viceversa Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 The chances are slowly stacking up against it... First, I got another vehicle, older but lower-mileage... then I decided that I really wanted a manual tranny, and finally, the Loyale itself hit that magic and scary 200,000 miles and even despite the EA82 engine and the auto tranny getting replaced, showing it's age with all kinds of rattles and squeeks generally present in high-mileage vehicles. It's at the point where it has become a, well, not a money pit because I fix it myself generally, but a time pit for sure. The axles will probably need replacement in the next year. The front has never been touched, will probably need a total rebuild. The passenger window rolls up really slowly. The AC doesn't work and it's in the South with lots of humidity. And it has first signs of rust. And the dreaded, embarassing, not to mention, highly annoying, lifter noise. I guess I could fix that also, but .... I am almost afraid to go on long interstate trips with it, for fear of something going wrong, like a radiator hose or t-stat. My last problem was mice chewing off the fuel pump wire, which caused intermittent running, and took me a week to diagnose. It's only redeeming feature is insanely good mileage. I think that if I replace the O2 sensor and EGR valve, I could probably gain 1-2mpg and move in the 32mpg territory. None of my other vehicles come close. But, I won't mess with it. I have 2, no three other vehicles, and that's just too many to take care of. Someone won the ebay auction for $400 and going to wire the money today and pick it up on Friday, so that's the end of that story. Due to all these reasons, it's just time to move on. I will probably get a newer car, like a Legacy, circa 1995, with a manual and working AC for a change. Then, I might get another Loyale, but a lower-mileage manual tranny also. (what are the chances of me finding a rust-free one?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaSkeet Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 if you want rust free, steer clear of buying from ocean states. thankfully mine's never seen water in its entire 10 yr lifespan since its been in the vegas valley the whole time. im sure ebay's got something, if you trust the seller. good luck, im sure you'll need it to find a rust free car in your state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viceversa Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 olde virginny isn't too bad. I would be afraid of northern states like NY, NJ, WI. There is a lot of humidity here, as in much of the South, that has to contribute in some way. Though I have a 17 year old vehicle which has never been garaged and has no rust. I also have a 11 year old vehicle which has not been garaged in the last 5 years, and spent a year in WI salt and still no rust. Subaru's are susceptible to rust, for whatever reason. Their metal seems thinner. I wonder if they get such good mileage due to weight reduction. I've seen some late 80's units which were total rust buckets, all the metal is gone around the wheel wells. I guess the only other car which rusts so badly is Toyota. Ford/Chebby trucks for some reason rust too, if from the 80's. The 70's are the worst of course, before they learned to galvanize the metal. On a 96 Subaru, minor rust is probably a moot issue because I would imagine I will wear it out sooner than rust consumes it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaSkeet Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 nothing sucks more than a rusty car. not only does it look disgusting, if it gets in the engine compartment say goodbye to ever trying to fix it without blowing up in frustration. youd be lucky to get more than a couple bolts out. if i had a really nasty rusty car id just take it to the desert with a couple of friends and ride the hell out of it. if it flips, flip it back over. if it catches on fire, leave it there. its not even worth selling after the rust kicks in. hey, and if you ride it hard enough, the rusty engine might de-lodge itself. yay. of course, you dont exactly have a desert to do that.... tell you what, you can throw it off a cliff and videotape the explosion. thatd be cool. just make sure no one's underneath it, cuz that would kinda be murder. disclaimer: whether I reccommend these courses of action, im sure the law wouldnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxtar Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 i also advocate the cliff idea. thats what i plan to do with my 92 loyale when it finally kicks (has 272k on it right now) also be sure to take the plates/vin off of it before you do so to avoid the littering tickets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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