After owning 6 EA81 and EA82 subarus, I just bought my first new gen subaru. A dark green 1992 Legacy wagon automatic, with 179k miles. $1,500. It's actually for a friend, who told me to find him a good subaru. But I get to drive it for a week or so. Boy, does it have more power than my GL wagon.... He wanted something that could do a little towing occasionally, and that had an automatic, for under $2,000, so that's why I went for the older legacy instead of a loyale. I'll have to take it up some dirt roads and see how it does there. Too bad we won't have snow before I have to give it to him....

 

I'm still looking forward to getting my "new" '82 GL next month though...

 

Z

The first gen legacies really are good cars. He should like it.

So, I've been driving it around (took it on a small road trip last weekend) and it performs great. Much more power than the old EA81/82's. Although the automatic transmission bogs if you don't floor it to make it downshift, which means that if I try to drive with a light foot, I always feel like I'm lugging the engine unless I manually downshift. Drove through an intense thunderstorm with heavy rain and and inch or more standing water on the road without problems (other than the CEL coming on after a half hour of this, probably from the cat being cold and wet). Averaged 28mpg on the highway, which I don't think is too bad -- I only expect 29 or 30 from my GL wagon with the manual. I think it handles a bit better than the older subies on paved and flat dirt roads, but I'd hesitate more taking it on two track or off road because of the added weight and relatively squoooshy suspension. On the highway, it actually felt perfectly stable at 85mph (the fastest I wanted to go considering the speed limit is 75). That's better than some newer cars I've driven. Overall, I'm really happy with it, and hopefully my friend will be too when I give it to him this evening.

On the 90-94 legacy's, that CEL is pretty normal. I always thought it was the single wire on the O2 sensor getting wet because the error always pointed to the O2 sensor.

 

Either way, it goes off by itself after 5-10 mins so I learned ot ignore it. Had my 90 Legacy LS wagon for 8 yrs. Best of the 7 Subaru's I owned to date. MY04 Forester is currently the 2nd best. If it continues as it has, it may equal or better that Legacy.

Hey, one question on it -- there is a manual button on the shift lever. What does that do? I couldn't see any difference with it pushed or not. I've never seen that on an automatic before.

With it in, you start in 2nd gear unless you manually put the shifter in 1st. It also lowers the shift points for driving in the snow.

With it in, you start in 2nd gear unless you manually put the shifter in 1st. It also lowers the shift points for driving in the snow.

 

Ah, thanks. I really wish I'd had a chance to try this one in some deep snow, but all I got was some heavy snow in the air going over independence pass (12,158 feet IIRC), but none on the ground.