How many miles are on your 2nd gen Legacy?

I really want to drive an Impreza just to see what they are like.

 

I'm shooting to buy an 05+ GT next summer. I want to put a nice down payment on one that way I don't have a big car payment. Really though the 05 has a good engine, it seems to me that most people that have problems with them are people that don't take care of them and do regular sythetic oil changes. My local Subie shop says that the 05 is good but there is some screen that gets clogged in the turbo and that's what destroys things. I have never owned one of these so don't quote me on that.

 

I would love to have a '98 or '99 Outback Limited. They are my favorite Outback! I have driven them all and I just can't get over the 1st Outbacks.

Edited March 8, 2012 by 98LGTLover

I never been in a 01 and older impreza either I just liked the way they looked. I cant wait to see how mine drives after the front end is rebuilt. Ball joints, bearings, axles, steering rack, ps pump and lines, tie rod ends, and new exhaust/02 sensor also.

The impreza is a nice car. They handle well and they're a nice ride.

Like any old car, the suspension can wear out and then they handle like junk. Yes, this can happen to a beloved 2nd gen legacy too... Trust me on that one. You can also get annoying interior squeaks on a 2nd gen. I took half the dash apart to eradicate one.

 

Since I don't care what cars look like so much, the one biggest thing I'd take a 2nd gen sedan over an impreza for is folding rear seats. The impreza has a lame pass through type thing.

 

I'd like to have an impreza, I feel like my car is a bit of a boat sometimes, and the impreza is a bit smaler.

I'm so used to my beat to hell 89GL I guess. But that car is tiny and has an amazing turning radius, the legacy turning radius sucks. BAD. You don't realize it till you drive a GL.

 

Oh, and gas mileage. My gas mileage in the Legacy is depressing.

270,000km on body,trants etc

30,000km on engine (2.5L)

 

shes sooo rusty >.<

for now...

I'm up to 365K now on my 97 Subaru legacy. Just had to replace the catalytic converter - it rusted out. The tailpipe is about to rust out. It might be cheaper to get a new used car at this point, but at least with this car I know what's NOT going to break. I have a friend with a much newer Forester and it's falling apart at a much faster rate. So I know I don't have a lemon.

168k miles

The 2nd gen looks way ahead of the 90's, it passes as a nice modern car.

 

 

 

 

Did you do a full blown rebuild, bearings, rings, hone, etc, etc?

I want to do this to my 25D block that has rod knock. These engines have stupidly weak bearings, aggravated by the fact people overheat them because of headgasket problems. That's how mine died, and why I got it so cheap.

 

^^^i did do a complete rebuild. Crossdrilled crank, rods, pistons, HG's, it still has a slight ticking sound. I'm thinking it's one of my heads. I'm not dropping another dime in that motor. I got the car so cheap so I really want to just rehab the body for now.

 

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I had to make modification on the trust bearing like Subikid discussed

With me to work with that WRX crank.

What's funny is that most people assume (rightfully) that we only say good things about our cars because we own them. It's only when someone actually spends some time in it that they realize what we're on about. The second generation has a lot going for it. The styling is nice, yet not overstated. That means a car that doesn't necessarily look crazy futuristic, but also won't look crazy dated in the future. Our cars still look fine. They definitely don't look quite as old as other cars from the same years.

 

The vehicles themselves are well put together. On that there is no arguing. You can ask any mechanic, any tow operator... anyone who would have any sort of intelligent, informed opinion and they will agree. There is no arguing that they are reliable. A good example of that would be how much value they hold. My shitty Civic-owning friend refused to believe my car was worth more than 1500 on KBB. He was shocked to see it listed for 4k in excellent shape.

 

Lastly, they actually are very well appointed. It's not that all the panels fit perfectly, or that the entire interior is lined in Alcantra. However, the fit and finish isn't any worse than more modern GM vehicles (a horrible benchmark, I know.) In addition, they have quite a few features that will surprise people. When people first get in my car, half the time the first thing they say is, "Oh, leather. Nice! And two moonroofs!" to which I reply, "Yup! And heated seats, and heated mirrors, and heated wipers..."

 

And perhaps that's what I like most about these cars. They are understated. Inconspicuous. People might not think much about them. They aren't showy or obnoxious. People don't know they are nice cars. I kind of like that.

 

 

THIS is how I feel, exactly. They're like stock sleepers. Not that they're superperforming, but they don't look too in-your-face and they give a serious bang for the buck. I still see so many of the early 90s models on the road, too. I've never heard a Legacy owner complain about his car other than the head gasket issue.

 

And honestly, I'm prepared for a head gasket failure. I've accepted that it's likely to happen. I check for signs regularly and have them do a compression test every time I bring it in. That way as soon as I see some symptoms, I can drop the thousand bucks and get them replaced and fixed for good. I won't even be angry.

 

I see so many people with well over 200k miles on their 2nd Gen Legacy that it just makes me smile. I don't drive mine excessively so I know I have many more years of enjoyment left.

My EJ22E has over 255k and rips it up! Lots of power in the low gears. Fun to drive.

 

edit: Goddamn that oil pump is sexy!

I just got my head gaskets replaced. Had my heads ported and new valves.polished.

Runs super smooth. i only got 100k on the chassis and engine.

I like ur oil pump super legit....

And honestly, I'm prepared for a head gasket failure. I've accepted that it's likely to happen. I check for signs regularly and have them do a compression test every time I bring it in. That way as soon as I see some symptoms, I can drop the thousand bucks and get them replaced and fixed for good. I won't even be angry.

 

I see so many people with well over 200k miles on their 2nd Gen Legacy that it just makes me smile. I don't drive mine excessively so I know I have many more years of enjoyment left.

 

If you're prepared to have it done, just have it done! It WILL fail sooner than later, why not drop it off and have the gaskets done when it's convenient for you. Rather than 1AM when you're coming home with a hot date, and suddenly your engine is hotter...

It isn't a normal engine, you won't see a significant enough compression loss to give any warning. The best test is hydrocarbon in coolant test. What happens is the gasket gets little tiny leaks from the combustion chamber into the coolant. Not enough to cause a compression problem (unless run until the motor is cooked...), but enough to blow out all the coolant, make air pockets, and overheat the motor.

 

 

 

^^^i did do a complete rebuild. Crossdrilled crank, rods, pistons, HG's, it still has a slight ticking sound. I'm thinking it's one of my heads. I'm not dropping another dime in that motor. I got the car so cheap so I really want to just rehab the body for now.

 

I had to make modification on the trust bearing like Subikid discussed

With me to work with that WRX crank.

 

Wow! Nice work. That motor should last you a long time.

If you're prepared to have it done, just have it done! It WILL fail sooner than later, why not drop it off and have the gaskets done when it's convenient for you. Rather than 1AM when you're coming home with a hot date, and suddenly your engine is hotter...

It isn't a normal engine, you won't see a significant enough compression loss to give any warning. The best test is hydrocarbon in coolant test. What happens is the gasket gets little tiny leaks from the combustion chamber into the coolant. Not enough to cause a compression problem (unless run until the motor is cooked...), but enough to blow out all the coolant, make air pockets, and overheat the motor.

 

Well, I don't want to drop the money on it if I don't know it's necessary. I bought it used a few months ago and for all I know it's already had them replaced. It'd be a shame to spend a grand without needing to, especially considering I'm your typical broke college student.

 

The Subie dealership I take it to know how paranoid I am. I've been going to them for a long time, they've never once tried to rip me off and their prices are very reasonable. I trust them to be knowledgeable enough to find the problem. And if the engine blows, well, then, I guess I gotta find another engine.

 

Wish I knew more about engines and cars in general so I could do all this stuff myself. This forum has been an incredible help already, though. I've practically tripled my knowledge of engines and random little things on the car since I got here, but I wouldn't say I'm comfortable doing anything on my own.

It would be interesting to see a similar chart for your maintenance costs - to see if they hold steady, rise rapidly, or rise slowly as the mileage increases....

 

This is outdated now (I'm at 253k), but it's close:

 

I've recently started going through the vehicle history and putting all the maintenance records into a spreadsheet. So I'm thinking I might extend this chart the other direction based on service records before I actually started keeping track of the milage. Gotta go back to Subaru and a few other places and ask for a complete history of everything they have.

 

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Well, I don't want to drop the money on it if I don't know it's necessary. I bought it used a few months ago and for all I know it's already had them replaced. It'd be a shame to spend a grand without needing to, especially considering I'm your typical broke college student.

 

The Subie dealership I take it to know how paranoid I am. I've been going to them for a long time, they've never once tried to rip me off and their prices are very reasonable. I trust them to be knowledgeable enough to find the problem. And if the engine blows, well, then, I guess I gotta find another engine.

 

Wish I knew more about engines and cars in general so I could do all this stuff myself. This forum has been an incredible help already, though. I've practically tripled my knowledge of engines and random little things on the car since I got here, but I wouldn't say I'm comfortable doing anything on my own.

 

Fair enough. If you're so worried, I'd still have the hydrocarbon test done. It doesn't cost very much, and it's the first sign of the HG going on this motor.

You can also look in the overflow bottle. When the engine is good and warmed up pop the coolant overflow cap (NOT THE RADIATOR CAP!!!) and look it in. If you see bubbles coming out, it's ticking.

^I check for that occasionally. Far as everyone can tell, my car's still in great shape. Let's see if I can hit 150k miles and still say that... I have a heavy roadtrip planned for this summer, Pennsylvania to California, via southern routes. I'd be more than a little inconvenienced if it broke down 2000 miles from home.

^^playing with fire...

Don't have a choice, unless I wanna borrow my mom's '06 Sienna....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which I don't.

Who would want to drive a minivan? lol

^I check for that occasionally. Far as everyone can tell, my car's still in great shape. Let's see if I can hit 150k miles and still say that... I have a heavy roadtrip planned for this summer, Pennsylvania to California, via southern routes. I'd be more than a little inconvenienced if it broke down 2000 miles from home.

 

Oh I love breaking down on road trips. If you plan on doing that, I suggest driving a GL. They're a lot easier to work on when you're in the middle of nowhere on the side of the highway...

 

How many miles do you have? My family's car went at 120k, I have three friend's who's all went around 120k, and most everyone I talk to had theirs blow right around there too.

I think the second gen is still the best looking legacy.

Mine has 142k.

I was impressed with how well the car rides and how quiet it is inside for a 98 with high miles.

 

I do agree that the 2nd gen is a great looking and handling vehicle, in both sedan and wagon versions. IMPE, the 4th generation is the design pinnacle of the Legacy line, and draws heavily on the two previous generations for both the engineering and the aesthetic "look" of the car. This design evolution has culiminated in a stunning, balanced driver's car that is able to go toe-to-toe against several different luxo-models and represent itself very well in each case.

 

Having owned these generations and still having a couple in the stable, they each put a smile on my face every time I drive them and feel the Subaru AWD DNA flow unbridled through the wheel. It's a very cool thing.

 

BOT - still under 76K on my 98 BD GT.

IMPE, the 4th generation is the design pinnacle of the Legacy line, and draws heavily on the two previous generations for both the engineering and the aesthetic "look" of the car. This design evolution has culiminated in a stunning, balanced driver's car that is able to go toe-to-toe against several different luxo-models and represent itself very well in each case.

 

I completely agree with this

I JUST bought a 1998 Legacy GT Wagon (auto) this morning!!

 

154,731 miles...

 

Already had the headgaskets, waterpump, and timing bely replaced once... Getting the transfer clutches, ball joints, and air/oil separator plate (on the back of the block) replaced tomorrow ... Hopefully I can get atleast another 200,000 outta this thing

 

Almost a year later and the Leggy is still here...

 

Now at 172,270 miles and counting...

 

What's been done since the post above?

- Headgaskets (AGAIN!!) and complete reseal... Done right this time with the Subaru Multi-Layer metal HG.

- Timing belt (idler pulley, water pump, etc)

- 2 sets of fog lights (they just burn out quick I guess, they or they were a cheap brand :-/... Bought PIAA Yellows this time so they better not burn out for a while!)

- Right inner tie rod

- Right Front brake caliper (started to seize a few days ago - replaced TODAY)

 

And now at 172k miles, it is still daily driven almost every day. It gets anywhere from 21 to 30.8mpg. Doesn't burn ANY oil and constantly makes the 12 hour trip from Enterprise, AL to Raleigh, NC (~600+ miles). I actually like driving it around MORE than I like driving the STi!...

 

If I could change it in anyway, I'd put a 5MT in it... Getting kinda sick of the 4EAT and it's (at times) violent 1 - 2 shift :-/... Other than that, it is an outstandingly reliable little car and I love it!

I do agree that the 2nd gen is a great looking and handling vehicle, in both sedan and wagon versions. IMPE, the 4th generation is the design pinnacle of the Legacy line, and draws heavily on the two previous generations for both the engineering and the aesthetic "look" of the car. This design evolution has culiminated in a stunning, balanced driver's car that is able to go toe-to-toe against several different luxo-models and represent itself very well in each case.

 

Having owned these generations and still having a couple in the stable, they each put a smile on my face every time I drive them and feel the Subaru AWD DNA flow unbridled through the wheel. It's a very cool thing.

 

BOT - still under 76K on my 98 BD GT.

 

Completely true. Some day I'm going to own a 4th gen legacy wagon. One of the best subarus ever made. It's tied with an early 80's GL coupe.

 

Threw another engine at my legacy today. Just got done. If this one doesn't last more than 3 months like the other two engines... I'll be rather pissed off.

The legacy has actually been broken about 50% of the time I've owned it...

189k. Never left me stranded...Yet. Transmission is getting tired and its due for a reseal.

 

Pretty impressed with the abuse it sees on a day to day basis.

My '97 bottom of the line (wind up windows) Legacy Brighton wagon has just cleared 310 Km. She still goes like a scalded cat, guess the compression is OK, and uses no oil which stays clear between services. I don't know when the HG is due to go but keep fingers crossed. Things are wearing out but after 14+ years that is much of a surprise, last year rusted out brake lines. Put a lifter kit in last year to get into the back country logging roads(BC). Gear box a bit sloppy but also forgiving. If only I could get the diesel models they sell in Europe I would think of turning her in but I guess the industry in NA won't allow the competition. She has nearly as many Ks on her as I have, maybe we'll get to the wreckers together?