Transmission Question!

IwantaSVX · #1 09-01-2002, 11:16 AM

Hello everyone! I'm new here. My friend let me drive his '92 SVX LSL the other day and I'm hooked. They are rare in my area but I did find one that has been sitting for ~4 years just down the road from my house. Its a '92 black with all the options...it has the touring package and spoiler. I think the car had ~70K original miles. I talked to the owner and he explained the situation. I'm still not sure if I got the entire story but my friend (big Subaru fan) thinks it is something simple like a pressure resistor that controls pressure.

Here is my book:

Owner says that the when he first started having problems he could go 70mph, let off the gas and it would drop to idle speeds. He said it was diagnosed as the transmission pump and the car would need the transmission rebuilt (~$3K). He said the pump was bad and could not keep pressure or something like that. He said it will still run and drive in 1st and reverse fine. He also said the servos were fine!?!?! I asked if it shifted into other gears and he replied: ocasionally. PA inspection ran out 12/99 and he said it has been sitting about 4 years. I guess he was waiting until his health is better and he will fix it.

Other valid information: it could be mine for $2500 no less. I'm gonna go back and take my friend and have him find out about what service it has had and inspect it further. I'm trying to convince my friend to sell me his car.

He picked his '92 up with 80K. The owner (who worked at a Subaru Dealer) thought that the valves hit the pistons when the timing belt broke. My friend installed a new belt, water pump, cam cover gaskets, etc.. along with a huge transmission cooler and it has been running perfect for 17K miles. I guess the only other repairs needed were a spot on the exhaust welded and brake rotors, pads. He picked his up for $1300.

Thanks for any help.

Landshark · #2 09-01-2002, 11:25 AM

was it sitting outside, or in a garage. you'l probably have a lot more problems than just the tranny. seals will be leaking after sitting that long. if it was sitting outside, in ERIE!, i wouldn't even consider it. for what you're going to spend fixing it up, you could get a newer model without all the B.S. to deal with.

IwantaSVX · #3 09-01-2002, 11:49 AM

I figured that. To be more exact the car is down in Cambridge Springs, PA. It has been sitting outside and I doubt the guy started it every so often. To my understanding it was parked and not touched because of the owner's health. I can't justify spending $7-8K for a '92 that some dealerships are asking. I was hoping the guy didn't know the car was anything special and I could offer him $500 to remove it from his driveway. My plan didn't work and I just about **** my pants when he said $2500. I still figure $2500 + $3000 for a tranny is less than the dealerships are asking. Even if I had to spend $1,000+ doing some engine repair (belts, hoses, tune-up, wheel bearings, etc.). Not to mention the car has relatively low miles.

I guess I'll keep shopping around. I'm not opposed to wrenching on cars so a project SVX would be nice. The cheaper the better. My friend gets a nice discount through the dealership, he knows all the mechanics, has access to the tools, etc..

Landshark · #4 09-01-2002, 12:01 PM

forget the dealer! check www.autotrader.com - you can enter the make/model/year, how much you want to spend, and how many miles from your house you want to search. i had to get mine from Syracuse, NY. wanted a black 96 or 97LSi with low miles - i lucked out that it wasn't TOO far from me.

#5 09-01-2002, 12:26 PM

I wouldn't buy it from him. It is very easy to spend well over 1000 dollars on minor repairs. If he gave it to you for 1000 dollars you might be able to make money off the parts, but letting a car sit ouside for 4 years without running it is unacceptable, especially an svx.

#6 09-01-2002, 03:17 PM

Just a bit of info for you: The SVX engine is non-interference. The valves can't hit the piston even with a broken belt. In fact most Subaru engines are built that way (I think that the 2.5 liter is the only interference engine they make).

David

#7 09-01-2002, 03:46 PM

I got a good deal on a 81K '92 Touring SVX for about $4125. It was sitting outside, but driven every now and then. Eventually the seals and maybe even the rack might need to be replaced, but the timing needs to be done anyway. Yeah, I think you should be able to find a good working SVX for around four grand.

IwantaSVX · #8 09-01-2002, 05:18 PM

My friend knew about the "non-interference" thing when he bought the car. He works up at New Motors Subaru in Erie. It was a one owner doctor car and he traded it in when the belt broke. A guy who works in the service dept bought it for $1200 and sold it to my friend for $1300. Tim put 17K miles on it from May '02 until now and it has been great.

I went back and talked with the people who have the SVX. They had it in their garage for 3 years until the borough said they had to do something with this other car (Cadillac) that was in the back of their house. This past winter was the only one the car has sat outside. The lady's husand has started it and moved it up and down their driveway every ~3 months she said. They will be junking the Caddy and the SVX will go in their garage. She said they have no intention of marketing the car because they love it but for the price of $2500 they would sell it. Her husband was injured at work and is on Comp and they can not afford to put a $3K tranny in it. Her son in law was there and after she was done talking to me he walked down the street and said to call her in a few weeks and she would probably take less regardless of what she said.

He told me it started out with a pause between 2-3 and then an actual slip. They had the tranny fluid changed and found metal shavings after it was better. Shortly after this the car began to slip again and they parked it. He said it would run in 1st or 2nd to really high rpms and then shift or not shift, my head was spinning and I'm not sure. That was when they parked it. Can anyone make any sense of this?

#9 09-01-2002, 06:50 PM

You really want an SVX, but do you really want THIS one? Why not just walk away from something that is bound to have significant problems when you can buy one that's been driven, and remains in great shape for around $4K to $6K?

I would shop around, because the one you're looking at doesn't look like it's going anywhere fast. In any event, I wouldn't consider touching it without a thorough mechanic's evaluation.

There are others out there, (without having to resort to getting one at a dealer).

#10 09-01-2002, 07:09 PM

You probobly feel like jumping on this one. That's what I did with mine. I regret doing it because its been problem after problem and I could have found a better one somewhere else. It's best to look around, and have your friend come with you to look at the cars, you said he works at subaru and has owned one. The best person to check a car out for you is someone that has driven and knows the car, and what common problems to look for.

lee · #11 09-01-2002, 08:34 PM

I second this caution about jumping on this SVX. I wanted an SVX, found one I thought cheap and with cash burning a hole in my pocket bought it - for $3500 - and all it seemed (to my eyes) to need was some A/C work.

PO had quite a "mechanic" who I talked to before I purchased the car. The mechanic had just that morning changed out the radiator (course I shouldn't complain that it's new for me), when really it needed a water pump - didn't even make it home before overheating (600 with belts and seals since it was open). Mechanic told him/me that the A/C relay was bad. Really had a problem with the ECU, plus a bad A/C compressor (400 in parts plus me designing a means to bypass the ECU). PO had a receipt from same shop for a rebuilt tranny 11 months old, then the front differential self-destructed on me within 500 miles after purchase - which meant I didn't have a exchange core for a tranny rebuild (1500 for the used core, then 1500 to mate and replace worn parts since it was apart anyway). There's other things I've had to do to make it a daily driver, and I'm not done yet. Since I have some tools and a very small amount of skill, I've saved maybe a thou in labor, and I'm over $4k in parts - so far. So, not so cheap for a '92 with 101k miles after all.

Bottom line to this long sob story - make sure a disinterested & qualified technician looks the car over before you give up cash - at least if you're like me and love cars/bikes - I simply don't know how to be rational about the things. The current owners may love their car too - too much for them to give you an accurate assessment - even giving them benefit of the doubt as to their honesty. Course, I've been making this same mistake over and over for the last 30 years or so - easy for me to say, but apparently can't follow my own advice.

Ron Mummert · #12 09-01-2002, 09:25 PM

In what condition is the car cosmetically? If it's near new in & out, AND you really care about appearance, I'd do the following:

Agree to pay $2,500 if & ONLY if the owner allows an inspection by a "qualified" Suby mechanic, AND if it will pass a PA state inspection. Does the owner have any repair receipts? In other words IF the car is in reasonable shape cosmetically & mechanically other than the tranny, it's worth pursuing. If you find via inspection that any other repairs (CV boots, rotors, etc.) are needed, you may want to offer a 50/50 split in cost, to be subtracted from the asking price. The owner must be aware that his asking price plus a tranny is around 6K & this is about average for a nice '92.

Ron.

IwantaSVX · #13 09-01-2002, 11:33 PM

Well I told the lady I would think about it. As someone said the car is not going anywhere soon. We went to look at another '92 in Erie today. Its also Claret, and identical to my friends. The only difference is the car has some gaudy 17" rims, the driver's seat is torn up, 111K miles, and it has been repainted. We are going to drive it on Friday and take it over to New Motors and put it on the lift and check it out. The PA inspection ran out 7/02 and I remember seeing it there months ago so something is probably wrong. Hopefully this means it can be had fairly cheap. On a side not I have the SVX now and I'm loving every minute of it. The car just screams.

#14 09-02-2002, 07:50 AM

I know of an SVX that is for sale in Harrisburg. I could have a friend of mine give me the name and address of the shop so you could contact them. I believe it is a silver 92.

David

IwantaSVX · #15 09-02-2002, 08:22 AM

Awesome, first off...about how much is this one going for and miles? I have never seen a silver SVX but its one of my favorite colors. Shoot me an email if you have time: SHOnOFF@surferie.net I'm not opposed to any driving. I have towed my last two cars home a distance, was actually thinking about taking a ride out to Chicago, IL to look at one I found on a for sale board but I haven't made any definite plans as of yet. If I can find something local that would save the hassle of towing.