YetiMan Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Since getting the 2.2 into the 96 outback I've driven it some, and it's probably the nicest handling snow car I've ever driven. That said, I don't trust it at all now, having looked around this board and now talked with other later model subaru owners who have all struggled with terrible reliability and really expensive repairs. Since this car is way more complicated than anything I've ever worked on I'm in over my head. All I wanted was a reliable car that worked well in the snow. If anybody wants to buy this car it has a 1995 EJ22, automatic, new front CV's. It's in Salt Lake and I'd be curious if anyone would make an offer. I hate to say it but I don't think I want to hassle with all these problems that everyone has with these cars. Before the 96 I had: two 88's one 86 two 85's one 83 one 82 and they were all unstoppable. I guess things change. If I can somehow get out of this thing before something else goes I'll be happy to find another old subaru or a toyota truck but once this is gone I don't think I'd ever consider another newer subaru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysz Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Umm I have a 96 Impreza Outback with a 2.2l engine, which I bought with 103k, I have had to put a clutch into it brakes and tires, that's it. We drove it 22k in 11 months with no other repairs except fluid changes, I consider it very reliable what type of issues are you speaking about I don't quite understand? My one issue with Subaru's is the door frame thing, it's an interesting idea to have framelss windows but inevitably those things deveop air leaks which are a pain in the rump roast and can be extremely annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 after putting that engine in there you just increased the reliability about a 1000x in my opinion. Now is when I wouldn't get rid or it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 other later model subaru owners who have all struggled with terrible reliability and really expensive repairs. i've had none of that experience. if i did, i would get something else as my wife drives it. oil and brake pads, that's all it's consumed. friends and relatives with EJ's haven't had anything either. not all people you've talked to have bad experiences. the board is not a great place to look for praises, people come here for help. sort of analogous to going to the hospital and making the assumption that everyone in the US must be sickly.a good indicator is someone who isn't biased, someone who works on alot of different cars for instance. they see trends, not individual experiences. you got hosed by someone dumping a known bad car, no need to attribute to subaru what was done by someone else. you've now got a 2.2, a great motor. post your issues with it and go from there. plenty of 200,000 mile plus owners on this board, i think that's a good sign. hope the 2.2 treats you right or you score better on your next used car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctoth Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I too have experienced none of these issues. I had a '95 2.2 impreza and put 60k on it in 2 years. Oil changes, CVs, clutch and exhaust. It ran great even when I traded it in with 151k on it. Not one problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetiMan Posted March 24, 2006 Author Share Posted March 24, 2006 Maybe you're all right. I don't know, engine, CV joints, wheel bearings, a bunch of CEL's, and a starter issue all within a few weeks and like 150 miles? I wish this car wasn't a peice of ************, I like the way it runs and drives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I don't know, engine, CV joints, wheel bearings, a bunch of CEL's, and a starter issue all within a few weeks and like 150 miles? engine - you speaking of the old one? CV joints - forget those, they won't cause any issues any time soon. boots cracked, are they clicking yet? i've gone 50,000+ miles with them clicking around turns. the OEM subaru axles are very durable. wheel bearings - front or rear? CEL's - which ones? starter? - is it not starting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanjuanworm Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 you really want out??? :-\ what did bobmc say about your car?? if you have done all you say to this car, no worrys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetiMan Posted March 24, 2006 Author Share Posted March 24, 2006 engine - you speaking of the old one? yes CV joints - forget those, they won't cause any issues any time soon. boots cracked, are they clicking yet? i've gone 50,000+ miles with them clicking around turns. the OEM subaru axles are very durable. OK wheel bearings - front or rear? front. apparently a bunch of ************ up in there is all rusted together also. I don't know, I could do work on my F250, this car is way above me so I have to trust my friend, who says the front end is severely rusted to the point that it was close to impossible to work on it. CEL's - which ones? I don't know off hand, I have them all stored in my scanner. Sorry, I'll write them down and post later. What I remember is some MAP sensor intake pressure, and some barometric code. I'm going to take a good look at all the vacuum hoses and hope I get lucky this afternoon. starter? - is it not starting? actually yesterday morning it initially spun free as if the flywheel was stripped. Then it caught on the second try. I imagine I won't get that one to duplicate until I'm at least 500 miles from home and low on money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevize1138 Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Maybe you're all right. I don't know, engine, CV joints, wheel bearings, a bunch of CEL's, and a starter issue all within a few weeks and like 150 miles? I wish this car wasn't a peice of ************, I like the way it runs and drives. If you just bought this car and it's used I'm not surprised you've got a host of things to fix such as the ones you're listing here. It is a 10 year old car and depending on how the previous owner(s) drove it I can see how all those things would cause some issues. I got my '97 Outback Sport two years ago and knew right away it needed new struts and tires 'cause it handled like crap. That's why I bought it for $1500 less because I knew I'd have to put that much back into it to get it back up to par. It also had a slipping clutch which just needed a few turns of the wrench to tighten up. The previous owner must have been burning the clutch a lot on starts. Anybody else notice this about used, MT Subarus from owners who weren't, you know, "drivers?" Since then it's been gas and oil changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetiMan Posted March 24, 2006 Author Share Posted March 24, 2006 If I'm looking at pulling the engine to do a flywheel I'm going to set it on fire. what would be better is if somebody bought it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 If I'm looking at pulling the engine to do a flywheel I'm going to set it on fire. ha ha, i know you're fired up about this but that was funny. i'd be fired up too. wow that much rust? i thought that was a northeast thing, that sucks if it's that bad. do seperate threads for the codes/MAP sensors someone on the board will probably offer up some simple ideas. i'm thinking hose/PCV/vaccuum related as well. sounds like it's been all downhill, i'd be seriously jacked up too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSubie Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Well, if it is all rusted up, yeah maybe time to let it go. As far as the EJ22, I have found them to be very reliable. Over 150K, no major problems. Yes, I have replaced the CV's, there have been issues, and the car does leak oil. Yes, compared to older Subies, they are more complicated, but any car with a computer will be more complicated. I have a VW that has a computer, but no diagnostics, at least the Subie will throw you a code. As far as engine layout, I would much rather work on that motor than anything else. I believe that any 11 year old car with high mileage on it will need work.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I'd keep it and drive it now that you've done that much to it, but that's just my $.02. My front wheel bearings needed work too, other than that I've had very few problems with my 97. OTOH, if you do want to sell, you'll have no trouble selling it here in SLC. Easiest to sell in the winter though as that's when they really shine. Subarus keep their value here and are always in demand. Post it on craigslist, there's always subies on there and they don't seem to get reposted very many times. Oh, just noticed a 96 2.5 for sale there... maybe that is yours? In that case, guess you know about craigslist already. There's also a Rocky Mountain forum on http://www.nasioc.com, very active Utah members there. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetiMan Posted March 24, 2006 Author Share Posted March 24, 2006 yes, the craigslist 2.5 is in my garage now and it would be nice to sell it. and I guess I'll just try to drive it and see what happens and really hope that something rendering it unsellable without thousands of dollars doesn't come up, like a transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 how many miles on this 96 0bw?? yes, the craigslist 2.5 is in my garage now and it would be nice to sell it. and I guess I'll just try to drive it and see what happens and really hope that something rendering it unsellable without thousands of dollars doesn't come up, like a transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 you can list the car for sale here - there's a for sale forum if you'd like. the 2.5 should sell for $300 or more even with the headgaskets the way they are. list it on craigslist, ebay, here, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 All these repairs (engine aside) are completely normal for a car of this age and nothing to be concerned about. With the new 2.2 engine, I'd just drive it now and be happy knowing all those issues won't arise again after beign taken care of. Older cares need frequent repairs - it's just the way of it. It'll still be cheaper than something new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 How much do you want to sell it for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetiMan Posted November 18, 2006 Author Share Posted November 18, 2006 long term update: after 10,000 miles the 2.2 swap has been great, it gets 28-30 mpg...no problems. I'm slightly amazed by this. Thanks to all who provided such helpful insight on this. -YM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve455 Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 i picked up my 96 outback on craigslist for $250 with blownheadgaskets,since i replaced them its been a good car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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