terryb52 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 I have a '92 Turbo wagon with 176K and many replaced parts. Things are falling apart (sunroof, stereo, oil leak) on a more regular basis. I have replaced water pump. fuel pump. belts. O2 sensor, starter, tires, more in the 4 years I've owned the car. When do I say enough and get another used Subaru or is it better to keep this one because all the parts are new? I have one cross-country trip this fall but other than that it's city driving. The gas is killing me, however--takes higher grade because of turbo. When do you decide to pack it in??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon38iowa Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 I have a '92 Turbo wagon with 176K and many replaced parts. Things are falling apart (sunroof, stereo, oil leak) on a more regular basis. I have replaced water pump. fuel pump. belts. O2 sensor, starter, tires, more in the 4 years I've owned the car. When do I say enough and get another used Subaru or is it better to keep this one because all the parts are new? I have one cross-country trip this fall but other than that it's city driving. The gas is killing me, however--takes higher grade because of turbo. When do you decide to pack it in??? To Me you know its time to sell when: A) A given repair costs more then the car is worth. The car no longer suits your needs or desires. c) One is just plain tired of fixing it; You can expect with your car, the next four years to be very simillar to the last, in terms of maintenace/repairs. Just my two cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 I think everyone has their signs. My Ex used to laugh - if either the blower motor started to make noise or the high beam switch goes - more often than not I usually get rid of the vehicle shortly. Mind you - by this time they have well over 100k and usually closer to 150k or so. GM, Jap, German, doesn't matter. Sometimes a blower motor goes bad early. Sometimes you just get tired of a vehicle - even if it isn't constantly breaking. It may be like any other relationship - if you find yourself wondering - it's already over. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 What a weird concept ...... sell. i am more of an end user, drive the car into the ground. Replacment time for me is usually: 1- Rust 2- A bad case of the uglies 3- Interior has gotten really ragged 4- Electrical switches start breaking ( i dont mean failing, more like the parts fall off the switches). 5- Parts cant be found. Blu is a keeper nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 that's a good vehicle if the maintenance is kept up right you can expect some more solid use out of this vehicle. what condition is the vehicle in, does it look, drive and smell okay? oil leaks aren't a huge deal if you can manage the spots on the ground. some small leakage isn't abnormal at all and not a sign of anything significant. and...it can probably be fixed at the next timing belt for a few dollars (seals are about $5 each). you say water pump replaced...was the timing belt done too, it should have been. a proper water pump job would include the timing belt, oil pump seals and cam seals. since they are all right there, easy to replace and only cost a couple dollars. that would take care of your oil leaks. i would hope the timing belt tensioner pulleys were inspected, by 150,000 and/or 10 years i usually find one that i like to replace. and i woluld definitely replace the turbo hoses if it's never been done. the coolant and oil hoses are old by now, they need replaced or resealed...and that's really bad if they break and they only cost a few dollars. i usually replace things ahead of time rather than wait for them to fail. better than a new car or car payment. as an example - in your case i'd be concerned about the alternator, battery and the end terminals on the battery cables ($5). if the car is very rusty and not very comfortable or nice then maybe it's time to move on and sell while the car is running rather than get discouraged the next time it needs something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northgeorgiaroo Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 What I always do (My old soobs, my old Jeep, my old VW Rabbit... everything except my old Camry - Yotas have too much resale to give away:grin: ) is drive it until it breaks, then fix it until it can't be fixed by me. Then give it to someone, preferably a teenager, who has no idea what he's getting into, but is excited to get the free vehicle! Never Sell a Soob! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrturbo Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Ahhhh!!! I wish you were closer. I want a turbo wagon soooo bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 I have a '92 Turbo wagon with 176K and many replaced parts. Things are falling apart (sunroof, stereo, oil leak) on a more regular basis. I have replaced water pump. fuel pump. belts. O2 sensor, starter, tires, more in the 4 years I've owned the car. When do I say enough and get another used Subaru or is it better to keep this one because all the parts are new? I have one cross-country trip this fall but other than that it's city driving. The gas is killing me, however--takes higher grade because of turbo. When do you decide to pack it in??? Another time is when the water reaches the dashboard :cool: nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Get rid of an EJ22 turbo car?!?!?!? NEVER! OK, when it falls apart into 7,000 separate pieces in the middle of the road. When that happens, it's a . Emily http://www.ccrengines.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jib Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 It's time to sell. . . . When it's breaking faster than you can fix it. jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPX Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 As someone who has had to let go of cars for OTHER reasons than ultimate failure, I don't have a good reference point on when to stop fixing an old car..........in fact, I'm going in the wrong direction by Reasons I I've had to ditch cars: I went to college and couldn't take the car I move from Texas to California Cressida was not CARB compliant My two VWs could not be practically moved halfway across the country Now that I think about it, I haven't gotten rid of any cars lately:-\ - although the Legacy is probably the first in line in a few more years since the wife talks about getting a newer car. But if the enjoyment of owning the car is going away (because of repairs or just gettting old), then you might want to move on. Some consider these "features":dead: part of the charm of the car......and others will consider it time to get rid of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 I have a '92 Turbo wagon with 176K and many replaced parts. Things are falling apart (sunroof, stereo, oil leak) on a more regular basis. I have replaced water pump. fuel pump. belts. O2 sensor, starter, tires, more in the 4 years I've owned the car. When do I say enough and get another used Subaru or is it better to keep this one because all the parts are new? I have one cross-country trip this fall but other than that it's city driving. The gas is killing me, however--takes higher grade because of turbo. When do you decide to pack it in??? i'd say, by the time you ask that question, it's long past that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted June 10, 2007 Author Share Posted June 10, 2007 All good reponses! I have decided to keep it for the timebeing-- just put in a cheap CD player to replace the factory radio/tape deck that fried. Are turbos really desirable? I just bought it cause it was the only affordable wagon I could find at the time. It is peppy ! I had the gaskets replaced about 3 years ago and it is starting to do the same smoke from under the hood thing. They said it might happen again. I can deal with it but it's stinky and the people next to me at the stoplights get freaked out. I like the luxury of things working (sunroof, AC, CC, etc.) but can live with less than perfect for awhile. Cosmetically the car is in pretty good shape. It was incredible when I bought it--looked new at 11 years old. But I tend to haul alot of dirty stuff and my dog sheds alot. But, it's still in good condition. So, unless something major happens, I will drive it for another year. I will be moving to IL next year and maybe someone in that area will be happy to get a turbo wagon?? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virrdog Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 The key phrase I saw was that you are considering buying another used Subaru... Well, you have one of the most bullet proof, easy to work on (SOHC! but as always debatable) engines and a great car around it. You've had minimal work done in 4 years and have minimal work to be done as it is. Oil leak and radio are really none issues unless you have a rear main seal leaking. Buy another used Subaru (any year) and you could get a host of problems that will make your current car look like a dream car. Its like Russian Roulette with cars. I currently have a Subaru I wish I never bought because the problems are well... annoying. Not bad enough to make me want to tear it apart to find the issue (if it can be found) but annoying enough to make me want to sell it. If you figure out the money you will lose on selling your current car to buy another used one... you could probably drive for years on the difference in nice premium gas - not to mention fixing up the new one. And have you changed your PVC valve recently? I do believe it helped my turbo Legacy get decent gas mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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