1991 Subaru Loyale 4WD review from North America

Exhaust broke at header.

Oil pump required a reseal.

Engine blew up (rod knock).

Clutch failed.

Fuel pump failed.

Car hit a tree.

Basically, the appeal of the car came from the price. My friend originally paid a few hundred for it, when it was in nice shape, but had rod knock. Fortunately the previous owner pointed us to a free parts car, which had sat for 6 years and started after 2 cans of carburetor cleaner and a new battery -- which we then drove 150 miles. Perhaps this is testament to their manufacturing quality. Animals were living in the vehicle.

During the engine replacement, we installed a new clutch as the previous had ironically started slipping around the time of the knocking. The car subsequently hit a tree in a snow storm at 35 mph with my friend at the helm. He pulled the front clip straight by tying the car to a tree and reversing violently and beating on the fenders with a hammer. I traded a Sony DAT machine for the vehicle, probably should have kept the deck.

I've owned lots of fast cars, such as 944 and 9000 Turbos, so when I hopped into this dainty creature I soon realized how boring driving could be. I felt buying a "practical" car would be more intelligent. The car is very slow, it rolls over like a whale in corners, and the brakes overheat after a few aggressive stops. "Dropping" the clutch was required on more than numerous instances to propel the car up to the speed limit in a timely fashion. I was looking into a turbo Loyale model, but then found another 1987 9000 Turbo for a thousand dollars and sold this car. The Saab has never broken or hit a tree.