OPINIONS WANTED Best EJ vehicle and why

[2manetoys]

I'm considering acquiring a Legacy or Outback vehicle sometime in the relatively near future (next 6 months or so unless a great deal just falls into my lap) and I wanted to get some opinions on what guys who have owned the EJ motors liked best.

 

A bit of Background on me. I like to get the most for my money just like everyone else) and I've owned mostly EA82s (4, but 1 is a parts car. All were 4wd wagons which I Love) and 3 or 4 EA81s including a 2wd sedan and my current project Brat. I'm a basic shade tree mechanic (read part replacer), but have a good place to work on cars when I have time and money and motivation so small projects are do-able. I would prefer a non-interference engine, but I'm open to ideas on what other people like. I'll be looking to find one cheap (less than $2000) so I expect to have to do some work to it. Also, I'm in Indiana so Subarus aren't super rare, but not overly plentiful either. And I prefer a 5spd to an auto. I'd love to get a Baja, but I can't swing it financially just yet. Maybe someday.

[LegacyBrad]

I can only speak of the 2.2 with the highest regard. Having owned two cars with this motor it is crazy reliable with only basic maintenance.

My first legacy had well over 200,00 miles on it when I sold it (bought it at 150,000), never had a problem.

My current Legacy with the 2.2 has 140,000 on it (bought at 46,000) with the biggest problem being a failed alternator. Both were/are manuals.

I understand the 2.5s have head gasket problems, but I wouldn't know from experience, just what I have heard and read about.

[2manetoys]

I can only speak of the 2.2 with the highest regard. Having owned two cars with this motor it is crazy reliable with only basic maintenance.

My first legacy had well over 200,00 miles on it when I sold it (bought it at 150,000), never had a problem.

My current Legacy with the 2.2 has 140,000 on it (bought at 46,000) with the biggest problem being a failed alternator. Both were/are manuals.

I understand the 2.5s have head gasket problems, but I wouldn't know from experience, just what I have heard and read about.

 

What year were your Legacys?

[Ionlyhave3suubs]

All of my EJ series Legacies have been 2.5 powered cars. I have loved them all but be aware they do have head gasket issues. Had a 97 2.5 gt sedan loved it, great performer and great handlling, had to sell, had too many cars couldn't keep. 97 Outback, now has a little less than 230k on it now, needs engine work now, probably a complete overhaul or swap. My daily driver is a 2.5d powered 96 Lsi. I bought it knowing it had a bad head gasket, fixed it last year, still running strong, 166k on it now. Only thing I miss that the outback had is the added ground clearance.

 

2.2 powered cars seem to have fewer headgasket issues, so I hear, but have no personal experience with them.

 

Also have a 2.5sohc powered 02 Outback (wife drives most of the time), like it quite well also. Like the ground clearance, 16" wheels and 5spd. Probably hard to find a 3rd gen legacy in the price range you are looking for. You should be able to find a 2.5d powered car in need of HG replacement and do an engine swap in the price range you are looking for. May have to go to a 2.2 swap to keep it under budget.

[2manetoys]

All of my EJ series Legacies have been 2.5 powered cars. I have loved them all but be aware they do have head gasket issues. Had a 97 2.5 gt sedan loved it, great performer and great handlling, had to sell, had too many cars couldn't keep. 97 Outback, now has a little less than 230k on it now, needs engine work now, probably a complete overhaul or swap. My daily driver is a 2.5d powered 96 Lsi. I bought it knowing it had a bad head gasket, fixed it last year, still running strong, 166k on it now. Only thing I miss that the outback had is the added ground clearance.

 

2.2 powered cars seem to have fewer headgasket issues, so I hear, but have no personal experience with them.

 

Also have a 2.5sohc powered 02 Outback (wife drives most of the time), like it quite well also. Like the ground clearance, 16" wheels and 5spd. Probably hard to find a 3rd gen legacy in the price range you are looking for. You should be able to find a 2.5d powered car in need of HG replacement and do an engine swap in the price range you are looking for. May have to go to a 2.2 swap to keep it under budget.

 

Thanks for the advice. I like the look of the outbacks better than the legacy, but i wasn't aware that they had additional ground clearance. Good to know. I've seen a couple with head gasket issues for sale. How would I know what's too far gone. For instance, there is a 1998 Subaru Forester AWD Manual transmission.. 170,000 miles, has extremely blown head gaskets. Will start and run if you pull start it but needs work to be drive able. Great tires, tan interior on CL about an hour south of me. What scares me is the word "extremely" in reference to the blown head gasket. If I were to go take a look at it, what should I check?

[LegacyBrad]

To answer your question My cars are both 93s.

As far as the outback with the "extreme" HG problem, forget it. That thing will need a motor swap or at the least new heads. Keep looking... For two grand you should be able to find a 95ish 2.2 leggy and then just swap in the outback struts to get the extra clearance. Yes its that easy. Head to the off road section for more info on it.

[ShawnW]

1996 Outback with Manual Transmission because it has a slightly more powerful 2.2L engine, and refinements, appearance package, and clearance of the Outback.

[idosubaru]

spend the effort traveling to get what you want. the right engine, trans, model, lack of rust, not beat, lower mileage, etc. put your effort there searching.

 

favor an outback over a forester is my opinion. foresters are a little smaller in the back. they do ride nice but i prefer outbacks. go test drive one of each to see which you like but i'd recommend getting the extra space and value of the outback. i've bought late 98ish era outbacks and legacy's for $2k or less and a 2000 forester for $2,500, none of which need trans or engine work.

 

it's really hard to make a recommendation for a car you're going to put some work into. easy to get great deals, but you're at the mercy of the market and what/how much work you're willing to do. mostly things that vary wildly.

 

shawns recommendation is fantastic and would easily be in your price range, well under actually if you buy something needing some work - like a wheel bearing or clutch or something. the 96 outbacks are rare though and the only OBW's with an EJ22 (and it would a non-interference engine too - the only OBW in that class as well).

 

there's really no way to verify longevity on an EJ25 with blown headgaskets. one i bought this summer they were replaced at 30,000 miles and the engine locked up at 56,000. locked up EJ25's are quite common, most folks suggest the headgaskets issues are the precursor to those failures which are generally rare for subaru's. hope for an honest seller and fewer number of previous owners, either way you're sort of making a judgment call.

 

or buy one with a blown motor and then install a non-interference 95 or 96 EJ22 in it. easy plug and play swap and you get what you want. then you can look for a newer one with a few more options and trimmings. you're good up to 1999 for the easy swap.

[Subarunation 713]

1996 Outback with Manual Transmission because it has a slightly more powerful 2.2L engine, and refinements, appearance package, and clearance of the Outback.

I can't agree more. We got our first 96 5 speed OBW with 34K on it and with routine maintenance ran it up to 160K. I got T-boned in the OBW and so we went and got another 96 5 speed OBW (currently at about 160K). All 1996 5 speed OBW are 2.2s. Not the easiest to find but worth the search.

[logic23]

My opinion is the 97-98 OBW limited ( dual sunroofs if possible) with a 95 2.2 engine ( non hydraulic lifters/non interference)

This combo gives you the luxury of the OB) heated seats,sound system,all weather package) the reliability of the 2.2 and the most amount of parts interchange. The 96 had old style door lock system (some one year only stuff)and the late 98-99 OB have lots of one year only parts : spedo, ecu, tcu etc. Legacy electronics (ABS module, abs sensors) will fit outbacks but not the other way around. The outback ECU/TCU is programmed to work with the greatest array of parts. The legacy tcu/ecu dont like outback sensors etc.

[logic23]

The autos and 5 speeds both have their advantages and disadvantages. I say they are equal in the end. Personal preference issue.

[2manetoys]

Thanks for all the great info. Since I haven't owned a EJ motor yet and I'm going by memory of what I've read here on the boards (and my memory isn't always accurate) I'm trying to remember which years or each motor are non-interference and when the interference motors started back up. I know that interference or non is only an issue if you don't do regular maintenance (which I didn't on my first few soobs (broke the timing belt on my first EA82 wagon twice!)).

 

And the info about the Plug & Play is great as I have little to no fabrication skills (yet!).

 

Grossgary- the reason that you specified the 95-96 EJ22 is because they are OBDII non interference whereas the 89-94 EJ22s are OBDI. Correct?

 

Thanks for all the advice so far. I will be referring back to this thread as it gets closer to buying time.

[goof_ball]

.

 

Look in the FAQ compilation stickie for this. As an aside, the 96 Outback 5 speed takes regular gas while the same year auto required premium fuel if I recall correctly. I liked the Outback more than the regular Legacy and am glad I ended up with a 96 with the 2.2 for the reasons others have mentioned. I used cars101.com while shopping to compare the different models.

[GeneralDisorder]

As an aside, the 96 Outback 5 speed takes regular gas while the same year auto required premium fuel if I recall correctly.

 

That's because the first year of the 2.5 used on the '96 OBW/Automatic required premium gas. The 2.2 used in the manual did not.

 

I agree with what others have said - if you want an Outback the '96/5MT is definitely THE one to get.

 

Though I frankly prefer the '90 to '94's. The quality of the interior and some of the things they changed in '95 make me like them better overall. Same reliability but a little higher quality build.

 

GD

[bkroll01]

I don't have alot of experience with the different motors but I bought my 98 Legacy with 112,000 miles five years ago and have done nothing to it but the standard timing belt, water pump replacement at 140,000. I now have 220,000 and it runs perfectly yet, will run it until it dies. This is the 2.2 and I have nothing but praise for this engine. The ground clearance sucks though and I am considering a Forester strut assembly swap to improve ground clearance. I do alot of two tracking and it has gone through way more than I should have asked of it.

Good luck!

[Durania]

1996 Outback with Manual Transmission because it has a slightly more powerful 2.2L engine, and refinements, appearance package, and clearance of the Outback.

 

This is the answer.

 

/thread.

[2manetoys]

Thanks to the good Advice from my friends here on the USMB and a fair amount of searching CL, cars.com, carsforsale.com, ebay, etc. I have FOUND and acquired a burgundy 96 OBW with the 2.2L motor & 5spd trans. It does have a few flaws, mostly cosmetic except for a couple of rust holes and a sloppy shifter (bushing) & driver front caliper needs rebuilt, but for the price I'm Happy as a Lark in Spring.

 

Thanks again!

 

This is the answer.

 

/thread.

[cj7135]

Thanks to the good Advice from my friends here on the USMB and a fair amount of searching CL, cars.com, carsforsale.com, ebay, etc. I have FOUND and acquired a burgundy 96 OBW with the 2.2L motor & 5spd trans. It does have a few flaws, mostly cosmetic except for a couple of rust holes and a sloppy shifter (bushing) & driver front caliper needs rebuilt, but for the price I'm Happy as a Lark in Spring.

 

Thanks again!

 

I'm glad you found the 96 OBW 5MT 2.2, as that is what I would have suggested to you. You now have an OBDII, manual, non-intereference EJ22, which IMHO is the best combination possible. The outback makes it a nice ride height.

 

I do want to point one other thing out for others that like doing plug 'n play swaps looking for a similar setup.

 

The truth is that you can take any 97-98 EJ 22 and drop it in a pre-'00 Outback (correct me if it doesn't include the 95 but I think it does). The reason you would want to consider using the later EJ22 is due to the upgrades Subaru designed it with. Lower friction on pistons and in the heads, and the pistons are coated with Molybdenum, increasing their service life. The engine components are lighter, and they use solid valve adjusters.

 

So what do you get from all this? More power (about 10%)! and More reliability!

 

What's the downside? Interference engine!

 

So my IDEAL setup for somebody living in the city that would rather have and auto tranny (I know, I wouldn't want one either, but lots of people do) is a 97 OBW with EJ22 swap. All you have to do for the swap is bend the power steering lines in another direction. If u want manual, get a 96 with 2.2, then if you end up needing an engine (unlikely, it's a good motor), swap for later EJ22, and make sure you change the timing belt, tensioner, and idlers at 100,000.

 

That's just my 2 cents.

[1982gl4]

Though I frankly prefer the '90 to '94's

I would agree with this 100% all of the early legacys I have had have been some of the best cars I have owned. I absolutely love them. They are very reliable, and go forever. I have seen some early legacies climb to well over 400k.