98 L Wagon has rust - was this a good buy?

Hi. I'm new to the forum and I like what I see. I'm in southern VT so lots of salt and bumps in the roads around here.

 

I bought my friend's 98 Legacy Wagon w/160K on it for $1k. Engine runs great. Came with a set of fairly new unused snows -no rims, though I'm not running them. Using the all season radials that came on it. This is a base model. Not much on bells and whistles.

 

I have the service records from the PO starting in 2004 when she bought it. It was always a second car used for commuting in the winter from NYC to VT.

 

The problem is the skin has a lot of rust holes in it. 3 doors and the rear wheel wells & the front wheel well have holes plus the front window frame is rusted. I can patch those up in the spring. If the structural part of the body is not too rusted I am thinking of keeping it for a few years. For now I can cover the holes with aluminum tape. It will never look great but could be functional for a few more years.

 

Does anyone know how to pull horizontal bumper strips off the doors? Rust is under all of them.

 

It also needs new struts- Probably can have that done for under $600 if I buy the struts. My mechanic will do them for $140 and axle. When I hit a pothole - yikes!

 

Also - timing belt replacements are unknown. Probably needs those, too.

 

Also ABS light comes on when I hit higher speeds on the interstate. Was driving around in the fresh snow yesterday and the ABS worked fine. Any one experience that??

 

Was this a good, average or below average buy? Should I fix it up and keep it going or give up and sell it?

 

Anyone want it?

 

Any opinions would be welcome.

any running car is worth 500. and with the snow tires, and low miles, id say you got an average deal.

IMO investigate parting it out. You can probably make your money back and then get 300 at the scrap yard. Post a Craigslist ad as a feeler. I dont know your personal situation but the investment to make this a safe and reliable car might run you as much as 1500. Brakes, struts, timing belt etc unless you can do the work yourself.. then you have a car thats worth about 2000 because of the rust.

 

If you need a runner, that is a diff story.

 

Post pics that would help.

Not that bad of a deal if you can do a lot of the work yourself. The engine could have a lot of life left if the head gaskets are OK. Is it a 2.2 or 2.5?

 

To remove the strips on the doors just yank them off. They pop off with a bit of force. The right way to do it is to remove the door cards and carefully peel the plastic liner off to access the retaining clips. Then you'll need some pliers to pinch the part of the clip that keeps it in the holes. But if you don't plan on putting them back you can just pull the strip off and then use a screwdriver to pop them off.

 

I bought a bashed up 95 L that I fixed up and it turned out great. It had bubbling rust around the wind shield and a rust hole near the rear wheel well where the plastic trim piece goes. I put a hundred hours or so into it though and did all the body work/paint myself. Thread: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/monkeyposeurs-hatch-replacement-and-body-work-thread-175934.html

 

It was a ton of work and not cheap. Your car sounds like it is in pretty bad shape body wise, but they do have potential. Just drive it into the ground until it rusts away if you don't feel like fixing it up. But the timing belt should be replaced as soon as possible if you don't know the history or the last time it was replaced. A broken timing belt on your car will most likely result in internal engine damage or destroyed heads. Get some wrenches and start saving $$$!

I was just giving a 98 wagon gt and have spent just under a grand to get it back on the road. Tranny was shot head gaskets were leaking. So roll it until the wheels fall off.

Thanks for the help.

 

I have the 2.2. If I'm going to run it into the ground I want to do the shocks. The ride is just too hard.

 

I really don't have eyes to part it out. It would be too much work in the cold here in VT. But for $1k it's yours!

 

I'm going to have it looked at on a lift and get another opinion about the frame. If it can go another 2-3 years I may go for it.

 

The noise on the road is pretty loud, probably from the rust holes in the doors. That's wearing at 74 mph on the highway. New shocks would probably help that a lot, too.

 

I'm considering filling some holes with some spray in insulation foam for now. I know it would have to be removed later but if it lasts for a few years that's all I need.

 

My car MO is to buy them and keep my cost to about 3K total for 3 years of service then sell them off for a K.

 

Rock Auto has Sensen struts for $38 each. Anyone know anything about them? They have Monroes for a about $43. Worthwhile?

 

Thanks again for your time and input.

FYI my 2.2 just rolled over 264k.

 

I don't know anything about the Sensens or Monroes, but KYB-GR2s sure are nice IMO.

I bought mine for $600 with 230k miles, 3 doors are completely rotted, rear quarters were toast, passenger side doors were side swiped. It got me a 1500 mile trip and another trip from Florida to north Carolina, it now has about 243k, not a single issue ever with the car, never left me stranded. I trust it completely. That's why I'm making all the repairs to it, to return the favor lol.

 

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The strut mounts can also go bad. You may need a few of those. I have no idea how to tell however.

Last August I bought a 120k mile 1996 5spd L wagon for $1800. Even though I live in So Cal like a dumb ass I bought a car from Mass. It was roughly 1/2 of what other cars were...the AC works well, the mileage is low, and it had a lot of service history...but the rust was a mutha...The ABS issue is probably due to rusty tone wheels/ sensors...good luck getting a sensor out without destroying it -it will be stuck due to rust. If you have a bearing issue, rust will make it difficult to repair. My car also had rusty rear brake lines which i had to replace by forming new lines. I put kyb struts on mine, h&r springs, rebuilt the front end and the shifter, and frankly, It handles really well. Was it worth the time it took to repair? not really. I probably spent another $1600 to get it where it is today, and I'm still concerned one day the rusty gas tank will spring a leak.

I really like the size of the car...it feels trim compared to most cars, and the wagon means my bike fits inside, without needing a rack on the roof. I drive it to work sometimes, and I take a nice nap in the back at lunch.

The engine and trans are pretty tight on mine, the interior is nice, and it passed CA smog check...if it lasts a year, I'll call it good...and I don't stress over car payments or getting door dings.

Here a good tip if your a subaru only guy.

 

If the chassis is toast dont bother fixing it. But any money you put into the engine, transmission and drivetrain can all be removed and put into nearly all imprezas and forestors and you get the point. Even struts will swap over to imprezas.

 

So of you want. Fix up your car. Mod it. Do the engine maitance. Then later when you have the money look for a nice legacy of our generation with a blown motor or shot drivetrain for cheap and swap everything to the good chassis.

 

 

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Good point. But I also want to stress, do not let body rust overwhelm you. It's not something that some body work can't handle. I thought my car was hopeless, but now it's on the fast track to being new again. The motor has 243k but feels brand new, I'll easily get another 100k, then do a nice motor swap.

 

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Famous last words. You can never avoid bearing problems.

 

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When do we get pictures?

 

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Famous last words. You can never avoid bearing problems.

 

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Which bearings? Wheel or engine?

Thanks.

 

Will post some photos shortly.

Here a good tip if your a subaru only guy.

 

If the chassis is toast dont bother fixing it. But any money you put into the engine, transmission and drivetrain can all be removed and put into nearly all imprezas and forestors and you get the point. Even struts will swap over to imprezas.

 

So of you want. Fix up your car. Mod it. Do the engine maitance. Then later when you have the money look for a nice legacy of our generation with a blown motor or shot drivetrain for cheap and swap everything to the good chassis.

 

 

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Makes sense - What's the average cost of a swap over?

Engine only?

Whole drive train?

 

Thanks,

VTB

I'm glad I shot these only 3 days after a car wash. Welcome to VT! But you see the rust stuff.

Forgot the photos of the rust around the windshield.

Put a new muffler on today and that helped a lot. According to the mechanics the core of the body is in good shape. I'm leaning toward replacing all 4 shocks and running it until the skin falls off.

 

The 2.2 seems to be a bull that won't quit. Was looking at a 02 OB with 215K, 2.5. Claims Subaru put a new motor in it at 60k so the motor has 155k on it. Seems like it will be head gasket time soon. He wants $3k. It has all the interior goodies I like.

 

Any opinions?

 

Thanks

Check Car-part.com. Pulls up all the salvage yards for parts anywhere. Most of your body parts can be replaced relatively cheap. your front fenders and doors should be easy to switch out. Didn't see rear quarter panels on there though. I have a 98 Legacy GT with the same rot behind the molding on one door. I'm thinking of ripping all the molding off and delete it all together. Nothing that some sheet metal, welder and some paint can't fix

Hello fellow southern Vermont Subaru owner. Any updates with your subie? Vermonts brutal with the rust. Kills me everytime. Anyway. Nice to see another local on here.