from?

 

Around here, your car has to be inspected every year, if its rusty, you get no permission to drive. Thats the reason why nearly all OldSchool-Subarus are gone.

 

Only around 40 Leone left in hole austria with a registration and a permission to drive.

 

Lukas

Where do you get the good ones from?

 

Around here, your car has to be inspected every year, if its rusty, you get no permission to drive. Thats the reason why nearly all OldSchool-Subarus are gone.

 

Only around 40 Leone left in hole austria with a registration and a permission to drive.

 

Lukas

 

Answer: Washington and Oregon.

Washington and Oregon.

I gotta move out west.

You guys would drool over the vehicles we have in the wrecking yard. Most have pretty decent bodies unless in an accident and there is usually no rust to be found. I have many customer with 85-89 Subarus that are pratically giving them away because of mechanical problems but the bodies are still decent. Someone needs to rent a car hauler and make a load.

 

 

I can not see putting a lot of money/time into a car that the body shop said was not going to last too much longer.