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Wagon wisdom. Buying advice.


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I am a Justy driver. I like that little car a lot, but it has gotten too small.

 

I'd like to get a wagon but am a little confused by all of the different verisons that are available. So with your Infinite Wagon Wisdom, please guide me toward the model and year wagon that would fit my criteria.

 

I would use this as a daily driver, 60 mile commute. I don't want air suspension, turbo or an AT. I do want push button 4wd and fuel injection. I'd like a sunroof if possible.

 

I subscribe to the belief that it is more fun to drive slow cars fast than fast cars slow, and I push the engine pretty hard and fairly often. Are there certain years that the engine was more solid and reliable?

 

And lastly, parts have to be common and cheap. I have been super frustrated with the availability and prices of parts for the Justy.

 

Thanks. I live in Seattle.

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Somebody will probably want to shoot me for this, but a good 'ol Loyale wagon is you best bet - except for some of the 1990 model year, all are N/A, and the only MT 4WD offered was pushbutton; all were fuel injection. Parts should be easier too, as the cars were made thru 1994. Don't know if any N/As were made with a sunroof - I doubt any Loyales had sunroofs. They aren't that fancy, but they will do the job, and have good reliability. Parts are very common for SPFI fuel injection systems (what the loyale has - made from 1986 thru 1994 - virtually all parts are interchangeable between the different model years), and they are pretty cheap (EA82 car).

 

Generally speaking, the newer the better; but all N/A engines are very strong - and there was virtually no change throughout the production, so all are good choices.

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Yeah, I'ma have to say Loyale too. They'll run to 300,000 miles if you keep oil in em and dont overheat it. They'll drive 85-90 mph all day every day.

 

I'd say go for a GL wagon just because of the dual range tranny. Simpler design, tougher tranny. Those single range push button trannys seem notchy to me.

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I'd say go for a GL wagon just because of the dual range tranny. Simpler design, tougher tranny. Those single range push button trannys seem notchy to me.

I agree that a GL with a D/R tranny is a more reliable option than a pushbutton 4WD job - mine is D/R and I love it - shifting in/out of 4WD is not hard on the D/R trannies either and you know you are in 4WD when you are in 4WD b/c of lever position - no clutch needed to shift in/out either - just pull the lever (clutch needed for shifting into low range)

 

if you spill coffee on your gearshift, you won't have trouble with 4WD :rolleyes:

 

you would just have to double-check that it was FI if it was made before 1988 - all 1985 4WD cars were originally carbed or turboed

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1990 Loyales did have sunroofs available, EXTREMELY hard to find though. I've never seen one, but somewhere on www.cardomains.com there's a Loyale in there with a sunroof. To help out with your highway commutes, you could get high profile tires put on your car and you can travel faster with lower rpm's..... but you'll be traveling about 8-10 mph faster than the spedo says. Good luck finding a Loyale with a sunroof, I doubt you'll find one. But I'd say a Loyale is the car you would be happiest with. I have an '87 GL dual range. NICE indeed.

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In Seattle a late 80's GL with a Manual will do nicely, theres plenty of parts and dealerships that still stock parts, however, if'n you move away, a legacy is your best bet, with the 2.2 and the MT also, the manuals seem to do better.

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If you like driving fast, and like reliability, the Legacy with a 2.2 and a manual tranny is the way to go. they don't do half bad in the woods either, but for serious 4x4, I'd go with an EA82 wagon with dual range 4wd. They're reliable, simple, very abusable, and cheap. The only drawback is they top out at 90, floored in 5th. Timing belts also have to be checked on both of my suggestions.

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my 2 cents worth here. I have had 4 wagons and loved them all. :)

 

Push button 4wd is good for snow and stuff, but d/r is much better offroad.

 

The sunroof sucks. It would freeze and leak in the winter and would get so hot in the summer that I would keep the shade closed. Maybe others have better experience with that. :)

 

I have had no problem finding parts for any of mine.

 

BTW I had 87, 88, 89, and now a 92 they were all EA82s. two turbos and two SPFI's.

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as far as wagons go i would preger an ea82 wagon say over an impreza wagon as far as using it as a wagon goes.

 

the ea82 wagons have a flat floor that is even with the gate opening, the back seats fold down FLAT and you can haul quite a bit in back and load it down till you cant fit anything in ther eno more.

 

i can tell you myself you can hul a pair of motors, a transmiisson, a full set of wheels and a full suspension in the back of a wagon, plut put stuff on the roof!

 

i would suggest a gl model with dual range, as the 4wd machanism is manual and not electro/vacuum operated like single ranges. if fuel injection is what you want look for 86-88 wagons for the dual range

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I will agree with fox here. 86-88 gl10 wagon ea82 either mpfi or I would pick the spfi. I love the sunroof in my wagon, it gives it a since of luxery I think. Mine is an 87, has power everything, cruise, ac, a nice cargo area, and is for the most part cheap to maintain. They are a dime a dozen at junk yardsw so parts are readily available.

 

I have the tubo modle and I have cruised 80-90 mph for 800 miles before no problems. It seems the higher it is rev'ed the more it likes it.

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So is the only major difference between the gl-10 and the loyale the transmission? The bodies look identical to my untrained eye.

 

Basically - the GL-10 also had much nicer upholstry and other frills - it was offered in a conventional automatic only some years, full-time 4WD others; some are turbo - it is actually very different from the Loyale for most all years it was made

 

the GL had a different transmission (the more reliable dual-range) and the FI system on the Loyale and GL are identical - I have an FI computer on my car now from a 1992 Loyale

 

the actual body for all of the EA82 wagons are identical - the difference is all in the options

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