1998 Subaru Legacy GT Limited Sedan 2.5 litre twin cam from North America

Summary:

I love this thing!

Faults:

As of now, all I have needed to replace out of the ordinary was the front wheel bearing.

The only other obnoxious thing I have found is the water in the trunk. Living in Seattle, this is a problem and I have yet to find the source.

And the stupidest one, the driver floor mat won't stay where it belongs!

Don't like the lack of door frame (for the door glass).

General Comments:

I got this car this last summer as a daily driver replacement for my Nissan 240sx that I built for racing. I needed a car for hauling people.

I looked for another car for about a year and this was the one I wanted. It has all the options and it all works well. The previous owners had taken very good care of it. The only thing I added was a stereo and a CD changer. I did spend some time and money to replace belts, spark plugs, brakes, oil, and tires as I did get it used from a dealer.

The only things bugging me is the severe water leak in the trunk. I had found 2 gal. of water in the spare tire compartment, but that's it. I still need to replace the EGR valves, but other than that, she has been a great RELIABLE car for me. I was hoping for better MPG (22-24), but it is AWD and I'm also an aggressive driver, so that might explain it.

Inside is roomy and comfy. It has gray leather that was well cared for and everything is nicely placed.

The car is awesome in the snow! And likewise in the rain. As for the handling and performance, it's heavy, and kinda slow (mind you I was driving a Turbo Nissan before). I have the Suby for commuting/family trips. It's a nice car to drive, not a Lexus, but still nice.

I have recently also driven a 2007 Legacy. To be honest, I'm more impressed with my 98 then with the 07. I did not like the 07 like I do my car. My family only has Toyota's, Honda's and Subaru's for the most part and have never had any problems with any of our cars.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th March, 2008

20th Jul 2010, 12:36

Thought I would give an update to my GT. I have had it for about 3 years now and still love it!

I have had some more problems with it, but I expected them with the way I treat my cars, and the fact it has a 2.5 N/A 4 cam.

-Head gaskets at 196K.

-water pump at 198K (go figure the one part I didn't replace).

-spun bearing at 212K (I ran it low on oil, that's my bad).

-replaced motor with a 98 Forester 2.5 with burned valve that had 242K. Used my old head and runs great!

-Still have the pesky truck leak. But whatever.

Other than that, I have taken this car with me on many road trips. I moved to OR for a few months and it goes to the mountains every other weekend. I have had my check engine light on for most of the time, but it's for the EGR valve I still have not taken care of. On a recent trip to OR I got 28 MPG but normal is still around 22-24 MPG. I have logged 225+K on it and every other part has worked flawless!

I will continue to drive my Legacy for a few more years. It's a blast in the snow, and the ladies think it's a nice car. I still find it a little slow, but I don't care any more, it's still fun to drive.

27th Jan 2011, 20:14

Interesting re: the trunk leak. I took an Impreza for a test drive and found exactly the same thing - about 4 litres of water in the tire well. Heard it sloshing about - owner was most surprised. There is a plastic plug you can remove (or just drill a neat hole in it).

1998 Subaru Legacy L EJ22 from North America

Summary:

Loved it up to the head gasket issue

Faults:

Head gasket blew at 93000 miles.

General Comments:

This car had been meticulously maintained. So here we go, the notorious head gasket problem is NOT just related to the 2.5 engines, as three different local mechanics have stated that they have seen the same issues with the 2.2 engines.

It appears Subaru has a very big problem? Maybe this is why they are not too willing to step up.

It is a shame because I really liked the brand, but I don't have the confidence in the company any more. So when the car works off the $1300 repair bill, I can confidently say that it won't be replaced with another Subaru.

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

Review Date: 29th February, 2008