anyone else drive a subaru car ?

rock n roll kid · #1 10-09-2010, 03:42 AM

picked up a 98 outback legacy a few months back. body and interior are like new , has 128.000 miles but you couldnt tell it by looking.

dealer said all the problem parts had been replaced. we are talking head gaskets, cam bearings and so on . cant remember them all but he said the problematic stuff was good to go . it DOES run like a top and i am pretty well satisfied with it so far.

will be my first all wheel drive car in the winter. i understand that all tho it is advertised as all wheel drive, it actually isnt. just transfers the power to the wheel that needs traction at the critical time. is this correct ?
you other owners can enlighten me.

i need a couple of parts that are missing ..... the ash tray ( no i dont smoke but it would be good to fill that hole up ) and the sliding cover that hides your goodies in the very back of the hatch section .
is there a web site that i might be able to order these from ? my nearest salvage yard of any size is about 60 miles and the last time i looked he didnt have any subaru's

thanks rock

HAWKEYE10 · #2 10-09-2010, 05:19 AM

For the parts you are looking for Google "Subaru Parts" or "Subaru Parts Used". There are so many links to go to I think if you Google it you will get more information than me giving one link here. Don

tbury · #3 10-09-2010, 06:13 AM

All wheel drive is all wheels driving all the time. If one wheel looses traction the system reduces drive force to compensate. The result is you want to steer the car in the direction you want to go and the AWD system will straighten the car out in that direction. It is a much better system than 4WD for winter driving on roads. I am not sure about off road use as my 97 Legacy is not set up for that.

JcMack · #4 10-09-2010, 07:20 AM

Everyone I know that has one swears by it. The resale on the things is a testament to their reliability. "From what I hear" tire rotation to maintain strict tire diameter on all wheels is very important. That's to prevent wear in the transfer case. You have to replace all four tires at once, if necessary.

Marksman · #5 10-09-2010, 07:34 AM

I had an uncle who like my father was a devoted American Motors driver, when AMC got out of the car business he switched to Subaru. He swore by them and that was all he drove for the rest of his life.

truckemup97 · #6 10-09-2010, 08:39 AM

You might try FleaBay for the parts. Lots of salvages seem to be selling small parts like those there.

As for the all wheel drive, I believe you are correct. If it's like Honda, it's front wheel drive until the front wheels start to slip.

Rugskipper · #7 10-09-2010, 11:15 AM

All the Subarus here in Kansas have hopey-changey bumper stickers on them. You might have to get one to join the owners club.

I don't much like ebay, but they are usually a good source for the kind of parts you are looking for.

Evil One · #8 10-09-2010, 12:08 PM

It IS AWD, 90/10 split in normal driving... 90% of the power to the front wheels.
We have owned 2 subarus... both were the SVX sport model.
Mine had the deeper geared outback transaxle, my wifes had the 50/50 split WRX manual trans swap.
We liked them, hers was OH so much better in snow and ice than mine.

Jim

Frank237 · #9 10-09-2010, 07:20 PM

Rugskipper beat me to it...about 90% of them I see out here have freakin' Obama stickers on them.

Andy Griffith · #10 10-09-2010, 07:30 PM

Those cargo covers are expensive new, try a junkyard/salvage that specializes in imports (Mercedes/Volvo/Subaru).
Used ones seem to be in the $150-ish range on fleabay.

MTS Cop · #11 10-10-2010, 02:15 AM

My girlfriend has an 05 Legacy and the car seems just as solid today as it was when new. Being a life long victim of General Motors I'm very impressed with that little car. If Subaru made a sedan just a little bigger then the Legacy I'd probably be driving one.

They all do seem to have those stupid bumper stickers on them though. Maybe the libs do have the right idea about one thing...

Skeptic 9c · #12 10-10-2010, 07:32 AM

My wife doesn't let me drive hers much. It's a 2002 Forester and is all wheel drive with controls on the differentials. It doesn't have extreme ground clearance, but tracks down soft sandy roads in FL that confound some 4WD pickups and handled Cleveland OH winter street driving with aplomb.
Geoff
Who believes they dropped the pickup because too many folks expected the impossible and only got it most of the time...