subaru experts needed.

NFF

NFF

Active Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
147
Location
canada
Car(s)
1983 rx7, 2002 legacy L wagon
im looking at a 2002 subaru legacy wagon. (BH) with 233k km on it the body looks to be in decent shape. i'v driven it once a good while ago it seemed to be strong and drive well but dident get much time with it and its been such a long time that i cant remember it. with that milage on it what are the usual problems and how much do they usually run? i dont rembmer what engine its got. either. i should get a email back from the dealer soon.

heres the listing with pics.
http://www.haas.nissan.ca/PreOwnedV...2403441/vin/Empty/language/en-US/Default.aspx
 
That car looks very nice for so many miles. As a high-milage Subaru owner myself I can attest to their hardiness after an already long life. I'm no expert as you'd like to hear from, but I can tell you that the problems I've had with mine have primarily been flukes or issues that were passed on from the absent-minded previous owner (my uncle).
 
I run a 02 Outback, which is pretty much the same as the Legacy L wagons, only with some cladding on the sides and lifted suspension.

The 3rd Generation of the Legacy is basically straightforward. The BH has the "Phase II" block which is a SOHC motor that supposedly fixed the issues from the older "Phase 1" blocks from the last generation...many motors coming around 150K usually have leaky valve cover gaskets and also need there timing belts done as well. Plus the same time most owners do the infamous head gasket replacement.

Id look at all the seals, the pumps, belt, gaskets and the plug wires if you can to see if those things need to be replaced.

Suspension is different from previous generations as they changed the rear McPherson setup to a standard shock with spring combination. Allows a wider cargo bay which is useful.

Since its a manual you have full 50/50 AWD compared to the Autos which are 90/10 till slip(some say otherwise). I would also check the clutch as well to be safe.

Other than that it looks like a pretty straightforward L, you plan to do any modifications to it or use it as a runner? Id direct you to the specific legacy sites if need be...
 
"The engine size on the Subaru is a 2.0L 4cyl AWD. We have had it through our shop for an inspection,..." is what the dealer said.

my thing is did the USDM legacy L wagon come with a 2L?

called dealer: its a 2.5L the timing cover and valve covers do leak
 
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ive had my subaru for 4 months now ,when i got it it already had 100k+ miles on it , but to me it runs perfectly , only thing i changed were the back brake pads, so im pretty pleased with the reliability. I aint a subaru expert, but im definitely glad i chose to get the car. I did however do 2 inspections from 2 different shops just to make sure, it checked out great.
 
2.0L ??? BH Legacies came with two motors in that generation period...the 2.5L and in the Outbacks the 3.0L H6. Unless its the 2.2L motor which was swapped in..looking at this site:

http://www.cars101.com/

they say that the BH L came with a 2.5 so you might wanna check that. 2.2 is still a decent motor just gutless.
 
If the valve covers are leaking its a "fun" DIY to do...accessing the gaskets are enjoyable thanks to the boxer layout. If you have leaks in the timing cover area that may be possibly a front main seal...I would really do a full inspection on the motor just to be sure. Since you are getting into that range of mileage where all the seals start leaking, check the Head gaskets too.
 
well ill go talk to the salse rep on saturday ill ask them about it. hope i can make a deal with them.
 
I'm not much of a Subaru expert either more Toyota than any other for me. Yet my 2004 Impreza RS(yes I have the 2.5L) has been very good to me and so far only 1 problem over 1 year of ownership which was my wiper linkages. Mine is a high mileage car, as I bought it at 215K although my engine seem to be pristine with no leaks of any sort and it doesn't show its age. My guess is this Legacy uses the same 5MT gearbox as my Impreza does, so do note that it uses shorter gearing and 5th isn't an overdrive gear, so highway cruises are usually done at 2.9K rpm or more.
 
yep thats about what i remember it doing... not anything new. the rx7 runs about 3400 at highway speed.
 
GM_IV said:
I'm not much of a Subaru expert either more Toyota than any other for me. Yet my 2004 Impreza RS(yes I have the 2.5L) has been very good to me and so far only 1 problem over 1 year of ownership which was my wiper linkages. Mine is a high mileage car, as I bought it at 215K although my engine seem to be pristine with no leaks of any sort and it doesn't show its age. My guess is this Legacy uses the same 5MT gearbox as my Impreza does, so do note that it uses shorter gearing and 5th isn't an overdrive gear, so highway cruises are usually done at 2.9K rpm or more.
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04s though not prone to the HGs were the most solid out of the 2.5L range from 96 to 04. After that Subaru changed the design of the heads...though 05+ now are getting some issues...Honestly once the service is done on these cars, they run forever with only doing brakes and oil changes...
 
NFF said:
yep thats about what i remember it doing... not anything new. the rx7 runs about 3400 at highway speed.
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Really? My first gen outback will be at 3.5k RPM in 5th going 65-70. The racket is intense and I'm not sure there's a solution but that's what highway travel is. And, along iwth the terrible wind noise, it's killing my ears.
 
cant be worse than the mazda its got zero sound dampening.. as for wind noise put a secondary run of weather stripping on the doors it should help.
 
laxmax613 said:
I have frameless windows so is that an option?
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Nope. You can re-seal the actual door, but as far as the window goes you can't do much.. and that is where all your noise is coming from (well, that and the mirrors).

laxmax613 said:
Really? My first gen outback will be at 3.5k RPM in 5th going 65-70. The racket is intense and I'm not sure there's a solution but that's what highway travel is. And, along iwth the terrible wind noise, it's killing my ears.
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Really? My 95 Legacy with the 2.2 and 4EAT turns over at only 2.5k RPM going 65-70. It does have overdrive, but I feel like your 5th gear would quiet the engine down much more than just overdrive.
 
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ah i forgot subaru's are hard tops. too bad they dont make wind deflectors for em like they do with trucks.
 
It's also worth noting that Wankels are smoother than other engines at high rpm ;)
 
boxers are quite smooth also due to the motion cancelling each other out
 
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