How many licks ...?

[tahiti350]

Okay, since my White Wagon has 213K on it, still runs great (except for a power steeriing fluid leak), and drives like it did when I got it with 182K on it, I'm wondering:

How far will a Subaru go on normal maintenance, moderate abuse, and a little baling wire????

I have no history on the White wagon before I got it, don't know when, or if, the timing belt has been changed, but I had to do a lot of work on it to get it running right. I changed the IAC, TPS, rewired the O2 sensor, swapped out a non-ABS front hub for an ABS hub (got the ABS working again), replaced both rear trailing arms (bent), swapped the entire interior from soiled saddle tan to blue (except the dash, still haven't got that far yet), and have had a couple of different wheel/tire packages on it. I've swapped in a later 6-disc head, and Kenwwod door speakers, and just driven the crap out of it .

4EAT trans has always had a flakey 2-3 shift, almost like it goes into 4th then back down to 3rd, but it's done that since the first time I drove it... and last year the center diff went soft, seems like it isn't locking in anymore...

It was wrecked front and rear when I got it, bottom of core support and pass rear frame horn. I swapped the grey hatch for a freshly painted white one... It was wrecked again by my wife 3 years ago and still sports a slightly wrinkled core support and a grey 3/4 front clip .

This summer I finally had to replace the $15 parts store muffler (after it fell off), installed a Forester axle back assembly (tip is 2-3" in the pocket, but otherwise looks great), then had to repalce a failed injector. Damn thing still gets 21-22 MPG around town, even with the current 225-60/16's on Chevy Cavelier wheels.

Any bets or predictions on how much longer it will go?

[soobrdad02]

These things are like tanks and easy to work on, so as long as you keep up with her... As for the injector, what symptoms were being exhibited? I'm beginning to wonder about one of mine, but would be thankful for some experienced advice first.

[evolutionmovement]

I've got 120k on my 2006 Mazda 3 and I worry about how much longer I have even though it shows no symptoms of problems. I'm restoring the wagon with 260k+ on it and the mileage is only a number to me as parts 20 years newer bolt in easily and, unlike most, the car is generally designed to last. Sure, there are weaker points, but they're usually not important and everything has to be built to a budget, so you can't expect perfection. At 215k, I started to get a couple squeaks from the rear body. Strut bar fixed it. Most everything that went was from me beating the hell out of the car. People talk about Toyotas, but they last because they're boring cars sold to boring people who don't abuse them. I'd put money down on Duchess outlasting any Corolla or Camry under the same conditions she went through even though they couldn't touch the performance.

[gijonas]

People talk about Toyotas, but they last because they're boring cars sold to boring people who don't abuse them.

Not to fork the thread but...Ive been a mechanic for going on 15 years and have always been a big toyota fan (mainly as far as trucks / fj-40's are concerned) as well as subaru.That said as much appreciation as i have for older subarus there is NO black and white comparison on the longevity between the two at all.Toyota has built more high quality models than subaru ever will and were doing it a long time before.I have had a few corollas and camrys on my lot with well over 350k and running like new, and if you actually disect a toyota you would see that there is a lot of brilliance in design and manufacture that makes the lifespan of their stuff way more than coincidence.I personally would put me and my mothers life on a wager that no subaru engine ever made can handle what i have personally witnessed several 22re's experience.

[cj91legss]

ouch man

[evolutionmovement]

I've worked on a few myself, and while I wouldn't call them junk as they're great for the people they're built for, I still disagree. 350k miles on a car that's driven by boring people who never go over 65 miles per hour, much less has used to pull movie-style stunts, multiple daily redlines to third gear, through-state runs over 100 in 100* Nebraska summer heat, and high speed pock-mark dirt road use like Duchess is not much of an achievement. I have a friend who put 300k+ on Cavaliers and an Escort and he beats on them as well—believe me, there's no magic in the engineering of those things. Also, the Legacys had much better rust protection than their contemporaries from Toyota, Honda, or Nissan, who seemed to have carried over the same procedures they used in the 80's.

[gijonas]

Well for one thing i didn't say 350k and running, I said that and running like new, as in still exceptionally within spec compression.And we may be on different pages as my experience isn't with toyotas cars so much as their trucks.The abuse of redlining repeatedly while submerged in water,while taking in silt and being low on oil and coolant and still running like a top for years on end after is what shapes my opinion.Sure the old pushrod ea's were nearly bombproof but still,if betting my mothers life...

[evolutionmovement]

My mother probably doesn't have long to live anyway. But comparing cars to trucks is like comparing piston planes to jets. But if we did, I'm sure we'd be on separate pages with that one as well. Sure as hell, I'll give you the old Toyota trucks were tough as they come. What do revolutionaries the world over use? Land Rovers? Hell no! Old school Land Cruisers because they need something that doesn't break, needs little maintenance, and is easy to fix when it does.

[gijonas]

My mother probably doesn't have long to live anyway. But comparing cars to trucks is like comparing piston planes to jets. But if we did, I'm sure we'd be on separate pages with that one as well. Sure as hell, I'll give you the old Toyota trucks were tough as they come. What do revolutionaries the world over use? Land Rovers? Hell no! Old school Land Cruisers because they need something that doesn't break, needs little maintenance, and is easy to fix when it does.

Thanks.A soft spot was hit and thats all i wanted to hear.

This thread can now continue.

[evolutionmovement]

Wow. It just occurred to me, and this isn't remotely the first instance, but this is maybe the only site I've seen where the arguing stays so civil. I'm probably not alone in stating that I'd have a couple of beers with pretty much anyone on here (and have with some).

[gijonas]

Wow. It just occurred to me, and this isn't remotely the first instance, but this is maybe the only site I've seen where the arguing stays so civil. I'm probably not alone in stating that I'd have a couple of beers with pretty much anyone on here (and have with some).

Hey!! lets stay on topic here!

[tahiti350]

These things are like tanks and easy to work on, so as long as you keep up with her... As for the injector, what symptoms were being exhibited? I'm beginning to wonder about one of mine, but would be thankful for some experienced advice first.

I've had one fail on the white wagon, 2 on the wife's blue wagon and one hard fail on the daughters wagon.

Mine started with a slight miss at idle, then got a little worse, then just quit fulling that cylinder.

The wife's wagon did the same thing with the second one, slight miss at idle, but would run okay off idle, then total failure. The first one that failed was a suprise. Running fin when we went to the airport to pick up my daughter, and when I fired it up to head home it was totally dead on that cylinder.

The daughters wagon started missing while driving from Tacoma to San Antoinio Tx, and when to dead hole just outside of New Braunfels, Tx (which is where she lives). I replaced all 4 injectors with re-man'd ones along with a failed knock sensor. Averaged over 32 mpg on that trip even with the knock sensor failing just after I left the house, and the injector starting to act up crossing New Mexico.

Easy to figure out once it totally fails, just pull one plug wire at a time until you find the dead hole and change that injector. It's a little harder to isolate the initial idle misfire, but if you listen close while pulling plug wires you may be able to isolate it.

I've got changing injectors down to about 5-6 minutes now....

[tahiti350]

BUT, we digrest... What I'm looking is an idea of how far I may be able to push the Subie before it needs MAJOR work (engine rebuild/replacement, trans failure, etc...)

[evolutionmovement]

I changed my engine at 246k because I thought I melted a piston, but it turned out to only be a burnt exhaust valve, which would have been an easy job.

[gijonas]

Sad truth is,there is no way in hell of actually saying.There are so many factors involved that we are all basically just making educated guesses based on what each of us has seen, which means nothing as far as your car is concerned.Just be happy its a subaru and expect it to last longer than most other junk.

[Justins91ss]

I have 328k kms on mine just picked it up a few months ago - misc maintenence stuff it had been a good car overall..