what should i look for
 

i dont have an svx yet but i am going to look at one today. it is a 92 with 110k. they guy i talked to said that it has had 6000 worth of work done to it since 98. this includes a new tranny, serpintine belt, radiator, and hoses. i woundered if there is anything that i should be looking for that would be a reason for me not to get this car. oh and he is sellling it for 4 thousand.

Re: what should i look for
 

By "Serpentine" belt, do you mean "Timing Belt? If so, that's a darned good deal, especially if the tranny's a Suby Reman. Make sure the timing belt's been changed, make sure of the tranny (if was a local shop rebuild, I'd be wary). If the shifts are smooth with a little "hold" between gears, that's okay, but, if you see the tach needle "flare," I'd have to pass it up. Listen for anything from a high pitched whine to a low roar, coming from the rear (have him drive it and sit in the back seat -- that's where you'll hear it best). If you hear any of these two noises (the higher meaning the bearings are on their way to going out, the lower roar meaning it's time to change it/them). Check for pulsing when you brake (warped rotors). Look for leaks around the power steering pump.

Obviously, eyeball the lines on the car and if anything looks "fishy," take along one of those plastic magnets. If the lines look wavy, place the magnet at the suspect point and if it doesn't stick, you've got bondo. :D

That's all I can think of, at the moment. Oh, you might ask him when the plugs were changed last.

Then, if you don't buy the car, PM me with the info on how to get in touch with this person. :D:D:D

im not sure about the belt he just said 'serpintine'. oh and he put a K&N filter in it.

Oh I think the SVX is great car and I would buy one at any price as long as I had the money to buy and then money to fix. Some of things that can be wrong with the SVX may not be too obvious at first and I would consider these things as ways to negotiate the final price.
Consider the following in addition to what Randy said above about transmission, wheel bearings, T-belt and spark plugs.
These things are not real serious an can be fixed. It nice to know before you buy. :)
First off if it is an AWD model (I would want AWD :)), I would want to know the AWD is working. The only way I know how to check this is with all four wheels off the ground and spinning.
Next would be front axles. The CV joints could be bad depending on how the SVX was driven. Driving in tight circles with a little acceleration should produce no snap, crackles and pops.
Check the front end for looseness as in tie rod ends by pushing and pulling on the tires. ( I like tight tie rods ends :))
Oil consumption is hard to check until after you buy it unless the seller is honest. If the SVX has been beat on it could be a consumer. Most times it is uncommon for the EJ33 to use oil.
Oil leaks from the front crank and cam seals & valve cover gaskets are not that on common but not too serious if the SVX is driven softly. ( lots of people around here have replaced there own :))
Leaking PS hoses and or rack boots do occur also but not real common.
Salt corrosion of the engine area, AC condenser, radiator, PS metal hoses has been a minor problem.
The rear strut mount tends to rust away if that area is not kept washed to remove road salt. Then the SVX sits lower in the rear.
Power antenna has been a minor problem but easy to fix.
The brakes could be worn down, might need rotors and pads.
The alternator and water pump have been minor problems.
I would make sure everything works: ac, lights, wipers, doors, windows, stereo.
It is not common to find rust on the SVX. :)
It is very comfortable and rides great on the highway. :)
The problems are easy to fix and this is a great place to get help. :)

but the seatbelt
 

alright so i went and looked at the car and loved it. there was some paint wear and the rims are kinda messed up, but it seems to be in pretty good shape. the owner did not let me drive it because the tags expired and he didnt want me getting pulled over in it with expired tags. well any way i digress, the car was really nice the interrior was good with wear on the leather seats in the fromt but not in the back, and no cracking. but theonly error in the interrior is the seatbelt.
the driverside auto seatbelt does not work. now i do still want this car but how much would it take to get that fixed? or can it be fixed? i hope so because all my car so far have had the autoseatbelt and i just use that because it is easier. so that is my question...what does it take to fix the seatbelt? oh yeah it is stuck in the foreward position.

Re: but the seatbelt
 

Screw the seatbelt. If you can't drive it, don't buy it. Period.

The seatbelt can be an easy or tough fix. Sometimes, the contacts just need to be cleaned, other times it's a motor replacement. Call a Subaru dealer and ask for the R/R cost on a motor replacement and take that much off the price of the car.

But, again, seriously, if you can't drive it, don't buy it.

talked him down
 

i just called the guy that i may be buying this SVX from after i talked to my local subie dealer about that seatbelt. and i was told that if it is the track then that would be like $600-700. and if it is the motor then it would be
$300-400. and i called him up and i told him about this and he yells "good lord!" and then i was telling him how i was wondering if he would come down with the price and he told me how about $3500.(thats instead of $4000!) so i am happy now.

Re: talked him down
 

That's cool. But, STILL don't buy it if you can't drive it. I'd hate for you to get all excited and then have it all blown to he77 by a bad experience later. I'm honestly trying to take care of you, here. A disgruntled SVX owner is NOT what you wanna be. Trust me. :D

welll thank you but i dont plan on letting it get blown. and it drives reallly noce. the guy kept really good care of it.

So, you've driven it? Good. Again, just trying to take care of you. Case in point:

My first SVX: On a "mom and pop" car lot. Emaculate inside and out. Drove great. Slight jitter between 35 and 45 MPH. Ran like a striped-hiney ape! :). Drove it almost a year, no problem. THEN: On the way home from a family re-union, pulled out from a toll booth and had no 3rd gear. Took it to a Subaru dealership (after fenageling my way home) who said I'd need a new tranny. Priced me 4,600.00 (this was in 2000). So, I took it to an independent shop. They charged me 2100 to rebuild the tranny and put in a cooler. After they rebuilt it, it didn't work correctly. SURPRISE: The little "mom and pop" shop had replaced the tranny with a Legacy tranny (can you say "mismatch" -- even though it drove well for a year -- I didn't have AWD cuz the transfer clutch HAD to have been burnt -- good thing I never needed it). Had to drive around with the FWD fuse in for several months 'til I found an SVX tranny on e-bay -- 480.00 for the tranny, 275.00 shipping, another 1200.00 for a rebuild, car rental, several problems thereafter (on the SVX rebuild), more car rentals, 30 days at a time (twice) in the shop. Recently tranny began to leak diff grease into the transmission -- 750.00 to have the tranny dropped (by a different shop, this time -- I'd learned my lesson) all the seals replaced and re-installed . . . .

Anyway, I'm still sold on these cars -- I now have two, and I'm still driving the one that's given me all the trouble. I don't give up easily, but, I want to make sure others don't have to go through the anxiety and expense that I suffered, for lack of knowledge.

so are you trying to tell me that i should or shouldnt get this car? that seems like too much work and worry for a car. even though they are amazing and i fell in love with the cars when i first found out about them. i just dont want to have a problematic car. and i really miss the subaru that i had before(92 legacy), it was the best car i ever had. and i actually owned it for 30days! then was hit by a goddamn drunk driver who totaled it. then i got the maxima that i have now and it just doesnt compare to what car that subaru was. i want that car again, but i know that wont happen so i want to mive on to the SVX but i am now afraid of having to put that much work and money into the car.

My two (or three) cents worth:

1) Not letting you drive it because of expired tabs sounds like an excuse. The person behind the wheel is liable for that ticket. If he's not driving, why should he care?

2) Aside from some other obvious malady, the only major concern should be the transmission. Just about any other problem will be easier/cheaper to fix. If the transmission is shot, or even just suspect, walk away. Good deals don't just knock on your door, but they're not THAT hard to come by. Warm up the tranny thoroughly, make sure the resistor is in place (the one behind the battery) and from a dead stop, romp on it and hold the pedal down all the way into third gear. Watch for the tachometer to climb abruptly between shifts. (That's bad.)

3) The one thing to really watch for when looking at a car, is all the little things combined. A ding here, a broken part there, an intermittent rattle, or a missing piece of trim. All that little stuff adds up. Those intermittent rattles and buzzes and such - they're the worst - time consuming to fix and irritating as heck until they do get fixed - and they can be expensive on an SVX. I'd rather have an otherwise perfect car with a bad tranny, than a perfect tranny with a dozen little problems.

4) The serpentine belt? Well, my car has two accessory belts. One was $15 and the other - well, it was $15 also. I don't know what yours has, but it can't be much worse. And they take ten minutes to change with two hand wrenches. The timing belt? It's a bigger hassle to replace, but if it does break, it'll leave you stranded. It won't break anything, but the car will be dead in the water (with no harm done) until you replace the belt.

*** As everybody else has said, IF YOU DON'T DRIVE IT, DON'T BUY IT! I would drive it, drive it hard, and drive it long. I test drove a car for fifteen minutes once - it would have been longer if the engine hadn't seized. After that experience, all my test drives are longer than fifteen minutes and I try hard to break 'em. One thing concerns me most. You seem fixated on how "the guy kept really good care of it." Your side of the story just doesn't seem to jive for me, but that's just my take on it. You can never really tell how well a car was treated. A guy with a straight face and a knack for auto detailing can sell that schtick time and time again. Maybe he did. Maybe…

Otherwise, it doesn't sound like a bad deal if everything else is as it should be. Drive it. Just remember, anything can be fixed...for a lower price. :)

--------------------------------

Postnote (2004-03-12):

Incidentally, I was just thinking and it occurred to me that my own experience buying an SVX would make for a nice anecdote. I got a wild hair one day and decided I wanted a new car. I promised myself long ago that I'd never buy another 2WD vehicle, so that narrowed it down. I've always liked Subarus, but I wasn't going to pass up any other offers as long as they were sugar-coated. I was shooing for an SVX. An Imprezza RS would have been okay, but not my first choice.

So one day after shopping on the internet, I found this SVX conveniently sitting at a local dealership. I took it for a spin, talked to the salesman, found out that it'd been sitting there for months (they're hard to sell,) and got a good feel for what sort of deal I could get. Now, I know myself. I don't get things done unless I set a goal and reward. With that framework, I set a handful of goals and promised myself an SVX when I'd met the goals.

A month rolls by, the goals are complete, I drive to the dealership with cash in hand, ready to buy. ....it's gone. They sold it two days before. I half-expected that to happen, so I was a bit miffed, but not surprised. That same day I hop on the internet and go shopping like I'd never shopped before! Only gray or black, no 1992s, and no beige interiors. I found a half-dozen within the state or next door. All turned out to be dead-ends. ...but I was determined. The next candidate was two states away and the wrong color - but blue? Actually, I'd never seen a blue one. Blue wasn't bad. No, not bad at all. I think I kinda like it. Blue is good. Blue will work! So I called, got pictures, talked about it, sent money, and a day later, drove over and picked it up.

Why is this relevant? Well, I didn't get what I first wanted. Instead, I got something better, newer, less miles, and quite a bit less money. Now I kinda fell sorry for the guy who bought the first one.

Patience and persistence is perseverance. Perseverance gets you what you want.

That was supposed to be my two cents worth. Got change for that?