Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

1st gen legacy compatibility


Recommended Posts

so my parents are looking for a subaru for my younger brother as a first car. a friend of theirs has a 1990 legacy for next to nothing thats going to need a few things here and there. are the 92-94 legacys the same car but with just a different front end? just needed to know for junkyard scavenging reasons.

 

thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and they look the same. if the 90 subaru their friend has looks different then it is not a legacy, probably a loyale. they are different.

 

what do you mean by different front end?

 

the final drive ratios change in 92 i think, so if a trans is what is needed, you better double check the ratios.

Edited by johnceggleston
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very subtle change in the grill insert. Difference in the red plastic plate on the trunk/rear hatch too. Just cosmetic changes on the same body, '89 thru '94.

 

The grill is a different design. And I thought the earlier models have have lights in the bumpers, and the later models do not. As for the rear, its just the plastic piece that says Legacy on it. The AWD logo will be in a different location depending on the year.

 

As for interchangeability; very much so. Body parts included. With the exception of the turbo models, the body, trans, and motor will usually be the same. Some rear ends may be different, but not very often.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks everybody for the replies.

 

i just needed to know if they were mechanically the same. ive had a loyale and my wife has a 93 legacy so i know the difference between the two. im just talking about how the headlights, grill and im guessing the bumper are different in the very first legacys that were put out compared to the 92-94. i wasn't sure if those were the only differences. hopefully we will be adding another subaru to the family here in the next day or two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are mechanically similar - there are some wireing differences and some things that won't swap with post-facelift (92+) models. Most anything mechanical that you need will work. Notable differences..... in '93 they changed the rear coil-over springs from cone shaped to normal cylindrical springs..... headlights take different bulbs..... that's all I can think of just at the moment but there's more.

 

Fenders, hood, grill, bumper, and lights are all different and not interchangeable. The post-facelift stuff is actually longer because they lengthened the front end slightly.

 

Personally I prefer the pre-facelift look. The headlights look better IMO.

 

GD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are mechanically similar - there are some wireing differences and some things that won't swap with post-facelift (92+) models. Most anything mechanical that you need will work. Notable differences..... in '93 they changed the rear coil-over springs from cone shaped to normal cylindrical springs..... headlights take different bulbs..... that's all I can think of just at the moment but there's more.

 

Fenders, hood, grill, bumper, and lights are all different and not interchangeable. The post-facelift stuff is actually longer because they lengthened the front end slightly.

 

Personally I prefer the pre-facelift look. The headlights look better IMO.

 

GD

 

+1

 

Hood and fenders are different. Don't be like me and find out the hard way :rolleyes: Like GD said, they are about an inch longer. If you don't pay attention, it's hard to notice...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 years later...

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...