dbenzmaine Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 So the inevitable finally happened. I got pulled over for a loud exhaust this evening on my way back up to Maine (i was going to have a friend weld it tomorrow!), and the officer made official note of the amount of rust on my car. I have my orders to get it fixed, but it's really beyond repair. I've had this 4wd 89 EA-81 GL Hatch since January of 1997, and i'm completely addicted to the beautiful simplicity, excellent cargo capacity, totally solid fuel economy, and ability to have enormous amounts of fun taking my car places that Jeep owners fear to tread. I don't want to be driving any other car. Unfortunately, i live in the northeast. Finding another one up here that doesn't have major rust problems is next to impossible. I'm leaning towards doing the unthinkable and buying a different car. The plan would be to get myself something practical and reliable for the next few years and then spend some time finding myself a beautiful rust-free GL as my replacement fun vehicle over the long term. So here's the question: if you're a GL addict and need to switch to a more modern vehicle (i'm thinking late 90's is the oldest i'd go), what do you buy? I refuse to go with something like an Xterra or Wrangler, so i'm basically resigning myself to giving up some offroad ability. I also really really like hatchbacks and their inherant usefulness. I'd like something that gets good mileage and is environmentally friendly. Stuff that's crossed my mind so far: EJ-22 Impreza, late 90's Civic hatch, early 00's Civic hatch, possibility of Corolla (but have they made a hatchback recently?), i'd take a Jetta Diesel (but they're unbelievably hard to find), possibly late model Golf (but they've got reliability issues and aren't actually all that efficient...). I'm really not coming up with anything that excites me. They don't make em like they used to! Anybody have ideas on what car i should get as my daily driver until some beautiful day in the future when i can scoure Arizona for a spotless GL? Thanks for any tips you've got! Also for reading this crazy-long post! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4_Welder Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Wait- you're from Waterville or AZ? I grew up in the China area, and then spent a little over a year in Phoenix. At any rate, finding one up there will be near impossible, even finding them in southern NE is hard. If you talk with jeep5.9litre, he might have some more infor on where to find a car in the NE, or how to get one to the NE, or try subeman90, he's just right over in NH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89thorn Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Why replace it? why not fix the exhaust and ride it. How can the officer say anything about rust on the car. I have never heard of a officer writing on a ticket anything about how rusty a car is. Is there a screwed up law up there in maine. I have seen cars in virginia and in tennessee That you could Throw a cat through the rust holes. I have been behind a car and seen trash fall on the road out from under them. They had a hole in the floor board big enough to dump trash. Personally i weld and bondo and fiber glass my holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbenzmaine Posted December 6, 2006 Author Share Posted December 6, 2006 Hi Welder, Funny stuff. I grew up in Waterville, but my parents actually live in China now. Small world. The AZ reference is just my idealized version of where to buy rust-free cars. 89thorn Let's just say that i'm not revealing everything that was wrong with the situation and that i may have been in very significant violation of Maine's inspection law... My GL is definitely off the road for a while (super-sad given that it's mechanically a very solid car that i was planning to drive to Wisconsin this weekend and that i've actually driven as far as Costa Rica and back in within the last year and a half), so i pretty much have to come up with a different car. While i'd love to do a similar GL, the reality of the situation is that i live in NYC most of the time, and i wouldn't be able to do any of the inevitable work that would familiarize me with the car and make it my own. I will get another one, but i'm thinking that it's a few years down the road at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Just get one from out here - there is NO rust here. And I do mean NO. Just fly out and drive one back - would still be about the same price you are looking to pay for a decent condition 4WD GL out there. And keep your hatch for parts - or at least the parts you may need. With a new undercoating layer, a GL body from out here would be as good as showroom new to you guys out there. I have NEVER seen a single hole in a subaru from rust that didn't come from out of state. Plus the cost out here is minimal. I pick up parts cars and DRIVE them home for $100 to $200 all the time. People dump them for stupid stuff like timing belts and clutches. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbenzmaine Posted December 6, 2006 Author Share Posted December 6, 2006 Disorder - Yeah, it's definitely tempting to try something like that. Is there any decent classified add source that's available over the internet though? It's tough to scout used cars from far away, especially if they're more than 8 or 10 years old. I'm wary of trying to do that, and i also have limited schedule flexibility for traveling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89thorn Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 oh my bad. See around here if you dont fix what you got, and most cant afford new, you have to buy other peoples problems and fix them so that you have something. Good luck to you and your quest for a new ride, anything from virginia will have the cancer. I have not found one for a decent price that when on a lift, and poking with a screw driver didnt come up with at least 4 holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospeeder Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Oh just go to the j/y and get a muffler that looks good and quiet it down, and cops will never look at u again, or pray paint some of the rust or somthing so its not noticable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Disorder - Yeah, it's definitely tempting to try something like that. Is there any decent classified add source that's available over the internet though? It's tough to scout used cars from far away, especially if they're more than 8 or 10 years old. I'm wary of trying to do that, and i also have limited schedule flexibility for traveling... Actually - I find MOST of the ones I scrap out (or drive!) on www.craigslist.org If you plan it right you can choose any of dozens on there. Most of the ones I pass up are past my ~100 mile range, but that wouldn't be a problem for you.... GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RdNkBrt Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Yeah, we've got LOADS of rust free's out here in Cali too.they are all over Craigs. depending on your price range i could do a little lookin for you my area, mainly just because i'd hate to lose anyone on here to a CIVIC:headbang: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4_Welder Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 seattle.craigslist.org for western WA, portland.craigslist.org for OR. I got my hatch for $150 from Seattle. If you find one in the Bremerton/Port Orchard area you are serious about, I'll take a look at it for you. But I won't be running all over for ya- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 I use bookmark folders to set up a bookmarked search for the term "subaru" on all of the cities in florida on craigslist... and just periodically go to the bookmark menu, go to that folder, and select to open all those bookmarks in separate tabs.. I use mozilla firefox for my browser, but surely AOL, IE and company have something similar, dont they? Most of the time it is SUPER easy to skim past the newer soobs because the prices are four or five digits.. craigslist rocks :- ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 With a new undercoating layer, a GL body from out here would be as good as showroom new to you guys out there. I have NEVER seen a single hole in a subaru from rust that didn't come from out of state. GD 1 exception... remember my silver brat??? It was from Tillamook / Netarts Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 1 exception... remember my silver brat??? It was from Tillamook / Netarts Oregon Oh - yeah I've seen some NASTY rust from the beach. But that's over a mountain range, and fortunately very few people actually LIVE there. Most just visit occasionally. Tourist towns and retirement communities. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 http://www.crazedlist.org/, search all of craigslist much more efficiently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbenzmaine Posted December 6, 2006 Author Share Posted December 6, 2006 Thanks for the input everyone. Craigslist rocks, and i hadn't thought about looking at other cities. The bookmarking thing sounds like a good idea too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RdNkBrt Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 thanks Scrap, thats the best thing for me since sliced bread!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 wow, life is so easy now. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank B Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Do you have any pics of the bad areas? Surely someone here has repaired rust that was as bad and could give you some easy ideas.... If not, keep the car, buy some crappy older car or truck to get you by untill you find another Subaru. When you do, you'll have your old car for parts. Go cheap and get one with a bad engine and use yours to repair it. In Virginia a trooper can take your car off the road in a heartbeat! It's called "improper equipment". The state troopers are the inforcing body for the state inspections. They will close a garage down if they pass cars that can't pass inspection or if they don't do the inspection properly. I have gotten some scary warnings from balding tires, cracked windshield, loud exhaust, a lowered suspension in my old truck ... anything that would cause your car to fail inspection, could get you a stiff fine from a trooper, or worse. It's aggrevating, but at least the cars on the road are safer, and it makes me feel better knowing my kids are out there on the same roads!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 ... i've actually driven as far as Costa Rica and back in within the last year and a half ... Really? Me Too . . . . . . . . . . . I Really think that your Subie can be Fixed, Also: I Really Think that Almost Anything on a Car Can Be Fixed! ... So, I Suggest to post here Pics of the Damage, maybe one of us can Come out with Great Ideas! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgd73 Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Good Luck on finding one. I recently took on a project of moderate rust that left a majority of the good looking body alone. They do disappear here due to rust- I remember some of them driven daily for 5 years and all done forever to road salt (just 5 years). To have an 89 go as far as you did, I am willing to guess it is not quite the victim the appearance may be revealing it as. Did you have a pro look at it? A pro that knows ingenuity, not just unbolt and replace stuff- they are all over maine- Rust has been a problem since the dawn of dainty automobiles. I have seen tasks as far as english wheel type curves on new metal in a backyard mechanics territory (it is that ridiculously frustrating).I recently covered a wheel well using the wheel well itself as the shaper. I am sure yours is better than you were prejudiced against- the car is comfortably drivable, it is not failing to rust. I have gone as far as knowing the car was bent- and finding ways to make it stronger, successfully, and getting a no BS inspection from a mechanic who goes as far as banging and tapping on things. Rust is intimidating to alot of people (including some of our friendly maine police officers) and it shouldn't be.It is not thier job to underestimate the car owner, but oh how most do.... They are around in garages, etc. Elderly driving less, many reasons to find a good one as a surprise even here. If you do have means to go to another locale- it only takes a couple hundred miles south, and its another world of sharp lookin autos- more miles most likely, and different errors than local, but hey, they could look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 I'll say that it's not worth fixing rust soo bad a trooper noticed it. I've been west, and I have witnessed the miracle of non-rusty subarus. It would be way easier and faster to get a car from the west and drive it home. you don't have to go all the way to Cali to get a car, there's a few rust-free states this side of the rockies. Plan 3 days to get home after pickup, and bring tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffast Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 i vote for pics surface rust can be repaird some what easily with pop rivits and a drill after all it couldn't be this bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbenzmaine Posted December 6, 2006 Author Share Posted December 6, 2006 I love everyone's loyalty to the subie. Yes, you're all correct in that this car is totally driveable and solid. If i hadn't been caught, i'd be driving it to Wisconsin this weekend. Unfortunately, the violation may have gone beyond rust, and it is best that this car stays off the road for a while. My other problem is that i live in NYC most of the time, and my ability to do my own work while i'm there is severely restricted. Sadly, i am actually thinking of going with a newer car that won't require any love or attention. I realize this also means that it will have no soul, it won't be able to do anything worthwhile offroad, it won't have as useful cargo capacity, and it won't feel like it's actually "mine". How do people feel about the EJ-22 Imprezas? Do they really only get 28 MPG on the highway??? My GL would get low 30's if i took it easy... I figure if i'm going newer, i should at least be able to find something that's more efficient than my old carbed 81!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Im thinking 28 sounds about right. Yeah u would think with over 20 years of technology they would be able to get better milage than your 81 but your 81 has a smaller motor and less weight to pull around. My sisters got a 2001 outback and shes only getting about 26-28 on the highway. Thats as good as my 83 carbed automatic GL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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