February 14, 200917 yr hey every one its been a loooooooooong time since i have posted. Um so whats going on is dat i found a couple of legacies 4 sale. one is a 96' Legacy LSi fully loaded with 173,113 on the clock for $2,998 and the other one is a 1998 Legacy 2.5 GT turbo fully loaded with 200,000 on the clock for $3,000. my question is what do i have to look out 4 besides the headgasket issue? which of the 2 would be a better purchase? info would be greatly appreciated
February 14, 200917 yr a 1998 GT turbo? Is that a factory motor? I have never heard of one. anyways, the head gaskets are the biggest concern but besides that look at the body, and any wear items, struts, brakes, check all fluids to make sure they look ok and are topped off etc.
February 14, 200917 yr They did not have turbos in 1998. It may be a transplant, so confirm ti is what it is. nipper
February 14, 200917 yr maintenance/repair records might tip the scales toward either car. if there's none for the 98 then keep looking-there's bound to be another candidate out there.
February 14, 200917 yr Author this is the 1998 Legacy. i just double checked and yeah there is NO turbo on it. the hood scoop is just for looks. i really like this one but i dont know bout the price. this one is the 1996 Legacy. rite now the price is $2998. fully loaded as well. Edited February 14, 200917 yr by Buddy
February 14, 200917 yr prices seem high to me for the miles, but those are nice looking vehicles. i'd want something with a few less miles on it for that price personally. i'd buy the one that has new headgaskets. really good chance at least one has already been replaced (i've bought a few like that). check for signs, do a car-fax, call previous maintenance places. you might be able to see where the head meets the engine what the head gasket looks like. i'd also prefer fewer number of previous owners (car-fax will tell you) and buying from a private seller over a dealer. dealers get cars at auctions (which i've been to before). there's absolutely no advantage buying from a dealer unless you have no time to know or check into anything about cars yourself (which you do, since you're posting here!). and definitely drive them for at least 10 minutes to make sure they don't have head gasket issues.
February 14, 200917 yr Auto or Manual? Check for torque bind. Looks like the red is a private seller and is better looking to boot. Same amount of miles, same price, two years newer.
February 14, 200917 yr Author Auto or Manual? Check for torque bind. Looks like the red is a private seller and is better looking to boot. Same amount of miles, same price, two years newer. yeah the red one is a private seller. i spoke wit him just a while ago and he says that its hardly been driven under his ownership CLEAN TITLE it doesnt leak or burn oil. the reason he's selling it is because he says he cleaning up a bit. now i know what torque bind is in an ea82 but how can i know of torque bind in an auto or manual ej subaru? do i have to feel for anything???
February 14, 200917 yr yeah the red one is a private seller. i spoke wit him just a while ago and he says that its hardly been driven under his ownership CLEAN TITLE it doesnt leak or burn oil. the reason he's selling it is because he says he cleaning up a bit. now i know what torque bind is in an ea82 but how can i know of torque bind in an auto or manual ej subaru? do i have to feel for anything??? Make sure tires match. Make sure the FWD holder under the hood on the pass side is empty. Drive the car in a full lock (tight) circle. The car should be able to do this at idle or slight throttle. If Tehre is TB you will notice the car will lurch constantly, and it may not even be able to make a tight turn. On lurch when first starting the manuver is ok (thats the puter figuring things out) but more then one is bad. TB is very obvious when it happens, it is a "gee that aint right" moment. This goes for manuals or autos. nipper (exceppt manuals dont have a fuse or a computer) Edited February 14, 200917 yr by nipper
February 14, 200917 yr The GT has a 2.5 = Interferance motor, and possible Headgasket trouble/ The 96 LSi will be a 2.2, non interferance motor, ans has less miles.
February 14, 200917 yr Author The GT has a 2.5 = Interferance motor, and possible Headgasket trouble/ The 96 LSi will be a 2.2, non interferance motor, ans has less miles. the only difference between the two is the engine and the hood scoop and a few minor details. the 96 LSi being the ej22, is the headgasket more reliable?
February 14, 200917 yr The GT has a 2.5 = Interferance motor, and possible Headgasket trouble/ The 96 LSi will be a 2.2, non interferance motor, ans has less miles. i think 96 LSi is a 2.5L engine with the matching 4.44 final drive if it's auto, or 4.11 for manual. you might double check if it's a manual, i'm sure about the auto.
February 15, 200917 yr Author one question i forgot to ask is. can the headgasket blow even if the engine has not been overheated? and if the headgaskets have been replaced what are the chances of them blowing again?
February 15, 200917 yr i think 96 LSi is a 2.5L engine with the matching 4.44 final drive if it's auto, or 4.11 for manual. you might double check if it's a manual, i'm sure about the auto. wrong, its a 2.2 auto with 4.11's. great drive train in the LSi 96 wagon, but ive always loved the 2.5GT's especally in a wagon and red. also since i do my own work i don't mind doing head gaskets every 100K
February 15, 200917 yr i think the 96 LSi is a 2.5L engine, like the GT. and i think the LS is a 2.2L. but i could be wrong, it's happened before, just the other day. http://opposedforces.com/parts/info/10100AU080/ LEGACY B11 Usage information Date Body Engine Train Transmission Grade Suspension '95, June — '98, May SEDAN 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission GT Normal suspension '95, June — '97, April SEDAN 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission LS-I Normal suspension '98, June — SEDAN 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission GT Normal suspension '95, June — '98, May WAGON (Middle-high roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission GT Normal suspension '95, June — '97, April WAGON (Middle-high roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission LS-I Normal suspension '98, June — WAGON (Middle-high roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission GT Normal suspension '95, June — '98, May WAGON (Step roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission OUTBACK Normal suspension '98, June — WAGON (Step roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission OUTBACK Normal suspension
February 16, 200917 yr Author wrong, its a 2.2 auto with 4.11's. great drive train in the LSi 96 wagon, but ive always loved the 2.5GT's especally in a wagon and red. also since i do my own work i don't mind doing head gaskets every 100K o crap so it looks like the GT is due for new head gaskets so it seems!!!!
February 16, 200917 yr i think the 96 LSi is a 2.5L engine, like the GT. and i think the LS is a 2.2L. but i could be wrong, it's happened before, just the other day. http://opposedforces.com/parts/info/10100AU080/ LEGACY B11 Usage information Date Body Engine Train Transmission Grade Suspension '95, June — '98, May SEDAN 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission GT Normal suspension '95, June — '97, April SEDAN 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission LS-I Normal suspension '98, June — SEDAN 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission GT Normal suspension '95, June — '98, May WAGON (Middle-high roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission GT Normal suspension '95, June — '97, April WAGON (Middle-high roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission LS-I Normal suspension '98, June — WAGON (Middle-high roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission GT Normal suspension '95, June — '98, May WAGON (Step roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission OUTBACK Normal suspension '98, June — WAGON (Step roof) 2500CC EMPI DOHC NA FULLTIME 4WD Automatic transmission OUTBACK Normal suspension only the outback/2.5GT came with a DOHC 2.5 engine, not the LSi in any year. o crap so it looks like the GT is due for new head gaskets so it seems!!!! unless they where done before with the updated ones, then they might last longer.
February 16, 200917 yr only the outback/2.5GT came with a DOHC 2.5 engine, not the LSi in any year. news to me.
February 16, 200917 yr Author only the outback/2.5GT came with a DOHC 2.5 engine, not the LSi in any year. unless they where done before with the updated ones, then they might last longer. what do you mean by the updated ones???
February 16, 200917 yr this is the 1998 Legacy. i just double checked and yeah there is NO turbo on it. the hood scoop is just for looks. i really like this one but i dont know bout the price. This is my cars twin! 110,000, leather, a 5 speed and lots of fun!! I have none of that wind deflector stuff. It really isn't needed.
February 17, 200917 yr Author This is my cars twin! 110,000, leather, a 5 speed and lots of fun!! I have none of that wind deflector stuff. It really isn't needed. how reliable has it been since its one of the engines dat has head gasket trouble
February 17, 200917 yr what do you mean by the updated ones??? Subaru came out with a better headgasket, at that mileage, it might have the updated, better gasket. Recent work is easy to see by looking at the exhaust headers off of the head. The nuts will look recently worked on and the gasket will look new. But with the winter weather, I would imagine that would be hard to spot. Smell the coolant and make sure it doesn't smell like exhuast or oil and drive the car for about half and hour at least, (personally I don't think 10 minutes is enough for any car, especially in the winter).
February 17, 200917 yr holy hell, those prices for those years. I have people offering 2000$ max for my GT Sedan which is in good condition. Selfish people *sigh*
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