So I'm selling my forester to get something with a llittle better mileage. Found a cheap 88 GL wagon but it needs a idler pulley to get the AC working again. Still work buying?

That would be the least of my worries. Depends on price, condition, mileage, rust etc.

Idler pulley is nothing.

 

If everything else works fine, then its not a big problem at all.

If you do this I hope you don't find the little amount you save in gas is more than negated by the higher repair costs needed over time on the older car. This doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

Removal of the AC is another option. These older cars aren't worth the time and money to keep it. Not to me, anyway. YMMV

 

Doug

AC is unnecessary.

If you have to ask about an AC idler pulley killing the deal on buying an '88 GL.... then you shouldn't own one. You don't have the skills to keep it on the road.

 

+1 to what Cougar said - the 88 won't get enough better mileage to justify the added cost of maintenance on a car that's now 21 years old. And EA82's are just a pain in the butt.

 

GD

tired of getting 17mpg on premium.. thanks for your thoughts, I thought the EA82 was a good engine..

I thought the EA82 was a good engine..

 

It's a relative thing - relative to age. They were good engines in their day but most now need a lot of maintenance and they always needed timing belts every 50k - that was just the nature of the beast. Being in Florida you are going to be have issues with parts availibility, cooling system maintenance, and finding anyone that still has the skills to work on them.

 

17 MPG on premium?!? First - why in the world are you running premium? And second, unless that's a Forester XT with the 2.5 Turbo you should NOT be getting 17. Hell that's what I get with a lead foot on my 91 SS Turbo.... something is wrong if you are getting less than 25.

 

GD

Hi,

 

Just saw you're in Florida. You don't want this car, seriously.

 

Doug

Lets do the math. Say you get 25 MPG with another car and you drive 10k miles per year. That means you will use about 400 gallons of gas. Your current car will use about 588 gallons giving you about a 188 gallon savings. Lets say gas will be at 2.85/gal.. Rounded off your dollar savings will be about $540 dollars. If the AC has trouble in the old car your savings will be long gone.

Edited August 13, 200916 yr by Cougar

Yes it's 2.5 XT turbo requires premium, just moved to atlanta.. but I do agree these cars are rare here.

 

Thanks for the input.

I hate to say it, but why get a subaru at all if you are in Atlanta? It rarely snows, and when they got 2" last February, the city shut down for a day -- it was pretty funny for me, coming from a place where 2" of snow doesn't register that it actually snowed.

 

A FWD honda or toyota would probably be alot better mileage, though I don't really know alot about how reliable the different models are (I had a honda accord that, though it broke less than than the EA82's, tended to break in ways that stranded me worse)...

 

Z

advise on getting a 91-94 legacy, non turbo.

 

find one thats AWD, and a one owner.

 

cheap, reliable, easy to find parts for. safe car.

ej22 bullet proof

lot more refined, higher quality materials than the 95+

AC is unnecessary.

 

you are obviously not from Alabama.

you are obviously not from Alabama.

or Eastern Washington

That would be the least of my worries. Depends on price, condition, mileage, rust etc.

 

 

$500, under 150,000 miles, fair to good condition

i bought a '94 Loyale 4WD with 228,000 on it for $800...

 

it got 34 MPG in 2WD with a fresh oil change...

 

that was when my DD was a '77 FJ40 Landcruiser. By not driving the 40, I saved $800 in 3-4 months when gas was $4.20/gallon...

 

that is until the engine blew at 245,000 last winter because it was -35F for 2 weeks where I was living.:-\

 

 

if you are concerned about fuel, I would suggest one of the models where the 2WD/4WD was selectable, that is where the savings is earned...

Edited August 15, 200916 yr by kayakpanic

that is until the engine blew at 245,000 last winter because it was -35F for 2 weeks where I was living.:-\

 

think that was the same week I popped the seals in my oil pump trying to move molasses with it good thing I put the block heater in after the fact

I still keep my old '86 for highway driving and long trips and to me it is near bulletproof..however, it lacks power and I avoid the larger cities whenever possible..city driving cuts the fuel mileage in "half"..I do have A/C, but not working because some smaller bits and pieces can not be found or bought in my area, even thru the dealer

or Eastern Washington

 

I grew up in eastern washington, and it's still not nearly as bad as the south -- the humidity there is awful. It doesn't even cool off at night. I have no idea why anyone would voluntarily live in such a climate.

 

Then again...there are people who find getting 2 feet of snow overnight, along with 60mph winds and zero degree temps to be a bad experience and want to avoid that I don't really care about that.

 

Z

I grew up in eastern washington, and it's still not nearly as bad as the south -- the humidity there is awful. It doesn't even cool off at night. I have no idea why anyone would voluntarily live in such a climate.

 

Roger that.

 

Then again...there are people who find getting 2 feet of snow overnight, along with 60mph winds and zero degree temps to be a bad experience and want to avoid that I don't really care about that.

 

well there's always the baby boom 9 months later...