heartless

I have never had a problem with Rockauto parts either, but I am sure there are a few that have... if the joint is loose in the hub socket, then yeah, there is something wrong...it should be a snug fit. I would definitely call Rockauto and verify that the part (with part number) is correct for your car (very nice, helpful folk on the phone). Might be worth going the next level up in cost to get another joint...you didnt pay much for the one you have....another alternative is the replacement hub is not correct/was mislabeled at the jy....i dunno... Fairtax - We had a pinch bolt break on 90 Legacy - tried to drill the thing out, wasnt happening - hardened bolt in a softer housing, did more damage to the housing, did almost nothing to the bolt - ended up swapping out the hub instead.

a "computer analysis" is not going to show a failing axle joint, failing carrier bearings, failing u-joints in the driveshaft, bad struts, worn bushings, fluid level & condition.... there are a lot of other possibilities besides the tranny itself going bad (which does not happen that often), including the one mentioned above about the corroded battery cable... did the dealer shop put the car up on a lift and actually physically inspect the driveline components? If not, I would be finding another shop...

aside from the cargo space differences noted above - and what 1LuckyTexan mentioned there really isnt much pro/con between the models to talk about... They are all very capable cars that can serve you very well for many miles/years when cared for properly. go try them on for size, see which model appeals to you the most, fits you the best, and is going to meet your needs the best...

you should post that stuff in the "for sale/trade" section.

I think most are shying away from recommending a specific model/year because everyone's tastes are a little different. You need to go try out a few different models and see which fits you best. Head room, leg room, & seating position are different in each of the models, and there is some variation between years (model changes/updates over time) Me personally - I like the Legacy wagon - has more interior cargo space than the Impreza/Forester - it suits me, and my purposes. We had two large dogs that had to be hauled to the vets office - the wagon gives plenty of space for doing so. I have also done a lot of other "hauling" of stuff with it - including moving my mother a couple of times...we used a truck & trailer for the large stuff, but all the smaller stuff was moved in my car - it is amazing how much you can fit in a Subaru with a little careful packing - LOL I dont typically have passengers (maybe one in the front) so backseat leg room doesnt concern me as much (rather limited in the older/smaller versions). The Forester is going to be taller with much more headroom, and more legroom judging by the 98 model we have in our driveway... backseat legroom is also greater than the Legacy, but cargo space is a bit smaller (shorter behind the backseat) I have no experience with the Impreza, so I cant really comment on that model - in all honesty, I dont really care for how they look (especially the wagon versions) - but that is a personal thing - nothing to do with the actual driveability/comfort/function of the car. You might find you like it better than the others. Basically it boils down to what is going to fit you and your needs best (model choice), and when buying used, how well was it cared for by the previous owner(s). Records proving services are a huge plus...general condition - both inside and out - can indicate care as well. What kind of condition is the interior in? does it "fit" with the mileage? if the interior is in very good condition (clean, no tears, no gunk in cracks & crevices), and the miles are higher, chances are it was well cared for - if the interior is worn/dirty looking/tears in the fabrics and the miles are lower - it probably wasnt well cared for. as an example: we have a 98 Forester in the drive - the original owner took very good care of the car - the second owners - not so much...we are 3rd owners... The car has over 364,000 miles on the odometer and is physically in good condition - you dont get those kinds of miles by not caring for the car long term (and this particular model is one of the first that had the headgasket failure prone engine - the EJ25D - again, you dont get that kind of mileage without caring for the car). The sad part of this one is the 2nd owner (they bought the car in December 2012) that did nothing but put gas in it and drive it - even after it started having issues - it wasnt taken in to be checked out until it was far too late, and the "mechanic" (i use the term loosely here) they took it to was a complete idiot and started a fire under the hood (that was in early May of this year - we bought it in June). I hate to say it, but we may not be able to resurrect this one - just too much damage, too many problems at this point - but we got it ridiculously cheap so we arent out that much, and many parts can be reused elsewhere.

thank you gentlemen for the insights. Bratman - Wheels/tires would not get used without the corresponding suspension

a well cared for subaru in the 100-150K range should not necessarily be overlooked just because of the mileage. 1LuckyTexan has a valid point in finding a mechanic you can trust that knows at least a little about Subarus (you would be surprised how many dont know much of anything about them) - a thourough pre-purchase inspection is always a very good idea. Just start a new thread in this same section for your mechanic search. myself - I am in the same camp as MilesFox - I like the older ones (90-96) - "proven over time" engines that are darn near bullet proof, and will easily run for several thousand miles when properly maintained - the chassis will fall apart around them before they quit running. That isnt to say that a newer one wouldnt, because they will - when properly maintained. Good maintenace is important - for any vehicle. As others have said - there are recalls & TSBs for almost any make out there, so use a little common sense about that stuff. Also keep in mind that most people dont say anything when they are happy with something, but let something upset them for whatever reason, and everyone and anyone is gonna hear about it...

Symmetrical AWD will beat standard 4x4 hands down...my 90 Legacy AWD wagon handles far better in the snow - even "deep" snow - than our 95 Dodge Ram 4x4 does...the only thing the Dodge has going for it is ground clearance - Ha! You want/must have a roof rack? then "wagon" is the way to go - almost all have a factory roof rack. Coming out of a Jeep, I would think the Forester would be the most similar to what you are used to - and a bit more "manly" than say, an Impreza Sport would be. You should be able to get a very nice, used Subaru - of any model - in the $5000 - $7500 range. Things to look for when looking at a used Subaru: Tires - all should be of the same brand, style, air pressures, and similar wear patterns - Subaru AWD IS fussy about tires - they all need to be within about 1/4 inch in circumference of each other. Be very wary of mismatched tires! When test driving - go to a large paved parking lot, and turn very slow tight circles with the car (basically a rolling idle, steering cranked all the way over) - both forward, and backwards, in both directions - you are testing for "torque-bind" - any resistance, bucking, odd-feelings - take the car back and walk away. a search here about torque bind will give you more information about it than you ever thought you wanted. Maintenance history if at all possible - most Subarus have timing belts, and other timing related components, that need to be changed at regular intervals to avoid internal damage to the engine. (since about 1996, Subaru engines are all interference style - a broken belt will cause internal damage - older models were non-interference - no internal damage if a belt broke) There are certain engine models that had head gasket issues - again, a search here will turn up an overload of information about that. Educate yourself about what you are looking for, and understand that buying a used car - even a "newer" used car, can be a bit of a gamble, no matter what. You dont know how that car was treated and/or maintained - the seller might tell you it was driven by a little old lady only to church on Sundays, but can they prove it?

another thought on the Legacy - had forgotten about it until someone else posted a similar issue... Previous owner mentioned that the "fuel tank" leaks if filled all the way - is this more than likely the "filler neck rusting out because of the plastic guard" problem? underside of the car, in general, looks pretty darn good... and I have never really heard of the tank itself leaking/rusting out on these - seems it is the filler neck that is generally the problem...

yup, just haul it away, take what you can get for it, and call it a day.

Thank you again, JohnC in regards to this ^ so the trans from the 98 Foz could/would/should work, providing I swap out the rear diff as well...A little digging tells me that the 98 Foz automatic is a 4.44 final - correct? How would this affect fuel mileage/cruising RPMs in the Legacy? guessing that RPMs would be little higher, resulting in slightly lower fuel mileage... ? Seriously considering stripping the 98 Foz for parts - really dont have the time to mess with it anymore with new job and school... and since I wanted to do a Forester strut/spring swap on the Legacy anyway (it is in dire need of new struts), and use the bigger wheels/tires if they would fit - ready & handy parts car - altho, the tranny in the Foz is a complete unknown as far as condition/drivability goes...might still be better off to source a good used one of the appropriate final drive elsewhere.... sorry - kind of musing/mulling options over "out loud" here...

Do all at the same time - timing belt, idler pulleys, water pump, cam & crank seals - pull oil pump, check screws on back, new o-ring on oil pump... Use Ultra Grey, or similar for sealing oil pump & water pump to block.

not really much point in pulling that stuff, unless you want the practice doing so. about the only thing really worth bothering with would be the wiper motor assembly, but those dont fail all that often, so your call... did you swap out the key cylinder so your key matches? if not, you may want to do that...pretty easy to do - disconnect the rod(s), remove the retaining clip, and out it comes.

Wow - thank you JohnC! that opens up a lot more options!

OK - thanks guys - so the prices I am seeing are not out of line... just more than I was expecting! LOL time to save the pennies up and keep the eyes open...

it is rather common to have the rear hatch handle get gummed up and not want to return to the proper "closed" position on its own. Push the handle back to the correct position, then make sure it is unlocked (cycle the locks a time or two) You should then be able to open the rear hatch. If the above procedure doesnt work, then you will have to remove the inside cover to get to the latch mechanism inside.

need some opinions, please... Now that I am working again, I cant really afford to take the 90 DD down for a tranny swap into the 95 - and at this point, I am not sure I want to use the DD's tranny...have the beginnings of torque bind starting - only on very hard steering cranks and still intermittent at this point, but it is starting - tranny has over 235K on it... have not tried to do any diagnosing yet (ie: FWD fuse test) What year range will be direct fitment for the '95, and what would you all expect to pay for a lower mileage used tranny? (150K or less if possible) Doing a search on carparts.com, I am seeing prices all over the board - $100 to $700 - and on some high mileage trannys, too...looks like the average in my area is going to be around $300-350ish for something in the 150-200K miles range (searching under 95 specific year) - is this reasonable?

^^^^ this! Codes first!

how old are the plug wires? originals? cheap aftermarkets? 95 shouldnt be too terribly fussy about them, but you definitely want a good quality set of wires, like the NGK brand... what kind of spark plugs? were they gapped properly? Standard NGK plugs (no need for fancy platinums or anything like that - those are just a waste of money) gapped to .039-.040" as Olnick suggested: CTS (the 2 wire sensor for the ECU, not the 1 wire for the guage) could be a suspect. IACV - do not try to "adjust" it - just clean it. They can get carboned up after years of use and not function properly...

good, working tranny - definitely sell it whole - either here or on craigslist...if you were closer to me, I would take the thing in a heartbeat! would like a good tranny to put in the 95 Legacy we have - without having to take down my current daily driver to do so...

I knew a '70s Plymouth Duster that did something similar to the Dart above (had been my car, but I had just sold it to someone I knew a few days before - LOL) ... definitely sounds like a short in the wiring somewhere...

yeah, I know! LOL Trailer has been parked for the time being. the plan was to fix the Forester for the other half, and the 95 Legacy for me - the Forester is being a HUGE pita, however...

that one looks just like the one on my 90...countersunk screws and all... like I said earlier - Door #3... If I am taking the 90 down to steal the tranny, I might as well get some use out of some of the other parts as well... I am not much for fixing, driving a short while, and then moving in - If I am going to put time and effort into fixing, I am going to get the satisfaction of driving it. LOL So, yeah - it is a fix and drive long term situation - the longer, the better.

1/ go to advance auto and buy the part. 2/ look at it and see if there are any glaring errors. All well & good, but my local Advance will not have the part "in stock" (I can pretty much guarantee this - it is very rare they have anything to fit a Subaru "in stock") - I would have to order it, pay for it in advance & wait several days for it to come in... and at their price - not a real appealing option - even with coupons...a 30% off coupon still leaves the cost at about $20...and if I should take it back, regardless of the reason, as a "special order" item, I would get hit with a restocking fee...been there, done that. If it was a regular stock item, no problem. of course, it would be better to compare the dorman to an original subaru part. If I had the money available, I would order both the Dorman part and the OE Subaru part simply for comparison purposes - but, cash flow is sorely lacking around here...which makes steps/options 3 & 4 of your post a bit of a difficulty as well - I cant spend money I dont have, even if I will later get some of it back. Every penny is pinched until I start working again, and get a few paychecks behind me...soon - very soon! (cash flow is also the reason for not just getting a decent used, lower mileage tranny to put in the 95) Right now, I am kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place here, money wise. Every purchase needs to be thoroughly evaluated, all options need to be researched, and every decision carefully weighed. Yes, I "need" to get the parts to do the job right the first time (1000% believer in doing that) but I simply cannot arbitrarily buy stuff and then later return it if I dont need/like it. I just cant. Am I being too "responsible"? maybe...but better that than digging myself a deeper hole I cant get out of later... What I can do is wait. I start working again on Monday - only part time, but something is better than nothing after nearly 3 years, the pay rate is decent, and it is pretty close to home. The old 90 Legacy DD is still running good, and is as mechanically reliable as ever - the only concern is in how rusty the old girl is getting...I have the feeling one more Wisconsin winter is going to be about all I can safely get out of her before she becomes too structurally compromised - the reason for trying to get a better condition replacement online in the first place...She isnt pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but she does what she is supposed to do.

How did you find that?! how did I find it? just punched in the OE Subaru part number (11831AA210) at Rockauto, and boom, there it is... LOL Someone has to be the guinea pig... Ummm...not sure I want to be the guinea pig on this one! It has the same shape and reinforcement bars. Even has the arrow! yup - looks identical - but, as we all know, looks can be deceiving.... Maybe its made from cheaper steel? Maybe its not zinc plated? potentially both of the above? Oy Vay! what to do, what to do... Door #1 - do I play guinea pig and try it? Door #2 - do I bite the bullet and go genuine? If it was easier to get to, I would be much more inclined to play the guinea pig - but this is not one of those "easy" things to get at if it doesnt work out... Or, here is door #3, maybe I pull the cast alloy plate off my current DD when I pull the engine & tranny, and use that instead....