Opinions? Thinking of buying 1983 wagon

[Men]

Five speed Southern California car. Asking price is $1550 (!!!) but
owner claims to have put in a lot of work and has receipts to show.
Odometer reads 128,000. Three owners -- original, long-term second
owner and current owner. I know nothing about these cars except that
they have a good reputation overall. Please offer opinions! Thanks.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Five speed Southern California car. Asking price is $1550 (!!!) but

Hi,

For reference, my '90 was $1300 from a SoCal used car dealer in
December, 1998. It had 209k miles, and now has 354k with little more
than "normal" repair/maintenance, so I guess it's fair to say it was in
decent shape back then. It needed tires and shocks immediately, but
everything else done to it has been "as required."

Private party sellers always seem to me to think they're going to get
dollar for dollar for money they put into their cars, and often hold out
for that. Still, I'd think you're looking at, max, a $1000 car
personally. It's over 20 years old, with all that might entail. And even
if it's in good shape, it's over 20 years old. And despite the fact the
owner's put a lot of money in it, it's over 20 years old! Notice a
pattern here? I'd do some talking if I were set on the car.

Good luck!

Rick

 

[Ed Fortmiller]

Five speed Southern California car. Asking price is $1550 (!!!) but
owner claims to have put in a lot of work and has receipts to show.
Odometer reads 128,000. Three owners -- original, long-term second
owner and current owner. I know nothing about these cars except that
they have a good reputation overall. Please offer opinions! Thanks.

I've had two 1982s. First one went to 313,000 miles and no engine work. Had
to get rid of it on account of the northeast body rot. The second one which
I'm currently driving has about 248,000 on it. The front tranny seal is
leaking.

I wish I had a barn and could buy about a half dozen 81s-84s and store them.

Most reliable car I have ever owned.


Only grumps (1982, 1800 eng, 5spd, 2wd) are:

Rear brakes almost always make noise when damp out. Sounds like they are
down to the metal. If I pull the drums and lightly sand the lining it shuts
it up for a period of time. I've just learned to live with the noise. I've
only used Subaru lining.

I've learned to change the clutch cable every 25,000 whether it needs it or
not. I actually had one break at 9,000. It is not the cable itself which
breaks but the ?aluminum? end inside the car.

To change the front tranny seal (5spd) requires cracking the tranny case.

Be very careful tightening the lug nuts on the rear drums, you can easily
warp them. Best to evenly HAND tighten them.

Has timing gears so no need to worry about timing belts!

The piston on the front clibers needs to be screwed in rather than pressed
in. The hand brake works on the front brakes.

The oil pump seals need periodic changing. You can get a seal kit from
Subaru. Do the front crank seal at the same time.

The A/C is a little wimpy on HOT days.

If you ever have to change the clutch use genuine Subaru parts. I've heard
several stories about people using aftermarket stuff and then regretting it.

Some parts are no longer available from Subaru.

--
Ed Fortmiller | (e-mail address removed) | Hudson MA
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[S]

Hi Men, All!

Five speed Southern California car. Asking price is $1550 (!!!) but
owner claims to have put in a lot of work and has receipts to show.
Odometer reads 128,000.

Great cars; they last a long time with only casual maintenance. Check
to see if it has the Carter/Weber carb, parts for those are
non-existant, and the swap to the standard Hitachi carb isn't trivial.
Other than that, it would have to be absolutely cherry to command a
$1500 price tag. Price for a decent low-miles (130K _is_ lo-miles ;-)
GL/DL wagon in my part of the world (Colorado) would be $800 to $1000
tops, with serviceable specimens available in the sub $500 range.
Check for torn boots on the half-shafts, oil leaks at the front of the
engine (oil pump), condition of radiator and heater hoses, rust in the
rocker panels and wheel wells, and blown (oil around the shaft?)
struts. Oh, and sometimes you'll fine one that "pops" out of 3rd or
5th gear under load. Also, be sure it passes emissions tests before
you fork over the cash.
Hope this is helpful.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[Catherine Hampton]

Five speed Southern California car. Asking price is $1550 (!!!) but
owner claims to have put in a lot of work and has receipts to show.
Odometer reads 128,000. Three owners -- original, long-term second
owner and current owner. I know nothing about these cars except that
they have a good reputation overall. Please offer opinions! Thanks.

My first Subaru was an '83 GL sedan. I drove it to over 160K miles. It was a
good car in its time; the only major problem was a transmission failure at 120K
miles, and it was an automatic, not a 5-speed. Subaru automatic transmissions
in the 1980s were a bit weak, although they've long since fixed that problem.

I wouldn't buy any car without taking it in for a full diagnostic checkup, but
if this is running well and doesn't have significant body rust, it's a low
mileage car for its age and might well be worth what he's asking.



--
Catherine Hampton <(e-mail address removed)>
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