Voluptuary5

25.86 has been the last year's average over 10,332 miles. Looks like low 20's around town and high 20's highway. Low of 18 (one time only and no idea why--bad fill-up?) and multiple highs of 29. -V5

I'm sure this wouldn't be the case with every public library in the land, but I've been to two different county libraries here in Oregon and they had all the manuals. One of libraries actually let you check 'em out, the other wouldn't but let you photocopy the pages. I don't think you'll find much cheaper... -V5

Opus (and others), I would highly recommend getting AAA. In my humble opinion, it is a fantastic service for anyone but maybe ESPECIALLY for a father worrying about his young daughter away from home. For about $100 a year (and that's for their best package--I think their basic is around $55) you get complete automobile piece of mind. If your car were to break down, run out of gas, have a dead battery, you call the "800" on the card and they dispatch a truck ASAP. And it seems like the towing companies give AAA customers priority. The one time I needed it, it was a god-send. I had some random, hack shop replace the timing belt on my '95 Legacy. They totally "F'd" everything up. Long story short, on the way to my brother's wedding it slipped, had only one or two cylinders left, limped it off I-5 at Corning California, called AAA, they showed up, put me on a flat bed tow truck, took me all the way to the nearest Subie dealer in Reading California (>50 miles) for absolutely no charge (but I gave the driver a nice tip). Subie dealer rushed me in and out in the time it took me to eat a long lunch. However, that being said, AAA can seem a little expensive on the surface. But I would argue with all of the other services AAA provides (free road maps, trip planning, insurance, etc.) as well as all the discounts you get and motels, automotive stores (NAPA), restaurants, etc., it easily pays for itself, NOT TO MENTION THE PIECE-OF-MIND. But the best part of it is, if you ever have to use it, it doesn't get reported to your insurance company. For example, if you have "towing insurance" bundled with your car policy and you have to use it, in almost every case it counts as an insurance "claim". That means your rates most likely will go up, or worse, if you already the maximim number of claims on your policy (which can be as low as 2 or 3), they could drop your insurance all together. Again, it's just my opinion, but if you have towing insurance, drop it and use the money you save there to buy a AAA card. And if you don't have either, you should at least look into AAA. Sorry to be so long winded and I promise I don't work for AAA... -V5

Mark, If it makes you feel better, i got the exact same quotes. $800 for an AWD rebuild and the $3200 was for a band-spanking-new, complete tranny. I also see that you are in Washington. If you're on the west side, just throw the FWD fuse in and don't worry about the TB. If you're in the Cascades or east, $800 may be well worth it. Like the others told me here earlier, $800 beats a car payment. -V5

400,000 is impressive, no doubt! 16 times around the earth, that's impressive too! But just for fun (or not) think about how much gas $$$$ that is?!?! If you assume $2.00/gallon average, 27 miles/gallon....well, that's darn near $30,000!!! -V5

Thanks for the write-up Guy! I found it very useful. I had the same concerns as you about safety while driving at night. Your pics with the headlights shining against the fence say it loud-n-clear. I'm going to give it a shot today. Thanks again, -V5

Sorry to slightly highjack this thread but does the oxidation (yellowing) of the lenses tend to occur on the outside, inside, or both? -V5

Yep, To reiterate Ericem said, definitely maintenance records are a very nice so you know for sure what has and hasn’t been done and also that the AWD is working. I have a ’95 Legacy Sedan (which I absolutely love) but the AWD has recently decided to go nipples-up. When you go for the test drive, pull on to a gravel road/driveway and let your foot “accidentally” slip off the brake onto the gas. You’ll know right away. The tires should hardly spin. Otherwise, my Subie has been flawless besides scheduled maintenance (timing belt, brake job, etc.). Hope that helps! Good luck! -V5

Hey all, If you got a 1995 Subaru (give or take a couple of years) I'd love to know how many miles you have on yours (or how many miles yours had on her when she died). I'm trying to get a feel for whether or not she's worth putting a few bucks into to ride her a few more years... I'll show you mine if you show me yours: 148,000 miles and still counting for my sweet girl... -V5

Hey all, The AWD in my '95 Subaru Legacy is DONE! Ka-put! No Mas! Nada! Nothing! My question to you all is, if it was your car and you otherwise plan on driving her to the most noblest of deaths, would you spend ~$1000 to have the AWD rebuilt. I've been able to get around just fine the past year with no AWD with only some minor inconveniences but, you know...AWD is a nice safety feature, even in the rain or on sharp curves. Some quick background: 1995 Subaru Legacy Sedan (sorry, I said that already). Almost exclusively dealer maintained on schedule. ~148,000 miles. No other problems THAT I'M AWARE OF... So WWYD (what would you do)? Thanks kids! -V5

Touche, good point! But at least it made me feel better THINKING I was getting better mileage. I'm going to throw away everything I know and start learning here anew... Well, I'll give her a yank the next time I'm at 55 on a snow-packed mountain pass and let you know how it turns out. You know, if the AWD was kicked-in and all... That's really funny!!! I've also have tried the approach of not putting it in the fridge in the first place but apparently I'm not above drinking luke-warm beer. Whatever, unlike my AWD, it still works... -V5

...but how would I get the beer out? Okay, okay. I see your point. And I'm all about utility--things should be used. Your point is I should be stoked to have 148,000 miles after 12 years on her, and I am. I was just wondering if there was a way to make it last longer--you know, prophylactically speaking. As you can see, I'm still in denial about all this and only now starting to come to terms with this. So do you also recommend that even though I have nothing going to the rear wheels, I should NOT have the FWD fuse installed (I don't have binding)? It was my understanding there was no problem with leaving the FWD fuse in for extended periods of time and that one could even squeeze a couple more MPG's out of the beast. And at $3.00 a whack, an MPG here and a MPG there would save me a little coin (maybe even pay for an AWD rebuild). And I wouldn't actually have to pull the fuse in the rain. I live in Western Oregon. It rains here 7 months out of the year...STRAIGHT. I would just pull the fuse in November and put it back in sometime in June. -V5

Sorry, dredging this old thread of mine back out. I was wondering, since the loss of my AWD just seems to be due to old-age/wear-and-tear, does it stand to reason that I could have prolonged the life of my AWD by driving as often as possible in FWD mode? Say during the summers or other times when I wouldn't have needed it (and, of course, I was diligent about rotating the tires)? Just wondering if I decide to drop one grand-ski ($1000) on this thing, can I maximize its life by driving more in only FWD? Would this also be a good strategy for newer Subarus--ones, say, with the AWD still working? Thanks all! -V5

$550 is about what I paid at the dealer which is were I recommend it be done. I used an independent mechanic the first time, they got it all wrong, belt slipped, left me stranded, had to get towed, and have a new one installed by the dealer anyway. It is cheaper to do it once, and correctly, for a little bit more money than possibly cutting corners at an independent and having to pay for it twice. Not to mention the cost of towing and the hassle. -V5

Thanks B.B.! That's good to know! -V5