1998 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon from North America - Comments

Power Antennae (twice) 45K and 60K km.

Power Mirror 50K km.

Head Gasket 90K km.

Window Pads 75K km.

Clutch Pack Housing 93K km.

I've read all the other reviews here and I wonder if I am driving the same car.

To be honest, I decided to buy this car for my wife (Automatic, used in 2001 with 30K km on it) purely on paper after listing all of the attributes we were looking for in a vehicle; Safe (crash worthiness), Secure (AWD, we live in the Canadian Shield Snow Belt), Spacious (wagon), Reliable (Consumers Reports consistent Recommended Buy) and Operating Costs (insurance, maintenance, gas mileage etc.) and Resale value.

I was taken aback the first time I test drove it. It sounded pretty "agricultural" to me and pretty noisy at speed. I was however duly impressed with its compliant ride and truly exceptional handling. It met the spec, the price was competitive; we took the plunge.

As other here have suggested, the Automatic does indeed shift roughly, with a hell of a shudder between 2nd and 3rd gear, especially if driven gently, and has a flat torque spot at that range as well that require a complete red-line pushing kickdown to get out of. Throttle tip-in has always been abrupt at best which has made for less than elegant/smooth standing starts. It's actually smoother if you drive it aggressively. The interior/ergonomics were/are rather underwhelming in relation to other Japanese cars I've driven/owned of that vintage, with no backlighting and poor positioning of a lot of controls, and cheap feeling materials. The seats are low, wide and flat and not very supportive. We always took our other car if we went anywhere of any distance.

With a small gas tank and poor mileage, no doubt due in part to the AWD system and rear axle, it was just as well as it has meant frequent fill ups. The jerky jack-rabbit starts probably don't help, but I suspect that it was programmed to respond like this to appease North Americans' (and the French as well) penchant for 0 - 60MPH performance. Gearing seems to be low though, with the engine turning over at a buzzy 3150RPM at 72MPH, the police-tolerated, if not legal speed limit on most major Canadian highways in the region.

It has been by far the most expensive car we've ever owned to maintain, and that's despite near religious maintenance and easy duty with 90% highway mileage. A testament to how easy the mileage it has endured is that we've only once had to do any brake service (front) over the 90K km we've owned it so far, unlike some of the other posters here. The back disks will soon be due however. One of the issues that we've faced is that nobody else seems to want to, or can, service it, so we're beholden to our Subaru dealer with no competition for service and/or parts.

Although the drivetrain has been reasonably sound, (more on that later), it has had numerous failures; Power Antennae (twice), Power mirror, scratches in the windows from dirt infiltrating the pads that hold the frameless windows and more, all of which have cost $450 - $475 Canadian to repair. As a matter of fact, almost all of the repairs we've had done have been the same minimum $450 - $475, with the rest costing way more.

At 90K km, we started to experience a grinding sensation when turning corners. When we brought it in for its 93K km oil change, we were told that it's a "normal" sensation for an AWD vehicle. When we brought it in for its 98K km service, and complained again that it seemed to be getting worse, again we were told that it's just normal wear and tear. That service cost CDN$1000 as it apparently needed new head gaskets as well. At 103K km, we brought it in for it's regular oil change, and it suddenly was road tested and was diagnosed as needing a new Clutch Pack housing and Planer gear within 20min of arriving. Naturally, the warranty expired at 5yrs or 100K km and as it turned out, we had started complaining about the grinding 31 days after the 5yr warranty expired, thus were denied the warranty claim to the tune of another $1100. Apparently all of that complaining beforehand about the grinding sensation fell on deaf ears.

We have now been trying to sell this car for a month and all comers have taken a pass, as the "agricultural" sound has gotten progressively worse. We have given up and are trading both of our current cars in to get rid of it, and this despite having sunk a considerable amount in cosmetic and preservation dollars, like annual rust proofing, window tinting, twice yearly detailing, upgraded and winter tires etc, etc.

Despite all that, we still hadn't quite given up on Subaru, as we seriously considered a new 2005 GT that finally has the power to go with the Boy Racer looks. But after one look at the price and the past repair bills, and we just said forget it. We have just ordered a Passat Wagon instead.

I am a Subaru technician in the Southeast area of the United States, and have found that the Subarus don't seem to fair well in the more harsh environments of the north east and Canada. One would think that would be there strong point,

but it is not. As a Subaru technician and fanatic, owner of 2 and looking for a third. I am sorry you had a difficult time with your Subie. Some of the concerns you stated, I have seen here, but they were all cars from your region. However I have seen a couple of them come through here that I refer to as "SLEDS". I have however discovered more good in Subaru than bad. I'm sorry you switched to VW. The 2005 legacy really is a huge improvement over past Legacy's. Hopefully my comments will bring you back to "US" someday.

Signed,

SUBAROB.

It also seems strange to me that they would jump to the conclusion that the clutch packs needed replacing before first trying Shudder fix (solved my problem) or failing that changing the 4wd solenoid (which is more often then not the common fault).

Sounds like you got screwed over by the dealer as always happens unless you know cars.

My Impreza with a 4sp auto is able to go 75mph at 2700rpms. It's 1998, but maybe it's a weight difference that allows me to go at lower rpms.

I'm sorry you left Subaru, but you picked one heck of a car maker to go to. VW's latest cars from 1998 to current (they're getting a bit better) have been plagued by all kinds of defects and you should read some of the reviews. Have fun...

I am amazed that as a reader and writer of this web site you switched from Subaru to VW because of quality issues. All those blue faces on the reviews of the newer VW's must be calling to you.

If you found a Subaru to be too troublesome, I wish you luck with VW.

I must say, I agree with the above: I cannot believe someone would go from a car they felt problematic and then buy a VW.

I'm sorry to hear of anyone that has as much grief as you had with your Subaru.

There are some bad apples out there in the Subaru family. Read the comments on the 1998 Outback for example, including mine. I have poured money and time into new head gaskets, radiator, timing belts, thermostats, water pumps etc. (that's right, replaced twice) to try and fix my overheating woes to no avail. Even a mostly reliable company can still produce garbage once in awhile. I am ready to try a new brand just so my friends will stop laughing when I tell them I am stuck on the highway again.

I have a 1998 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon with 78,000 Miles and have had very few problems with this car. At 73,000 I replaced the AC compressor and a related hose. At 73,500 I replaced the inner CV boots. The car runs well and other than oil changes, tire rotation, and brakes, I have spent nothing on this car. I will purchase another Subaru.

I'm thinking about buying a 1998 Outback with over 170K miles. With everything I've heard about the "over heating" problems, I'm a little concerned about my purchase. How can I be sure that this car has not had 3 blown head gaskets or major problems?

I have owned 2 subies over the past 8 years, the first was a 1993 legacy wagon, I got it with 135,000 miles and got rid of it with 217,000 (only because of a accident to the front end) and I had NO major mechanical problems with the car, it ran like a champ! I recently bought a 1998 Legacy Outback Limited Wagon with ONLY 82,000 miles and have had it for about a year and a half... The car runs amazing, not a single problem to speak of, the previous owner never had any problems either... maybe you just got a bad apple, but you know what they say... one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch... good luck with you VW.

My 98 Legacy GT is a nightmare.

I had to change the engine block two years ago because it was

knocking on the crank. The car still performed poorly. Then the dealer told me I had to change the engine heads because they too, were slapping and knock sensor was going crazy and the car was hesitating while accelerating.

Now, my "new" engine still is faulty (piston slapping, pinging, and performs poorly). And... the transfer case had to be replaced too. I changed the whole transmission.

SO, I invested over 7000 $ in two years.

Subaru has the reputation of making reliable cars and I'm still trying to figure out why. Bad design, incompetent technicians, a whole lot of problems.

It's fun in the snow. But for how much?

I bought a 98 Legacy gt brand new and have put over 215K miles on it with a minimum problems. I think the first 2 years I had the car, the air conditioner leaked, then there was the time I was on a road trip to the sierra nevadas and a bolt holding alternater broke. 6 years later the retractable sunroof broke, I consider all these minor. as far as major work, at around 185k miles I replaced the clutch otherwise I consider myself quite fortunate, not expensive to maintain.

I have a 98 Legacy GT bought new in sep 97 189k and It runs great I've never had a single problem with it. nothing has ever over heated blown leaked or died. I changed the oil every 3k mobile 1 synthetic. new timing belt and brake pads are the only thing I've ever had to do and I'm gonna assume I'll hit 300k safely. I do however have the same problem of running 3500 rpm at 75mph. all good though keeps me from speeding. I'm sure the death of my car will come at the hands of some other driver probably struggling with the transmission in his jetta.

I'm amazed that you have had some many problems with your Subaru. The only problems I have seen is bad tranys, little bit of oil burn on start up, and EGR problems.

I have a 1998 Legacy 2.5GT Limited sedan that has around 188k. I have had it since summer and have had no problems except the EGR valve's. I love this car. I have owned over 50 cars in my life (I'm 26).

As for you deciding to go to VW. I will never own one. My family only has Toyota's, Honda's, and Subaru's. With saying that, I would recommend Toyota if you are going to change.