legacy postal and genuine japanese legacy differences

Alright, this buddy of mine recently been looking for a car and he came across what he believes to be a Japanese legacy, I have seen the ad for it its a white 97 Subaru legacy it looks to me like an ls or Brighton with steering wheel on the right hand side...looks like mailmans car except white. The pictures in the ad aren't very good, can't see much detail but I can see that its beat up and looks like it needs struts like bad or it don't have a motor.

 

Well he called me this evening to go look at it with him tomorrow night, problem is that I don't know what could be different except the vin plate would start with a j like all jdm subarus, and that I think all the cars there came with projector style lights...but as for the rest I do not know.....anyone shed some light so this guy doesn't get burned for the 4k the owner is asking...hopefully the owner isn't trying to burn people or just doesn't know what he has, I'm actually kind of curious as well I have never seen a postal legacy or a real Japanese legacy either.

 

Thanks up front for any info guys.

Its most likely a postal. Have you got a link to the ad? Maybe someone could give some more insight by the pics.

 

It could be like my postal. Someone replaced the front struts but not the rear. It looks like an airplane about to take off when I punch it.

lower levels of JDM leggy's didn't have projectors. as far as I'm aware, just the GT/GT-B/RS/RS-B came with projectors.

also, not all jdm subies have a vin starting with "J"..

my vin starts with "BH5" = raised roof wagon.

also, if it is a jdm... essentially all stickers/caps ect in the engine bay would be in japanese.

here are some pics of a local, 1994 lower level JDM legacy wagon

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8235/8550883798_6c21de2781_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8531/8550883836_2027d75475_z.jpg

 

 

hope this helps a little.

Cool guys thanks a lot...the info will definitely help...a. couple of the pictures got me wondering too about the amber in the taillights, didn't even think about the stickers being in Japanese...lol.well get a look tomorrow.

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Its most likely a postal. Have you got a link to the ad? Maybe someone could give some more insight by the pics.

 

It could be like my postal. Someone replaced the front struts but not the rear. It looks like an airplane about to take off when I punch it.

 

My 95 sedan squats a little , but this one at like a thirty degree angle sitting still..kinda looks like an old merc

That's right there is a thread somewhere in the board that breaks down all the vin numbers and I thought the first three were manufacturing or assembly sites. Thanks a bunch guys...

No, your VIN starts with 4S3BH (if its a US car)...and the BH chassis code is a 3rd gen. Why are you in the second gen forum?

 

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/vin.html

 

All Japanese Subarus start with "J". All American Subarus start with "4"

 

Mystery solved.

 

oops, that was a typo, heh... BG5 is what i was going for

Dunno who's making up this "all JDM subarus VIN start with "J" but they're wrong..

 

 

I have a 1996 JDM legacy wagon GT-B. and I see no "J" in my VIN..

 

proofs:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8389/8556283686_dbc3f22b22_z.jpg

Well, went with dude to look at the legacy, the owner was as full of S as his ad was(craigslist) it was a postal, he knew less than i did about Japanese vehicles too..he was just a kid trying to hustle..mechanically it sounded alright had 198k though and was kinda beat up.

RHD = JDM in the minds of craigslist folk

4k is pretty steep for a postal but then I've seen one with 250k go for 3k around here. They're in demand since we don't have a lot of options in RHD, and what we do have tends to break down a lot.

 

That said, if they cut Saturdays in August like they say they will, we can expect to see some substitute carriers laid off and maybe the number of RHDs will increase.

 

It looks like the ad just expired but I saw a 1997 Cadillac Seville RHD for sale in Seattle for $2700. Mint condition for a mail car and a real head turner

That's kind of funny, the Cadillac of postal carriers... I liked the postal, if it was 5speed it would have been sold.

i just bought a postal needed a trans seal and a diff paid 1k its rough but it was cheap and alot of fun to drive there is alot of them for sale in rural montana and idaho that ive seen over the years and 90% of people think its a jdm car. they are out there just have to hunt for them.

There is a postal at my local pick-a-part. If I had any ambition to do a something with it, I'd take it home right now. Its in pretty good condition considering it's at a junk yard, lots of parts to work with on it. I'd love to do a parts swap into a sedan but I don't have the tools, time, or money. :'(

$4K is what he wants? For a '97 with ~200K miles (that you know of) and fair to poor shape?!? Way too high. I don't think that I could get $4K for mine and it is a '98 with 100k miles in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition.

Its not worth 4k at all, motor has oil all over it, interior was all jacked up because of the front windows been left down for a couple of months and the radio was stolen (more ripped out than anything) owner was an uninformed but insistant hustler too, didn't bugde a grand of his asking price.

Keep on the lookout. They do pop up cheap. I picked up my 1995 Postal for $1500. 150k, zero rust and in pretty good shape.

No doubt, was helping a buddy look at a car locally...there aren't very many (2) first or second generation Subarus for sale where I'm from. All the ones I have seen on the road were owned by soldiers from out of state, I have seen a 93 ss and I think it was a 98 or 99 legacy gt sedan with that crazy spoiler and B4 badging on it. For the most part locally Subaru vehicles never caught on and I do not know why, geographically they are a perfect fit in this part of Texas.

$4K is what he wants? For a '97 with ~200K miles (that you know of) and fair to poor shape?!? Way too high. I don't think that I could get $4K for mine and it is a '98 with 100k miles in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition.

 

 

up in the PNW, second gens are still getting up to 6-8k with 150k on them

http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/vin/vin.html

 

There is a good vin# breakdown

http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/vin/vin.html

 

There is a good vin# breakdown

 

thanks for that link, im talking to a guy about buying his girlfriends LGT sedan, but i told him i doubted it was a GT. didnt have enough of the right parts on it, so i looked at the vin on it. it started with BD6 which makes it an LSi instead. i think i may be able to talk this guy down to about 1800 or so, i hope. "mechanic's special" he says... lol

I think the bd6 is an l not an lsi.I'm not sure the difference between lsi and l..mine is a 95 l that starts body code bd6. I haven't really looked thru the breakdown completely so don't quote me on which trim level is the best of the two.

only read the post above this so here's what ive got based off that

 

LSi was made from 95-97, it is essentially a luxury version of the Ls, and super premium version of the L..

 

a few differences from the L that come standard on the lsi:

paint matched trim

only 4EAT, AWD, and 2.5L

CD player/6 speakers/interior door 'flood' lights/illuminated visor mirrors

power antenna

security system

sunroof

leather interior

sedan rear seats have an armrest

tinted windows

2-pot, 10.9 fr/ 1-pot 10.5" rear disc brakes (same as LGT but .7" larger than L, 96+)

 

 

 

and some other stuff..

Badass, thanks zues, I have been wondering about those trims, I thought the l was the premium version for a while because mine came from the factory with 6 disc changer front door tweeters and alarm, but I had seen an lsi once that had the paint matched trim a sunroof and the power antenna..my 91 ls has sunroof and I think it had a cd player and power mirrors.