Age Old Question

[ShawnW]

So I got to thinking and I am sure some of you have had this thought before.  

 

Why do I keep tinkering with these 80's Subaru's when I can buy an Impreza, put the some new struts on it, put a dual range trans in it and have:

 

Ej power

EJ Brakes

Seats--well I have a nice used set of WRX seats sitting in my lobby being used as customer waiting room chairs instead of what they were intended for.

Nearly endless supply of junkyard parts

Hardly ever run into an obsolete part at the Subaru dealer.

Tougher axles IMO.  (and keep in mind the FWE/MWE axle builder is IN my shop)  

Real Stereo wiring

Suspension that is almost across the board anything you want 

Off the web/shelf skidplates

 

Don't get me wrong I love my old cars.  I really do.  I called my shop RetroRoo for a reason.  But to be perfectly honest a 1998 Impreza is quite a bit more car to start with than my 84 Wagon.  

I realize I can't get a Brat in that series and I really like my Turbo Brat....

But as far as a wagon its really tough to go out and start upgrading a 25 year old car instead of a 14 year old one.  I am even starting to see 2002-2004 Impreza Sport Wagon's with blown engines for really reasonable money.  Like-cheaper than most EJ swaps cost even on a junkyard budget.

 

I own and have installed my Crossbred Performance brake kit on my 83 Wagon but I took all of the engine and trans stuff off the car a year ago to do a customer project and haven't put it back together yet.  Am thinking about putting that kit on my Turbo Brat, crushing the wagon and buying an Impreza with the money left over.  

 

Thoughts???  

[crazyman03]

well, my first thought is: WRX seats, IcanHasPlease? my current impreza seat is hurting my leg :-/

 

my second thought is: I have a '95 Impreza and not a day (quite literally, my wife makes fun of me) goes by that i dont miss my '88 wagon. Maybe its what we grew up with, maybe its what we know/love, maybe its the simplicity. You arent the only one thinking the same thing. I like the new age cars but always loved my old one

 

 

-Justin

[TOsborn]

I think the answer is quite simple really:

Because it takes time, effort, and pride, to build up an old car to perform well.  While most anyone can purchase a new (or newer) vehicle and have it go fast right out of the box. 

 

There are benefits to both options, but personally I'd go (and do, as all three of my cars are between the years of 1965 and 1986) with the older vehicle you built up to be fast. 

 

Though sometimes I'm tempted to sell the GL Turbo and buy a new Legacy.  Man it'd be nice to just drive and not have to tinker all the time...

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

Well, it depends in each one's needs... 

 

Personally, I Believe that a Nice Looking EA Subaru with Well-Done Retrofittings such like Better Suspension, EJ engine, Bigger Tires / Lift, etc... is a Way more impresive and Satisfactory Car than any Newer EJ Subaru which already came -Somehow- with those features... I don't know if I could explain the feeling... 

 

I have more people looking at my Age old "BumbleBeast" in a Red Light, even if I am next to a Beautiful Looking, expensive New Car, that along the Satisfaction I feel because that Old Thing is still alive, Runs and Moves because all the Repairs and Retrofittings done by Me, is Priceless... at least for me. 

 

Also, I Believe in the "Surprise Factor" which in this case is the Feeling you have when you Bring a Good Ol' Classic Subie which feels and sounds Robust and Metallic, and park it next to many newer thin-plastic Cars... or when you go drive it Uphill in the Highway, fully loaded and still you can left behind many "Ricers" ... Old Subarus has Strong Character, something that has been "Faded Away" in the Newer Gens, which looks so... "Generic" somehow.

 

If I had that '83 Wagon, I will do an EJ Swap and install nice seats, etc... to do a "Custom Made" Ol' Car... or sell that half-done project to another USMB Member who could finish it...

 

Kind Regards.

Edited April 23, 2013 by Loyale 2.7 Turbo

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

(I Forgot to add)

 

So, the Answer to the Age-Old Question...

 

...Why do I keep tinkering with these 80's Subaru's when I can buy an Impreza...  

 

...for me is the Personal achievement and satisfaction when you Build an Old car to be a Much Better Car, Like TOsborn wrote.

 

A couple of weeks ago, I posted on my Facebook wall, this:

 

"When you want to be Someone, you drive a New Car...
When you Know who You Are, you drive a Classic!"

 

Kind Regards.

Edited April 23, 2013 by Loyale 2.7 Turbo

[Mechanical_misfit]

Twice now I've stepped over into the new gen realm. I had a fully loaded 98 Outback limited. Heated leather, AC, cruise, and over all in great shape over all. I sold it off a year later to pocket some money and drive a $300 '86 GL with no options. Everyone thought I was crazy. I did the same recently when I picked up a '00 Outback. I drove it long enough to miss my current '84 wagon. Now the Outback is parked waiting to be sold.

 

For me, its this.

 

The old gens are way more fun. I love cruising around in The Desert Fox because it gives you the full old car experience. Its like driving a street legal 4wd go cart. Plus, they're cheap to insure, and maintain.

[mcbrat]

there's something about the old ones...  I've been daily driving EJ now for just over 2 years, and for the 60 mile round trip to work and back on the Interstate, I do like the newer better because I always seem to be rushed for time, but tonight I drove home an old friend (lifted 87 GL w/EA81), and I was so excited by the time I got home, I couldn't stop talking about stuff, and thoroughly annoyed my wife. 

 

I haven't decided 100% if I'm parting it out, but it smokes (blue) up a storm, is rusty, bondo cracking off the roof, and the whole front end is almost falling off the body, but man it was awesome!

[ferox]

I ask myself this same question a lot, but it always comes down to the other question, what to I want to drive?  I like the built aspect of any old gen, cause let's face it, any Old Gen on the road today is there because someone liked it enough to learn how to take care of it.  Paying a mechanic to keep up a vehicle that old with such low monetary value would quickly outweigh the value of the car.  So driving old gen says more about a person than they're are nostalgic and like D/R 4WD.  That said, I have a Legacy in the driveway that will eventually be cannibalized and added to my '81 hatch to make a hybrid New Gen/Old Gen...the best of both worlds.  There's a bit of a self-reliant steampunk roadwarrior aspect to it I like as well.  If I had a better shop and a few more extremely expensive tools, I would be out of control.  For a DD though, a decent Lego or Impreza is hard to beat, and if I didn't have the '81 hatch, the '92 Legacy would be lifted, chopped, and who knows what else.

[MR_Loyale]

For me it is just that my 93 Loyale is the first new car I ever purchased.  I have had lots of memories with it and I have kept up on the maintenance so it still drives fine. I don't drive cars to impress people but rather to get me from one place to another. It has always started and got me where I want to go.  C'mon people, it isn't called "LOYAL(E)" for nothing! Is a Chevy Cavalier loyal to its owner? I think not, it stalls out, breaks down and is quite "Cavalier" about your suffering.

 

I am much more impressed with someone that keeps up with the maintenance and hits 200K, 300K, 400K or even more than I am with those with more money than brains that trash a new car, throw it out and buy another new car.  Plus these are relatively simple cars to work on.

 

I look forward to the day when we can all get our 500K badges from Subaru! Me, I have only 355K more to go. Doh!

[NickNakorn]

Waste not, want not and recycle - todays second hand cars are the classic cars of the future, the antiques of the future and part of the world's industrial history.  It takes massive amounts of energy to make a new car so keeping the old ones running is environmentally a good option even if their economy in use is not as good - scrapping and salvage also uses energy. I also like the craft aspects of making parts and panels, welding and so on.  In a few years, when most early Imprezas have been scrapped, there will be a new generation of enthusiasts restoring them - perhaps even converting them to electric when the oil becomes too expensive..

[86BRATMAN]

For me, it is the character that the old gen's have first and foremost.  My dad taught me to drive in an '84 gl wagon 4spd, my first vehicle was an '86 brat, I've had two ea81 hatch's that were roadworthy, two other brats that rusted into oblivion, and xt that got smashed when a friend was using it for work. I love the old ones, I love the styling and I love the challenge of them.  Heck I'd just love to find another one in good enough shape to save and keep it up, becasue they just don't exist out here anymore. 

[leniac]

personal attachments....  strong nostalgy, etc...

[moosens]

Because I don't have time to built one ...... so I drive a 2.2 for daily and a 70's for true vintage pleasures.

[mikaleda]

Newer subarus to me are over complicated, my mud rigs require two major things, they have to be simple for ease of repair, and they don't necessarily need to be powerful, but they do need to be light. This coupled with the torsion bar rear suspension, that is what makes the old gen subarus my first choice in off road rigs.

[Gloyale]

D/R's barely hold up to EJ swaps in light old EA cars.

 

My buddy with a D/R in his legacy blows front axles, and whole trannies all the time. 

 

I like the lighter chassis with more HP/weight ratio.

 

Oh yeah, I also hate sitting (and espescially wheeling) in a car with an explosive device in the steering wheel right in front of my face (airbag)

[idosubaru]

i'm mostly practical and the newer gens have the advantages shawn mentioned.

 

i think it's what we know, are comfortable with "old dog new tricks" thing...it took me longer than it should have to move on to newer gen stuff...my wife, who is amazing and doesn't care if i have 10 soobs and has made 3 vehicle comments/suggestions ever - she was right all three times and i only listened to two of them LOL...started asking why i don't get into with newer gen stuff.  i'm all the better for listening, 75% due to rust and 25% for what Shawn said.

[man on the moon]

Personally I'd like one of each. I don't plan to tear around in either, so I don't expect to blow through parts, though it is still possible. I'd like a newer one for running around doing businessy things, or going out with friends or first dates where a smelly, muddy, stained old beater may...cause difficulties. And keep an older one for mudding, camping, road-tripping, and taking the dog to the park...and a play thing.

If I had my way I'd get a newer Impreza (second gen, I think. yeah, "new"...I know) and keep it stock, make the old gen my toy and fun.

[Numbchux]

I like the lighter chassis with more HP/weight ratio.

This.

 

 

For a daily driver, IMHO a BE legacy is about as good as it gets. But it's very hard to get anything with an EJ in it down to the weight that an EA starts at. Sure you add some with an EJ swap...but not that much.

[man on the moon]

This.

 

 

For a daily driver, IMHO a BE legacy is about as good as it gets. But it's very hard to get anything with an EJ in it down to the weight that an EA starts at. Sure you add some with an EJ swap...but not that much.

 

You mean you wouldn't put an EA82 motor in a second gen Outback???

 

*ducks*

[belacane]

I have one of each...a newer car ('02 Wrx) and an old gen ('86 brat)

 

I like each of them for their respective uniqueness:

 

 

The bugeye has all the 'cool' newer features and if I want the comforts of that, she's what I'll drive. When I got her she was pretty beat up and I put a lot of work into her to keep her running and looking good. Shes got character and I love her. Also, like man on the moon said, she's what I'll drive when a rumbling, constantly in the works BRAT just won't cut it for a given situation. My bugeye is completely stock except for rims and the air inlet, which I replaced with a better one when the old one cracked where it meets the turbo.

 

With my old gen....she's also got character. A unique character that is different from any kind of newer car...just like 86BRATMAN said. I also enjoy the challenge of keeping her running and the relative simplicity as well.

 

 

I love both my cars and odont ever plan on getting rid of them (i'll just have to add on to the collection )

Edited April 23, 2013 by belacane

[ivantruckman]

I have been driving GL /Loyale cars for 15 years now , now I qualify for " classic car plates"  I like the simplicity and I like the look. the supply is drying up now for these cars . maybe in the PNY you see a lot of ea82 cars on the road . but here they're rare to see . I never see a brat , even in junkyards , I have seen 2 loyales in 5 years .  I'm an antique now as well and I don't need to go fast .              its not the size of the engine it how you drive it.

[robm]

I like the old ones because:

1.  They are simpler and easier to fix.

2.  They are lighter and cheaper to run.  (38 MPG imperial, tires < $80 each, not much else ever wears out or gets used up.)

3.  They are bigger inside where it counts (Impreza wagon gets the same mileage as my Loyale, with less room)

4.  They are more practically designed and equipped.  (I don't want AC and electric windows, I need ground clearance and a sump guard.)

5.  They are easier to see out of.  (Who needs airbags, if you can see the traffic coming?)

[ericstell]

i think for you just cause you love those good old subis . id love another my self .but i do love my 95 and the changeable parts . plus if you start using up all those 90s parts ill have to start going to the junk yard ........................................

[TOsborn]

Another great answer, I use this all the time when my "greener" friends ask why I drive old cars that pollute more.  Answer is, not wasting resources on buying a new one.  I don't have any hard data on this, but I'd like to do an emissions study of a new cars production vs it's lower emissions, and see how many years they take to "balance."  As general reasoning seems that continuing to repair and drive an older vehicle would be better in the long run.

 

Waste not, want not and recycle - todays second hand cars are the classic cars of the future, the antiques of the future and part of the world's industrial history.  It takes massive amounts of energy to make a new car so keeping the old ones running is environmentally a good option even if their economy in use is not as good - scrapping and salvage also uses energy. I also like the craft aspects of making parts and panels, welding and so on.  In a few years, when most early Imprezas have been scrapped, there will be a new generation of enthusiasts restoring them - perhaps even converting them to electric when the oil becomes too expensive..

[bratman2]

Kind of what Ferox said I guess! I have had my 87 Brat over 15 years now. I know it pretty good also and it is fairly simple to work on. Except for when an electrical short rears its ugly head. I have battle three of them over the years and won out all three times!!! They were the worst of times though!!  From 06 until 2010 the Brat was my only four wheeled vehicle and a motorcycle about matched it for miles per year. Not because that is all I could afford. I choose to have it as a primary four wheel vehicle. The third short about had it replaced by a Ford Ranger after waking my wife up 30 mins early to take me to work and make her late because it was 20 degrees and the Brat wouldn't start!! My wife demanded a new truck in our driveway and wanted the Brat gone! I could have picked out a damn turbo diesel 4 whl drive and she would have been okay with it!  Truck came (little Ranger) but the Brat is still here and fixed, lol!!!