What is happening with SVXWN?

[Wikedjuggalo]

Originally Posted by Ownbot

I am currently selling mine because the headgasket went. I can no longer keep this car. I posted it for sale on here but no one is interested. When I put it on craigslist I got a ton of emails but it still remains for sale. These cars are too old, too expensive, and too unreliable for most people. Subarus eat headgaskets. My dad had one that went bad, and now I have one that went bad. I would most likely never buy another Subaru. The boxer engine is a bad design. I will stick with Honda and Toyota from now on. I do love the way the car looks but that is really all it has going for it. I'm sure most of you guys will disagree with me and say that Subarus are great cars. The SVX might just be the worst example of what Subaru ever offered.

That sir explains a lot. All cars will have HG issues eventually due to age and other factors.

[lhopp77]

Originally Posted by Ownbot

Subarus eat headgaskets. My dad had one that went bad, and now I have one that went bad. I would most likely never buy another Subaru. The boxer engine is a bad design.

I have put over a million miles on Subarus (half that on SVXs) and have never blown a head gasket. You will actually find very few engine designs that last longer than the boxer.

Just wanted to add the sum total of my actual problems with the SVX other than normally expected maintenance such as timing belt.

Crank pulley separation
Rack leaks leading to failure
Cam position sensor
Knock sensor
1-coil assembly
1-AC compressor
1-Transmission
7-wheel bearings

I will also empahsize that these happened to 5 different SVXi. Three of them to one vehicle with over 200K miles.

Bottom line--if taken care of these are very dependable cars other than tranny and possibly wheel bearings.

(It wasn't until the late 80s or early 90s that you could expect to get much more than 70-80K miles out of an American engine without rebuild)

Lee

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by Ownbot

These cars are too old, too expensive, and too unreliable for most people.

Maybe I've just been lucky, but having logged 70,000+ miles in an SVX I don't feel my cars have needed an extraordinary level of service. I drive 'em daily and they always get me home. How many of the unreliable lot have suffered abusive driving somewhere along the way? Quite a few, I'd bet.

Better luck with your next ride.

dcb

[ensteele]

Originally Posted by Ownbot

I am currently selling mine because the headgasket went. I can no longer keep this car. I posted it for sale on here but no one is interested. When I put it on craigslist I got a ton of emails but it still remains for sale. These cars are too old, too expensive, and too unreliable for most people. Subarus eat headgaskets. My dad had one that went bad, and now I have one that went bad. I would most likely never buy another Subaru. The boxer engine is a bad design. I will stick with Honda and Toyota from now on. I do love the way the car looks but that is really all it has going for it. I'm sure most of you guys will disagree with me and say that Subarus are great cars. The SVX might just be the worst example of what Subaru ever offered.

If you read what is in your avatar, you may understand part of your problem. I have heard of very few head gasket problems over the years that I have been on this site as well as the old yahoo site. There will probably be more as time goes on because of the age of the engine, but that is part of age. You had better tell all of the airplane owners who have utilized this engine. I am sorry you had bad luck, but maintenance is part of car ownership and if you can't afford what you drive, it is time to move on to a cheap car that you can afford. Good luck.

[Ownbot]

Well I give kudos to all you guys for keeping them on the road. I wish I could do the same. It really saddens me to part with this car. I don't want to seem like I'm hating on Subaru. I'm just done with them that's all. I don't have the financial resources like a lot of you do. I just bought a house and that is my priority now. A car like this is just not gonna work for me anymore

[Lookin4SVX]

Hello everyone, I am a new member here. I joined because I was in search of an SVX. Let me give you some background on me.

I totaled my 2001RS coupe in a snowstorm in Feb of this year. Insurance cut me a check for $7800, so I began looking for another 2000-2001 2 door RS 5speed. I found this to be an impossible goal. They were either too expensive, or in too bad of shape. Well I knew I was sticking with a Subaru, after driving the impreza for the last 9 years, I could not go back to fwd. I went and looked and priced some new impreza's and legacys. I liked the legacy alot but the car payment and insurance would have been tough if work doesn't stay steady, so I am unwilling to take on that risk. I also really do prefer a 2 door car, so the search for a coupe continued. Guys over on NASIOC asked me if I looked at an SVX yet. I did want an SVX when I bought the RS, but they were to expensive then. So I began to do some research. Now that they are so cheap, I decided I was going to buy one. I ended up buying an 92 SVX on 3/08/10, from a person on here.

I was directed to here from NASIOC site where I was a member. NASIOC had been the greatest resource for my car for the last 9 years, it is a great Subaru website, but it is fail when it comes to SVX. I spent about a week, a good 30 hours, reading these forums before I joined. After I joined I still did not post anything in fear of the "use search" nazi's I seen in so many threads. I decided that PM would be the best route. Right now I have 107 Private Messages, and this is only my 30th post. I have found a lot of useful info on here, but I find getting to it is not easy. I agree with the guy that said you need to redo the Technical Q&A subforum and the How To's. When I go to the "How To" subforum, I see 5 "how to's", and I have my settings to show me everything "from the beginning". This forum has helped me to understand the problems I can expect to run into with this car. It even provides some good answers on how to repair or replace things that go wrong. It just needs to be but together in a more usable way. Since I was without a car, I was not working so much, so I had time to go into the technical forums and just read every post from the beginning to current. After reading basically everything on this forums technical subforum, I was left with this feeling of uncertainty. It seems a lot of things are argued about. Sometimes there is a general consensus on a fix, and other times it seems like a crap shoot. There should be a sticky for known fixes with writeups. For example, I have that intermittent wont start when warm issue. I think I have gone through every wont start thread on this board and I still don't know if I should just bosch mod my ignition, or pay to replace the ignition switch or ignition inhibitor switch. I don't want to just start replacing switches and relays till it works, but it seems this is the normal method for solving this issue? Moving on.. I do feel a lot of the members here are generally nice and helpful people. When I do post it is to try and ask a question that I cannot find the answer on my own. All the people that have responded to my posts have been very helpful, and I do appreciate their effort to help me get this SVX back to perfect running condition.
Over all I would say that the older threads seem to have more back and forth to them, more users where around back then it seems. There were more posts about non technical issues. The more resent posts seem to be from people like me, new to the SVX, needs work, mechanic has no clue on parts for it, so we come here. We mostly hang out in tech forum and parts for sale. So yes, even as a new member I see the changes happening here. It is true what you guys are saying about the new blood. There are/is going to be, many new owners as the older members sell off their cars. The car is now cheap, stupidly cheap, $1500-2000 running condition, cheap. These cars are going to get bought by teenagers choosing between an SVX and a used Chevy Cavalier or Toyota Corolla. That is their price range. It is only going to get worse from here.
I am not part of this group, I am 32. I bought mine with intentions of returning it back to its original glory, with some improvements over stock. I payed $2,500 for mine, she is going to need some work, but I knew that going into it from my research on here. I am going to have the valve cover gaskets, both front calipers, both ball joints, and both outer tie rod ends replaced. Parts are ordered from SubaruParts.com, they come in weds, took 14 days to process, and 5 more to ship. Which was no surprise to me, once again thanks to this forum. Its a slow leak, but I am going to fix it all now while I have the rest of the insurance money on the Impreza to pull from. So yes, I just dropped $1300 into my $2,500 car. Mechanic says everything else seems to be in really good shape. Interior is GREAT shape. Only issue inside is the driver's power seat sometimes doesn't want to slide backwards. Probably just a loose solder connection or some corrosion, I got to get in there and check it sometime. Transmission seems strong, shifts good, but I have always had a manual. This is my first automatic, lack of a 3rd pedal has caused me to break check a few people behind me as my left foot smashes the brake pedal to the floor by mistake when approaching yellow light. For this and other reasons (weight, millage, weight) I want a 5 speed. When this transmission goes, I hope "OT" is still around to do a 5 WRX speed swap. I expect my total for all repairs to be about double what I payed for the car. That is assuming I throw $3,000 paint job on my $2,500, 18year old car.
Everyone I know thinks I am crazy to be willing to throw money into this car. You guys on here understand, and that is why I like it here. At home I keep hearing "your never going to get that money back when you sell it". They don't understand, I have no intentions of ever selling it. I like it because its rare, and it is only going to become more rare as teenagers drive them into the ground and they end up in junkyards as parts cars. I love this car, never before have I just got up at 3am feeling the need to just get out on an empty highway. They just don't understand, this car fits a perfect spot for me, it will be my ultimate highway cruiser. I work on the road, mostly highway driving between locations, I put 210,000 on my 2001 RS in 9 years, and she ran perfect, with a slow oil leak.
This board is great resource to us new to the SVX. Their is a lot of knowledge in this board, and the members seem more than willing to share it. Members here genuinely love their cars. I guess you would have to love these cars to stay an owner as repair cost and gasoline prices rise. I really like the SVX love on this board, you guys go out of your way to try and keep them from the scrapyard. I understand now how you can want to have more than one. I already have felt the need to try and rescue another one, but I have to get this one fixed first. I had asked to change my username awhile back, but I have decided to keep it. I think I will always be lookin4SVX.

Well their you have it, a new members view of things.

[Trevor]

Please, if you want members to read your very lengthy post, think of your readers, edit it and break it up into paragraphs, separating the many points you have covered. An edit facility is provided.

Meantime, I fully agree with you regarding the starting fault fix and the difficulty in finding real facts. It has all been covered, but as you have found, it is buried in the depths and involves controversy; i.e. like so much else which represents much time and effort, expended by those involved.

I would be pleased to fix the how too stuff, but I have long been excluded from the clique. Read my signature. All that is required is a sticky with restricted access. No alteration in software is immediately required. There is no problem.

A decent index, followed by the required information will do the trick, exactly the same format as is used for any manual or text book. This would get everything recorded and accessible. Later on, facilities providing selective speed of access from the index to individual sections could be incorporated, but is far from a necessity.

[newsvx]

Originally Posted by Lookin4SVX

Hello everyone, I am a new member here. I joined because I was in search of an SVX. Let me give you some background on me.


Well their you have it, a new members view of things.

Welcome, LOOKING! Glad to see another SVX fan onboard. Yep, this forum is not perfect, but a lot of people have tried very hard to make it better. And yes, some child-like bickering back and forth, not unlike a "family". But as you have found, lots of good info here as well. I hope you can make it to some of the meets. Personally, the people are what this is all about. I have become good friends with people from distant parts of the world, not just the States, and we share much more than this the love of the car.
So glad to see you here, and I'm also glad you have had a good experience thus far. If someone "flames" you, just consider the source and drive on. There's always that 10%, even in families.....

Harry

[ensteele]

+1 Harry

This site has changed over the years, and will continue to change. We all hope for the best. Whatever the change, we still love this car and are here to help others who need help or have a few questions. Good luck with your project. I am glad you found one that you can bring back to better shape than it was.

[Ownbot]

I remember feeling pretty much the same exact way you do when I bought mine. A lot has changed in my life since then. I hope that feeling stays with you forever and you keep it on the road. Good luck!!

[immortal_suby]

Originally Posted by Ownbot

I am currently selling mine because the headgasket went. I can no longer keep this car. I posted it for sale on here but no one is interested. When I put it on craigslist I got a ton of emails but it still remains for sale. These cars are too old, too expensive, and too unreliable for most people. Subarus eat headgaskets. My dad had one that went bad, and now I have one that went bad. I would most likely never buy another Subaru. The boxer engine is a bad design. I will stick with Honda and Toyota from now on. I do love the way the car looks but that is really all it has going for it. I'm sure most of you guys will disagree with me and say that Subarus are great cars. The SVX might just be the worst example of what Subaru ever offered.

Subaru - they're not for everyone.
SVX - they're definitely not for everyone. You need to be rich or a backyard mechanic to keep an aging one on the road and you need to love driving a rewarding vehicle.

Boxer a bad design? Quite the opposite. Arguably it is the best design. Different generations have their ups and downs.

Honda and Toyota - If you like driving an appliance, they will get you from point A to point B reliably. But they have no soul and the driving experience will never measure to an svx.

[Ownbot]

Originally Posted by immortal_suby

Subaru - they're not for everyone.
SVX - they're definitely not for everyone. You need to be rich or a backyard mechanic to keep an aging one on the road and you need to love driving a rewarding vehicle.

Boxer a bad design? Quite the opposite. Arguably it is the best design. Different generations have their ups and downs.

Honda and Toyota - If you like driving an appliance, they will get you from point A to point B reliably. But they have no soul and the driving experience will never measure to an svx.

Come on, are you serious? Really?

1. If a boxer engine is such a good design then why doesn't any other cars currently use them? Don't even mention Porsche because that is comparing apples to oranges. And airplanes? Once again apples to oranges. Airplanes are meticulously maintained and are checked before and after every flight. Whats the big advantage in a boxer engine? Lower weight distribution, that's it. Wow that's impressive.
I bet if went on a RX7 forum and stated that I did not think the rotary engine was a good design I would get the same reaction from them. They would say how great it is just like you guys.

2.Honda and Toyota are the two best automakers on earth. Dollar for dollar pound for pound nothing else beats them.
They are the very very reliable and I think most would agree with that. As far as driving an "appliance" well this is understandable. I have a Civic and it is no fun and very slow!! But I would rather have a car that is reliable.
In this country people are so obsessed with cars we forget there purpose is to get us from point A to point B. It's more important to have a nice flashy car than a higher standard of living. We sacrifice to have that car.

[Freeman]

Toyota? Reliable? Do you watch the news, like ever?

[SilverSpear]

Glitches always occur here and there, no doubt that Toyota will work real hard to re-earn the trust of consumers.

But the issue for me with Toyota is that they change the model too many times, and with totally differnet designs. The corolla for example, you cannot see any consistency in generations. If you remove the corolla badges, and you release a new model to the public, they will definitely NOT know for which manufacturer this car belongs. This is IMHO.

Honda. A+++ on reliability, definitely the best worldwide. Safety is a successful F

It is cool to drive a very unique car. What is cool about the above? What is cool even about Nissans? I own one, and I regret the day I purchased it. I would have preferred to buy a Wrangler instead... but I did a mistake with the Z.

The SVX is very unique and I am damn proud to be an owner. It just deserves each penny I spend on it.

THERE IS JUST NO PRICE FOR ALMOST EXCLUSIVITY

[Tim]

Originally Posted by Ownbot

2.Honda and Toyota are the two best automakers on earth. Dollar for dollar pound for pound nothing else beats them.

I loved my corolla and wish I didn't sell it because it really did get me from point a to point b and I didnt care if it got bumped dinged or scratched in the process. It was the most BORING ride ever. But it did exactly the Point A to point B, and it did it well