First time EJ buyer help needed.

[Rust]

So after years of owning EA series subarus, I finally may purchase a EJ.  The car I am considering is a 1999 Legacy Brighton EJ 2.2 with a 5 speed manual tranny.

It has high miles, 200,000 but is dirt cheap. It needs a muffler and a break job.

Any tips from you EJ guys on what to look for.  I'm going to take a look at it this weekend. 

any feedback or tips appreciated, also how is Awd in the snow vs 4wd

[uniberp]

I think the only 2 things that really make a car not worthwhile are rusted spring seats and bent subframes.

If it cannot stand up on it's own or go down the road straight (without a lot of compensating fooling around), it's too much trouble to bother.

 

That and a smoker's car. 

 

I would buy another 2.2 interference Legacy wagon in a minute if I needed a car.

 

Parts...

Walker exhaust and cats - $500

Tires - $500

Brakes - $200

Outback KYB struts - $200 + spring compressor.

Timing kit - $150

 

If you need to commute at 80mph it may take a bit of work to bring it up to snuff.

[ccrinc]

At that age and mileage (and the fact that it's a Subaru), accept the fact that's it's going to leak fluids somewhere unless the owner has really kept up on maintenance.

With that in mind, open the hood and look for any evidence of seeping oil and/or antifreeze and signs of corrosion.  Are the rubber parts (hoses, belts) in good, flexible condition?  Is there sludge in the coolant overflow bottle or radiator?

 

I trust my ears a lot when looking at a used Subaru.  That's not going to help you because you aren't as familiar with how the engine should sound, but if it has knocks, walk away.  Taps and ticking can be fixed: knocks need major work.

 

As for the AWD vs. 4X:  I must prefer it unless I need to climb a tree.

 

Emily

[Rooster2]

All of the above is great advise. Being a stick shift, I would pay attention to the clutch. When changing gears, is the clutch action smooth, or is there some chatter??

 

Ask owner for receipts on car repairs and maintenance. That will give you some idea of how well it has been maintained. Ask at what mile reading the timing belt was changed. If beyond 60K miles, then the belt needs changed ASAP. Failure to change the belt, is inviting it to break. Which, will bend the valves. That is expensive to repair.

 

If possible, put the car up on a lift. Check underneath for torn boots on the half shafts, Also, torn boots on the steering rods. Look for rust, particularly if you live in an area where a lot of salt is applied to the roads in winter.

 

200K miles on a Subaru is not that much of a turn off. For example, my 99 has 231K miles, my 98 has 178K miles. Both engines still run strong.

 

Pull the dip stick for the oil. Does oil look fairly clean?? Any sludge or crud on the dip stick?? If so, that tells you the oil changes have been neglected.

 

All Subarus with either AWD or 4WD handle snow well. Have good tires on, and take on the winter with confidence against snow and ice.

[mikaleda]

Main things to look for on a stick shift

How clean is the gear oil, how well does it shift. most importantly is there any input shaft bearing issues, good sighns of which are grinding noises and popping out of fourth of fifth gear under load.

 

At 200k it should have had some major trans repair, or replacement, I've bought three stick shifts around here all past 200k and all of them have been either replaced or rebuilt.

 

Also stick shifts are VERY sensitive to tire wear, so I wouldn't expect to run anything but new tires on it and keep them rotated.

 

When I first bought my stick I put a set of used tire off my moms auto subaru and thought I was good. Then on a long road trip to Montana I found our this wasn't the case, I got lucky that I didn't damage anything and I ended getting brand new tires and haven't had any issues since.

 

I still love my stick and wouldn't trade it for an auto anyday, but o do wish I had know these things when I switched from my old GL to my AWD stick.

[mikaleda]

And AWD is awesome in the snow compared to 4wd IMHO

[subnz]

totally agree if I was to buy of that vintage  the EJ 22 (SOHC) in manual would be my pick also they have great longevity if looked after.

 

try and get a clean one relatively free of rust,  other mechanical stuff can be fixed if not too major  ie cost / benefit

Edited January 8, 2016 by subnz

[Fairtax4me]

That mileage the input shaft bearing in the trans may be worn. These transmissions tend to make some noise anyway, but if you listen with it at idle, see if you can hear a whine or groan or maybe a bit of rattle from the trans in Neutral. Press the clutch pedal down and see if it goes away, then comes back when you release it.

 

AWD is great in snow. Put some dedicated snow tires on it and nothing will keep it from going where you want to go, and stopping when you want to stop. 

[crazyhorse001]

When you drive it, go at least 20mi. Then do tight figure 8s torque bind in a manual doesnt show up until the trans is warmed up.

[Rust]

Thanks for the feedback.  Decided to pass when I found out the car failed emission testing.  The car would need a computer pass, not old enough to simply do a tailpipe test.

I guess I will be sticking to the EA82's until I find an EJ's mature enough to be exempt from computer smog testing. 

[3Pin]

How much were they asking for the car?