yfz450bum Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 well I am new to this forum, and subarus in general. i have been looking at different old model subarus. The reason i want a subaru is for a car that i can rally cross. I really want an awd turbo car, but i have no clue. i have only been reading aroudn this forum for about 10 minutes. so I am sorry. i would just like some advice. and if you have any car for sale let me know. i am on a budget of about 1500. And i have also been looking at the RX's. I would just like to know some information on them. like what motor they have (ea82?) or what. what models too look for? anything i should wtch out for etc? oh, and i have found a 93 subaru loyale. awd for 400. he says it overheats and the headgasket leaks. how costly of a repair would this be? do you think its worth it? thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 RXs are nice cars. The 87-89 come with a FT4WD Tranny w/ manual center diff lock and dual range. They have an EA82T (EA82 Turbo) engine, which cranks some where around 115 hp out. Definitely a very nice car, and would be great rally crosser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yfz450bum Posted August 1, 2006 Author Share Posted August 1, 2006 RXs are nice cars. The 87-89 come with a FT4WD Tranny w/ manual center diff lock and dual range. They have an EA82T (EA82 Turbo) engine, which cranks some where around 115 hp out. Definitely a very nice car, and would be great rally crosser. thanks. do you think 1500 is a reasonable price for a decent RX? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 thanks. do you think 1500 is a reasonable price for a decent RX? Seeing as RXs are fairly rare, 1500 is definitely a reasonable price. If it had no rust, I'd even say 2000. That's for an 87-89. The 85 and 86 RXs are sedans, and although rare, don't have as many cool things about them, included the FT4WD D/R. (They have a PT4WD D/R though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yfz450bum Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 Seeing as RXs are fairly rare, 1500 is definitely a reasonable price. If it had no rust, I'd even say 2000. That's for an 87-89. The 85 and 86 RXs are sedans, and although rare, don't have as many cool things about them, included the FT4WD D/R. (They have a PT4WD D/R though) So i should be looking for 87-89 then? those are the better years? anything little things i should look for if i go look at one? after how many miles does the turbo need a rebuild normally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Frankly the EA82T isn't all that reliable. They blow head gaskets easily if you try anything fancy, and sometimes even if you don't. There is little to no aftermarket for them (in comparison to the EJ series), and the reliable HP you can get from one is not much more than they already had stock. The water jacket is very near to the exhuast ports and they like to crack in that area - that's one of the reasons there were three different generations of head castings - never did get it right tho. Look for an early 90's legacy Turbo - bulletproof EJ22G (Turbo), AWD 5 Speed. Lots of aftermarket, better suspension, and lots more wheel options stock. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yfz450bum Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 Frankly the EA82T isn't all that reliable. They blow head gaskets easily if you try anything fancy, and sometimes even if you don't. There is little to no aftermarket for them (in comparison to the EJ series), and the reliable HP you can get from one is not much more than they already had stock. The water jacket is very near to the exhuast ports and they like to crack in that area - that's one of the reasons there were three different generations of head castings - never did get it right tho. Look for an early 90's legacy Turbo - bulletproof EJ22G (Turbo), AWD 5 Speed. Lots of aftermarket, better suspension, and lots more wheel options stock. GD ok so do all early 90's legacys have the ej22 or only the trubo? thank you for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 All legacys have EJ22's in them. And lets clarify that the Loyale's and GL/DL line dont have AWD. THey have Part Time 4WD. Meaning you select from FWD to 4WD via a lever, and its not safe to drive in 4WD on pavement. The RX however has a Full Time 4WD Tranny, which in actuallity is AWD. It also has dual range so you have a high and low range, but always in 4WD. With the center diff locked, you get true 50/50 front/rear distribution so on gravel you get superiour traction. That, and RX's all came with rear LSD's, so they are prime for a rally car. $1500 is a decent price, i stole mine for $1000... but Gen.Disorder is right. The EA82T isnt very reliable if you want to make big power. Less than a year after owning my RX, i blew the motor up. But i have since rebuilt it, and performed a few modifications to keep it fun to drive. Ive also owned a Turbo Legacy, and in all honesty I didnt like it near as much as i love my RX. I sold the legacy to buy the RX, and there are no doubts in my mind. The RX is much more agile, and rally prepped. The Legacy will cost you twice as much to purchase, and 3x as much to prepare for rally. Even tho there are not many aftermarket upgrades for the RX as the Legacy, ther are plenty of ways to get the performance you are looking for. Oh, and one other thing. The EA82T in the RX is no different than the EA82T offered in the GL/DL line. There are GL10 models out there that have the Full Time 4WD Transmission with a center diff lock, just no dual range. So even though the RX is rare and hard to find, its not hard to mimick. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phizinza Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 If you want to rally cross, I say you want a turbo. I'd go with what GD said, if they are cheap enough. If you go with what SubaruJunkie is on about you should look for something like this http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=62343. That seems like a good deal, and if you do pick one up for under $1K you then have $500 to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yfz450bum Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 thesubarujunkie. thank you for the informative post. after reading that I think i will stick to the RX. even though it is not as powerful it will be more agile. and more fun to rally. thank you. and how about selling that RX of yours? haha. but one thing that sucks about living in southern california is, that we dont have many old subarus. we dont have any need for them really. so its really hard to find a RX out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phizinza Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Is that because it is too hard to get a 80's car to pass emissions? Sad.. becuase you'd think a Hummer would suck more juice and create more pollution, but I guess not on a percentage basis?... :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yfz450bum Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 Is that because it is too hard to get a 80's car to pass emissions? Sad.. becuase you'd think a Hummer would suck more juice and create more pollution, but I guess not on a percentage basis?... :-\ naw i meant we never need awd or 4wd drive out here. but out in other states where it rains and snows. people need awd or 4wd. in sunny southern califronia. all we need is 2wd trucks that are lifted 3-4 feet. (that was a joke) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phizinza Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 all we need is 2wd trucks that are lifted 3-4 feet. (that was a joke)No, no, no... you NEED them so you can see over the top of the other truck that is lifted 2ft high.. What you need down there is a VW Baja bug/dune buggy with a EJ20t (I should really be saying up there, huh?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yfz450bum Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 No, no, no... you NEED them so you can see over the top of the other truck that is lifted 2ft high.. What you need down there is a VW Baja bug/dune buggy with a EJ20t (I should really be saying up there, huh?) haha ya. well actually I have a sandrail and baja bug. but both havent been touched in a while. My family has alot of projects. I have a sandrail and baja bug. my brother has a ford ranger. and a 73 mach1 mustang. and my dad has a boat, and 71 convertible bug, and some super old gold cart. none of these are really working projects. but i had another rallycross car before this hopefulyl soon to be subaru. so i will actually work on it and drive it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 if you want a fun soob for rally cross, from what i have been reading, your best bet might be to get a mid to late 80s GL or rx.. i dont know alot about the RX model, but i know the curb weight on my 87 GL10 is something like 2400-2500 pounds. i have a partial 89 FSM that lists curb weights on all models of all the DL/GL series between 2240 to 2900 depending on model, trim level and engine/trans combinations.. with the FT Turbo GL-10 wagon being the heaviest (duh, the most of the most) and your 89 rx FT4wd turbo checks in at 2670.. where my 87 gl10 (lots of options, power windows and sunroof add weight) 2wd AT weighs 2465 (well the 89 did at least.) so you could easily shed a few hundred pounds in your specific model choice... IF youre looking for a really nice quick car to build yourself anyhow. Alot of people opt to swap the ej22 legacy motor into these cars for reliable power.. and they are very lightweight, probably better across the line for weight than any contemporary japanese car... civic, sentra, camry, etc (well corolla came in at the end of the 80s but you get the point) so its a great option for a lightweight conversion chassis. any car you come across, you should be able to determine what the factory curb weight was, at least.. the door sill VIN plate lists the GVWR, which is the maximum weight of the vehicle, including passengers and cargo.. it might list it as separate axle weight restrictions..(AWR) but you get the GVWR and then go to the glove box. there should be a sticker in there that lists the maximum load capacity and the tire size.. although this info may also be on the vin plate. anyhow, the capacity for the model is a given, like 400 something pounds, or 600 or whatever.. i forget right now.. but the GVWR is printed on there as a unique number, unique to that car.. and as far as i can tell its accurate (at time of manufacture, probly sans oil and fuel? i dont know) within one pound.... so that will establish that on any subaru at least that you find. any car should have both bits of info on it, but different makes and models differ as to how accurate the GVWR printed is compared to the actual rating listed.. (unless an inordinate number of cars i have seen actually weighed in increments of large quantity.. like 25 or 50.. some just seem like they fudge it, you know? theyre stamped on in the same type of paint as the rest of the mass produced vin plate... some are printed on in a manner you can tell is unit-specific) anyhow, it seems like you might want to just find the right donor car and the right driveline.. that way the car could be had for a few hundred bucks, if youre lucky.. and then youve got a grand to buy a driveline with. and if you are going to custom make the car, then you can just find the body shape, features, and weight that you want... so you could just get a DL or GL with rollup windows and no power locks with zero options included, if you wanted, and then yank the motor and driveline (or whatever) and replace it with what you want to build yourslef a nice turbocharged 200 hp EJ22 powered GL/Loyale. that was my two bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 The RX maybe for sale, if the price is right. I can tell you right now tho... $1500 aint gonna cut it Besides, the RX isnt california legal anymore. Reason I maybe forced to sell it. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yfz450bum Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 daeron. thank you very much. But one thing i do need for sure is awd. that is the one big thing i was looking into. as of now i wont need big power. I was thinking with the RX maybe put an intercooler on there and that was it as far as performance.(maybe later on go with the ej22) but i was just strip the ninterior, cage it. you know that kind of stuff. after reading your post I will definetly be looking more closely at the specs of these cars. need to do some more research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 i cant recall where i found the link to my partial FSM, but it was thru this forum. numbers help anyone make a decision.. and once i thought "hey, let him know how much weight differences there are, etc.." i figured may as well quote you all the data i reasonably could. i personally almost never prefer a four door to a two or three door (ie, sedan over RX) but in this case i honestly think the sedan looks a bit better. but i havent looked at RXs too much.. and i dont think ive ever actually SEEN one. i cant really judge a vehicle fairly until i see it in person. ive had a few instances where i did a comlete 180 on a car i hated until i really saw one, and vice versa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.