First Post: Cheapest/Easiest older Subaru to maintain?

[trevize1138]

I'll cut to the chase:

 

Married with two big, American bulldogs. Avid skier and MTN biker. Currently own '00 Legacy L Wagon, '97 OBS and '72 VW Karmann Ghia.

 

The Legacy is the wife's car and, of course, the vacation car when we're taking the dogs, bikes and camping equipment with us. The Impreza is my "daily driver" although I work from home now so it's lucky to get 8,000 miles on it a year. The '72 Ghia was a recent purchase and my new toy and may mean my "daily driver" will now be lucky to see 5,000 miles a year.

 

Obviously, I love them flat-4s (first car was a '72 Super Beetle). And, I've been learning a lot about carburetors and older flat-4s (air-cooled, however) thanks to the Ghia Pet. Thing is, because I work from home the '97 Impreza feels like more car than I need sometimes and I could still get a good $6K out of it if I sold it.

 

With that money I could pay off some credit card debt. Then, for my "daily driver" (read: car I don't mind getting salty in winter unlike the Ghia) get something in the $1K-$2K range that's older, carbureted (no complicated FI or check engine light) and therefore easier to do repairs on my own.

 

I know the Impreza's a great car. I love it. It's fast for a non-turbo, handles awesome and has that cool hood scoop/hood vent combo that looks sweet and all but ... yesterday I saw a late '70s/early '80s GL hatchback and thought it looked pretty dang sweet, too. But, an older Loyale wagon or Brat wouldn't be bad, either. Heck, if I'm looking for cheap and easy to own/repair by myself, I suppose a Justy would work, right?

 

What I mean when I say the Impreza's more car than I need is I feel like I really only use it to drive to skiing places when my wife's at work with the Legacy. In summer I can drive the Ghia or ride one of my 8 bicycles. So, for nearly $100/month in insurance costs it doesn't quite seem worth it to hold onto this car.

 

So, I'll open the floor to opinions out there. What would you recommend for a semi-daily driver that's about the most affordable and do-it-yourself Subaru I can get?

 

Thanks!

-Chris

[stumpy]

Welcome to the board!!

Second of I'm a fan of the Legacys so my opinion may be biased. My first Subi was a 91 Legacy I picked up for 200$ and fixed my self. Got it running my self (Before I found this board.) and then with the help of this board got it running right. After one year two dented fenders and 13K miles I sold it for 4 times what I paid for it.

I currently drive an 89GL-10 Turbo Wag. that I picked up and got running for less than 200$.

Also have an 84GL Wag. that I did the AA 4" lift to and in the process of pulling the engine and trans for a 2.2 d/r 5 speed up grade to.

I never drove the 84 with the stock motor but after driving the 89, even with it's turbo it doesn't compare with the feel and spunk of the older Legacy. There easy to work on and there are many here who do give great advise when needed. Plus they can be picked up in nice shape for that 2K$ neighborhood. If you don't mind doing a little work they can be had for a lot less.

So one vote for the older Legacys and again welcome to the board. Stumpy

[trevize1138]

Welcome to the board!!

Second of I'm a fan of the Legacys so my opinion may be biased. My first Subi was a 91 Legacy I picked up for 200$ and fixed my self. Got it running my self (Before I found this board.) and then with the help of this board got it running right. After one year two dented fenders and 13K miles I sold it for 4 times what I paid for it.

I currently drive an 89GL-10 Turbo Wag. that I picked up and got running for less than 200$.

Also have an 84GL Wag. that I did the AA 4" lift to and in the process of pulling the engine and trans for a 2.2 d/r 5 speed up grade to.

I never drove the 84 with the stock motor but after driving the 89, even with it's turbo it doesn't compare with the feel and spunk of the older Legacy. There easy to work on and there are many here who do give great advise when needed. Plus they can be picked up in nice shape for that 2K$ neighborhood. If you don't mind doing a little work they can be had for a lot less.

So one vote for the older Legacys and again welcome to the board. Stumpy

 

Thanks for the welcome! So, what's your opinion on fuel injected vs. carbureted when it comes to "DIY"? Legacies have always had fuel injection, have they not? If so, did they have check engine lights and need the occasional repair shop diagnosis by plugging them into expensive computer diagnostic equipment?

 

Or, were the earlier fuel-injected models simple enough that you could diagnose and work on them 100% by yourself and computer-free? I did this year successfully rebuild the Solex 34-PICT-3 carb on my '72 VW and got the motor tuned up and running great as a result, so that's why I'm biased to carbs. Although, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to learn me on maintaining early FI.

 

Beyond the motors, what other issues should I be looking for in older Subarus? Here in Minnesota I know rust is always an issue with older cars. Anything other than that to check when shopping for an '80s Subaru?

[dxrflyboy]

Older Subarus (pre-Legacy) are all extremely rust-prone. Solid ones are hard to find up in the snowbelt, and they won't last long as winter beaters. And yes, they do rust away in structural areas. Also, all 1981-up US market cars, carbed or FI, are computer controlled. Places like Autozone will scan your car for trouble codes at no cost. Spending $200 for an OBDII code reader that will scan both your Impreza and your wife's Legacy makes more sense to me than buying another car. Get yourself a shop manual for each car and a digital volt/ohm meter, and you should have what you need to diag/repair most EFI problems. Follow the diagnostic flowcharts in the shop manuals EXACTLY, and you should be able to repair most problems you run into without buying a bunch of unnecessary parts.

[GeneralDisorder]

Previous post is not totally correct. Subaru's are not that bad about rust, but you MUST maintain them if you live in areas that salt the roads. You must get them undercoated every year, and wash them down after driving in the winter. Really it's not that hard. But most have seen better days because they were not cared for - once the rust gets a solid grip on the car it will never let go.

 

As to computer controls - Subaru's stopped using carbs completely after 87. The only computer controlled versions were the 49 states 2WD, and the california models. ALL others were normal carbs with no computer - even in 87.

 

Now - the Hitachi carburator used on the soobs is not a very pretty peice of equipment - they can be finicky - especially with the choke. Best idea is to get a carbed model, and replace the Hitachi with a Weber 32/36 just like the VW's you are familair with.

 

GD

[trevize1138]

Get yourself a shop manual for each car and a digital volt/ohm meter, and you should have what you need to diag/repair most EFI problems. Follow the diagnostic flowcharts in the shop manuals EXACTLY, and you should be able to repair most problems you run into without buying a bunch of unnecessary parts.

 

Actually, that was one reason I started looking down the path of getting an older Subaru. On my initial searches I could not find a repair manual for sale that covered my '97 Impreza or my wife's '00 Legacy. Am I just not looking hard enough?

 

I forgot about AutoZone reading CELs for free. But, as stated, it'd be nice to have a repair manual at least for my Impreza. If I can start there maybe I would indeed decide just to keep it. *shrug*

[WagonsOnly]

'88 was the last year for carbureted EA82s, Justys were carbureted or EFI throughout most of the model run (I think '91 or '92 was the last year for the carb) and the EA81 hatch died off in '89.

 

Rust is still a major force to be reckoned with, and for that reason I'd have to say your best bet is an early '90s Legacy wagon, a very well maintained Loyale (which still had subpar rustproofing), or even an earlier Imp or Legacy. Although the Justy is a very well-engineered car, it's hard to find parts for and not as cheap to fix as it looks. (It is, however, very inexpensive to maintain.)

[MilesFox]

depending on your driving environment, an ideal find would be like an 88 gl with dual range 4wd and spfi.

 

if you dont mind working on the car, keeping up on things like the tiing belts will keep the car on the road for agreat any of miles!

 

as far as learning about cars, subaru is a good car to learn with

[Bucky92]

I vote for the GLs and Loyales... I have had mine ($600) for almost 3 years with very very minor problems and is very cheap and easy to fix. Yes..rust is an issue with them but as long as you keep up on it it really isnt a problem

[Jack in Norfolk]

i would say if you are going for cheap and easy, you could probably rule out the SVX!

I think you'd do well with an old 80s wagon. Good luck.

[heartless]

have to vote for the EA82 SPFI wagons myself - Paid $150 for my 89 GL wagon hoping it would get me thru one winter - that was 4 1/2 yrs ago!

 

yes I had to put a little money into the ol girl to get her road worthy when I bought it - clutch, axles, tires, etc, but this car still doesnt owe me a dime. It has been incredibly reliable, a lot of fun, easy to work on and overall the best car I have ever owned. Sadly, she has a pretty serious case of salt induced cancer (was already started when I got her) but is still going at this time with 228,000 miles on the clock!

 

If you can find one in good condition body wise, these cars are incredibly easy to keep running even with the "computer"!

[trevize1138]

Cool. Thanks for all the info, folks!

 

It does seem, however, that from what folks have said on here the long-term better solution may be keeping my '97 Impreza. Only hitch is getting a repair manual for it!

 

But, it's running great, no rust ... considering I'll be putting really low miles on it I could have it for another 10-15 years, I think.

[Anthenium]

After reading through this thread, I feel pretty good about getting my 1991 Loyale (AWD, 5Spd, Non-Turbo). I am getting it from a body shop that got it through a deal with the original owner. It comes with the original window sticker, and receipt's for everything that ever went into this car! The bodyman cleaned up the light existing rust, and undercoated everything, and made it his daily driver. After he looked into other offerings from Subaru, he bought a newer WRX wagon, and sold this to me for what he had into it. With body work, and a new set of winter tires, and all the major incedentals(Hoses, Belts, including Timing!) I got it for $1500. Probably not the Best price ever paid, but I think I'll be Cruising for the next year or 2 with almost no expense other than Gas and Oil Changes. And MAYBE a Stereo upgrade!

 

Fat Tony - http://www.smashbandits.com

[rallyruss]

I would trade you 2 spfi loyals for your impreza(if I had two). You dont want that relyable old thing anyway.

 

I like my older wagon but If I already had your car I would just hold on tight to it.

In my opinion you already have one of the simplest most relyable cars in the (older) subaru line up.

OBD2 diagnostics are much more acurate than the old subaru check engine led blinkers.

[trevize1138]

I would trade you 2 spfi loyals for your impreza(if I had two). You dont want that relyable old thing anyway.

 

I like my older wagon but If I already had your car I would just hold on tight to it.

In my opinion you already have one of the simplest most relyable cars in the (older) subaru line up.

OBD2 diagnostics are much more acurate than the old subaru check engine led blinkers.

 

That's what I'm starting to see here. I think you and some others on here are right: in the long term it's probably best to hold onto my '97 Impreza and start learning myself some maintenance on it.

 

Still, my question remains: repair manual for the '97 Impreza? I can't find one!