1994 Subaru Loyale Wagon - Maroon - First subie!

[scotteverett]

Well, after months of research, and failing to get a 93 or 94 Legacy wagon in decent condition, a fellow USMB member contacted me about his 94 Loyale and I couldn't pass up the opportunity given all the work he had put into it. I actually prefer the look of the Loyale to the Legacy wagon, but the Legacy wagon I test drove felt quite a bit smoother than the Loyale. Maybe road noise, maybe the transmission, or the 2.2 vs the 1.8. 

 

Here's a list of all the stuff the previous owner did in an attempt to optimize gas mileage and ensure the car would always start up no matter where he was:

 

Upgrades & Modifications
Rear disk brake swap (came with drums).
Manual steering (removed power steering pump), feels great, still easy to park, and it frees up power. This increased the gas mileage by 2mpg.
Removed mechanical radiator fan, added second electric fan (more power & higher mileage)
LED Dome Lights and rear hatch light
Cupholders
Stereo (Aux, CD, MP3), 6x9 speakers, iphone mount
Fog lights
Vacuum gauge
Stiffer KYB struts & shocks (2013)
Spring helpers in the rear, rides great with 4 people + overnight gear
Urethane rear suspension bushings

Repairs & Maintenance

Prior owner - new clutch at 130,000 miles, 2006.  
New hatch struts 2007, the first of many fixes!

Synthetic transmission oil 11/2008 170,000 (might be time for a change)

New left halfshaft 4/2009, 177,500
New right halfshaft 10/2010, 208,000
New alternator 6/2010, 200,500

New rear differential oil, synthetic, 211,000
New front brake calipers, rotors, & pads 5/2011, 220,400 (might be time for new front brake pads)
New radiator & hoses 6/2011, 222,222
New windshield 8/2011
New starter contacts 11/2011, 228,600
New water pump & thermostat 1/2012, 232,000
New exhaust (complete) 7/2012, 241,500
New wheel bearings, tie rods, ball joints 11/2012 246,000
New timing belts, valve cover gaskets, pcv valve & hoses, spark plugs & wires 12/2012 248,000

New fuel injector 3/2013 252,000
New battery 7/2013, 257,400

New rear brake pads 12/2013 261,400
Oil change 3/2014 265,400 miles.  Burns 1 quart every 3000 miles.
New coolant temperature sensor 5/2014 265,400 

Extra parts not installed
Dual-range transmission ($150 extra), bought it for when I replaced the clutch, never had to.
Hatch-mount 3-bike rack ($150 extra)
Power steering pump
Hubcaps
Second set of wheels with 25% remaining snow tires
Manuals - factory (partial 1990 set)
Ski/Snowboard rack with key on factory roof rack
Block heater 

Little problems
Power door locks haven't worked since I owned it, but they work just fine manually.
Intermittent wipers work intermittently - probably corrosion at connector.
New heater blower motor clicks (old one squeaked). Easy to replace.
Heater controls worn but still work.
Windshield is growing a crack from the bottom up.
The body is in decent shape, with very little rust, and only one dent where a small piece of the Viaduct fell on it.

 

More pics and questions to follow in next post...  

 

[Crazyeights]

I like it. It looks just like my '92 that I am fixing up. Congrats on a nice car!

[scotteverett]

Thnx!

 

Here are the things I'm going to start looking at addressing:

 

Interior:

 

Door panels are decaying at the corners by the windows on both front doors. Not sure how to address this other than finding a new door panels or painting over the areas where the filling is crumbling away:

 

Heating panel buttons worn off:

 

Exterior

 

Does anyone know where I can get a high quality or NOS version of the 4wd sticker?

 

The paint is actually in prettty good shape, no peeling. Bt the front has seen some rocks over the years. What would I be looking to spend to get some fresh paint done professionally? And can you addressing one section without needing to paint the whole thing?

 

 

 

Engine:

 

Fix Power door locks
Swap in new wipers and wiper mechanics
heater blower motor clicks, so will replace
Windshield is growing a crack from the bottom up, not sure how soon I'll need to address

 

There is also a very feint squeal sound when the car is just getting going, and an occasional liquid sound, like water being flushed. Trying to diagnose.

[scotteverett]

A few other shots of her:

 

 

 

Rear seats are in almost perfect shape:

 

Front seats pretty good, just s little more worn, and a little depressed and not very firm (guessing this is just the springs). 

[scotteverett]

Even though the fabric is in decent shape, I've always wanted to own a car with VW plaid interior. So considering looking into having the seats re-done with something like this:

 

http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=3777&category_id=165&category_parent_id=

 

If I did go to the effort of re-upholstering, then I'd probably look into firming up the driver's seat a tad. Not sure how that works or if its possible.

[Crazyeights]

Yes, the decal is available repro from a member on here. Great stuff for sure. I think it might be here http://stores.ebay.com/bandercomindustries/

Edited May 11, 2014 by Crazyeights

[TheLoyale]

Yeah, I think Pooparu makes them, right? I put a new one on my car.

[Scooner]

Very nice wagon Scott! Looks alot like my 92' although a bit more tame. What a great start though. The good news is those heater buttons just pop right out fairly effortlessly and a trip to the local junkyard may even render you some good replacement interior door panels?