mountaingoatgruff Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 i'll be going to the bay area to check out a 93 legacy L wagon to maybe buy it as my first legacy - ej22, 5speed, awd, 25th anniversary edition. got a couple ?'s the guy is willing to meet me halfway with the car, but that means the car will be all warmed up and have been driving over an hour already. i want a car cold when i check it out, but that mostly applies to carb'd and auto trans cars. are there any potential issues in the awd, brakes or whatever that dissapear at operating temp or after an hour of driving? i want to be absolutely anal retentive here (i got burned on my last car buy and i absolutely can't afford to this time) so no issue or possibility of one is too small to note. i'm already gonna look like a prick when i literaly go down my checklist and test drive the car to bum**** egypt and back, so it wont hurt to add anything to the list. also, what comes with the "25th anniversary edition" badging? the guy seems to be making a really big deal out of that part but from what i've seen it just adds chrome door handles, antenna, and a couple extra emblems. are they special where it matters - underneath? the car is exactly what my wife and i need and its $1000 below blue book for my zip. i'm in a lean time right now and with my son and all i can't afford to buy another car that needs work. i expect to replace the timing belts, do a full tune-up, rotate tires, etc, etc - but that's all i have the cash for!! i think i'll drive an extra hour to feel better about this, what do you guys think? i gotta call the guy back in the next hour or so - naturally, quick replies especially appreciated!! thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 [...]- ej22, 5speed, awd,[...][...]i want a car cold when i check it out, but that mostly applies to carb'd and auto trans cars.[...] [...]i think i'll drive an extra hour to feel better about this, what do you guys think?[...] Agreed, drive the extra distance. True, you won't have to consider the issues a cold auto trans can have, but that doesn't mean a manual can't be balky when cold. Perhaps more importantly, just because an engine is fuel injected doesn't mean it can't have cold-start/run problems. However, there's also the other side of the coin -- make sure you run it enough for it to get fully warm, since of course certain problems may only show up then. Best of luck. I hope you wind up with a good one, or at least find any problems before the purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 thanks, i know all these logical things. i'm just going out on a limb with my family's financial well being here and i guess i'm looking for reassurance. i'll be driving the extra distance and i really hope the car checks out well. i'm relatively new to subes but i'm already obsessed with my 84 hatch (despite it's problems, all the fault of previous owners! ) and i'm sure whatever legacy i get will be just as fun! also, i looked online at some pics of 93 legacy wagons............ i like the newer ones too but there's just something about the facelifted 92-94's. my favorite sube, after ea81 gl's of course!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-fleet-feet Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 May I also suggest being anal about checking EVERY compartment? I had 'check jack' on my list of things to inspect before buying Dragon. If I'd remembered, we'd have found the water leak the previous owner stated the car didn't have; by the time we did find it we wanted to throttle ourselves, not just the blonde Dragon had escaped from. Pull the spare and look at it closely. Well-used? I'd ask why. Flat? If it's flat, what else didn't get maintained? See if there's a manual. If there isn't, the owner has been doing things without knowing the specs or the how-to (I speak of the FWD fuse here -especially if there's significant use on that spare). If there's been maintenance, remember to see the receipts and ask questions of the current owner! Aircraft-engineer and I can now prove Dragon didn't have any dealer timing belt service 'two years ago'... sheesh... will post on that later! Ask what their use of the car was, as well. 50k under their ownership at mostly freeway miles is better than 50k in the city. Dragon's my first used car in 22 years - the experience is ending happier than most, but I want you to get a good one from the get-go! Here's to your new Legacy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 i almost forgot - the reason the car is $1000 below blue book is the fact that its got a salvage title. he's got a pink slip and its smogged/registered. he says he bought it from a wrecking yard as a complete car, did some maintenance, bought some goodies (hood bra, speakers, seat covers, etc.), and its been his gf's car for about a year now. says she wants to keep it but she bought an auto car after a foot surgery, can't drive stick still, and they don't have space for it. should i stay away from a salvage car? i have zero experience with salvage titles and i've always stayed away from them. its just this car is below $2000 and EXACTLY what my wife and i need. it's hard to find these cars around here (hence the driving two hours to see it) and they're usually close to $2500 or more! there's a 91 w/ 200k+ miles on cl right now for $3000 i'd spend more time looking but i really need some wheels. i sold my truck three weeks ago and still haven't given it to the guy (he only paid deposit knowing the situation but still calls a lot). my other cars are my 84 gl hatch disected in the garage undergoing an spfi conversion and a 62 dodge dart wagon, also spread across my garage while i part it out. (just started so i got lots of parts left, btw - poly318, 727, 8.75 rear, good fenders, hood.....*wink*wink*) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankosolder2 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 i almost forgot - the reason the car is $1000 below blue book is the fact that its got a salvage title. he's got a pink slip and its smogged/registered. he says he bought it from a wrecking yard as a complete car, did some maintenance, bought some goodies (hood bra, speakers, seat covers, etc.), and its been his gf's car for about a year now. says she wants to keep it but she bought an auto car after a foot surgery, can't drive stick still, and they don't have space for it. should i stay away from a salvage car? i have zero experience with salvage titles and i've always stayed away from them. its just this car is below $2000 and EXACTLY what my wife and i need. it's hard to find these cars around here (hence the driving two hours to see it) and they're usually close to $2500 or more! there's a 91 w/ 200k+ miles on cl right now for $3000 A salvage title car CAN be a good value if money is tight - or a complete disaster. Try to discern WHY the car was a salvage title- Flood? Walk away. Stolen and Recovered or crashed? Since it's an older car with relatively low value, a fender bender could have been enough to render it a total & give it a branded salvage title. Run a Carfax and see when the damage happened- damage earlier in the car's life could be bad (in the sense that if it occurred when the car was worth, say, $10k, it must have been major damage to make the car a total.) On the other hand, if the car was repaired a long time ago and isn't showing signs of poor repair (rusting in repaired areas, water leaks, tire wear issues, etc) it MIGHT be ok. Figure out what part of the car was damaged and inspect it very carefully. Nathan Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 i almost forgot - the reason the car is $1000 below blue book is the fact that its got a salvage title.[...] That puts this in a completely different light. Aside from the issues of safety and reliability, there are possible problems with registration and insurance. Is the title "salvage", or is it actually "revived salvage"? In addition, unless you can verify the "girlfriend's leg" story, you might be buying from a curbstoner. Here's the situation concerning insurance and registration in CA: http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/content17322.aspx http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr33.htm Here's further advice on buying cars with "salvage" titles: http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/46537/article.html http://usedcars.about.com/od/researchingausedcar/p/Salvage.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 One more: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/howto/htvr13.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 plenty of good info. thanks for all your help guys. i'm still pretty anxious to check this thing out. i'll let you know how it turned out after i get back this evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 holy cow! i got the carfax report on this 93 wagon and it says the car has been on a salvage title since 96, has at least 180k, been transfered 5 times, failed smog twice in 04, and after talking to the guy he won't budge from $1800. screw that noise! so i just checked through cl again to see what else has popped up and another holy cow!!! i found a 97 legacy wagon with 179k, ej22, auto (which sucks but wait till you see the price), beautiful dark blue with grey int and pics look awesome, L package with some options added, new tires, and smog already done. blue book here is $4415 in good shape, $4920 excellent. are you ready??? asking $2450!!!! is this just too good to be true? i called and the guy said he's a wholesaler who got the car as a trade in from an old couple that moved to ca from wa. geezer's used cars are the best!! (no offence intended:grin: ) i told my wife yesterday to go ahead and pull $2500 from the bank since that's our limit and whaddayaknow? if i remember right, GD said 95's are the ones with less ground clearance, right? how's the height on a 97? how about availability of mods? well, i'll be headed to san jose this afternoon instead of san pablo. wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Good catch with the carfax, that could've been another disaster eh? We can assume you are running one on this new car right? Anytime the price is low you gotta wonder why. Especially if it's a trade in and he selling it low. well, i'll be headed to san jose this afternoon instead of san pablo Yikes, that car was in San Pablo? I don't know if you've ever been there but that place is shadyville. Good luck in San Jose! Will- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 no i don't think i'm gonna run another carfax on this 97. i really wanted to see what was going on with that 93's salvage title. the 97's seller said he's a wholesaler. i got my truck from a wholesaler, an 01 dodge ram 1500 with v8, 2wd, and 45k for $4000 below book at the time. i love my truck and have no issues with it. the only things i expect to find wrong with this 97 are the typical things that go with 179k - oil leak, needs timing belts, brakes, tune-up, etc, etc - its just a matter of how many issues needing what extent of repair. i'll check it just as thoroughly as i planned on combing over the salvaged 93, of course, but carfax wont tell me any of these things. really, for $30 i'm kinda disappointed with the carfax report, but i know you can't expect too much for a car that old in a country of information this large. the 97 has a clear title and he sould be able to show paperwork on what dealer or auction yard he got it from or whatever. as long as all that checks out i don't need a carfax report. anyways, i gotta put the little man in his car seat, let the dogs out, and hit the road to san jose!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-fleet-feet Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 As far as being disappointed with Carfax, I can second that. I'd never seen a report until I saw the one Farmers ran on my totaled truck. The three emissions failures were on there (and that they were a week apart) but not why - defective gasket on the EGR, then vac hose leak, then bad replacement EGR valve . I'd also been in a extended-cab-hit t-bone when my truck was less than 6 months old, and Farmers had refused to total it in '91 - Carfax had no info about it - Jan 1991 accident didn't show on the Carfax report pulled on Totaled Day - August 30, 2007. Neither did the front-ender gotten when someone had gone into reverse at a stop sign (again, :eek: ) and they also had Farmers (2002). Even Farmers had no info about the accidents, and both were fully-paid claims! Not that I minded, or they would have probably taken longer than 3 months to get me any money at all. If my truck hadn't been a total loss, and I'd fixed her up and sold her/traded her without revealing the previous damage, nobody would have known she'd been in 2 accidents before the last and final one. I don't know if it's the fault of the body shops (first one the selling Chevy dealer's, second one an aftermarket), Farmers Insurance, or Carfax, but seeing my truck's report shook my faith about how accurate their reports are. They're better than nothing, but I can state with knowledge and honesty that in one case I can swear is true Carfax was so far off it boggles my mind (and scares the :eek: out of my wallet). I hope your trip gets you a nice Dogmobile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonicfrog Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Glad you didn't get snookered on the 93. You might ask someone on the list to run a car fax for you. A few here have dealer connections and can run one for you. And I agree, if the price of a car is way below value, there is often a reason..... and it's usually not a good one. PS. How far is "anywherebuthere" from Fresno??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted February 17, 2008 Author Share Posted February 17, 2008 the 97 turned out to be a dream come true. the guy selling it had all his paperwork in order cuz he was a used car salesman by trade (if that's a trade) and everything was kosher! the car was sold new in seattle to a woman in her 50's who owned it till last month when she traded it in at steven's creek honda in ca after moving the month before. has ca title and smog already. i found the owner's manual stuffed with receipts for maintenance including timing belts @113k, so they have less than 70k on them. car is practically pristine, scuffs and dings throughout - nothing big - but clean as a whistle. i spent a half hour looking over everything, then an hour driving it (cuz i got lost in campbell and got some bum directions). he was asking $2450 plus tax, license, and fees. came out to $2887, but i only had $2600 cash. paid that and went home with our new legacy!! for sonicfrog, i'm trapped in modesto right now. (can you tell how much i hate living here?) i'd post pics, but i gotta get back to my spfi conversion on my 84 hatch. maybe tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-fleet-feet Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Yes! Result! Enjoy your new ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 i'm taking a break from pulling the engine from my hatch (to fix a jacked up exhaust stud, may have to replace head) so here's the pics: btw, those were taken this morning, obviously, which means that's what the weather is like around here. i'm actually kinda sick of constantly sunny skies and tee shirt weather... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Wow! Great find. Glad that worked out for you since you've had such rotten luck in the past. Will- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1997reduxe Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 well, i just looked on cars.com and saw this: SUBARU 1996 LEGACY WAGON. A/C, 80K miles, green. $2895. Call Dave at 760.328.6198 it's in palm springs, but 80000 miles...! maybe you could go see it and pay them a deposit and then pay it off in a few weeks? jeez, that'd be good for years. i know it's far, but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1997reduxe Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 oh, ignore that last post. i didn't get to the part about how you'd bought it already, and it looks really nice in the pics!!! good luck for you. i know it'll turn out well. I bought mine at 140000 miles for $2500, and it's going strong still at 245K. I highly recommend Mobil 1 oil, and now the high mileage one they have out. maybe i'll go to palm springs!!! '97 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now