Subaru Greenie

[Zee09]

My brother and I were into Subies in the very early 80's.
He got fed up in the early 90's and moved on. But his first 81-82 model was abused but bulletproof.
So other than the usual info here are any of the models a safe bet to buy without the oil consumption issues etc?

 

[AutoMechanic]

Yeah sure anything old I’m a fan I especially like the old Subaru truck thing we have at school it’s like an 80 something model I don’t think uses any oil Jim.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

Modern ones are a hit or miss. Take Subaru Crosstek for example. There is a thread here somewhere where a guy did over 600,000 miles on original engine, then replaced it and is now over 800,000 miles on the car I believe. (From memory, correct me if I'm wrong.) While some other threads complain about having an engine (short block) replaced under warranty with less than 20k miles on the odometer.

 

[Al]

No issues, other than a lemon.

 

[earlyre]

Yeah sure anything old I’m a fan I especially like the old Subaru truck thing we have at school it’s like an 80 something model I don’t think uses any oil Jim.

it's called a BRAT.
does it still have the seats in the bed?

Jumpseats​

Subaru Brat rear jumpseats

The USA and Canada's version also had carpeting and welded-in rear-facing jumpseats in the cargo area. These were a tariff-avoidance ploy, with the plastic seats in the cargo bed allowing Subaru to classify the BRAT as a passenger car - charged only a 2.5%, compared to 25% tariff on light trucks due to Chicken tax. They were discontinued after the 1986 model year.

Subaru BRAT - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[AutoMechanic]

it's called a BRAT.
does it still have the seatsnbolted into the bed?

Yeah that’s it a Brat. Yes it still has the seats.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Back then, there was actually room under the hood to work on it, since Subaru still used pushrods, so the motor was narrower

The DOHC Subarus are almost impossible to service when you need to access the side of the engine (spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, and of course the head gaskets on the EJ)

Even worse, the Ascent, which isn't sold in Japan, is one of the most difficult ones yet! You think they could've made it wide enough to actually fit and be serviceable

At least the FA/FB doesn't have the head gasket issues the EJ is known for. Unfortunately, they're all DOHC
Early FB's consumed oil heavily, but most were replaced under warranty, so that problem is gone.

It is still difficult to change the spark plugs on an FB, but it's still easier than on a DOHC EJ

The Justy is the best Subaru ever made. It doesn't use a boxer engine, so it is much easier to work on. It was available with AWD and a CVT. After they stopped making it, Subaru would need another 20 years to get 30 mpg again, when they started using a CVT again.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

Here is the high mileage Crosstrek, manual transmission finally gave up after 1-1.1 million miles: https://www.clubcrosstrek.com/threads/long-term-testing.3331/page-17

 

[frisco]

Owned my rhd 98 impreza STi for 5 years. Had 115000kms when I purchased it, now has 16X000 kms. Nothing major done just complete timing belt/idlers/tensioner/cam seals. Doesn't have oil consumption, running rotella T6 5w-40 since importing it. I don't think the JDM EJ engines had HG problems. Could be totally wrong.

 

[ChiTDI]

Bought a new 2014 Outback H6.
Pushing 100k, wheel bearings failed at 50k, warranty.
Oil control valve and power door control failed at 90k.
Maintenance done on target, great dependable service.
Original brakes (5mm), suspension, and exhaust.