1985 Subaru GL Reviews

The module and pickup coil was bad; it would run 20 minutes and die. This is my third Subaru, and this will happen around this mileage on most all cars.

If you have a good mechanic that likes these cars, he will do a better job than a one that would rather work on another type of auto.

They are easy to work on with more room under hood than most cars, and will run forever with proper care. I love them.

The car is not fast, so you have to adjust your driving habits before you pull out into traffic.

They are very well built, and will outlast the payments. The average person will not even check the oil or the air in the tires, so you can't blame the car if it doesn't give you good service.

You need to keep up with it, and when you notice that it's not running smooth or the fuel mileage went down, or it's running hotter than it should, have it checked out. Just because it still gets you back and forth, it will cost you more if you wait till it quits all at once.

Timing belt shredded itself, but was overdue for replacement.

Whole electrical system shot a year after getting the car. Radio literally fried itself.

Bearings went bad. Heater core went bad. Very old oil gasket was replaced.

Headlights have been replaced. Driver's seat literally broke and would not stay up.

Well, it always started. This was my first car, and my oh my, what a beater.

For what it's worth, I abused this thing and didn't feel too bad about it because I got it so cheap. I literally ran it out of oil until the engine began to seize. Put some more oil in and it ran like a champ.

The transmission always felt an inch from tearing itself apart, but never did. Fun in the snow. I have to say this thing, believe it or not, was pretty reliable.

Driver stick shift with no power steering will teach you a lot about driving that you might have missed in other newer cars.

And considering my dad did most of the repairs and maintenance, I had to pay very little to keep this thing on the road.

Overall, I was happy with the time spent with this car, despite it being such a beater.

The alternator belt breaks and the motor has a bad oil leak at 138000 miles. Seats start to get broken down. The rear door hatch strut is not working properly.

This cars is not the fastest thing on the road, but I can go just as many places as my friends with their souped up four wheel drives.

Oil Pan gasket leak that came with the car, however she never is down any oil when checked.

Rust on back hatch, will be replaced when I can find a donor car.

A/C compressor keeps going out, may have electrical short.

It's not the fastest car on the road, but can keep up with traffic. Not pretty to look at, but always starts up on the first twist of the key and has never let me down..

We had this wagon for ten years and it was just routine maintenence of changing the oil and rotating the tires. Rock solid wagon.

This was probably the most reliable car, next to my Ford Ranger, that we have ever owned. It never broke down and left us stranded.

Body was very solid. No rust developed.

Very anemic acceleration. It was even slower when the air conditioner was on high. But, that's what you get when you combine a 4-cylinder boxer with a 4000-lb wagon.

Engine really spun fast. It did an outrageous 4300 RPM on the interstate at 80 mph. In comparison, my Ranger only does 2900 at that speed.

Highway performance was acceptable. It could go up hills at 65 mph without downshifting.

The seats were extremely comfortable and the trunk was great for drive-in movies.

I really miss this vehicle and I am currently looking for a Loyale wagon.