1993 Subaru Legacy L Wagon 2.2 turbo

Summary:

A fantastic culmination of Japanese performance, comfort, utility, and reliability

Faults:

Seat-belt sensor @ 30k (covered under warranty)

Front axle (I suspect just CV Joint went-but I've heard that its cheaper with labor to just replace the whole axle) @ 105k - $350.

Power steering leak (required replacement of whole power steering rack) - $500.

Front brake pads wear more often than expected.

General Comments:

Great, dependable, and very useable car.

The interior is adequate-mostly high quality materials, and very comfortable seats. The only problems I have are smallish rear legroom, and the front seats begin to lose support on very long drives, but everyday they are very comfortable. Cargo room is massive - it rivals the big SUVs of today, and the back seats flip down to make a huge flat floor.

The car rides very smoothly, but there is a lot of body roll as a result of the soft suspension, but the car stays glued to the road and is stable in hard cornering.

The engine is very potent, with a surprising amount of low-end torque, but to truly get the turbo going it requires some revving. The flipside is poor real world fuel economy (I average 20 MPG), on premium (91+ Octane) gas. However, this has to be the most reliable turbo powerplant I have ever known of (turbos are usually plagued with problems), and the engine is very smooth and responsive.

The AWD works great in the snow! It prevents skids from happening very effectively, and when in a skid, it is very predictable and easy to recover from. A handy feature is pushing the "manual" button on the automatic transmission, then shifting it into the "3" selection on the shifter. This locks the differential shifting all power equal to each wheel, and starts the car in 2nd gear from a stop which greatly increases traction from standstill.

Overall this is an excellent car that I plan to keep for many years to come.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th December, 2008

1993 Subaru Legacy L 2.2L Gas

Summary:

Perfect all around transportation

Faults:

Needed a clutch and both halfshafts at 150,000 miles. (My uncle owned the car before I did.)

Needed a wheel bearing at 165,000.

Rear defrost stopped working at 185,000.

Alternator needed at 203,000.

Engine developed a knock at 206,000.

Driver's visor snapped off at 207,000.

Needs another CV-joint on the passenger side front at 210,000.

General Comments:

For an average car, the running costs and maintenance have been nice and cheap. Parts are not astronomical in price, and overall not many have been needed.

The CV joints going out and the engine knock, are both related to my harsh driving style more than anything else.

The A/C still blows cold, the power doors, windows, and locks are still functioning.

This car is extremely well suited to the rainy Pacific Northwest with its very competent AWD. I've driven it through snow over the Cascades many a time, muddy forest service roads, and on the beach, without much worry thanks to its sure-footed nature.

Being a station wagon, I've hauled crap through many states and to Canada. Its gets the job done extremely well in a utilitarian way, with basic comforts. Though I doubt I would want to do many of the things I've done with it in a luxury car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th November, 2008

31st Mar 2009, 01:06

Update, at 210000 the knock became much more serious and the wrist pin broke in cylinder #2. I put a used 100k ej22, that I got pretty cheaply, with all new seals, belts and gaskets in my car so I hope to get another 100k out of the chassis. I do realize that the engine failure is most likely due to the fact that I'll space oil changes longer than I should, and I have a tendency to rev the engine to redline much more than I should, since it is just a 130hp legacy, not in fact a rally car.