FarmerBob Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Neighbors: I've got my eye on a 95 Legacy wagon with a five speed manual and 127,000 on the clock. I've just responded to an ad and the owner tells me he has had it a month and replaced the alternator/ accesory belt and the oil pan gasket. What do I need to pay careful attention to. This will be my first Subaru, I'm somewhat embarrased to add. See my introduction in the proper forum for a more rounded view of the long and twisty road that brought me to your neighborhood. If I do buy the Legacy, I'll do a deep and extensive maintinece upgrade, fluids, filters, lube, alignment, brakes and tires. Anything else, such as transmission tuneup or ?? Thanks for all of your help. I'm looking forward to hanging out and learning about these cool cars. FarmerBob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stelcom66 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 (edited) My son bought a '95 Legacy almost 5 years ago. While it's been in the shop a few times, as of this summer he's now driving it to work which is a 40 mile round trip. Bought it was about 149k, now I'll guess it has 185k. Having the S AWD model, when he was in college his was the only car that could make it up the hill reliably to where he was staying during winter storms - his roommate and friends had trouble with their newer FWD cars. Repairs have typically been wear and tear, although there's a significant oil leak in the engine. Being the 2.2, at least there were never any head gasket related trouble. Overall, he and I think it was a good purchase, He'll probably get something else soon since there's it may not be worth getting the oil leak fixed. Another strange thing, it's been loud for a few weeks. Yesterday I found it was from the passenger side of the engine. Looked underneath, one bolt was missing from one exhaust stud, the other stud was gone! No idea how that could have happened. I assume vibration but he never mentioned that. Cool the one you have your eye on is a 5 speed manual, that's what I'd prefer, You don't see many 20 year old cars on the road here in the Northeast. I did a makeshift rust repair around the wheel wells just so it wouldn't get worse. With the low mileage of the '95 Legacy you saw, I'd say it would be a good purchase if the price was right. There are many experts here (I'm not) that could tell you what to look for/expect. I've always changed the oil in the Subarus I and my sons have owned, easy to do. The PH3593 filter is a common item in my garage. Nice you've got an 82 F150. Don't know if it has the 300 cid 6, that was a great engine. Edited December 7, 2015 by Stelcom66 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Hi and welcome, My 1st question is, 'Why selling after only a month?' -Timing belt - all pulleys/tensioner/WP + Tstat (only OEM/STANT X-act on Tstat). - 1995 was still NON-interference engine. - Front Diff/trans gear oil and rear diff use the same stuff - 75w90 - or get the Subaru Extra-S if you're OEM-only. - fuel filter, CTS, clean the MAF (maf spray only), - check the front CVs...probably due. you'll find more on here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 FarmerBob, Welcome to the USMB. I live on the north side of Indy, and do a lot of my own Subie repairs. I also have a friend, who does good mechanical repair work at his home garage for $20/hour. He drives a Subie, so he has good knowledge of how to keep a Subie going. Let me know, if I can be of any help. Larry (Rooster2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 I've owned a couple of the 95's. What to look for: 1. First check to see if the 4 wheel drive is OK. Put a fuse[say 15 amp] in the FWD connection on top of the passinger side front strut. If the FWD light come on [in the dash board], then at least the duty C solenoid is still functional. This controls the 4 wheel drive. 2. With the fuse out, drive in a tight circle. If there is a problem with the transfer case, it will "grab" at the rear wheels. 3. Check from underneath the condition of the rear structural members. Sometimes they completely rust out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 (edited) My check list when checking out a subie is in order. Tires: how well do they match are they all the same or mixed matched. This can tell you a lot about how well its been taken care of. CV axels: a simple visual inspection followed by a test drive inspection. Visual: look for tears in boots and or aged ready to crack open boots. Grb them and feel how flexible they are. Test drive, listen for clicking or grinding noises when turning. Tourque bind: warm it up drive it in tight circles both directions and see of you can feel it binding. Rust, undercarriage: check the bottom for rust holes and or really rusty crossmeber and components. Noises: check for CV axle clicking bearing noise Oh and most important of all check coolant level color and check for bubbles in the overflow after its been warmed up and driven a bit. (good sign of a bad head gasket). Edited December 7, 2015 by mikaleda 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerBob Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Thanks everyone for your friendly welcome and helpful replies to my query. My intuition is screaming about the 95 Legacy, so I'm not even going to bother to look at it. I'm looking forward to my Subaru adventure. I'll keep you posted as to what I buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhorse001 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Even though you aren't getting the 95, one key piece of info. The outbacks, and lsi, with auto trans all got the ej25, the rest were ej22's. Not sure if the brighton 5spd was still available with the ej18 or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 My intuition is screaming about the 95 Legacy, so I'm not even going to bother to look at it. You had better trade in your "intuition" for a new one. If available for a good price [ $2000], with only 127K, and without much surface rust, you should run, not walk, to purchase it. The 1995 was/is one of the best subaru's made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 95 and 96 with 2.2 are the ideal years to own. OBDII, non interference. Compatible with most stuff from 1990-1999. Can be fed junkyard parts at low cost for decades and hundreds of thousands of miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 You had better trade in your "intuition" for a new one. If available for a good price [ $2000], with only 127K, and without much surface rust, you should run, not walk, to purchase it. The 1995 was/is one of the best subaru's made. Yes the 95 model with the 2.2 motor was one of the best ever made. However, if poorly serviced, and run into the ground, it can be a "bad" buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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