to buy Justy or not to buy Justy ?

[jp.in.vt]

I can't imagine too many people here at USMB think the Justy is a bad car.

 

So it goes that I'm thinking of buying a Justy and was wondering if anyone would tell me if there's a particular model year to stay away from or what I should be asking the current owner about. I've looked at many of the old Justy threads here, seems like it is a beloved car with lots of good helpful people. that is very encouraging.

 

Big question is price. for a Justy with no mods, should i really pay more than Kelley Blue Book private party/retail ? Granted supply is limited, but I don't think demand is that much greater than supply, unless WagonsOnly has recently inherited one million dollars.

 

thanks,

jp

[Jack in Norfolk]

I don't know much about them personally. But I have seen quite a few and it seems like some came with a lot more stuff than others. Of course the main option I would look for is 4wd. But I think you could get some goodies like alloy wheels and fog lights. I'm not sure what interior options there were. I also don't know if there was a choice of engines. I can not see a good reason to pay more than bluebook when there are so many great Subarus for under $500 out there. Don't rush into anything if you can avaoid it. Hold out to someone who knows the Justy posts on this thread.

Good luck.

[85Sub4WD]

STAY AWAY FROM THE AUTOMATICS!!!

they use ECVT technology, which really had not been perfected at the time the car was produced; there are no good years for the automatic transmission

 

fuel injection is highly desireable - try to get a fuel injected car; more power and better mileage than the carbed version - not to mention that it is more reliable and needs less maitnence

 

4WD is also highly desireable, but that is obvious as to why

 

as with any older soob, check carefully for rust - also check the maitnence history - I do not know interval for the Justy's timing belt, but it (and all coolant hoses/belts) should be checked and replaced if necessary

 

while I have never personally owned a Justy, I know several who have/do and all were pleased with it - one person has one that is completely rusted out, but he refuses to part with it because it is a 5-speed 4WD 4-door, which is somewhat rare - it is not a powerhouse, but it is a very good point A to point B vehicle

 

I would avoid ebay, because they seem to go for far more than they should on ebay. Don't rush either.

[jp.in.vt]

ok, fuel injected, 5 speed, 4 door, 4wd, be patient....

 

The three cylinders are inline not horizontal-boxer-like right ?

 

what else? with or without AC ? I'm thinking with is better than without... but is it easy to find a replacement compressor ?

 

it's late, I'm going to bed...

[Skip]

When you wake up you may want to peek at

 

http://subarujusty.proboards20.com/

 

 

hope this helps

[bob393]

The car is great.

 

I'm on my third. I love the boxy 1st gen cars 1987/88. I never owned a FI one but I here they are better, the are not avalable in the 1st gen. The carb version has it's carb problems but they are fine. I agree the auto trans you should stay away from as they were not perfected. I never owned a all wheel drive but thy should be good. The one I had with AC always worked and when I pulled it off the road because of rust it still worked. Watch out for rust. They rust all over. What else? The drivers side CV joint will only last about 200k miles, The exhaust gasket at the cat leakes all the time. The muffler only lasts about 50k. But I'm hoping to get 10 more years out of the 87 I'm now driving. They have both gone over 200k and still ran well, just rust. 5 speed is the only way to go. All of mine have been DL's I would love to get one more and it will be a GL. They had a tach and full gages, Rear window wiper, Split rear seats. That kind of cool stuff.

 

Nuff said: Just buy one!

[bob393]

Oh Yah They are in line 3cyl, Transverse mounted. with 12" wheels. You gota love um.

[bushbasher]

watch out for oil pumps. If the oil light comes on at any time with adequate oil in the pan, run away. The oil pumps are notoriously weak.

[bob393]

Havn't seen a problem with that yet. O crap I shouldnt have said anything.

[jp.in.vt]

I know many people here want a free GL or $100 Justy....

 

But I have the chance to get a one owner Justy GL....

so how much would you / should I pay for a sweet cherry 4 dr 4wd 5speed with 140k miles 1 owner Justy?

Looks immaculate, no dents no problems. $1000, $1500 $1800 ?

This is a car that seats 4 people and costs less than a motorcycle, right ?

[75subie]

$1000 sounds fair to me

[djkindt]

I got mine for $300 and 2 snowboards. It is in decent shape, but not perfect. One like the one you are describing might go for $1000, but i wouldn't pay much more for it. Justy's aren't that valuble (in a money sense anyway). I love my justy though!! I drive it everywhere. I think the GL came with 13" wheels too, and I don't know if they ever came with A/C, or power steering for that matter.

But I'm not expert.

[jp.in.vt]

ok, I drove the little justy. it's pretty sweet, feels nimble like a Go Kart !!

but I don't think my wife's gonna like driving it. If I were single I might seriously consider buying it, but I have a motorcycle that gets better than 50 mpg so i think I will look for an Impreza or Legacy GT for my wife.

This justy seemed hard to shift into gear. No noise or gnashing, it just felt like it wasn't going in. maybe i just don't have the justy touch. The owner guy told me he got the justy on Ebay from someone who bought it from the original owner. Looks like it's been re-painted (overspray here and there)

and it has what looks like a slow an oil leak. Good tires, 13 inch, with silly shiny hubcabs... It's a very clean looking justy!! current asking price is $1700!

 

if anyone else wants it, it's in Burlington VT and here's what it looks like:

 

 

 

 

 

here's the link: http://burlington.craigslist.org/car/130949630.html

[75subie]

that car was on ebay like 6 months ago......

[jp.in.vt]

yep, I think the dude said he paid more than $2000 for it. Got in a bidding war with another justy fan. now he says he's taking the hit because he want to do diesel / bio diesel on a VW instead...

[WagonsOnly]

The stiffness in the tranny is normal; rev-matching helps. $1700 is about right for a eBay bidding war, but not private party retail, even in Vermont. I do like the interior though.

 

Mine is a '94 5-speed 4 door 4WD, no rust, small dent on the hatch (that happened after I got it...someone in an SUV pulled a hit-and-run in a parking lot). I paid $1,069 for it, at a dealer no less. Maintenance so far has been changing the oil twice (I've put a little over 8K on it since I got it, now has 115K). It likewise has a repaint with some overspray apparent on the grille and bumpers.

 

I had to laugh when I saw the first photo you posted...my summer daily driver is a yellow New Beetle.

 

Justies were sold with 13" wheels on most models after 1991. Air was an option, power steering (to the best of my knowledge) was not.

 

I have not recently inherited a million bucks and if I had, would not be spending it on another Justy--so you're safe there.

 

If you do decide to go for this one anyway, I think around 1100 is fair. (Mine needed new tires when I got it, but five new 13" 155/80 tires, spare included, was $120.) The mileage is a little high for a Justy, though.