1993 Subaru Legacy 4 Cam Turbo Estate 2.0 Litre turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Excellent performance, and value for money

Faults:

Only the usual wear and tear...

Tyres at 105k.

Drive shaft now at 112k.

.. and that's all!

General Comments:

Performance for a 'boring' estate car is fantastic.

Why compromise performance for economy. Let's face it, once in a while, we all want to have a little burn up, even if it's only for 500 yds, and this car will give you a grin, even over the shortest distance, and how many times have you been stuck behind an Escort, on the way to the beach?? This car gives you lift-off, when you need it, and I don't need it very often.

Essentially, these are cheap to buy, more expensive to run, but the performance makes up for that, and with this sort of car, you won't get bored as quickly as you would if you bought your... run with the pack type car.

Seats are rubbish. The stereo is an epic to replace, if you want a cd player in there, but apart from that, these are great cars, and fabulous value for money.

A year on, and my £1500 investment hasn't dropped at all, but the other run with the pack cars are all now cheaper to buy. That makes up for the running costs!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th April, 2004

1993 Subaru Legacy L 2.2L from North America

Summary:

An economical, reliable, comfortable gem of a car

Faults:

New water pump installed at 70,000 miles.

Timing belt replaced at 70,000 miles, but this was standard maintenance on this car.

Plastic seat belt restrainer broke, but this was a minor inconvenience.

General Comments:

This car ran and rode extremely well.

The engine was exceptionally quiet and smooth, especially at idle.

The four-cylinder engine handled air-conditioning great, with no decrease in performance when the air conditioning was running.

Highway mileage, with air conditioning running, was 35 miles per gallon!

Virtually maintenance free except for oil changes and new plugs.

Automatic transmission shifted very smoothly.

Road noise at high speed was somewhat loud, but interior was very comfortable with lumbar supported seats.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th August, 2002

29th Aug 2004, 17:58

How do I fold the backseat on my 1993 subaru lagacy?

29th Aug 2004, 23:10

If it is a wagon, pull the knob on the top of the side of the seat to release the seat.

If it is a sedan, check to see if there is a piece of fabric sticking out of both sides of the rear seat. pull on them to release. if you don't have the pieces of fabric sticking out of the rear seat, it probably doesn't have a fold down seat. it was an option, not a standard item on the legacy.

...

Nice review. My friend has a 1993 which is running fine and my girlfriend has a 1992 with almost 200000 miles. Her Legacy has ice cold air, smooth shifting 5-speed, and plenty of power. Rust is attacking both my friends and girlfriends cars, but as long has they keep passing inspection they will be around for a long time!

21st Jun 2005, 09:36

I own a 1993 Subaru Legacy and it has been the best car. I have replaced the Constant Velocity Joints at about 175,000 miles and put a new clutch in at about 165,000 miles. I have had no other problems with the car except vibration at around 70 miles an hour. One electrical problem that has occured is the connection with the air conditioning fan. The connection shorts out periodically for no reason, but other than that no other electrical problems. It still has lots of power and passes inspection with flying colors. It's a great car.

1993 Subaru Legacy L 2.1 from North America

Summary:

I am ambivalent about keeping it any longer

Faults:

1. The seat belt warning light kept blinking though the belt functions.

2. Several years later, the driver's seat belt stayed in one position and would not function.

3. The air conditioner in one summer day did not work, nor would the window. I had to take it in because driving in that condition got the temperature upto 120 degrees and higher!

4. Had the seat belt fixed after condition 3. But the dealer did not fix the blinking light. The reason, I did not tell them that it was blinking.

5. During the past 9 months, the car started leaking motor oil. Was told that Subaru had that kind of problem. Fixing it would be in a couple of thousand dollars or more. Instead of spending that kind of money, it is cheaper to pour in a quart every week.

6. For about two years now, there is an occasional chirping sound. No one can figure out where that came from. Seemed to occur more in cold situations than warm. Cannot produce it at will.

General Comments:

I like the handling of the car.

The car does not look ostentatious. Don't think anyone would want to break into it.

A decent car to go anywhere without a care in the world.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 26th February, 2002

29th Sep 2006, 11:32

I too had terrible problems with oil leaks on my '95 Legacy, but in all fairness, mine had over 200k miles. My complaint is that it seemed every last known gasket and seal was leaking. I guess some of these are really difficult and costly to replace. One chronic oil leak could not be traced to the source, which was a huge problem for me because it was dripping on the exhaust pip just below the engine causing huge plumes of smoke to billow out from under the hood. It was so frustrating trying to get it fixed and no one seemed capable of fixing it. Subarus seem to last a long time, but they are too darn expensive in upkeep! You are better off with a larger, safer, less problematic Volvo of this age, like a 240 or 940. They last just as long, are NOT any more costly to repair and maintain and MUCH easier to do so on. Nor are they any more expensive of a car to buy used.