should 298,000 miles concern me 91 legacy L

[jazzmandolin]

Ok , so I have been looking for a early nineties legacy wagon 5 speed with working cruise control, AC, no rot good overall drivable condition. I found one for sale from the original owner he bought it new in 91. All wheel drive which I would prefer just front for fuel economy but no big deal. He says the curise and ac work good, blower motor replaced last year. Timing belt, tensioners water pump two years ago. He says it has only been used for interstate driving for the last many years. Also says he as ALL service records. Sounds pretty good but I am thinking that 298,000 miles on even a well maintained ej22 would still be close to the end of the engines life!? What do you guys think of this high mileage? Thanks so much for any and all input. Peace out

[Crawlerdan]

i bought a 91 wagon from the original owners a while ago, and at 347k it still runs like its brand new.

 

bottom line- that car has teh best motor subaru made, and one of the best internal combustion engines ever, if it was taken care of, ignore the milage. i did and am VERY pleased

[jazzmandolin]

That is what I was wanting to hear!!! Thanks

[bheinen74]

yeah i doubt that engine, if oil changed routinely, has many things to go wrong anytime in the next 200k miles.

highway miles are baby mles. its the short trips round town that are harder on a car. 298k allhighway miles are like 150k avg miles.

[GeneralDisorder]

It all depends on the maintenance - with synthetic oil and excelent service history the EJ22 can run half a million miles. On the other hand it could be near the end of it's life - there's no way to tell without tearing down the engine.

 

I just removed an EJ25D with 147k on it - the owners probably rarely changed the oil and it looks like maybe they just topped it off once in a while. It had the updated 4 layer head gaskets since before 90k but now at 147k the whole bottom end is completely shot and the inside of the engine looks like a BBQ gone wrong.

 

GD

[Fairtax4me]

Theres a 95 L Fwd wagon on CL. Auto trans though. 211k.

But really the Fwd only gets 1 or 2 mpg better than the Awd. My 96 awd gets 33mpg consistently on 55-60mph highway trips.

[subaruguru]

Go for it!

[subaru360]

I'd be more concerned about the condition of the rest of the car. If you can get a rust free one that's more important than mileage. A used early EJ22 is cheap and easy to replace. A couple hundred dollars and a few hours and you could put a used engine in if you had to.

[jazzmandolin]

Right on guys excellent responses as usual! Thanks a million going to check the car out sometime in the next few days. Unfortunately its about 2.5 hours away. So I have to line up a rider just in case I buy it. Anyway will let you guys know if it becomes mine.

[johnceggleston]

Unfortunately its about 2.5 hours away. So I have to line up a rider just in case I buy it. Anyway will let you guys know if it becomes mine.

 

 

there's a 95 in c'ville FWD for 1500. you might drive by there on your way north.

 

http://charlottesville.craigslist.org/cto/2095866880.html

[jdemaris]

I am thinking that 298,000 miles on even a well maintained ej22 would still be close to the end of the engines life!? What do you guys think of this high mileage? Thanks so much for any and all input. Peace out

 

At 300K miles, you've got many moving parts that might be near their end-of-life. It's a crap-shoot and much depends on what you pay for the car. Personally, I don't regard the Sub engine as any more durable then many others - as many see 400K if well cared for and mostly highway driven. A "back-road" car can see more wear in 100K and the highway rig at 300K. But, no matter how well cared for - there are parts that wear - e.g. CV shafts, wheel bearings, universal joints in rear driveshafts, suspension parts, accessories, etc.

 

In my area of rural NY, 150K is usually the end of uesfull life for any Subaru if it's been a mostly "back-road" vehicle. Highway cars around 250K before repairs get more expensive then the car is worth - unless you do all you own repairs.

[Fairtax4me]

The wagon John posted is the one I was taking about.

Anything over 2 hours is just too far to drive for a look IMO. C-burg is ~1 hour. Hell, I'll go look at it for you if you want.

[jazzmandolin]

Right on and thanks for the offer to go check it out for me but I LOVE to shift those gears so a automatic is out of my consideration! I hope to go look and probably buy the one I have been thinking about Thurs. if it does not sell which I doubt it will. Most folks will not even consider considering a 298,000 mile vehicle so I hope it stays available till I can head that way. Anyway, Thanks and Peace out

[axgutt]

I saw that one - was all ready to go get a cashier's check from the credit union until I saw it was FWD. I cross the mountain every day, plus parts of Staunton make Charlottesville look like a pancake.

 

Theres a 95 L Fwd wagon on CL. Auto trans though. 211k.

But really the Fwd only gets 1 or 2 mpg better than the Awd. My 96 awd gets 33mpg consistently on 55-60mph highway trips.

[Fairtax4me]

I saw that one - was all ready to go get a cashier's check from the credit union until I saw it was FWD. I cross the mountain every day, plus parts of Staunton make Charlottesville look like a pancake.

 

Yeah there are some hills over there that I have trouble believing any car could go up even on a dry day. FWD does well around here for the most part, but once you get up into the mountains you really need the AWD in winter or you just don't go anywhere.

 

 

 

Good luck on the buy Jazz.