What used Subaru to buy?

Justy.

honda civic.

new Hyundai - cheap, relaible, and fairly economical. ;-)

You know, I actually considered the the Hyudai. But, I'm looking for AWD. I live in a snowy area.

Well, living in a snowy area changes things. In that case, I'd look at the base Impreza 2.5i sedan or wagon. I'd get the wagon because it could pull double-duty if you want to go skiing, etc. Given the avg vehicle price lately, the Impreza would be considered inexpensive at about $17K new. It's also about a 29 mpg highway vehicle.

Late 90's Impreza/Legacy with a 2.2 liter engine. Mid to upper 20's mpg.

Walt

chip wrote:

Depending on how many people go skiing with you, the sedan may be a better choice. With the wagon, if you fold one seat down to get skiis in, you only have seating for 3. If you put the skiis through the pass through in the sedan, you've got seating for 4.

Also consider the equipment. Although I haven't actually tried using it, I can't imagine you can get 4 pairs of skis through the pass through in the sedan, the opening is rather small. I would recommend the wagon for overall versatility.

I agree. I had a 97 Legacy L wagon automatic that averaged 27 mpg. No frills, just great transportation.

We used to own and old Legacy wagon. I would have to be and older model. Because we are still making payments on the '05 FXT. It has to be cheap.

I had a 92 Legacy L sedan prior to the 97 wagon. The sedan was a manual, and also got high 20's mpg. The only problem with the first generation Legacy's, in my experience as well with most higer mileagevehicles, is that they tend to require more frequent maintenance. Of course, I picked my 92 up when it had almost 100k on the clock. All things being equal, I would still pick another first generation legacy as solid commuter transportation. For whatever that's worth.

Not to hijack the thread, but that's what I'm looking for: an older car for a new driver - he's 22! - in a snowy area. Important considerations are ability to get through snowy roads (that's why the Subaru interest), maintainability by a well-equipped DIYer (me), and about 10 years old - I believe new drivers should have old cars. Fuel economy is important but not the most important consideration, and it will be a two passenger second car for the newlyweds for a while. First car is a 1993 Accord, which gets around okay in snow but needs cables fairly often.

Mike

Repeated repair costs on a 10-year old car vs. higher capital investment on newer car will make it a wash. I'd buy a 5-year old or less Subaru for the kid. It's going to be more reliable and safer (think air bags) for him. Plus, a 5-year old Subaru ain't going any faster than a 10-year old if both have the same 4 cyl. engine.

As a DIYer, I much prefer cars with at least 80K miles, preferably at least

100K. At 50K miles it is hard to tell how they have been treated; at 100K it is hard to hide. I get some great deals on cars that need things like timing belt changes and axle replacements. Then I have a fresh timing belt / water pump / front side seals and axles :-) My car now has over 230K miles, and my daughter's '93 Honda is about 210K IIRC.

Only once in recent years have I let car lust interfere with my most important guidelines: no trace of rust in the radiator and no sludge visible through the oil filler cap. I bought a Nissan 300ZX that had radiator rust and regretted it at leisure. At 150K miles the car was no longer worth the trouble.

I am uncertain about the status of possible head gasket failure, though. Obviously, if the car has signs of head gasket problems I won't buy it if the seller isn't pricing accordingly. But I don't know how much of a job it is on a Subie. On my Volvo the manifold nuts would have to be heated cherry red to get them off, and even at that broken studs are reportedly common.

Mike

AWESOME! :-)

Fantastic answer.. Love it. I've never give up my STi for anything, but I do pay the price in gas. Whew.