1985 Subaru GL Wagon from North America - Comments

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.

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.

OK, So why did`nt you sell this POS at 110k?...

I wanted to add this to my original posting.

When the radiator was destroyed I got another used radiator from a car with 15k less miles and that worked for 4500 miles and then overheated and had to be replaced with new.

Ignition lock was replaced at 148k.

I have had five front tires prematurely removed do to tread separation or other tread failure. The tires have a small diameter which means that they have a very high rotation speed and thus very high centrifugal force. On the other hand, I've never had a problem with the rear tires.

If you can feel a slight shimmy in your steering wheel you most likely have a bulge in a front tire tread. Check it now before it gets worse.

All the problems with this vehicle sound like fair wear and tear on a very old car with a very high mileage.

Adding to my original posting.

At 176.5k the tranny failed and that was the last straw. I offered it for FREE on Craigs List and gave it to the first person who asked for it.

This person repaired the tranny and has been using the car without re-registering it so the local towns keep sending me notices for unpaid parking tickets even though I immediately notified DMV of the new ownership.

Moral of this story: Never give a car away EXCEPT to a recognized charity!

That is hardly the fault of the car. Why did you not just scrap it?

Why didn't he sell the car at 110K? Heck, he didn't buy it until it had 128k!

As far as I'm concerned, if you own a car that was built back when Ronald Reagan was president, what do you have to complain about? Most cars from that time period have long been scrapped.

You bought a 13-year old car at very high miles - a little car with a little engine, and are upset things have gone wrong.

Of course things have gone wrong, it's worn-out.

Even if it were free, I would not want to run such a car.

If you want a car to do high miles with minimum maintenance, you need a proper big car with a big engine like a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis.

At age 69, you should know better.

Your comment about centrifugal loading on the tyres causing tread separation is nonsense.

You just bought rubbish tyres.

I must say that I disagree with some of the comments on this posting (and other less-than-positive postings) ; perhaps it is understandable that the car should be having problems after twenty-plus years and who knows how much abuse, but it still is good for a perspective buyer to know what kind of longevity to expect. I've got an old Volvo 240 with 180K miles, and it has never given me trouble (which seems to be a trend). It seems, on the other hand, that these Subarus aren't as long lived. Does that mean it should be ignored and avoided by posters?

My 1985 Subaru GL 4wd wagon has served me well. It has 244k miles on it. I bought it with 97k on the odometer. Major work has included 1 new clutch,1 radiator, 2 water pumps, 2 timing belts & 4 front transaxels. Now the time has come to retire my Sooby and donate it to someone other than the wrecking yard.

I have a subaru wagon GL 4X4 1987.

In the beginning I have had 2 problems:

1. Water came in from the front window - it was all rusty

2. She used a lot of fuel - 1 liter, 3 or 4 mileage. But I fixed those 2 problems and now everything is great.

This car is very old. You need to know how to take care of her. Your car is like your wife - if your wife lives with you in the middle of the desert, you can handle with the problem.

But... if your car stops running in the middle of the desert, you are in a every big problem...

Think about it...

I was given a 85 Subaru GL Wagon in Oct. of 2004. It had 170K and now has 174K. The only "major" thing that I had work on was the carburetor. Everything still works (a/c, rear defogger, wiper and etc.) I had never owner a Japanese car prior to this and I've been quite surprised of how it always starts (I commute between Portland and Seattle on a weekly basis via the train) and gets me around. I plan on keeping it as long as it holds up.