1995 Subaru Legacy L AWD Wagon review from North America

Pretty much everything under the hood it seems! The motor has been the biggest headache...

Had to replace all the seals and gaskets on the motor.

Replaced old faulty coolant temp. switch.

Many other problems that made the car inoperable!

When I first bought this car, even with high mileage, it ran very well. I assumed that it would need odds and ends, which it did need. I replaced the tires, put new front brakes on it, had the timing belt changed, and got the oil changed.

Even with new brakes on the car, the braking is horrible. I mean REALLY bad! No matter your speed, you can slam the brakes on with no sharp response, tire squeal, or even response from the ABS. Something doesn't seem right.

It was soon after that I realized what a complete piece of junk the car was! After driving the car around the first week, I realized 3 of the 4 shocks were completely shot. On the highway the car handled like it was being suspended by bungee cords.

I also began having trouble getting the shifter out of park. I would literally have to sit there for 5min. or so and fuss with the shifter before it would finally release. Simple problem. A small device for the shifter in the console had lost its lubrication with time and needed to be re-lubed.

Thank goodness I didn't sink money into replacing the shocks because soon after the "check engine" light came on. The coolant temp. sensor had gone bad. A common problem on these cars. It was cheap, so no big deal. Just very annoying!

About a week later the engine started knocking on and off. One day it would run smoothly. The next day it would knock. I took it in to be looked at and I was basically told not to worry about it because Subaru engines make noises like that when they get old. So I didn't worry about it and continued driving the car around.

Shortly after that, smoke began to pour out from under the hood whenever the car was driven. Back to the mechanic it went. Diagnosis: leaking gaskets and seals. I spent close to $1,000 for that major repair.

Not too long after that the car began running horribly. So bad that it could not maintain it's normal idle speed and would stall. It was then difficult to crank back up. The knocking became worse and the stalling became worse. Back to the mechanic yet again. Diagnosis: stuck lifter! I am royally fed up with this hunk of junk. Back to Volvo for me! Keep in mind all this happened within 1,500 miles of driving.

Besides all of the nightmares this car gave me, it was not a good driving car. The seats were hard and uncomfortable. The all-wheel drive REALLY saps the cars power. The engine always revs way too darn high before it changes gears and the slightest increase on the gas pedal induces a downshift no matter your speed. A very dissapointing car and will not buy again or recommend.