Used 1998 Subaru Legacy Wagon Consumer Reviews
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98 Legacy Outback Wagon "AUTO"
flatchewlant, 01/08/2013
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited 4dr Wagon AWD
26 of 26 people found this review helpful
Purchased in 2000 with 20k miles. AWD/Auto/Leather/dual sunroof/All weather pkg/loaded. Drives through anything! Has taken me home every time through bad weather and good! With 198,000 miles on her now, she is still going strong. I have gone through a lot of brakes and associated parts... I'm not a hard braker but I've replaced all the calipers at least once and one rear caliper 2 or 3 times! In 2011 replaced the front bearings. In 2012 replaced outside front CVs, drivers interior CV & Timing belt/water pump & tensioner service done ... wow I was gonna sell it but now I'm gonna keep it for another 25,000 miles. Tranny flush n fill too! Oil changes every 10K now. Used to be 3k, then 5k.
Perfect car? Maybe so!
fireemsdrew, 02/21/2012
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited 4dr Wagon AWD
17 of 17 people found this review helpful
Subaru Legacy Outback could possiable be THE prefect car, a mix of comfort, performance and reliability. Having owned this car for 5 years, we have been through many many things. Comfortably holds 5 adults and all luggage for a weeks vacation, 31 mpg. Now, this car does not have a lot of "get up and go" but that isn't what it is made for! I currently have 312,000 miles on it and drive it 50 miles a day to work. Also being a volunteer firefighter and emt this car holds all of my gear with a LOT of room to spare. Never left me stranded weather it is snowing in blizard conditions, or raining buckets. Also, as a hunter and fisher I have used this car to get to some of my favorite remote spots.
1998 Subaru Legacy for sale near you
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Last Subaru I'll ever buy!
Oliver, 03/21/2005
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback 4dr Wagon AWD
17 of 17 people found this review helpful
This is my 3rd Subie and will be my last. Subaru has known about the head gasket problems plaguing the 97' thru 01's for a long time and they aren't doing anything to help their loyal customers out. Cost me over $2,400! to get it back on the road again. They blow at around 90,000 miles.
Great all around car
heavystarch, 06/13/2005
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited 4dr Wagon AWD
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
We have owned this car for a number of years and we have had nothing but great experiences with it. Awesome to take up the mountain to go skiing or to head out to the beach to go camping. This car has excellent clearance for being just a wagon and lots of cargo capacity. We use the Yakima racks which bolt right on and work great for skis, bikes and our kayak. Decent gas mileage and power with pretty good handling. This car has been super reliable and built very well. We will be getting another Subaru and it will likely be the Legacy Outback wagon as it has been so great.
Time to Go
Voiceover, 11/08/2008
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited 4dr Wagon AWD
15 of 16 people found this review helpful
It's time for this car to go. It has been a daily driver and true workhorse for 10 years, mostly for commuting to work. Long trips were agonizing - serious lack of power with the 4-cylinder engine and the vague handling did not inspire confidence. Rust is abundant due to the application of plastic on the underbody rather than paint. On the plus side, we really did not put much money into this car for repairs so I would place reliability at the top of the food chain. Interior design left much to be desired with the cup holder blocking the heater, radio/CD/tape and clock. Back seat folding was an incredible nuisance to the point of where we didn't bother. Overall, we got our $worth.
Outback Ltd
rater1 , 08/18/2007
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited 4dr Wagon AWD
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
This car is still mistaken for a newer car by friends, it is still solid and rides like new. Minimal problems in the last nine years. It has been 100% reliable, never any major problems. Goes through any snow or mud with ease. ABS system works great. Would buy another one and will. 139,000 miles so far.
Poor head gasket design
Marc Nitz, 02/11/2010
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback 4dr Wagon AWD
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I loved my Subaru and how fun it was to drive. Unfortunately, I will never buy another one. On a road trip with my kids, the the head gasket blew with less than 70000 miles! Over $1700 later I was on the road again but lost all faith in Subaru as a whole. I started to see head gaskets as a major problem with model years 1997-1999 by visiting other websites (www.subaruoutback.org) and no recall or note from Subaru.
190,000 miles
charlie, 10/10/2006
1998 Subaru Legacy Brighton 4dr Wagon AWD
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
This is a great car. I have 190,000 miles on it. It has fewer rattles than a 2004 Toyota Sienna LXE I bought new that I traded for another new car. I tow a utility trailer and small craft trailer with it. Breaks, tires and belts and a tune up at 100,000 miles, second timing belt at 175,000. Very few problems ever - dash lights burnt out had them replaced. Some engine noise before warm up. Unbeatable in snow and ice. We get a lot of both here in northwestern Connecticut. You sit a little low but that's acceptable. Perhaps next year I will get another. Hope to keep this past 200,000 for winter driving and towing. My daily driver is now a 2006 Honda Accord - sill like the Subaru better I think!
Don't buy a repo'd car
canuck105, 02/01/2015
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited 4dr Wagon AWD
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
Bought the car from a repo lot who said they had checked it over. It was at 230,000 km and discovered the head gaskets were shot while driving home. Dealer did the fix and had many other fixes done. Was also told the heads could maybe be machined down 1 more time before they would be too thin. At 250k a piston rod let go and got a recommended mechanic to rebuild the motor. After timing pulleys shattered then heads were leaking due to the mechanic I fixed myself. Now at 275k enine is leaking multiple fluids and loosing power. Love the car but the previous owners lack of maintenance (found some mechanics reports) resulted in too much damage.
Love this Car
Soni, 07/16/2010
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback 4dr Wagon AWD
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
this is my second legacy, the first one the body rusted but the engine was still great with 140K on it, so I bought a demonstrator with 6k on it from the dealer. Besides the above mentioned gasket problem I have only changed the tires, and oil, and a timing belt when we did the gaskets. Subaru's are low maintenance cars.