legacycentral bbs

Whats up, I have been considering getting rid of my RS and building a nice legacy. What do you guys consider high mileage? If I find a car with ~100k what kind of stuff will I need to do to get it running good befor I start moding it?

100k miles is just getting broken in


Think about having
timing belt
oil pump
water pump
seals (cam, crank on both ends, valve covers)


I consider high mileage to be 250k+

I think it all depends on how the car's been driven and what's been done to it.

With regularly scheduled maintenance on my turbo legacy with a bigger turbo, an intercooler, and running 15-18psi on a regular basis (I mean RUNNIN HER HARD!!), I'd say 194,000miles is pretty high!! lol!

As much as I like the look of the 98-01 RSs, they really are dogs in terms of acceleration. I still give the middle finger to Subaru for droppin the ball with that car!!

I used to think that high mileage was like 120k+. That was before I bought my (then) 178k Legacy Turbo. Check out http://hometown.aol.com/nv1z/subaruhigh ... .html?f=fs to see why I suddenly wasn't that concerned any more...

The best way to ensure that your car is in good condition is to keep on top of the jobs and don't miss out the regular maintenance!

I got 173k.

I'd consider that higher mileage, but she still runs.

At this point there's some items that would probably be worthwhile to replace to maintain optimum performance.

"to maintain optimum performance"

Thats the thing though, your car is still stable at 173k. It only needs a little refreshing to become good as new!

yup....you are correct sir.....just need to find the time to do the things I need to do to refresh her

223K and runs and handles perfect, but needs new bushings to get rid of the squeeks and groans from the suspension. Still waiting for the original alternator to die, but still doesn't even dim the lights...

Bought at 108K - right after break in, like ciper said. Subarus wake up at 100K.

Steve

As far as I'm concerned, a Legacy Turbo motor with a mostly stock setup and regular maintenance will, in all honesty, last forever. Like boostjunkie said, he's got 194,000 miles on his drivetrain, and he's running mid-teens boost and driving it spiritedly. Don't ever let mileage throw you off on a Legacy Turbo, unless maintenance is in question.

Honestly, any old Subaru is a looooooooong-lasting car. My Legacy has 123,000 miles and I have seen hardly any other cars in my life run as good as mine after that mileage. My XT has 100,465, I think, and it also runs excellently. Not as smooth as my Legacy, but it is still in excellent condition for its mileage. My two Subarus run better than almost any other car in the family. I'd go so far as to say that my Legacy runs as smoothly as my grandma's 2003 Caddy CTS with 3000 miles on it!!!

well with close to 198k on my 91t it is definately showing its age ...and the gremlins are rearing their heads after multiple codes showing on the cel i started trying to hunt down the culprits and i do not like what i am finding, mainly old and brittle wires that have been way to close to the turbo and downpipe and block for way too long. time to pull hair out grit teeth smash fingers and swear to no one in particular about unraveling the oil soaked wiring harness for the injectors and various sensors,solenoids and on and on...in places that are dark hard to get to and grimy! the previous owners were not veryconcerned with oil leaks...yuk!!!!!!!! so fortunately i have another donor legacy with more pliant wiring so i can at least splice in much better wire. i think everyone on this board that has a high high mileage legacy, say anything over 175k, should do a little snooping around those nether regions around the block and take a close look at the connectors and wires that are close to heat sources. i was bitchin and cursing when the cel kept throwing codes cuz the car ran so well..but now i am glad i found all of this before something shorted and a fire started

the junk yard car had 212k on it when we pulled the motor

I've put 30k on it since then and it will be getting rebuilt this winter

I'd only be wary of mileage if you were considering an automatic transmission. I'm sure many will swear that their auto Subarus are reliable and last a long time, but I've heard too many stories of them failing (and had a painfully expensive experience with that myself). If you're considering a high mileage car, get a stick shift.

Why? Just take that out in part of the price. A used transmission swap isnt bad, I just purchased a turbo legacy with a bad automatic and got it for a great price.

I don't know how much I'd trust a used auto tranny! Besides, how much life will be left on it? When I had tranny troubles, I did consider that route. The going price for a used tranny was around $600, with about the same amount for labor to remove my old one and install that used one. Considering my Legacy is already on its third tranny (had the original replaced with factory rebuilt around 60k, had 130k when that one went bad), I came to the conclusion that these trannys just can't be expected to last a long time. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but one fact remains - a manual tranny is a *much* simpler design and *will* be more reliable. No hydraulic system, no solenoids, no torque convertor. Just simple mechanical gears and a clutch disc.

Of course, the automatic DOES have a better (variable split) AWD system - one of the reasons I decided not to do the manual tranny conversion.

whitemr2 wrote:the automatic DOES have a better (variable split) AWD system - one of the reasons I decided not to do the manual tranny conversion.

Really? According to my 1992 sales brochure all the AWD Legacies have a variable split. Anyone more knowledgable confirm either way?

The Subaru 4EAT is much more durable for people who have high HP ratings or drive their cars hard (except for the SVX ) Dump your clutch frequently, speed shift it, or miss gears a lot, and you will destroy a Subaru 5MT. But for someone like me, who is pretty easy on a tranny, they're about the same in durability.

Our AWD autos are regularly split 90/10, front/rear, respectively. The Duty C solenoid will adjust this ratio depending on where it detects a wheel slipping. The AWD manuals are now, and have been for some time, a 50/50 split, which is adjusted mechaically through fluid thermodynamics (if the rears start slipping, the fluid in the viscous coupling gets hot and thick, therefore sending more power to the fronts...)

I dont agree with the 90/10 split that subaru advertises.

Look at it this way, all wheels have equal traction. Even though the center clutch is only engauged at 10% pressure the rear wheels are still driving the vehicle just as much as the front. It isnt until a speed difference (the amount of torque overcomes the clamping force) occurs between the two that the ratio is anything but 50-50%

Actually the amount of torque is 50-50% under normal conditions and upto 99% rear 1% front.

Once the slip occurs the ECU senses the speed difference and increases the clutch pressure. Unless you catch it just right the traction is near instant.

If you know how to drive really well the manual will last longer. Unfortunatly not many (including myself) can handle shifting properly when flying down a dirt road in the excitement of the moment. This is where the automatic transmission will save you, its consistand in operation.

whitemr2: Either you aren't telling the whole truth, your transmission rebuilder sucks or you have really bad luck. I personally have purchased THREE automatic legacy that now have between 150k-200k. Actually it was four legacy with auto but the 4th was a parts car.

ciper wrote:whitemr2: Either you aren't telling the whole truth, your transmission rebuilder sucks or you have really bad luck. I personally have purchased THREE automatic legacy that now have between 150k-200k. Actually it was four legacy with auto but the 4th was a parts car.

I'm the car's second owner; the original tranny was replaced by the first owner. I thought he said that it was done, under warranty, by a Subaru dealer, but don't have the paperwork to back that up. The tranny failed about six months after I bought the car, though it had shown earlier signs of trouble. When I paid to have it rebuilt by a local shop, I paid extra to have an external tranny oil cooler and a transgo shift kit installed, hoping that'll help prolong its life. At the time, I did research on the 4EAT tranny on this message board, and elsewhere. It seemed that failures were common, and rebuilding a complex, somewhat risky procedure.

Your argument in favor of the 4EAT's reliability is encouraging, as I'd like to keep this car for at least several more years and if the tranny goes again, the car is scrap.

Now, back to my original note of caution - I think you'll agree that if not properly cared for, an automatic tranny will likely fail early in its life. Therefore, I still advise against getting a used tranny, and still think it's risky buying a used car with an auto, as you don't know how well the previous owner(s) cared for it.

I personally am scared of Subaru automatics and don't like to drive automatics in general. On manuals, you can always replace the clutch. And if you need syncros or gears or shiftforks, they can be replaced... part out - part in. If you keep grinding your gears and speedshifting you're an idiot and are the same kind of person that would keep slamming an auto into "2"... you'll break any kind of tranny that way. Heck, you can break dog boxes if you are hard enough on it.

I prefer manuals for increased control of the car, relative ease of maintenance, and increased efficiency.

"increased efficiency"

Incorrect. An automatic transmission that is designed correctly is more efficient during a cruise than a manual. For example, look up the Scion XA with manual and automatic......

I don't consider a car to be high milage until roughly 300,000 miles, but this is coming from a Mercedes diesel owner.

I would have to agree on the Legacy turbo engines. Mine has 186,000 miles, and it runs like new, mostly because it was well maintained. It doesn't even leak or burn much oil as far as I can tell. I am planning on replacing the timing belt, oil pump, and water pump, just so that I don't have to worry about them going out anytime soon...