so i am about to make a down payment on a 1986 subaru xt turbo that i found for sale in my neighborhood... it is kind of an obscure car and i am having a hard time finding solid reviews about it. anyone here know about this car? any reviews? good or bad? i see alot of the potential in the car, but have been in the market for a while so i wanna make sure that i am getting a good car this time.

head to www.xt6.net

they know xt's very well

also welcome to the board

jeff

thanks for the link ans the welcome!

Love my XT Turbo. Keep it stock, and it will be very reliable.

 

One thing to watch out for, is make sure the air suspension (if equipped) is in 100% working condition. It is expensive to fix, and usually cheaper to just convert to conventional stuff.

 

Also, the digital dash (if equipped) is a pita to read during the day with sunglasses on. Otherwise its pretty neat.

Ive owned an XT, very easy to spot in car parks. Its one of those cars you have to look twice at - very versatile and very easy to work on.

 

And it goes pretty well - we get 60mph easily out of 2nd gear

 

KELTIK

great cars, great motor.

 

it is old so the air suspension is for sure the first thing to worry about. look to convert to coil over if you like to keep things simple, cheap and reliable.

 

the turbo has oil and coolant lines to it. that's fine....except when they leak that basically pumps oil and coolant away from the motor. i'd replace any related clamps, hoses or o-rings first thing.

 

the head gaskets are the first things to go. at this age/mileage the turbo's put too much stress on the motor to take any overheating or negligence in the maintenance department. at 20 years old it's very easy for the car to have been overheated or driven hot at least once...not good on 20 year old head gaskets.

 

some tips of checking for head gasket issues - look under the oil cap for a milky type substance, start the car up when cold and see if any coolant/water blows out the exhaust pipe. see if there's any oil in the over flow tank. run it for awhile and make sure it doesn't overheat at all. after it's warmed up, get out of the car, pop the hood and see if any bubbles are coming out of the overflow tank. bubbling is bad. check to see if there are any new cooling system parts - radiator, water pump, hoses.

 

i'd buy the car even with bad headgaskets, but i'd like to know before i start talking price.

i have received nonstop good reviews, which is awesome for a car nearly my age!! i have put a down payment on the vehicle and as time passes i am getting consideralbly excited about getting to drive it around and making it "my car" thank you for the mechanical tips too. i will make sure to look at the head gasket and get a mechanic to double check things.. the family i am buying it from operate a mechanics shop just for dodge and subaru (that is a relief as well)

 

thanks everyone for reviews

One point: A milky white substance under the oil cap is typical in cold areas. I don't know if Sacramento is cold enough, but this is not necessarily a reason to reject the car, or stress out about head gaskets.

 

Rob.

so i am about to make a down payment on a 1986 subaru xt turbo that i found for sale in my neighborhood... it is kind of an obscure car and i am having a hard time finding solid reviews about it. anyone here know about this car? any reviews? good or bad? i see alot of the potential in the car, but have been in the market for a while so i wanna make sure that i am getting a good car this time.

 

Used to drive an '87 XT Turbo ...

 

Loved it so much it's just parked in the drive way with multiple issues ... can't get myself to get rid of it.

 

 

jw