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1986 Subaru GL or DL questions for a guru
I'm looking to get a beater that I don't have to worry about parking dings and keying idiots. Among other things I found a 86 dl or gl sedan (seller doesn't say what it is). It's got a 4speed, awd, and only 120K miles. Since I've never owned a "classic" Subaru, and there seems to be quite a few of you here that have, I have a few questions:
-What kind of millage do these get? The seller claims a magical 40 MPG!!!11!1 -Does the trans hold up ok? -What are some things to watch out for? -I know they are not thunderbolts, but how good or bad are the engines? Can they reach highway speed? (80 round these parts) -What do you think would be a fair price? Attached pic is of the car. Thanks in advance.
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1992 Subaru SVX LS-L Pearlie 1989 Mazda RX7 2005 Mini Cooper S |
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Re: 1986 Subaru GL or DL questions for a guru
DL had two headlights, GL will have four. The biggest issue is rust- never had a Subaru of that vintage have serious engine or transmission problems. We always ended up getting rid of them for rust (or when I totaled a Volvo that pulled out in front of me with one). They will do highways speeds, certainly. They are rather light comparatively speaking so the low HP isn't a huge issue. Zero to 60 times are still going to be 'there by tomorrow' but they are good in the snow.
If you do buy it, have the VIN checked for the control arm recall (rear control arms can rust clean through leaving you with a tire at 45 degrees to the road). |
#3
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Re: 1986 Subaru GL or DL questions for a guru
Those are dogs if they are carbed. You could pedal faster on a bike
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1995 POLO LSI 76K MILES SOLD |
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Re: 1986 Subaru GL or DL questions for a guru
Come now, the carbed version had about 80 hp and the SPFI had 90
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Re: 1986 Subaru GL or DL questions for a guru
yeah, carbed cars werent that bad.
We've had an 88 loyale wagon for nearly 15 years with the spfi engine, 5spd manual, and dual range 4x4. Awesome car, we rebuilt the engine, put a new clutch in it, has been awesome since, only needed more maintenance recently. I've gotten 40mpg out of it on the highway, usually around 25 city.
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1992 SVX Pearlie: AmsOil signature synthetic 10w40 and Ea15k20 filter, Cobb crank pulley, Outlaw Engineering spacers and tb bypass, LGT 5spd, Slotted Crossdrilled rotors and ceramic pads, 11:1 compression, EGR delete, Port & Polished heads, SaikoMichi catch can, A/c delete. |
#6
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Re: 1986 Subaru GL or DL questions for a guru
Actually, the headlight thing is the other way around, at least for MY 1986: GL=2, DL=4 (old-style sealed beans for the latter, as I recall).
I had an '86 GL wagon, 1.8L w/carburator, 5 speed MT, dual-range "On Demand" AWD, AC, cruise, no power steering, oil pan skid plate. Drove it hard to the tune of 200,000 miles. No significant mechanical issues. Could indeed run 80 MPH, downhill with a brisk tailwind. MPG probably high twenties, as the gas pedal had to be floored to get anywhere. But I loved it. Outstanding off-road and in snow. Subaru should sell an updated version of this thing. The original clutch was slipping and it smoked like wet pine straw on a campfire when I let it go, but what really killed it was rust. Check rocker panels, rear inner fenders, rear quarters. Good luck. dcb |
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Re: 1986 Subaru GL or DL questions for a guru
I had a 1989 GL wagon, 1981 GLF 2WD got 41 mpg ,1983 wagon worst car. , 1984 GL turbo, 1984 2WD GL FI ,got 40mpg ( my favorite car did 110 in that.) 1992 Sports sedan turbo. Got 36 MPG quite fast. And then 2 SVX early 81 to 84 had head gasket problems. All had rust issues. All mine were 5 speed. ( except one SVX ) had a guy buy a 1984 with 140,000 miles on it. Was going to keep it while he restored his 92 Chevy Monti, beat it to death for 3 years and 30,000 miles. Girl friend totaled it. Not balls of fire but capable of running 80 all day long.
Est 0 to 60 in 9 sec. Story about 83. I blew the motor ( distributor blew a bearing and out of time fired. # 4 out of sequence and put a hole in piston . I drove it 350 miles home. Smoked like wet straw on a bonfire ( sorry for stealing that I liked it ) 84 was rare black with RED cloth interior multi port Fi all options . I want it back.
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When I was in school I sucked in sports. Then I found out I can buy trophies and now I am great at everything. Last edited by Conn SVX; 08-02-2013 at 09:37 AM. |
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