Used 1997 Subaru Legacy Consumer Reviews
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Bought it for $500
I just bought this car in early august with 339,500 miles on it, now its got over 400k and i have little complaints. The hatch wont open...idk; the gas gauge does not work, however the gas dumby light does; The seat heaters, 12v outlets, heated power mirrors, all work, but by some manufcturers ****, they all are on the one 20 amp fuse, which means they all work but dont try and use the 12v...once again im confused of how to fix it. But everything else works, minus a fog light which had a rock put through at 60mph a couple weeks ago. Great on gas almost 400mile on one tank. Satisfying perfomance and handling. Stereo is weak, and finding a wiring converting kit for it is impossible.
typical head gasket problems
Haven't had this car for 3 years yet and have been very dedicated to maintaining it; new tires, struts, water pump, starter, 2 timing belts, front wheel bearing, etc, etc. Bought it with 85k on it, now has 123k and the head gasket is blown, which I found out is very common on these Subarus. Damn thing keeps over heating and will cost about 2 gs to fix it now, which I won't do. I will never buy another Subaru again. I paid extra for it since I was under the illusion it was a quality car. However, I know now that they are junk like most other cars out there. It doesn't matter if you take great care of them or not, they'll only bleed you dry.
Reliability?
At first I was very pleased with this vechicle. I still like its roomy interior, but I have had too many costly repairs done. Early into my ownership the alternator broke, which was later reimbursed due to a recall. Now the dashboard light that luminates the heating and air controls doesn't work. And the most recent repair will cost me over $1250 to fix. The head caskets need replacing with no explaination to what caused it. I'm on top of all the regular maintenance tasks and my car is only 5 years old-what happened to reliability?
I love this car!
This car is so fun to drive. When I am with my friends I will always offer to drive just because I love driving it so much. I went to Costa Rica last month and when I was flying home I couldn't wait to get back and drive my Legacy. It's so easy to maintain. Very well designed and reliable. I will buy another one when it's time...
My Subaru
I bought this car at 170,000m now still running strong at 205,000m with routine maintenance. We did replace 02 sensors around 200,000m as well as brakes, rotors, cv shaft. Other than oil changes, tires and other typical replacements this car has been a dream!