Ski vehicle wanted

[nath 134]

Hey guys, am currently looking for a car to leave in the south island for the winter-

Pref 1997+ legacy non turbo (unless you have a very reliable turbo) sub $5k, pref a 1997 250T in silver.

OR a nissan terrano/pathfinder 3.2 diesel 1996+ sub $12k.....

Know both these cars fairly well so no prob buying sight unseen, prefer if the car is already in the south island (Otago or Canterbury would be great!)

[antil33t 90]

If you find anything in Dunedin you want checked out let me know

I've heard on other forums that the 250T has headgasket issues, and the 2L is much better (reliability wise)

[nath 134]

If you find anything in Dunedin you want checked out let me know

I've heard on other forums that the 250T has headgasket issues, and the 2L is much better (reliability wise)

Awesome thanks ill definitely keep that in mind- my last ski car was a '97 250t, admittedly it had just had cambelt and new heater core and a few things so gave me no trouble.....

[Wervie67 0]

have a mate selling a good condition 1996 Legacy ts-r with 170kms at the moment. tell me if you want me to look into it for you

[e30ftw 410]

I mis-read title and thought you were looking for a skid vehicle and lol'd when you said a legacy.

[Guest Simon*]

I'd warn against the 250T also. My folks one went through 2 HG's and had endless "undiagnosable" ignition/coil issues.

[Guest Simon*]

Oh and it's for sale in Chch currently by a dealer too so avoid any Silver ones!!!

[nath 134]

Hmm fair call, sounds like people really must have had the subaru problems that gives them a reputation.... damn!

In that case i'd kill for a mercedes TE or the like

[cliffdunedin 8]

I've heard on other forums that the 250T has headgasket issues, and the 2L is much better (reliability wise)

Yep you are certainly right, the EJ25's along the board are notorious for Head gaskets and standard subaru problem Cambelt...which can cost a mint to replace because of the boxer!

I mis-read title and thought you were looking for a skid vehicle and lol'd when you said a legacy.

You don't think Subbys can drift/skid, have a youtube search and you may find yourself eating those words. I had a 94GT wagon converted to rear wheel drive that could rip the tarmac at burnout comps and a mate in his sedan that could get all 4 going!

Hmm fair call, sounds like people really must have had the subaru problems that gives them a reputation.... damn!

Subarus that have not been well maintained and serviced (like all cars) are notorious for costing big $ to fix, mainly because of the cramped engine bay and boxer engine's making normal, easy things...hard!

there are still plenty out there that have been well looked after and not thrashed...though you should look at some basic GTs, GTB's as fuel consumption is not much different from the 250ts plus you have the balls when you want to get home a little earlier. Watch the manual gearbox as they are reknowned for getting very long(and drivable) before the pressure plate goes.

[R90S 2]

No car manufacturer is immune from problem models, including BMW, Toyota, or Nissan.

The "Subaru reputation" for headgaskets was almost exclusively earned by the BD/BG models with the EJ25 engine - in other words the mid '90s 2.5 litre non-turbo model. The 2 litre and 2.2 litre models don't give any headgasket issues unless they have been overheated, and that is quite forgivable under those circumstances. The 3 litre six is widely regarded as indestructible unless run without either oil or water, and even then, they are hard to kill . . . I know of one which was driven with no coolant for two days on Auckland motorways and then driven to a dealership because it "sounded funny"! The engine was junk but it was still running! We owned a 3-litre wagon for a few years and sold it recently with over 300,000km on the clock, and it still used no oil between changes.

I had a 2.2 litre Legacy for several years which had covered 381,000km and the heads had never been off. In fact I'd still be driving the car today if a dopey clown in an XR8 hadn't driven through a stop sign in front of me 12 months ago and written it off. I still miss that car . . .

My current Legacy is a '92 model 2 litre single turbo with almost 170,000km currently on the clock, and it has given no engine or transmission trouble since I bought it a year ago. It's my daily driver, and I've done almost 45,000km in it since I bought it a year ago to replace the written off car. It has proved to be reliable, comfortable and quick.

If they are maintained correctly, Subarus are capable of taking a beating without complaint. I like them.

[Grant 4]

We have a 3.0l Subaru Outback. It is outstandingly reliable, much more so than any other car I have ever owned.

I was reluctant to buy it because it had done 140,000 miles when we got it, but my father in law gave it a thorough going over and gave it a clean bill of health. It now has 165,000 miles on it and apart from oil changes, and new filters/fluids all we have done is put new brake rotors on it.

I was talking to a Subaru dealer here, and he said that they would buy it off us in an instant if we wanted to sell it. He said that there is a huge demand for the 3.0l versions of the Outback on the used market, but nobody ever parts with them so he can never get his hands on them.

[cliffdunedin 8]

Plenty of Outbacks here bud! Tend to be soccer mum type cars but neverless a good car, the Forrester is also a brilliant car though is now branded "boy racer" as it is a popular car with the younger ones!

[Grant 4]

Plenty of Outbacks here bud! Tend to be soccer mum type cars but neverless a good car,

Well that suits. My wife drives it and carts our two kids around!

Subarus have a completely different image here than they do in NZ. In fact they were the only manufacture that actually improved sales and market share during the 'great recession'.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37274797/ns/bu...g_businessweek/

Edited June 18, 2010 by Grant

[antil33t 90]

I think it's the young dickheads that ruin subaru for me...

Even though IMO Subaru make the best looking japanese wagons.

[cliffdunedin 8]

+1

I like the late 80 early 90 wagons best!

[nath 134]

Yeah subarus are a pretty sweet car.... decent spec ones, that is.

Still havent found a car, at the mo its gonna have to be the 350Z, which isnt the best for the job!

[nath 134]

Have picked up an Isuzu wizard 1998 with 100km's on the clock, great condition- doesnt quite pull like a 3.2 terrano and isnt intercooled, but has a towbar and good roofracks which suits me fine!

[ducatiss 1]

Agree with everything said here about the 2.5 litre boxer engine - they are more likely than not to give head gasket issues until Subaru solved the issue in 2003. Anything prior treat with suspicion. The good news is that Subaru released an updated head gasket that solved the issue. I have a 1997 2L Non Turbo manual, and apart from a gearbox issue covered under warranty, it has proved to be a reliable and very daily runner. Like everything else, keeping the maintenance up is key to getting big millage out of them.