1985 Subaru GL Wagon review from North America
"An unreliable, new part hungry, aggravating piece of junk"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
What didn't? I am 69 years old and I have spent more money fixing this pig than all the other cars I've owned in my lifetime.
At 160k the oil pump shaft was binding and stripped the teeth off the 35,000 mile timing belts.
At 165k the impeller came off the water pump shaft and totaled the radiator and the engine overheated and was destroyed.
Moral of this story: Always replace both the oil pump and the water pump at the 120k timing belt replacement even if they are fine. I've had a total of 6 tows and they are horribly expensive.
Starter motor went at 170k.
The clutch cable went at 173k.
The new clutch failed at 135k. And was again worn out at the 165k engine replacement.
The exhaust manifold rear pipe was broken in two when I got the car.
The carburettor would not allow the engine to idle at all, replaced. Also at time of purchase.
And I will replace the RF CV shaft in the morning.
General comments?
In spite of what I've written above, the car looks really great and was very well cared for when I bought it.
The gas mileage, city & hwy is 23+ mpg.
Upholstery has held up perfectly., and also the paint. Very comfortable.
It is fun to drive and has all the extras that I want which is why I've put up with it for so long.
On the other hand, hill climbing ability is very poor, much worse than the Volvo 122s.
And tight quarters make it very difficult to work on and I have normal size hands.
I ran my Volvo 122s wagon for 290k miles (174k mine) and it was a prince compared to my Subaru.
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  | 1986 - GL Turbo 4WD 1.8L turbo Goes anywhere and I can trust it to get me back |
| Dependable and economical in a easy to load station wagon |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 liter Manual |
| Performance marks | 4/10 |
| Reliability marks | 1/10 |
| Comfort marks | 9/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 128750 miles |
| Most recent distance | 175000 miles |
| Previous car | Volvo 122 |
| Date of Entry | 5th April, 2004 |