1990 Subaru Legacy- worth fixing?

Hello,

A friend of mine has a 1990 Subaru Legacy L with 4WD and a 2.2 liter engine. Unfortunately it has, among other things, shot wheel bearings and CV joints and needs $800 or so in work. It runs good, doesnt have much rust, and the engine seems to have good power and low oil consumption. But...the car has over 300,000 miles on it, and my friend is uncertain whether its worth fixing given the ultra-high mileage. My opinion is that if the engine runs good and doesn't use much oil, the miles its racked up dont matter much. What do you folks think? How long can these babies last?

Reply to
Bill Johnston
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If that car were mine and the engine really is as rock solid as it seems to be, I'd fix the corners and keep the car on the road. You can't beat the economics, and why spend $800 on someone else's mystery car?

Reply to
KLS

Yep $800 is like - what? 3 car payments? If you said $1800, well yeah, time to retire it I guess. Or find some college student who could fix it with the help of some buddies to donate it to.

I dunno

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

Just had to reply. Why not find in a wrecking yard a much newer model like a 99 for example and just used all the parts you need form it? Fairly certain just about any suspension component from 90 to 99 will interchange. Just snatch the axles/hubs/brakes/etc and swap everything as a unit. Could save buco money this way.

Reply to
johninKY

I had a '90 Loyale and sold it for $1500. Got a newer Outback to replace it and dropped about a grand into it to make it right. But, the power amenities made it worth it -- door locks, windows, AC, etc.

If your old Subie isn't burning or using oil, and still has plenty of pep, it's probably worth keeping. See if you can barter the price down. Like someone else said, there's nothing wrong with "good" used parts. You can rebuilt the CV joints, but I'd use new wheel bearings.

As for the mileage: These things can go forever. It is a crapshoot, however, given its age. "Things" are just going to start wearing out, and keep an eye on all the rubber parts.

Reply to
Sheldon

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