My wife's '95 Legacy with 145,000 miles on it still runs well except for that occasional violent shudder which happens whenever she slows down to approach and climb the sloping driveway into the elevated parking garage. It also happens when she has a running start with a cold engine. I would have suspected a clutch problem except for one thing - this has an automatic transmission and to the best of my knowledge, information and belief, it has no clutch in the way you think of a clutch in a manual transmission. When it shudders, the transmission seems to want to violently separate from the engine, almost the same as when you lug the engine by driving in high gear at a very slow speed. It has a rabbit-like tendency to lunge forward, shudder, shake rattle and roll.
Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks much.