1993 Subaru Loyale Wagon review from North America

Distributor-side timing belt breaks. This stops the car immediately, so I suggest new belts more often than manual states, maybe as often as every 50000 miles.

Service-wise -- in ten years I have had to replace a couple of clutches, the hydraulic lifters (expensive!), trans-shafts/CV-joints, brakes, the AC filler valve, a dipstick (!), a few sensors and the exhaust system. Please note that I feel that these are all reasonable wear-and-tear items.

The car was economical to buy and run -- it cost me about $11K new and gets 30 miles/gallon in my daily use. I have spent maybe an average of $300-400 a year on maintenance at a respected non-Subaru repair shop in town.

The 4wd feature is indispensable in my Idaho panhandle location and serves well both on icy roads and when traveling off-road. Just watch snow that is overly deep, it is easy to get high-centered and those four wheels spinning won't help if they cannot reach a reasonably fixed surface!

The seats are adequate for many 3-4 day trips I have made, and when the rear seat is folded down an average height person can sleep diagonally in the back.

Having so many standard features at such a low entry price made choosing this car a no-brainer and I have not regretted my choice in ten years.