1995 Subaru Legacy L review from North America

Replaced front brake pads at 150000.

Taillight bulbs.

Trunk light was finicky, cleaned the switch and it works.

Nothing, really.

I bought this car to replace a Volvo 740, which was totaled in a hit-and-run. Bought it for $2500 as-is, at a Subaru dealer. It came with 4 good Michelins and virtually all service records; needed a taillight bulb for safety!

It has been great. It has the characteristic gas gauge demons, radio light has quit, there is some rust happening at the back of the rear wheel wells, but every mid-90's Legacy seems to have this problem.

Everything else works, including the air conditioning. Original exhaust (heat shields rattle a bit - annoying but not a problem).

Burns no oil, gets 35 mpg on the highway. Cruises nice at 100-120 kmh. Has enough punch to pass with authority on the highway, even with four passengers.

Handles exceptionally well in the snow. The day I bought it there was an 18 inch snowfall. Had to get my kid to a hockey game. Was absolutely stunned by the performance in the snow. For fun, I found myself stopping on steep snow-covered inclines and taking off with no surprises. Like driving on dry pavement.

It sits a little low to the ground for my liking, but I can live with that. Even though mine is a sedan, the trunk carries a lot of stuff. 2 huge hockey bags, for instance.

Once in a while it didn't turn over to start. I disconnected the starter lead, cleaned off a bit of corrosion - not more problem. Replaced the brake pads myself, spent $25 on the pads and took less than an hour. Cracking open the caliper mounting bolts was very easy, nothing was seized - pretty good for a 13 year-old car. This car is easy to work on.

I rely on this vehicle more than our other one, which is 5 years newer and has 50,000 less kilometers.

Mid-to-late 90's Subarus with the 2.2 litre engine are probably the best vehicle Subaru ever built. I will drive this one into the ground, which may take a while.