Snowman Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 My question is simple. Out of all the subarus made before, say, 1995 that can be usaully be found for a reasonable price, which one would be the best for high-speed on and off highway use but mostly on-road, as well as being a semi-daily driver? Important requirements for me: able to cruise at 90+ for hours on end decent ground clearance for rally-type use 4wd or AWD is an absolute must reasonably comfortable while cruising at 90+ for hours on end still maintain reliablitly under the aforementioned harsh conditions Cars that immediately come to mind, in order of my current opinion about them for my purposes: RX early-model impreza wagon XT turbo ea81 turbo sedan or wagon w/swapping in a 5spd, tied with ea82 turbo sedan or wagon XT6 SVX isn't really an option, because they are so rare, especially in my area, and swapping in a legacy tranny would be rather expensive on top of an expensive car I would like to spend less than 3-4K TOTAL on this car, but that's sort of flexible, and I can wait for a rare one to appear. I'm just looking for a "road car" so that I can turn Roxanne into a serious offroader. Thanks in advance for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Cars that immediately come to mind, in order of my current opinion about them for my purposes: RX early-model impreza wagon XT turbo ea81 turbo sedan or wagon w/swapping in a 5spd, tied with ea82 turbo sedan or wagon XT6 The only one I see is the Impreza. The EA82's won't be reliable at those speeds for hours on end. Although, you didn't mention the Legacy. Mine will run 80+ anytime I desire. It cruises very comfortably @ 70. It has as much clearance as the imp only slightly bigger in size. Just my opinion and I'm sure someone will have something to say as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Take a look at Legacy777's ride for an idea of what you're looking for. There's a guy near me with a used Legacy sedan - nothing special - that was for sale a couple of months back for 2500. You could talk him down, especially with Christmas just around the corner. If you want directions, PM me and I'll fill you in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trooperjeep Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 I vote Legacy as well. From what I've read, they seem to handle high speeds better because they are larger and have a little bit bigger motor. Plus the added weight helps them to "stick" better. T.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted November 11, 2003 Author Share Posted November 11, 2003 I didn't really think about the legacy being more stable, but that sounds like the way to go. I've driven a friend's imp outback at 110, and it was kinda scary, whereas Roxanne handles 95 with a modicum of grace, and could do more if the engine would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHATBRAT Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Legacy got my vote as well, They are readily available and are cheap and reliable. Parts are also easy to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WagonsOnly Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 EA82s are a little long in the tooth from a reliability standpoint, I'll go along with the Legacy and furthermore recommend a 2.2 turbo wagon...or an XT6 4WD. The XT has a little bit more ground clearance, but the air struts might be a pain. And the Legacies are less-prone to rot. (Trust me, sometimes I think they salt the roads out here in the summer.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Well, if you guys are talking about stability, the Impreza has a lower center of gravity than the Legacy, and is also a stronger chassis. Your friends outback wagon was just that an outback wagon. The Outbacks aren't exactly know for riding or handling well. I've been involved in rallying for years now and I wouldn't go with anything other than an Impreza. We started with a Legacy and moved to an Impreza and the difference in handleing is very noticable thanks to the lower center of gravity. The only problem is that you won't find anything in an Impreza that has the 5spd 4wd with the 2.2L until 1996, and I don't think you'll find that for what you're looking to spend. So, in reality your limited to the legacy anyway. Try to find a first or second year turbo legacy. Good power, and failry easy to extract more. Only problem with them is that parts aren't cheap. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarubrat Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Getaway car huh. Early Legacy turbo sounds like the max you will get for your planned money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XSNRG Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 For cruising at 90 for hours on end you'll need the 4EAT. The RPM's associated with a 5 speed trans at that speed are probably not favorable for long distances. You can find those trannys in 89 turbo cars and 90 Loyale turbos. Also available in the XT, XT-6, Lagacy, Impreza. I was really happy with my '90 Loyale turbo wagon. It would cruise at 80MPH @ 3,000RPM, the 5 speed does 3,000RPM around 65MPH. I cruised that car loaded with gear and 5 people from the middle of Montana to Washington at 85/90 for 15 hours straight, just stopping for gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeky Moose Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 i'd say an XT6, drove ours from oregon to VA cruised at about 90 with the cruise control set from california to colorado.. straight through 1 and a half days.. of course there was the ocasional town to slow down for but the majority of it was 90 mph or so... very comfortable, car handles it great, and still got about 27 mpg avg.. this was a 4eat tranny also.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 I must admit I don't know the newer generation Subes very well, but the XT6 sure looks like it can deliver the goods. Mine is a 91 AWD model, and though it's not completely "roadworthy", I can't help but be impressed with the way this thing is designed. All the systems appear to be top-notch, and there are lots of little extras that contribute to an overall awesome package. Simply put, this car has just about everything you could possibly want in a Sube. The specs I've read back up the fact that the XT6 could hold it's own with some of the best on the road. The guy I bought it from also owns a BMW, and he thout the XT6 outperformed his Beamer hands down. The six is what sets this apart from the other Subes in my mind. It adresses the shortcomings of the EA82's, while preserving the simple basic design and durability of the OHC 4's. Sustained hi speed driving should not be a problem, if that's your thing. Too bad they didn't let the xt6 live long enough to catch on. A turbo six model might have saved this car if Sube hadn't pulled the plug so quickly. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subieman Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Why on earth would anyone wanna drive 90mph hours on end. Are we in that much of a hurry in this life? Slow down a bit and enjoy the world. Plus you wont kill your poor subie as fast. Poor thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 My Legacy has been cruised at 95mph for eight hours - nearly on end, but she gets thirsty...so I stopped for fuel once. And back again. Perfectly legal too, seeing as it was in Germany on derestricted Autobahn. Okay, most of the time that's the the speed I cruise at here in Denmark too...quiet, 10.2 kilomteres per litre of RON95, and zero oil consumption @ 4500rpm. (Above there I find that combustion chamber temperature gets hot enough to evaporate Mobil 1 - even 5W-50!!) ANYWAY! EJ22 Legacy sounds like the business. Avoid 1989 and '90 manual trans models, the main bearings are weak and last "only" 120k miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Theres a legacy turbo wagon on ebay right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted November 11, 2003 Author Share Posted November 11, 2003 subieman- I'm attending college 800 miles from my hometown, and I make that trip on a regular basis, sometimes just for a weekend driving overnight to do it. I've done the trip once in Roxanne running about 80 most of the way, and she did that fine but I want to make her into an offroader which would compromise the high speed ability. And no, I don't really like sustained high speed driving, but it's just a fact of life for me right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondasucks Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 I drove my 91 Legacy LS AWD 5 speed back from Utah last march, did 90+ the whole way until I hit Oregon, no problem. Got a few miles to the gallon less at 95 than it did at 75 but not as bad as Ahna's Hyundai (38 MPG @ 75 vs. 30 @ 95, where the legacy went from 30@75 to 28 @ 95) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WagonsOnly Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 What does Hyundai make that goes 95 MPH and gets 40 MPG? After reading the suggestions I'd go with the XT6 with the 4EAT, or a turbo Legacy. I'm very happy with my XT4, but for that kind of driving you probably need more oomph. And my Forester pulls just over 4K RPM at that speed, with the manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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