Subaru_dude

I think everybody should read this post. :cool: My first car was a Subaru. It was a '93 Loyale 2wd 3at. Slow, smelled bad, shifted rough and was loud as hell. It was given to me by my dad so I didn't really care about it. Thrashed on it pretty hard; jumping tracks, crossing fields etc. It never let me down the 2 years I owned it. Next car, 1990 Honda Accord. WOW, THE POWER!!! Power windows that worked, cruise, cupholders, comfortable, great on the highway, great gas mileage... I was sold. I told myself I would never buy another Subie again. Even HATED the old Loyale after getting accustomed to the Accord. Then the ground clearance started getting to me. No more rampaging down gravel roads. Forget getting airborne, first set of tracks REALLY messed up the oil pan. For the first time in my life, I had to be careful when pulling up to curbs. I couldn't stand it. So I bought an '87 GL d/r wagon. Ahhh, that's more like it!!! Sideways in the mud, shortcuts through the woods, roof racks... that's what I'm all about. I don't follow the herd, I turn the mundane commute to work into an everyday adventure. The Japanese live life themselves in a very similar way. They take what we may see as an inconvenience (driving to work) and turn it into a more pleasureable experience. They savor every bite of their food, appreciate and take care of the land they live on, and take great pride in their work. Not saying America doesn't do so, but I think the Japanese have it down to an art. Subaru as a car company reflects them better than any of their other car brands. Men are, by nature, adventurous. It's in our blood to explore new ecosystems and terrain, that's what hominids do and have done for hundreds of thousands of years. Subaru encourages people to do so with their outdoorsy advertising and utility-based design. If there was ever a machine built specifically for the desires of man, this is it. THAT is why I drive a Subaru.

It also has 6(?) more cubic feet of room and more ground clearance. I like the roof rack design too, swings from either side when in use, and back out of the way when not in use (aerodynamic improvement). Also has steeper approach and deproach angles. The vehicle definitely seems superior to the previous model in many ways. It doesn't look that hideous to me really. Front end looks a little busy for me, but the rest of the car looks very nice in my opinion. But that's just an opinion so it doesn't really count I guess:rolleyes:. I think Subaru's doing a very good job at staying true to what they've always been, cheaper and more useful than the competition. I'm looking very forward to seeing one in person.

Cool I didn't know you could use Ford Temp front struts on these things. You got the Honda rears and it STILL did damage? That must have been quite the bump. Can you get a pic of the road? Or maybe the damage to the struts too?

My EJ18 5spd 2wd Impreza is "acceptable" as well. Well, sometimes. Sometimes it feels like a Formula 1 Indy car. Sometimes I feel like I'm towing a trailer full of lead bricks. Kinda strange... but it gets in the 30's consistently so I'm not too worried. What kind of mileage are you getting? I'm thinking partially clogged cat but that would also hurt your mileage.

How did you break the engine in? You're supposed to drive it pretty hard in the first 20 miles or so to properly seat the rings. If you went pretty easy on it (aka highway cruising, low throttle action) then you'll have some short lived piston rings.

http://offroadingsubarus.com/images/forester_ute_lift.jpg If they would have done this instead of the Baja, they would have sold MILLIONS I tell ya, MILLIONS!!! That with D/R AWD, locking center AND rear diff, 4.44 gearing, and options like roll-bars and heavy-duty bumpers and we'd have ourselves a Subaru. I can't imagine the new gen Forester chopped like that though... The Baja was aimed at a more general market than the original Brat. I think the Baja will someday be looked back upon as a Subaru classic however. It's just so damn wierd.

Describes EXACTLY why I drive a Subaru. I can truly testify that after a long day of work, I'm ready to get the hell home. Yes I love my car, but that won't keep me from pushing it to it's limits! The Subaru takes it every day!

Impreza-d/c GL-was operational and it's hilly around here and everybody has a tendency to get right up on your a$$ on a steep hill in these parts. I've found that the e-brake works just as well though, but it's inconvenient to do so when there's a purse sitting there. Hill holder FTW.

welcome aboard!!! I go to Knoxville twice a week for class, I'm only about 40 miles away. You ever need any hook-ups on old school parts I've got some connections. See ya around!

It's amazing how similar it looks to that Forester.

If it's an EA82 you didn't hurt a damn thing by breaking the belt. As a matter of fact, any engine prior to 1997 (and even some early 1997 models) was non-interference. So you, my friend, are GOLDEN!!!

Pretty damn clean... I bet that thing's a beast when it comes to gas mileage.

Yeah you're absolutely right. Got a tad confused there.

I know when I got a front end alighment on my Impreza they told me that they couldn't adjust the caster and told me I needed an aftermarket bolt with a lobe on one side to adjust it. He didn't know Subarus came with that from the factory and when I told him he was very suprised. I'm sure somebody will chime in as to whether or not the rear end has the lobed bolt from the factory or not...

Guys... we should be focusing on this poor man's unfortunate luck. Anyway... yeah those leaks aren't terrible but considering they happened in the first 1000 miles I would speculate that they could easily get much worse within the next, say, 10,000 miles. If the manufacturer is a member of this board, I'm sure it will get resolved painlessly and quickly (I hope). Keep us posted.

I think the green wagon would have been a s/r 4spd (correct me if I'm wrong). That would explain why it had such a hard time. It's crazy how high up they sit with fresh factory suspension... pretty much no need for a lift!! This user has other vintage Subaru offroad vids as well, and just as awesome as this one.

Subarus offroading in Australia... some nice subies indeed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7QdQOwTU_k

Saw an EA81 standard hatch (1980??) with over 600,000 on it when I was working at a grocery store in highschool (rusting to pieces) and 780,000 on an EA81 wagon from Alaska when I was working at an oil changing joint (good shape, still see it around actually). Have no idea if either one of them was running the original running gear.

Phase 1 had the internal coolant leak that caused overheating. Phase 2 had external leaks but could easily be fixed with "Subaru slime". Not sure how effective it is though... I think after '03 the problem was pretty much gone.

Make sure it doesn't EVER overheat. It'll pop the headgaskets. Go ahead and get a new radiator, radiator hoses and get a thermostat from SUBARU only. Oh yeah, do the water pump too and timing belts while you're in there. Don't bother with replacing the rear axles, they rarely go bad. It's the front ones that have to deal with all the pulling and turning. Being that it's a Loyale, it has push button 4wd. You could swap a D/R 5spd in and have MUCHO torque offroad. Or EJ22 it and have a Legacy in disguise. 14" pugs for better tires and handling. There's also 15, but you may have to do some trimming. I guess where you're at rust isn't much of an issue. Should be a solid and reliable runner for some time. Oh yeah, tint those windows...

(Praying I haven't jinxed it) It's nice to see a project going so smoothly for you. You seem to run into some pretty bad luck sometimes but you're finally getting what you've worked so hard for! Great to hear it's such a smooth runner too! I've been very happy with my EJ18 powered Impreza.

Yeah I know what you mean by wierd. Mine felt like I had to push the pedal down like 4 inches before it actually started to disengage the clutch. Then that stupid spring broke and all was good, lol. That spring also holds the clutch pedal against a little button that disengages cruise when the pedal is pressed.

Have you considered installing a manual choke, or a SPFI swap? I've always wanted to do that swap on an EA81... I think it would be the prime example of a simple and practical internal combustion engine.

Anything that's a 2005 is gonna last well past 100,000. Of course Subaru is no exception. As a matter of fact they're as far from that exception as vehicularly possible.

I got 41 in my '89 fwd 5spd EA82 sedan on the way back from Nasheville once (tail wind). I'd say a fwd 5spd XT would be just about the perfect highway car for mileage.