Dogbone Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 (edited) . Edited October 12, 2017 by Dogbone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 This car you could assume between 150 and 200,ooo miles, little rust, about 800-1200 bucks, depending on maintenance history. The car can see 2000,000 mile on its original timing bet and water pump, but will be immediately due for service. Wheel bearings and axles could be issue if not done recently. this is the 'good' ej22e. the first gen came ith dual core brass radiators. If the car is not broken and is complete, anything to expect out of it would be routine maintenance. snag the car for 600 bucks, and invest in 200 bucks for service, and you have a 1200 dollar car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbone Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 (edited) . Edited October 12, 2017 by Dogbone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricearu Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 i friggen love my 90 legacy L. i was an ea guy (88 gl) and mine kept breaking and i bought this legacy and have never been happier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Drive in a couple tight circles in a parking lot to check for binding. The 5spd's are pretty rugged, but if run with a spare or different tire for a while you can burn up the center diff. If it hops and bucks when you do tight turns, you can use that as a bargaining chip. You don't have to pull the trans to swap the center diff. Take a good look at the rust. Where the rocker panels meet the rear wheel well is the most important area, make sure they're solid inside the wheel well too. Only downside to these cars are the strangler seatbelts. You can get normal ones and pillar trim from canada if they bother you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 those older legacy are actually really reliable, having fewer issues in some areas than the newer stuff. rust is a killer, the rust will get bad quickly probably...at least around here it would. mileage is huge. 200,000+ and it's not worth all that much. less than a 100,000 and it might be worth more if the rust isn't too terrible. if you want it to be reliable it needs a timing belt. ebay sells complete kits for $80 or so for new belt and all new idlers. do it. one owner vehicles are PRIMO. i've bought dozens of subaru's and i greatly prefer known vehicle history/one or few owners over other options. there's a noticeable difference usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 1st gen would be LS - NOT LSi...the "i" didnt appear until a few years later. I own a 1990 Leg LS AWD wagon and for the most part I love it - sadly, mine is the 4EAT, not a 5 spd, but i can live with it. LS had air struts - fairly easily swapped over to standard coilovers if they go bad and much, much cheaper. If it has the sun/moon roof - be aware that at the current age, it is possible it leaks - it can be fixed, fairly easily tho - just quite time consuming to do it right. (just recently did mine - nice to not have wet seats!) yup, the "good" EJ22 - non interference - will run for darn near ever with decent care. mine is at 213K right now, the other half has a '90 sedan with around 260K and still going strong. as mentioned - check for torque bind by driving in tight circles in a paved parking lot. check in both directions! might also want to take a spare fuse along and test if the FWD fuse device works if there is binding - any size will work. biggest thing with the AWD cars is making sure all tires are the same circumference. do NOT buy just two tires and slap them on, then buy 2 more later - you will fry the AWD very quickly that way. All four tires need to be done at the same time & make sure they are all within 1/4" of each other. price - a lot will depend on the area you live in. prices vary a lot from one area to another. as a reference - we bought my wagon for $200 with blown air struts and trashed exhaust - ran fine, tranny shifts smoothly. the sedan (FWD 5 spd) we got for $125 & 2 junkers (one heck of a deal! seller came & hauled off the junkers himself! lol) we live in north central Wisconsin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eulogious Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 I too went from a loyale to a legacy, and I freakin' love the car. I picked up a 1990 LS w/150k on it for $1500. "Single" owner, I say that because I bought it from the grandkid of the original owner, ZERO rust, and the interior was fantastic. I dump $600 more into it to make it completely reliable (timing belt, axles, all the fluids flushed, all hoses replaced, that sort of thing) and I don't regret a penny I spent. It was a little more than some would pay, but I absolutely love the car and it was exactly what I wanted when I went looking for a new car. Little things were kinda annoying to fix, like the sunroof leaked (5 hours and $20 later), the interior handles were broke (fixed with paper clips), the door lights stayed on due to improper alignment of the doors, the sort of stuff that comes with a 21 year old car. But they were all relatively easy to fix, and didn't cost that much money. I am honestly surprised at how well the car has held up over the years. The older legacies were built to last! So if I could score a good lego for $800, get it, you won't regret it one bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 I just got a 5 speed '92 wagon for a customer for $500 - owner said the engine might be trash or had some strange sensor issue they couldn't figure out..... it was half dissasembled with the intake manifold in the trunk . Long story short - they had the timing belt on wrong - timed it with the TDC mark on the pulley and not the belt mark on the sprocket . If I wasn't charging labor for this restoration I could easily have it on the road with a complete 60k service for less than $1000. Runs like a dream. They did have LSi's in the 90 to 94's - leather interior, etc. I've seen a very few of them. Depending on condition and location.... A good condition first gen can command as much as $2,000 around here. But that's usually low mileage, etc. Can't find them for much less than $400 to $500 because the junk yards will pay over $300 for one and that route is easier for people to take vs. selling it on craigslist, etc. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbone Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 (edited) . Edited October 12, 2017 by Dogbone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricearu Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 i paid 650 for my 90. had 180k and new clutch and front axles. if it has 80k on the timing belt, do it immediately. 60k is the rating. ticking time bomb i would pay 800 tops for it if it looks better than mine did when i bought it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyfreak Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Check the rear crossmember at the mounting points I have had two first gens get pretty rusty there. Other than that it would be hard to find a better car new or old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uniberp Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 make sure it has airbag(s) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eulogious Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 make sure it has airbag(s) The one he's looking at is a 91. No airbags till 94... And who cares about airbags? One more thing to fail... Just my opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbone Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 (edited) . Edited October 12, 2017 by Dogbone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterbang Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 very nice score there. i would take the legacy and give your kid the loyale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red92 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Got it for $800, paid a little more than some folks suggested, but it was what I wanted and again it was an original owner. That car would sell for twice that price any day of the week in my area. I'd consider it a great deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 "Other than one rip in the driver's side door, the interior looks practically brand new. A/C blows cold, Cruise Control works, nice Sony stereo and CD unit, seems like overall mechanically the vehicle is in good shape." Well, the fact is, they made these 90-94 models to last. I have rarely seen interior wear on any of them even in the junkyards, they just are built really solid, which is why so many of us recommend that era. And, you can just run it til the Tbelt snaps, then do a new t belt kit and go another 200k on the engine, no hg's no tod, no rod knock, no piston slap etc...not on the first gen tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Well, the fact is, they made these 90-94 models to last. I have rarely seen interior wear on any of them even in the junkyards, they just are built really solid, which is why so many of us recommend that era. And, you can just run it til the Tbelt snaps, then do a new t belt kit and go another 200k on the engine, no hg's no tod, no rod knock, no piston slap etc...not on the first gen tanks. Quoted for 100% truth. Those first gen Legacies are amazing. If it wasn't for a worn out 250k 4EAT, I would still have my 91. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I feel that the first gen legacy is built better than the 2nd gen, fit and finish and quality of materials. I saw a 93 legacy at the junkyard. Why was it there? i dont know, other than it had 353,000 miles on it before being put there. Your car with the maintenance caught up would retail for close to 2000 dollars if you had the maintenance records to show for it. I paid 600 for my 94 legacy with frontal collision damage, but under 100,000 miles. The book value on my car is 2200 for excellent condition. I was prepared to offer 1200 for it, but it got crashed into before i could close the deal. Got it for half price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1982gl4 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 You picked up a great car ! Wish mine came with a third peddle so I didn't have to swap it a week after purchase I feel the first gen legacy is the best car subaru has ever made, I've had two both with over 200k and I've had no issues with either of them. Wonderful to own, and even more so to drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbone Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) . Edited October 12, 2017 by Dogbone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 :clap: Congrats on the 1st gen Legacy wagon! you wont be sorry. oh - on the clutch job - might want to budget for a new flywheel too - just in case - better to be prepared for it & not need, than to need & not be prepared. the other half needed a new one when he finally got around to getting a new clutch in his car - but then again - he waited a Loooooong time to do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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