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  #1  
Old 09-15-2008, 09:24 PM
louie louie is offline
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Looking into an SVX

Hey there guys, new here obviously. I'm looking at my first real car of my own. I've been driving around a 1995 Mazda 929 until now.

I live in MI so the AWD is kind of a benefit. It's either this or a 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT 5spd, and anything more than a foot or two of snow in the Fiero (even with snow tires) and I'm done. Still going to look into them both, but I wanted to see what advice you guys could give me. The SVX is being sold at a pretty decent price.

Anyway, the car is a 1992 SVX, I believe the color is Claret. It has 135,000 miles on it, and has a bit of front end damage (both fenders, the hood is a little bit dented up, gonna need new headlights/corners).

I know the wheel bearings and transmission are known to go bad. With 135k, I'm sure I have a bit to worry about. She also said something about the alternator, but that shouldn't be too big of problem for me.

What exactly am I looking for? How can I tell if the transmission is on it's last leg or if the wheel bearings are about to kick the bucket? Are there any other things that I really need to pay special attention to? I don't feel like buying into a complete wreck. I appreciate any of your help.

edit: Uploaded the pics from the ad. Not the best, but I guess it'll do. The fender damage and hood damage is pretty evident, but repairable. I don't mind buying the car cheap and putting some money into it to make it look good as long as it's in good running condition.

Last edited by louie; 09-15-2008 at 09:28 PM.
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  #2  
Old 09-15-2008, 09:58 PM
Francis Francis is offline
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Location: Montreal
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Re: Looking into an SVX

personally my first thing i watched into buying my 2nd svx were the ENGINE and TRANSMISSION. so i could be prepared to any events happening to this car, i hope you have a little of mechanical skills because some guys will try to **** you up your ass because it's an svx . this website is very usefull for this there is many "how to" about anything, try to find something about "alternator mod" , maybe this would fix your problem ?

its a nice car , i didn't clearly see what was wrong with the body but i can tell you its hell uv a snow lover car !! ,

do you know if the transmission has been rebuilt ? alternative transmission cooler added ?

135 000 miles....both of my svx i had to change link kit,the front crank seal and cam cover gasket at about 150 000 miles.

its a nice car, good luck

p.s. don't let anyone steal your car , or you will recover it with a blown head gasket.......

edit...i just saw the fender, i think brand new its about 150 over here
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Last edited by Francis; 09-15-2008 at 10:01 PM.
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  #3  
Old 09-16-2008, 12:28 AM
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kwren kwren is offline
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Re: Looking into an SVX

snow a foot deep could be a slight problem because the car sits so close to the ground.
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  #4  
Old 09-16-2008, 07:26 AM
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svxistentialist svxistentialist is offline
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Re: Looking into an SVX

Quote:
Originally Posted by louie View Post
Hey there guys, new here obviously. I'm looking at my first real car of my own. I've been driving around a 1995 Mazda 929 until now.

I live in MI so the AWD is kind of a benefit. It's either this or a 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT 5spd, and anything more than a foot or two of snow in the Fiero (even with snow tires) and I'm done. Still going to look into them both, but I wanted to see what advice you guys could give me. The SVX is being sold at a pretty decent price.

Anyway, the car is a 1992 SVX, I believe the color is Claret. It has 135,000 miles on it, and has a bit of front end damage (both fenders, the hood is a little bit dented up, gonna need new headlights/corners).

I know the wheel bearings and transmission are known to go bad. With 135k, I'm sure I have a bit to worry about. She also said something about the alternator, but that shouldn't be too big of problem for me.

What exactly am I looking for? How can I tell if the transmission is on it's last leg or if the wheel bearings are about to kick the bucket? Are there any other things that I really need to pay special attention to? I don't feel like buying into a complete wreck. I appreciate any of your help.

edit: Uploaded the pics from the ad. Not the best, but I guess it'll do. The fender damage and hood damage is pretty evident, but repairable. I don't mind buying the car cheap and putting some money into it to make it look good as long as it's in good running condition.
Louie

First and foremost you are very welcome to the Network. It's nice to have you here and I hope we can help you.

Next, check out this buying guide: http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/user.php?How-To|14346
Like a lot of helpful information, it can be found in the How-To section above top right. Spend some time doing research there.

As Keith says, if the snow is deep enough, the car will glide up on it and lose traction. [Now Keith is from Texas, and they know bugger-all about snow down there! ] You can offset this by taller winter tires, and the car is genuinely excellent on traction if you have enough ground clearance.

I would advise be wary about how much it will cost to fix up that particular car, from the pictures. The driver side looks to me like the inner wing, the valance, is bent or pushed back. That would need straightening before a replacement fender would fit. Plus the beam behind the bumper will be bent or crushed pretty bad. I'm not trying to put you off it, I love SVXs.

However get an expert body guy to look at it before you do your sums. It is bad news to buy a cheap car, and then have to put so much money into it to rectify, that you have now paid over the odds than if you bought a good running car not needing repair.

Just weigh up the costs carefully, OK?

Best of luck with it.

Joe
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  #5  
Old 09-16-2008, 08:16 AM
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ensteele ensteele is offline
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Re: Looking into an SVX

I will second what Joe said. It is sometimes better to pay a little more up front and not have to put more money into it later. It is important to look around. There are some real nice ones out there. You can look at Car Trader, Craigs List and other places to find some in your area.

I too welcome you to the site. If you can't find something in the How-To Documents, ask, we may have it someplace you have not looked. Good luck with the car.
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Subaru Ambassador

[COLOR=”silver”]1992 Tri Color L[/COLOR] ~45K (06/91) #2430
1992 Dark Teal LS-L ~184K (05/91) #0739
1992 Claret LS-L ~196K (05/91) #0831
1992 Pearl LS-L ~103K (06/91) #1680
1992 Pearl LS-L ~151K (06/91) #2229
1992 Dark Teal LS ~150K (07/91) #3098 (parts car)
1992 White LS-L ~139K (08/92) #6913
1993 25th AE ~98K (02/93) #164
1993 25th AE ~58K (02/93) #176
1993 25th AE ~107K (02/93) #215
1993 25th AE ~162K (02/93) #223
1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~124K (1/94) #2408
1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~144K (10/93) #1484
1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~68K (10/93) #1525
1994 Barcelona Red LSi ~46K (02/94) #2624
1994 Pearl LSi ~41K (12/93) #1961
1995 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~70K (02/95) #855
1996 Polo Green LSi ~95K (03/96) #872
1997 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~55K (08/96) #097
2003 Brilliant Red LS1 Convertible ~29K (04/03) #8951
1999 Magnetic Red LS1 Coupe ~33K (04/99) #6420

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