Do any of these Subarus sound like a good buy?

[2nd Hand Yank]

I saw three different L Series this weekend:

1) 1993 with 301,000 km's
The seller is asking for $4000, but may consider $3500
The motor has been reconditioned, had some valve work etc.
Everything runs smoothly, no squeaks or whines from the pulleys or belts
Has working air-con, a Roo Bar in great condition (not pushed sideways, loose or rusty)
Missing speakers in the middle doors; said they stopped working for previous owner so he removed them.
The rear defogger/demister works brilliantly
185/70R-14 tires instead of 185/70R-13's as stock
Headlight covers have protected headlights from chips or cracks.
Has power steering that works brilliantly
Has a heavy clutch which I figure the cable could use replacing (?)

2) 1993 with 266,000 km's
The seller listed this for $2400 and I haven't tried to negotiate a lower price yet
Has working air-con and heating that seems stronger than in car #1
A little harder shifting in-and-out of 4Hi and 4Lo than car #1
Has the worst overall bodyshape of the three cars, with several spots of paint flaking, with bits of rust
Has a dented up bootlid but he said he could replace it with a blue boot lid
The driver's door lost a nut or bolt, started to sag a little which has now dented the driver-side front quarter-panel
Currently is running stock-size tires and the front tires have little tread,
however he has bigger "offroad tires" that should be in better shape
At idle when the car is cold, it has a squeek coming from the middle pulley (A/C pulley)
Does not have power steering


3) 1987 Touring Wagon L Series
Seller asking for $1200 with 315,000 km's
Has soft, cloth bucket front seats that feel LUXURIOUS
Has adjustable rear suspension height; an option that came stock!
Had the air-con compressor converted into an air compressor
The motor seems pretty good, it was swapped in and has maybe 50-100k km's on it
Headliner is a soft cloth that is becoming unattached to the ceiling
Rear floor is missing a floor board so there are gaping holes into the metal body stucture
Radio has been modified and installed in a slack manner; particle board and screws
Low beams do not turn on, but high beams do (What could be the problem?)
Power steering makes a squealing, chirping racket when you are turning a radius of say 15 m or less
Owner says that the pulley on the power steering is pulling the serpentine belt (or v-belts?) slightly-crooked which supposedly accounts for the noise.
The pulley itself for the power steering may be making squeaks
The Roo Bar is a bit loose, sitting a bit crooked and the front bumper behind it is a bit bent.
Has a CB antenna with a CB radio that "might" work
Has working power windows and every window is tinted a nice light tint
Front inner CV joints "may" need replacing as boots were accidentally torn
while his mate was changing his front springs; King Springs back to stock ones.
Badly needs new front tires as one's bald and the other low tread.
Transmission shift linkage appears quite slack; I shifted from 1st to 4th accidentally
Transfer case however has no issues, easy shifting from FWD to 4Hi and 4Lo
Rego until August?



All these vehicles are currently registered.

Thoughts?
Thanks

[niterida]

185/70R-14 tires instead of 185/70R-13's as stock

Hope he changed the wheels as well

But seriously :

Stay clear of anything that needs body work and especially rust - $$$$

Stay clear of anything that has multiple problems - shows total lack of care and could mean many things are about to go - $$$$

Always go for the best condition car you can afford.

Ignore the above if the vehicle in any of the above categories is correspondingly cheap and YOU can effect the repairs yourself.

Just to show what I mean I recently bought a 99 model Outback for $2500 - 310,000kms on it with horrible noises coming from the front, steered like a pig and didn't change gears (automatic) properly. Paint had a lot of chips and faded a bit and rear tailgate & 1/4 had a dent and broken tail light. Basically an absolute pig. But interior was excellent, everything worked inside (a/c, power windows etc), new brakes, new cv's, lots of paper work for repairs etc.
Got it home and replaced the box myself with one I picked up for $100, replaced the tail light,polished the paint and hey presto - schmick Outback for $2750.

Conversely I bought a Gen 2 Outback a few months earlier - 160,000kms and nothing wrong with it at all except a huge dent in the tailgate and broken tailight. I only had it a few months and offloaded it because it turned out the tailgate hit was so hard it buckled the frame of the tailgate opening and the roof and the 'chassis' even though I looked at this carefully twice before I decided to buy it, and then the mechanicals started playing up - noisy lifters, stalling at idle, hunting idle, rear cv's went, a/c stopped etc.

So basically its a lottery out there and careful buying (the Gen2) doesn't guarantee a good car and impulse buying over the phone without looking at it (the Gen3) can sometimes be lucky.

Good Luck whatever you decide - I voted on car 1 - or you can stump another grand and have my Gen 3

[2nd Hand Yank]

Car #3

also has a broken corner on the driver tail light,
a somewhat crumpled driver side corner on the rear bumper
and the windscreen isn't firmly attached;
I can move it 1 cm on the driverside, yet I cannot see light through it.

[2nd Hand Yank]

The car I was originally looking at the dealer was probably in perfect bodyshape outside
but had a loose driver seat, no cabin heat (fixed with coulant?) and a noisy passenger side exhaust, and 366,000km's for $2500...

I suppose it's hard to tell if there's damage other than the obvious minor fixes
like maybe a new exhaust gasket and/or manifold, a heater core flush and coulant top up.

Just out of curiosity...

Can an L Series that didn't come with air-con be fitted with air-con easily,
if you are swapping in a newer motor that has air-con?

[guyph_01]

Buy the one on E-bay... You get spotties and roof racks as a bonus:p
I can lend you my TK head gasket tester if you need it:) to be sure the engine is ok.

three days left and its $360...
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 500wt_1156

Yeah i think you can, You just need the whole system... I think the wiring is also a separate one from the loom but not sure. I've got a compressor, some lines and a condenser if you need:)

[sven '2']

What is your mechanical ability like? I ask because any of these cars would *probably* be ok (allowing for each car's own issues and needs) if you know your way around a car.

Remember, they are now 20-25 year old cars, and while Subes have survived much better than other cars of the era, they most always will still have issues.

Their appeal is parts are cheap, and relatively easy to tinker, provided you have the skills to do so.

[El_Freddo]

As sven has said ^

But out of those for what seems pretty hassle free subaruing (yes, I'm making that word up so it's now official ) I would say that subaru #1 is the pic of the bunch if you're willing to part with the money... Or keep looking for another - which could be worth doing.

That one that Guyph's found on ebay sounds good without having looked at it... Good price at the moment too, even if it needs a few things touched up on it

Cheers

Bennie

[Luke82]

the headlight problem in car #3 is the contacts in the light switch located behind the steering wheel (mine does the same thing) fixed with some contact cleaner or do what i do and thump the steering wheel:)

[El_Freddo]

the headlight problem in car #3 is the contacts in the light switch located behind the steering wheel (mine does the same thing) fixed with some contact cleaner or do what i do and thump the steering wheel:)

This usually happens for the high beam. The other thing that could be this problem is that the low beams have been fried in both lights - I've seen it happen on other cars for no apparent reason. New globes, all solved. But you'd have to look further into this to make sure it is or is not just the globes...

Cheers

Bennie

[2nd Hand Yank]

As sven has said ^

But out of those for what seems pretty hassle free subaruing (yes, I'm making that word up so it's now official ) I would say that subaru #1 is the pic of the bunch if you're willing to part with the money... Or keep looking for another - which could be worth doing.

That one that Guyph's found on ebay sounds good without having looked at it... Good price at the moment too, even if it needs a few things touched up on it

Cheers

Bennie

I think I can afford car #1.
(extra expenses like petrol, insurance etc. added to the initial price too)
I have picked car #1 as it has so many things right with it,
as well as a solid, straight roo bar that in the pictures appears aluminium?

Here it is:
http://wa.gumtree.com.au/c-Cars-Vehicle ... Z290169793

^^ I think someone on AUSubaru pointed this one out.

I was just trying to gauge if other cars would be worth the savings on their initial price.
If I was more patient, I'd consider a fixer-upper.
I just feel better now not buying a car that needs several things tended to.

Thanks guys

[TOONGA]

4,400 is alot to part with on an L series you can pick up a forester or a liberty for that money. having said that if you really want an L it is up to you

TOONGA

[niterida]

4,400 is alot to part with on an L series you can pick up a forester or a liberty for that money. having said that if you really want an L it is up to you

TOONGA

I offered him my 99 Outback for that sort of money . . . . . . .

[sven '2']

4,400 is alot to part with on an L series you can pick up a forester or a liberty for that money. having said that if you really want an L it is up to you

TOONGA

Yep, have agree. My Forester Limited with ABS, airbags, cruise, AC, power steering/windows etc is probably worth $5-5,500 tops.

Contestant number 1 is worth $1.75-2,000 IMO


PS 'EA82 rebuild' always concern me - would want to know exactly what was done - a lot of people (due the cost of a true professional engine overhaul of any engine in an 20 year car) just have the heads done and call it a rebuild...

[2nd Hand Yank]

I offered him my 99 Outback for that sort of money . . . . . . .

"Him" is me?

If I don't take this L Series for whatever reason, I might want to take you up on that.

[2nd Hand Yank]

4,400 is alot to part with on an L series you can pick up a forester or a liberty for that money. having said that if you really want an L it is up to you

TOONGA

I thought newer Subarus only come in AWD, not 4wd?

I know a bit about mechanics and I thought that part-time 4wd ensures the front and rear axles get power to at least 1 tire, so 2 wheels spin at most.
AWD I've heard can still have 1 tire getting all or most of the power sent to it. :think:
I would assume that older Subarus have better offroad prowess... No?

[El_Freddo]

4wd/AWD are pretty much the same thing, only AWD doesn't lock the centre for true 50/50 split front and rear. The subaru AWD rely on an LSD that's built into the centre diff so if one end starts to slip the other picks up the slack. You can easily fry these if you're being stupid with them.

Some models are single range so make sure you get a dual range model. If you can only find a single range unit the dual range box is a direct swap, you'd just need the low range selector...

It's not about the model's "prowess" - its about the way you drive it

Cheers

Bennie

[guyph_01]

Yes definitely, older subies are better off-road for the reasons you have described.
BUT, $4500 for a pretty much std L series is a lot of money, It must be the only above $4000 L series for sale in WA. For that amount of money Buy one with a blown engine for less than $1000 and drop a 2 inch lift and a ej22 in there with the extra $3000. Much better off-road car then.

OR, Buy the ebay one, drive it around for a while and then put a lift kit and a EJ20 or 22 and it will be a much better car for about $4500 total.

Not many of us would pay $4000 for that L seires. For what it is and what its got, its worth about $2500 max.

Mine started as a $100 car with a blown engine, non licensed, broken rear glass, trashed interior L series went i first got her:p

[El_Freddo]

Mine started as a $100 car with a blown engine, non licensed, broken rear glass, trashed interior L series went i first got her:p

And now its a $3 happy meal

Jokes

Cheers

Bennie

[guyph_01]

Lol good one....:mad::twisted:
I don't care, I love it:p

But, 2nd Hand Yank, Its all up to you. If your happy to spend the $4000 and think she is worth it and is the car for you then by all means buy it.

P.s, I wouldn't LOL:p

[niterida]

Good Luck whatever you decide - I voted on car 1 - or you can stump another grand and have my Gen 3

Quote:
Originally Posted by niterida
I offered him my 99 Outback for that sort of money . . . . . . .

"Him" is me?

If I don't take this L Series for whatever reason, I might want to take you up on that.

Yep - it was in the fine print. Its an auto though so you probably don't want it.