legacycentral bbs

Hi all. Honest opinion time
I have a '90 legacy that is almost 200k. engine starting to skip when first started, warm or cold, but smooths out nicely. body just starting to rust in the usual places, behind front wheels and tailgate, but for the year not bad at all. Living in Maine, I dont want this thing to die on me in the middle of winter, as it would be hard to replace. Also, the sunroof is starting to leak, and after everything I've read here that is NOT a project I want to take on. My Subaru mechanic says that some of the parts for these are getting quite scarce, (ie seatbelt movers etc. SO I could sell it now and get some money towards a newer/different one, or I could go with it till it dies, and/or get the engine rebuilt, and/or get the bodywork done, try to find someone to fix the sunroof etc. and where the heck would I get the seatbelt movers if they fail?
I know I have a bunch of sube fans here, so it might be hard to get an unbiased op, but I have to ask, cuz its decision time while I still have the money to get some other used car. I do love the body style though, and its a pretty cool car. I would like a new stereo though.
I am waxing here...
Thanks all.
btw
I probably wont be doing much, if any of the work myself.
Again, thanks

Has anyone had a seatbelt mover fail? There are plenty of junk cars as sources if they do.

The skipping's probably just a bad ignition wire or plug.

These are better cars than many new vehicles. I'm trying to figure out how to get my 1990 wagon with 260k+ miles back up and running (needs an N/A exhaust to clear the turbo crossmember) as it's a much better car than my 2006 Mazda3 and I want to dump the POS. Problem is the wagon's been sitting for 3 years and cars don't like to sit. Even Subarus.

Thanks to evolutionmovement for your response. Perhaps that would be a good poll question. My mechanic said that they do fail and they are almost impossible to find now as all the yards are crushing as metal is so high. Just getting nervous about the parts thing. Dont want to get stuck with 'metal'

all mechanical things can and do fail. nature of the beast.

who cares about seatbelt movers? If you can get them to be static in the up position, just click the belt in and out...

as for the "skipping" (what exactly is that?), check compression, condition of plugs/wires, grounds, and the intake stuff. all simple and cheap things. some new wires and plugs may clear that right up (see FAQ, get the NGK blue wires and V-power plugs)

you can tape up the sunroof, that will help with leaking somewhat. you can even silicone it first, and then tape over it to make it still look somewhat clean (electrical tape works fine on my 94 and is barely noticeable, although it doesnt sit outside much, only if at work or on errands and it rains) it's not that bad of a job to get it done, either. harder to get the whole thing in and out of a sedan, but still easier than pulling a motor/trans.

there are many 90-94 legacies in the junkyards down here. most of them, are pretty much rust-free (southern cars). I wouldnt even bother fixing a front quarter panel, I got a perfect southern one here for about $40. bolt-on and paint. maybe they are crushing rust-buckets up north, because a lot of parts are junk and the frames aren't worth having around, but down here the cars are plentiful.

as for a stereo you can put tons of cheap ones in there from crutchfield, in the $80-100 range. You can even get harnesses from them too if you don't want to have to splice a bunch of wires.

I think you'll find, there are plenty of stock parts sources right here, so your local Subaru guy isn't the only person to talk to.