Interested in purchasing a '99 legacy L

[Snoman86ss]

Hello to all.

I am looking at picking up a 1999 Subaru Legacy L (30th Anniv. Edition)

 

I know nothing about subaru's, but I am very familiar with cars. Here is the low down on the car;

 

It's got 126k on it. 2.2L engine, automatic trans, new tires, new brakes, new rear diff. The owner is asking $3,000 for it. It was his daughters car, but she went off to college, so now it is being sold.

 

I am looking to you guys to tell me if this seems like a good deal or not.

 

Also, what are the common problems that I should look for when I go to look at this vehicle? I did some reading here and I know the timing belt is a big concern. I don't know if it has been replaced on this car or not. Is there anything else besides the usual (check fluids, engine/trans smoothness) that I should know about?

 

Thanks in advance and I look forward to becoming a new subaru owner!

[GeneralDisorder]

That sounds like an excelent deal. The timing belt would have been due at 105k so if it hasn't been done or they can't show paperwork to that effect I would ask them to consider a lower price.

 

Take it for a test drive - do some sharp turns with the car and make sure you don't feel any binding in the drivetrain. If the car has been run with mismatched tires durring it's life, there is a potential for what we call "torque bind". It's not terribly difficult to fix if you can do the labor youself - if you can't then most shops will tell you the whole transmission needs to be replaced. That would negatively impact the price as well.

 

But really, with that mileage, and that particular engine, you are looking at another 100k - 150k easy miles if you just keep up on the routine maintenance.

 

GD

[Rooster2]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought all 99 Legacys came with the 2.5 phase one motor, not the 2.2 motor. Unless, the 2.2 was swapped in later?

 

 

The 99 Legacy model year (I have one) is prone to have delayed forward engagement, when shifted from reverse. Yes, adding Trans-X to the trany fixed it, but I am still concerned that the problem could return.

[OB99W]

Brighton and L (including the 30th Anniv.) got the 2.2, GT and Outback got DOHC 2.5.

[Rooster2]

Brighton and L (including the 30th Anniv.) got the 2.2, GT and Outback got DOHC 2.5.

 

Okay, learned something new. Thanks............Rooster2

[davhaney]

I have the 99 Legacy, and a 99 Legacy Outback. In addition to the things some of the other folks mention:

 

1) Check the boots on the CV shaft -- especially the front right inner CV boot. For some reason, this is susceptible to failure. If you catch it early, it is a very inexpensive fix.

 

2) While you're under there, take a look at the rubber boots on the steering rack (covering the inner tie-rods). Sometimes they get torn, and again, if you catch it early it's a much cheaper fix.

 

3) Sometimes the speedometer head goes bad on this car -- a bad batch of them were made, and installed in some cars. If it does fail, you may be able to tweak it by running an additional ground wire to it, or it may need to be replaced.

 

4) There is an oil separator plate which can crack and leak oil on the rear of the engine. It's a simple fix, but you have to pull the engine, or the transmission to repair. However, I think this issue is indigenous to the 2.5 engine, not the 2.2.

 

5) If you don't have a maintenance history on this vehicle, consider the timing belt job, and a regular tune-up. Oh, and seafoam works well.

 

6) When you test drive, be sure the check-engine light comes on when you turn the key to the "run" position. When I bought my outback, I discovered the seller had removed the check-engine light from the dash.

 

7) Check the tires. The all wheel drive on these vehicles does not tolerate mis-matched tires very well. This can cause the fluid coupler inside the transmission to fail later on. The tires should be the same brand / tread pattern / and approx the same wear all the way around.

[Snoman86ss]

Thanks for all of the input guys! I sent another e-mail to the owner asking about the timing belt, still waiting for a response...

 

I should be going to check it out this weekend. I will keep you updated.

[Snoman86ss]

So I just got an e-mail back from the seller and he said that other maintenance on the car included; new driver's window auto opener, trans flush/service, and some type of front end work that the owner can not remember. He also said that he does not believe that the timing belt has ever been changed.

 

How much is the usual cost to change a timing belt? I understand that the water pump should also be replaced while it is apart. I would probably do that to if I end up buying the vehicle.

[subaru360]

The 99 phase 2 2.2 that this car has can have external head gasket leaks. That should be checked out.

 

You don't really have to do a water pump with the belt, they rarely fail, I've seen one bad subaru EJ engine water pump in all my years working on these cars. More important is to have the tensioner and all the idler pullies for the belt checked, if they are noisy or leak grease, replace them, the tensioner is wet on top replace it.

 

$3000 is a fair price.

[mikec03]

Yes that is a good price. I paid $2500 for a ten year old 2.2l Subaru with 132K [a couple of years ago] but it had a bad rust spot. Judging what I see on Craigslist, I couldn't get such a deal today. The prices seem to be $1000 to $1500 higher today. So, bottom line, buy it.

[zyewdall]

1) Check the boots on the CV shaft -- especially the front right inner CV boot. For some reason, this is susceptible to failure. If you catch it early, it is a very inexpensive fix.

 

That particular boot seems to be a problem on every subaru I've owned or worked on (EA81's, EA82's, legacies, impreza's, everything....). I think it's because it's right over the where the y-pipe comes together in the cat, and it gets cooked. When it does go, it helpfully throws grease on the cat, to make horrible smells