1985 Subaru GL RX review from North America
"Underpowered Peice of crap that's good in the snow"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Ha everything, and the engines got only 35k on it and a lot of stuff had been replaced. Heres what I've put into it, thinking alls it needed was a timing belt.
Radiator
Waterpump...3 times...
Hose after hose after hose
clutch cable
intake manifold gaskets...twice
headgaskets or the cylinder head are currently blown/cracked
leaks oil
turbo leaks oil
timing belts replaced, tensioners went bad soon after
every freking hose on the thing is brittle and hard, and doesn't seal.
Runs like complete crap and I've put almost 800$ into it.
Rust
Headlights suck and rusted out.
General comments?
This had got to be the worst car I've ever owned. I would stay FAR FAR away from Turbo EA82 engines. Its slow, gets horrible gas mileage, and overheats easily, mine wasnt overheated, but it still cracked the head.
Handles well and the ride is decent, its like a tincan so wind noise and road noise is loud.
Front seats suck, rear seats are decent.
Power windows are all slow and gum up.
Is unbeatable in the snow! Just amazing, Dual range 4x4 with a rear LSD. Plowed through anything.
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![]() ![]() | The only thing reliable about this car is that the next month there will be something else to fix |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model Year | 1986 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 turbo Manual |
| Performance marks | 2/10 |
| Reliability marks | 0/10 |
| Comfort marks | 1/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 1/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 258000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 262000 miles |
| Previous car | Mazda 323 |
| Date of Entry | 25th February, 2007 |



