I got rid of my 95 legacy and I am looking to get another subaru. I would love to get another 95 with relatively low miles if I can, but other than that, what are good years and what are bad years? How long was the head gasket issue? 1996 - ???? and for 2.5's only?

Anything with the ej25 phase 1 dohc has the head gasket issues. Phase 2 sohc was started in 99 for the impreza rs and 00 for the legacy lineup. Begining in MY02 all n/a subaru's were ej25 phase 2.

1990-1994 Legacy's are all extremely reliable and some of them even came with turbos for more power. They're all non-interference engines so you don't have to worry about being aggressive with the timing belt change.

In addition to the '90'-94 I see a lot of people like the '95 & '96 2.2L. Someone mentioned in an earlier post the '96 Outback with MT was 2.2L. The potential head gasket issue 2.5L's are still a great vehicle if you are willing/prepared to have it fixed if/when needed.

good year in terms of what?

the 2.5's are real nice, got nice power. i would not pay full price for one personally. i'd buy an inexpensive one with a blown motor (easy to find) and put a new motor in it if i wanted one with a 2.5.

the 2.2's are solid for reliability.

non-interference 2.2's are nice for reliability and no chance of engine damage with timing belt, pulley or water pump related timing belt failure (1996 or earlier)

non interference 2.2's with hydraulic lifters are nice, they have all of the above and no valve adjustments are needed.

i love my 1997 OBW. i liked my 1998 legacy too, but i like the power of the 2.5 .

I got jumped on for scaring people off subarus due to the AWD system (people damaging it due to not understanmding it .. can happen on any awd car), but i constantly see people badmouthing the 2.5. i love the 2.5 over the 2.2 . The older the 2.5 Gets, the more likely if it had a HG issue, it was already repaired. I loved mine so much I had it rebuilt. Mine did not have a HG issues, but had a previous owner that did once a year oil changes (not synthetic) and that caught up to it.

If you live in a hilly area, defanitly look at a 2.5L. When your looking at a 7-10 year old car used, anything can go wrong. I always used the rule of thumb that the older the car, the more likely you are to put 50% of the purchase price back into the car the next year in repairs. This is just for budgeting purposes. Some cars i just drove, others i had to reseal. This is just something to help you plan.

As with any AWD car, make sure the tires all match, and drive it in a few tight circles to check the AWD system. If its an automatic make sure the fuse is not in the FWD holder under the hood.

 

nipper

 

nipper

i love my 1997 OBW. i liked my 1998 legacy too, but i like the power of the 2.5 .

I got jumped on for scaring people off subarus due to the AWD system (people damaging it due to not understanmding it .. can happen on any awd car), but i constantly see people badmouthing the 2.5. i love the 2.5 over the 2.2 . The older the 2.5 Gets, the more likely if it had a HG issue, it was already repaired. I loved mine so much I had it rebuilt. Mine did not have a HG issues, but had a previous owner that did once a year oil changes (not synthetic) and that caught up to it.

If you live in a hilly area, defanitly look at a 2.5L. When your looking at a 7-10 year old car used, anything can go wrong. I always used the rule of thumb that the older the car, the more likely you are to put 50% of the purchase price back into the car the next year in repairs. This is just for budgeting purposes. Some cars i just drove, others i had to reseal. This is just something to help you plan.

As with any AWD car, make sure the tires all match, and drive it in a few tight circles to check the AWD system. If its an automatic make sure the fuse is not in the FWD holder under the hood.

 

nipper

 

nipper

That about sums it up nipper! nice post

i love my 1997 OBW. i liked my 1998 legacy too, but i like the power of the 2.5 .

I got jumped on for scaring people off subarus due to the AWD system (people damaging it due to not understanmding it .. can happen on any awd car), but i constantly see people badmouthing the 2.5. i love the 2.5 over the 2.2 . The older the 2.5 Gets, the more likely if it had a HG issue, it was already repaired. I loved mine so much I had it rebuilt. Mine did not have a HG issues, but had a previous owner that did once a year oil changes (not synthetic) and that caught up to it.

If you live in a hilly area, defanitly look at a 2.5L. When your looking at a 7-10 year old car used, anything can go wrong. I always used the rule of thumb that the older the car, the more likely you are to put 50% of the purchase price back into the car the next year in repairs. This is just for budgeting purposes. Some cars i just drove, others i had to reseal. This is just something to help you plan.

As with any AWD car, make sure the tires all match, and drive it in a few tight circles to check the AWD system. If its an automatic make sure the fuse is not in the FWD holder under the hood.

 

nipper

 

nipper

 

my only problem with the 2.2 was little power with a heavy car. my dads 98 ouback with the 2.5 is a great car, nearly 200k miles on it and had the headgaskets chagned at 188k, the only real problem with it is massive piston slap that is making my dad nervous. he isn't as happy with this car due to these engine problems. I like it its a great engine when well taken care of. don't let the problems scar you away its not like it happens all the time.

the only real problem with it is massive piston slap that is making my dad nervous. he isn't as happy with this car due to these engine problems. I like it its a great engine when well taken care of. don't let the problems scar you away its not like it happens all the time.

 

Indeed, mine had that too! It was so anoying, and the only cure is a rebuild. I am told it requires slightly larger pistons to correct this problem, and so far it has worked for me.

John

I've had no problems at all with our '02 OBW, 3.0L H6 engine. It's got 91K miles on it. Only non-expected item I had to replace was the brake master cylinder when I accidently grabbed a can of motor oil instead of brake fluid for topping it off. Oh yeah, there was the brake-problem-when-cold issue that has been discussed elsewhere on this forum, that I finally fixed for no cost. So far, no complaints other than I think the gas mileage could be better than the 23-24 mpg we've been getting.

I'm with nippster on this one, the EJ25 is so much more fun than the EJ22

even though they're known for blowing up etc... i think it's worth it

i love my 1997 OBW. i liked my 1998 legacy too, but i like the power of the 2.5 .

I got jumped on for scaring people off subarus due to the AWD system (people damaging it due to not understanmding it .. can happen on any awd car), but i constantly see people badmouthing the 2.5. i love the 2.5 over the 2.2 . The older the 2.5 Gets, the more likely if it had a HG issue, it was already repaired. I loved mine so much I had it rebuilt. Mine did not have a HG issues, but had a previous owner that did once a year oil changes (not synthetic) and that caught up to it.

If you live in a hilly area, defanitly look at a 2.5L. When your looking at a 7-10 year old car used, anything can go wrong. I always used the rule of thumb that the older the car, the more likely you are to put 50% of the purchase price back into the car the next year in repairs. This is just for budgeting purposes. Some cars i just drove, others i had to reseal. This is just something to help you plan.

As with any AWD car, make sure the tires all match, and drive it in a few tight circles to check the AWD system. If its an automatic make sure the fuse is not in the FWD holder under the hood.

 

nipper

 

nipper

 

 

What would one look for when driving in tight cirlces to check the AWD system? I have a 99 Legacy OBW and was always wondering if the AWD was working properly. How would this tell? Thanks.

What would one look for when driving in tight cirlces to check the AWD system?

Check for binding. It should make the turn at idle or with very light throttle. Any popping, banging, hanging up, feeling like the brakes on could mean torque bind. To see if the AWD is working, I'd say get on some snow or gravel or mud or something and get the wheels to spinning. You might need someone outside the vehicle to verify that at least one front and one rear wheel spin.

Check for binding. It should make the turn at idle or with very light throttle. Any popping, banging, hanging up, feeling like the brakes on could mean torque bind. To see if the AWD is working, I'd say get on some snow or gravel or mud or something and get the wheels to spinning. You might need someone outside the vehicle to verify that at least one front and one rear wheel spin.

 

If its icy, and awd is working correct and you hammer down as much as she has there is a good chance of it breaking sideways, actually a real good chance. I've always loved mom's 98 in the snow:grin: