Pre-purchase question

[southsoobie]

Not sure exactly where this should be posted. I've returned to Victoria Canada recently after a year in New Zealand. If any of you have been there you will know that it is Subaru heaven, with plenty of good cheap cars and good mechanics to keep them on the road. My ride this time was a 1994 GT wagon with the EJ20 twin turbo and 5MT. So now, back in north america I'm wondering what options I have to get something similar. A little snooping around had led me to the 91-94 turbo wagons that are occasionally up for sale around here. I see one over on the mainland that looks pretty clean and well cared for, but 275,000 kms. It is a 92 turbo LE touring wagon with the 2.2l engine I guess and the auto trans. It would take me a day to go over and look at it.

Here are my questions.

Even if well cared for, the motor must be getting near the end of its life. What transplants are available for this car? Getting EXACTLY the same car as a donor is probably a slim chance. Nobody rebuilds these engines in NZ but perhaps the $$ calculation is a little different down here given the smaller number of donor cars. I could do a compression test I suppose if there is any evidence that this would tell me anything, assuming the motor is running smoothly and strongly. Owner recently replaced knock and O2 sensors.

How tough is the auto box? I drove some wagons in NZ with auto and they were kind of dogs compared to the manual, as well as seeming fuel hungry. I had my doubts about the build of the auto. Naturally I would look into an engine/trans swap to get the MT but I know enough about how complicated this can get to be a little wary. If there are lots of compatible swaps from the other lines, this might be an option. I gather I would wait a very long time to find a 5MT turbo wagon.

Is the rear transaxle limited slip? This was the case for the 94GT and it was very handy for heavy snow. That car, fitted with decent snows and a set of chains was unstoppable. More than once I used it as a snowplow on the ski field roads around Christchurch!

I know the general points to look for (oil leaks, sounds, suspension and missing bits indicating previous mods) in a used buy, but are there are any special points to watch out for these models. In particular, RUST? Rusty examples are pulled off the road pretty quick in NZ so I didn't have to deal with that. But here in western Canada . . . ?

Thanks, Chris.

[entirelyturbo]

Even if well cared for, the motor must be getting near the end of its life.

Why do you say that? 275k kms is roughly 170k miles. That's not all that high for a first-gen Legacy.

How tough is the auto box?

They're tough, but their expected service life is around 200k miles or so, so if you ask me, I'd be looking for a replacement transmission first.

Naturally I would look into an engine/trans swap to get the MT but I know enough about how complicated this can get to be a little wary. If there are lots of compatible swaps from the other lines, this might be an option.

Josh (Legacy777) has swapped a turbo 5spd transmission in his NA automatic. It's complicated, but not impossible.

I gather I would wait a very long time to find a 5MT turbo wagon.

You'd be waiting forever for a factory one, as all turbo wagons in the US were auto. There are a few swapped ones around here on the board, but that's pretty much it.

Is the rear transaxle limited slip?

No. Only 91 turbos got LSD rears.

I know the general points to look for (oil leaks, sounds, suspension and missing bits indicating previous mods) in a used buy, but are there are any special points to watch out for these models. In particular, RUST? Rusty examples are pulled off the road pretty quick in NZ so I didn't have to deal with that. But here in western Canada . . . ?

Absolutely. The new generation of Subarus don't rust as bad as the old gen (i.e. DL/GL/Loyale/etc.). But they can still rust if not properly cared for.