Been looking for a '96 or '97 OBW for my mom in the 4000 to 5000 range. I looked at two of them and both of them had blown or leaking head gaskets. One was a private owner with 180k miles and just 13 months ago he paid to have the gaskets replaced and now they are leaking again. The other was at a dealer outlet lot and the temp gauge shot right up as soon as i got it out on the highway. After replacing my own head gasket on my '97 OBW I'm beginning to wonder if I should look elsewhere to replace my mom's '91 Legacy wagon that is front wheel drive. She wants an AWD car since she lives in a rural hilly area, but i don't know of any others to look at other than subaru.

any suggestions from anyone?

 

thanks

 

Tracy

our 2000 outback wagon will be for sale or can be for sale , headgasket already replaced by dealer , 53,000 mi a/t w/ cold weather pk, and new tires not even 3000ago , my wife will drive the 88 full time 4wd wagon and i still have 5 left for my self . i am 100 mi north of you

prehaps you should look at gettinga legacy wagon for her, since it will be a bit cheaper than an outback..for the $$ you suggest you should be able to find a mid 90's legacy wagon with awd in good condition and with less miles than a comparable outback.

cheers

Perhaps you could include a 2.2 OBW in your search. I realize that may require a manual transmission and if your mom isn't a 5 speed kind of gal then that option is out.

 

Our 96 OBW with 2.2 and 5 speed has been extremely trouble free (in the absence of wood I am knocking on my skull). My experience with the 2.2 in other cars has been the same.

 

My mom's 97 OBW with 2.5 and A/T has been more trouble prone.

 

The Legacy wagon is a good sugestion. If ground clearance is an issue than an Outback Sport with a 2.2. If ground clearance and size are both an issue then perhaps an Excursion! In my neck of the woods if you buy one at full price they give you the second at 1/2 off ;-)

 

Good luck in your search.

 

Greg

Yes, the OBW I went to look at this morning stated it had a 2.2 engine which is why I went to look at it. But, as usual, this was a used lot not a subaru dealer so they didn't even know correctly what the engine size is. Do most of the 2.2 outbacks have the manual tranny? Being a country gal my mom can drive a stick but I was just trying to find something easier for her. Yes, it looks like the legacy wagon is more of an option plus they would be cheaper.

 

tracy

If I recall the OBW was only available in 1995 and 96 with the 2.2 engine.

Sorry, but I can't answer about the tranny.

hey, do an autotrader.com search, and you'll have a better idea whats in your area. theres a really nice 95 leagacy brighton wagon for 3200..has about 110,000 miles on it in the cinci area...theres others as well. good luck

Originally posted by Subarunation 713

The Legacy wagon is a good sugestion. If ground clearance is an issue than an Outback Sport with a 2.2. If ground clearance and size are both an issue then perhaps an Excursion! In my neck of the woods if you buy one at full price they give you the second at 1/2 off ;-)

 

Good luck in your search.

 

Greg

 

You wouldn't happen to be referring to the FIP crowd, would you Greg???

 

On a related note, a 90-94 Legacy wagon can be had cheap, has AWD, and rides like a dream. Just my $.02

 

ScoobySchmitty aka Matt