1995 Subaru Legacy "L" AWD Wagon review from North America

Hmm...what hasn't gone wrong with this car mechanically?

-3 of the 4 shocks were completely shot. Car bounced around like jelly and handled down right dangerously on the highway.

-Started having problems with the shift release mechanism on the transmission not releasing like it's supposed to when you apply the brake pedal. Car would be stuck in Park.

-Parking brake was completely worn out. Didn't hold the car worth a hoot.

-Engine had too many oil leaks to count, causing lots of smoking from under the hood. Looked like there was a bbq going on under the hood.

-Engine started tapping really loudly intermittently, which got worse over a 1,000 mile period, to the point the car would shake violently, choke to death, and die out.

-Coolant temperature sensor died.

-Oxygen sensor died.

Yes, I know the car had 190k miles on it. But I bought the car under the impression Subarus were great, long lasting cars. I have owned a Volvo and a Plymouth with high mileage like this Subaru, and both gave me a heck of a lot less trouble. Not to mention were cheaper and easier to fix. My particular Legacy was a pile of junk. Not to mention the seats were by far the most uncomfortable car seats I've ever had the misfortune of sitting in.

As you can see from the list above, A LOT of stuff went wrong within about 2k miles. I spent close to $2,000 repairing the thing, which is $400 more than I had paid for the car. Like I said, I've owned Volvos and Plymouths that gave me MUCH less trouble with close to or well over 200k miles compared to this Subaru, so I'm very unimpressed with the car. The hard tapping noise that really affected the performance of the engine ended up being a sticking lifter inside the engine. If you have this problem occur, DO NOT add Lucas Engine Treatment like I did. It made the problem 10 times worse!

What I can say good about the car is that it was impressively built. The only squeak or rattle was inside the driver's door. There was an occassional chirp, but that's it. Also impressive was the electrical system. EVERYTHING on the car worked. All the power windows and locks, cruise control, factory AM/FM Cassette/CD stereo, A/C, heater...everything worked great!