Newbie Question, 1992 SVX

I'll be looking at a 1992 SVX later this week and was wondering if anyone could tell me what to look for before purchasing the vehicle. It has 100K miles and a clean record.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

carldev

I would pay to have a mechanic check it out. Have an inspection done on it that way you know what is up or down with this car. Also, if that is a 92 with 100K with the original tranny, I would be a little hesitant. The reason being is that this thing could go at anytime, and then you are out 4 grand. My 92 had 150K on it when I got it earlier this year, but the tranny was replaced at 125K and was still under warranty. The engine had also been replaced at 130K.

Also while you are test driving it, listen for a rumbling sound to be coming from the tires, this will be fairly loud, and is not normal. Its the wheel bearings, and I had to have mine replaced, say abour 200-250 per wheel, and they HAVE to be done right or you will find yourself back at the shop in 5K miles.

[Seraph]

Humm... I should type up a response to this kind of question and keep pasting it.
I am glad that more and more people are interested in the SVX. That is a great news. As for what to look for, with a car that old, with that many miles, you might want to do a couple of things:

1. Take it out for a test drive and make sure everything feels all right -- no weird sounds, unusual feel in shiftings, etc.

2. See if you can get the owner/dealer to show you the maintance records.

3. See if the tranny is fine. 92/3s have problems with the tranny -- on the other hand, all SVXes do.

4. Try to get any missing parts from the car replaced by the previous owner (ashtray costs 100 USD).

5. Get the right attitute with the car. It's a fun car and a great car to drive and own. However, if things go wrong, the cost of fixing is high. 0-60 on car is not that great but once it's rolling, you have a nice machine under your wheels.

6. If you do get the car, contact Larry III for the next year's meet.

7. Enjoy and good luck.


Lwin

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by carldev
I'll be looking at a 1992 SVX later this week and was wondering if anyone could tell me what to look for before purchasing the vehicle. It has 100K miles and a clean record.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

carldev

My take on this is that it's all in how the car was cared for. Mine was pampered, I could see that, and therefore I had no problem plunking down the money for a car with 97k miles on it.

Since then, I've needed only very minor repairs; brakes, a power steering hose, tires and (oddly enough) a new transmission dipstick and tube.

I agree that the SVX is a bit shy of the Camry when it comes to reliability, but the experience is worth the price of admission.

Good luck.

[1994SubaruSVX]

a voltage meter and see how many amps the alternator is putting out. the alternators for this car are expensive. beyond that just the tranny, bearings and make sure when you hit the brakes you dont feel a shudder. some people have complained of warped rotors. beyond that the car should be ok.

[EveryShadeofBlue]

I also think it is in how the car is cared for. If someone does regular maintenance and it looks clean, I would trust it. However, the tranny is a big issue. Mine was shifting beautifully and crisply and all was right with the world and then at 101K the front differential decided to grenade. But $3,000 later I'm back on the road. It's still worth it to own this car. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I went to see the car today and it looks pretty good. While there are a few scratches and what not, the car ran great. No sign of trouble from the tranny or the wheel bearings. The seller did admit that the brakes are bad and is having them serviced on Monday, so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity and asked the dealer to look the car over for me while its having the brakes done. If everything checks out fine I hope to be the proud owner of a SVX

Thanks Again
carldev

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by carldev
Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I went to see the car today and it looks pretty good. While there are a few scratches and what not, the car ran great. No sign of trouble from the tranny or the wheel bearings. The seller did admit that the brakes are bad and is having them serviced on Monday, so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity and asked the dealer to look the car over for me while its having the brakes done. If everything checks out fine I hope to be the proud owner of a SVX

Thanks Again
carldev

Good luck, Carl. But, are you sure you wanna do this? Once you've owned one, you'll be hard pressed to ever want to drive another car.

[SVXMAN2001]

also you may want to have a compression test done

chris
92 claret/black svx

[Seraph]

Originally posted by Aredubjay


Good luck, Carl. But, are you sure you wanna do this? Once you've owned one, you'll be hard pressed to ever want to drive another car.

I hate it when this happens. When Randy is right, da man is right!
Trust me, if you buy it, you will love it. I don't want any other car. Regardless of what others says, I want another SVX.

Lwin

[1994SubaruSVX]

right now i hate my svx. but it is because some aftermarket work was done improperly. today my car is in the shop again. apparently my koni's may have been installed improperly. i took it to an alignment shop yesterday and they did not see anything visibly wrong with the suspension which means that it is internal. maybe they forgot a spacer or something. hell i dont know, but right now i hate the svx......sorry to be a bummer but it seems like everytime you try to do something cool with the car it is a f***ing challenge. i love the car and it really pisses me off when things dont go right and when people just dont do their jobs right. i hope actually that it is as simple as the guy just didnt follow directions and that he can fix his mistakes. because if not this is going to be costly and lengthy. jesus......wish me luck.....

[Seraph]

first off, good luck

secondly, I don't want to change too much to the svx. That's the key i think. If it ain't broken, don't touch it.

But I like your car though. It looks sharp. Anything major that I am going to change, I have to sleep on it and let it sink in my head for a few weeks. Cosmatic changes are just fine.

Lwin

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by 1994SubaruSVX
right now i hate my svx. but it is because some aftermarket work was done improperly. today my car is in the shop again. apparently my koni's may have been installed improperly. i took it to an alignment shop yesterday and they did not see anything visibly wrong with the suspension which means that it is internal. maybe they forgot a spacer or something. hell i dont know, but right now i hate the svx......sorry to be a bummer but it seems like everytime you try to do something cool with the car it is a f***ing challenge. i love the car and it really pisses me off when things dont go right and when people just dont do their jobs right. i hope actually that it is as simple as the guy just didnt follow directions and that he can fix his mistakes. because if not this is going to be costly and lengthy. jesus......wish me luck.....

First of all, Leo, good luck. Second of all, don't be pissed at the SVX. The reality of the matter is, that when you modify the SVX, you are doing something to it that was not meant to be. Whereas most cars are designed and built to a "wider" standard based on lots of interchangeable parts and pieces, the SVX was designed to fit into a much "tighter" category -- with every thought given to what was needed to make everything "perfect" and *nothing* needing to be changed. It will always be "costly and lengthy" when one tries to improve upon "perfection" or, at least something that was created to work within very "slim" tolerances. Don't try to paint a wider smile on the Mona Lisa, unless you're willing to take the chance of it looking silly. O'course, that's just one man's opinion.

[eddycat2000]

Originally posted by Aredubjay


O'course, that's just one man's opinion.

No, it's not one man's opinion. There are at least two of us.

[svxxx26]

Can it be three man's opinion?

"I ain't touchin' nuffin'" (except maybe the tranny cooler, that is STILL sitting on the garage shelf . . . )