I've got a 94 TW as my daily driver. The brother is thinking about buying a 98 GT, 62K miles, 5-speed. We're test driving it this weekend. Yes, I know about the dohc 2.5L headgasket issue. Figure he's got ~40K miles before it needs replacing, right (unless there are obvious signs of leaking in the creamy oil or hydrocarbins in the coolant)? Check for torque bind, struts, warped brakes, clutch play / noises, fluid leaks, etc.

 

What are the known problems with this year of Subaru?

Figure he's got ~40K miles before it needs replacing, right

you only hear about 100,000+ mile failures because that's what most of these vehicles have on them by now. 10 year old vehicles have about 120,000 miles on average. there are plenty of failures prior to 100,000 miles, just far fewer samples since few have that low of mileage. there's no formula for the EJ25 in terms of when, if, or how it will fail. i've got a few blown headgasket EJ25's in my garage with nowhere near 100,000 miles. don't be fooled just because that's what you usually see. i buy them often and i would never pay anywhere near full price for one with original headgaskets.

 

which brings up an important point - you can easily see if it's the new style or old style headgaskets, just pop the hood and look to see if it's singular or multi-layered in design where it sticks out of the block.

 

check for torque bind. do a search for torque bind here.

other than that, solid car, basic vehicle inspection rules here.

I wouldn't be too concerned with the 5mt having torque bind. Unless it has mismatched tires or the like.

 

If it clearly has the original hg's on it, bring it up and make known the issue and use it for as big a leverage point as you can.

HG's are only 15% of all engines, so its really not a big thing. Go into it with your eyes open. ALWAYS check for TB on any AWD vehical. Make sure all the tires match.

The car is due for a timing belt and seals. Its not only mileage, but time. Rubber ages no matter what it is doing.

Same goes for car parts in general. When the car has low mileage, go by the calander. Check the fluid inside the resivoir (dont go by the resevoir itself, as they are all dirty). Check to make sure the car has heat. if there is no heat thats a great indicator of a HG issue. May mean a simple airbubble in the engine, but thats not good either.

 

nipper

HG's are only 15% of all engines, so its really not a big thing. nipper

 

It's a big thing if you're part of that mythical 15%!

'98 issues:

 

Master break cylinder recall

Alternator recall

Rear differential seal failure recall, fluid onto exhaust

(For A.T.s) Shift lever cog servise recall to avoid inadvertant shift into reverse.

 

Piston sleeves too short and you will ALWAYS hear the engine knocking upon start up. Some say genuine Subi filter and winter grade oil helps.

 

Brakes sucked (early and excissive wear), as did ignition switch (keep your keys cut clean). Keep on top of battery connection/bucket corrosion issues. Don't worry about the HG. Indiana didn't punk the engine until '00 or so.

 

On the plus side: '98s are reletively light and agile, compared to post '00s. You'll also have more wheel well clearance than the Legacy L of same year to put on unrecommended cable chains.

 

Also, learn how to change a tire on it as soon as you get it. Dry run through all four corner. It's a little funky and could leave you wanting a piece of 2x4 to place under the jack. You'll see.

 

Keep the fuel filter clean, watch the alternator and consider a louder horn. . It's not a bad ride. I'd take mine back any day. Now: if there was just something that could be done about that pretentious non-functional hood scoop...

 

Juan

Now: if there was just something that could be done about that pretentious non-functional hood scoop...

I've always wondered about those non-functional hood scoops on N/A cars. Whats the deal with those anyways?