how practicle would a svx be for me?

[petesvx2]

I'm 19 and the SVX is my first car. I think that going with a newer car would be better. Something with a warranty or something. When I got my car, 3 weeks later the tranny went. Luckily for me, I got the car for cheap, so the extra money went to that. If you find a newer low mileage SVX (96/97) I say go for it. But stay away from abused older models.
I didn't do enough research about my car, dont forget that I DO love my car, but the seller I bought it from hosed me bad. She has lasted longer than any of my friends' first cars, so I have to admit, it has been worth the trouble.
I'm also on my own insurance, it's roughly $2400 per year. That sucks. If you can handle high costs for everything involved with the car go for it, but it's not for the faint of heart.

DO LOTS OF RESEARCH


I hear Neons are pretty reliable

[GreenMarine]

I say go for it!!! If ya have the money and are prepaired to join the club of broken tranny's, worn wheelbearings and other little things.... I was 18 when I bought my SVX... I knew that they wern't a little race car but that wasn't what I wanted... I wanted this car ever since I had seen it in a magizine back when I was 11 years old... So for me it was all about fulfilling a dream that I had had back when I was really young... If you really love the car then get it... It is VERY safe and over all a great car.. Just make sure you have money set aside you the inevitable reprairs that you will be making....

[sharky512345]

ok, I guess it wouldn't be best for my first car from what all of you guys have said. Thanks for all the suggestions on cars, I can't really get an old beater since my parents are requiring the car to have AWD AND dual airbags. That narrowed it down alot for me.

The other cars I have been looking at are the Impreza and the Legacy '95 and newer since they have dual airbags. Guess you guys/girls have helped me narrow it down to two.

If you have any other suggestions that would be great.
*goes back to autotrader*

[petesvx2]

I vote for the Legacy

[GreenMarine]

*Legacy Turbo*

Either that or a Mazda 323 GTX... that's a cool little car... But if ya wanna stay Subaru get a Legacy... Make sure ya get on NASIOC when ya get it too!!! Later!!

[Bobb]

Hi Everyone, Well, this is the best overall advice I have seen a group give. Although I'm an old guy, I have a '92 SVX,but my daily driver is a 2000 Legacy GT Limited. Since I only have PL/PD on the SVX, I'm afraid I'm a little aaggressive in my driving of the Legacy. Yeah, I enjoy every second behind the wheel of both cars. In any case I would stick with something from Subaru. They really build great cars. Wait till you know what your doing before you drive hard. Take care and happy driving, BOBB

I would recommend against the SVX for the reasons everyone else said. I know that if I had an SVX when I was 16 I would probably be dead now.

Mike

[RojoRocket]

Owning a BG Legacy GT Wagon as well as Gen1 LS Wagon with 5-spd, I feel somewhat qualified to comment here,and would opt first for the Impreza, lighter, smaller RS 5-spd. Easy to mod with lots of possiblities in the used car market. Same AWD capability, hp, etc. The Gen1 Turbo Legacy's were sweet, but a nice example is getting harder and harder to find. Lighter again, than the later Legacy's. I still love my Wagon, with excellent wet weather traction, brakes, and a lighter feel than the SVX as far as corner carving. Just my $.02 young feller!!

Glenn

I am also 19, and the SVX has been one of my 7 cars. It lasted me five months. In that 5 months there was about $1300 of my money dumped into it. I still have it, but it just sits at home. I then bought a celica cause it was cheap and I couldnt be happier. The SVX is a VERY addictive experence that sucked me in, two weeks before I bought the car, I didnt even know about it, and to get it I sold my Bronco Eddie Bauer (customized with a softtop) and a my 1994 Jeep. That was one hell of a firesale and I regret it. I still drive it occaisonally, but your best bet would to get a Toyota GT-Four if you could get your hands on one, these are fast as hell, AWD and they have dual airbags. Toyotas can take the beating that a 16yr/old can beat out and still want more. Here is a few examples of why to choose something else:

1. Tires - I can buy 4 tires for my Celica for the price of 1 SVX tire.
2. Windsheild - If this cracks or breaks, your looking at about $1,500 if you can even find one.
3. 4EAT - This tranny is known for problems.
4. Milage - It was about as much as my Bronco to run.
5. Mods - Even putting a stereo in this car can be troublesome.
6. Akward trunk- unless you build a custom box, a sub will kill the use of your trunk.
7. Most Subaru dealers dont even know that much about the SVX, you can find this if you do a search with my name in it =)
8. Cop MAGNET

I still LOVE this car, dont get me wrong. I just think it was a mistake. Above all the other bad things, the only thing that could make this car better is a 5spd.

BTW: My dad is driving my SVX now, and he is addicted to it as well.

Having had a number of Subaru's over the years, the advice given here about a Legacy is extremely valid. An early 90's Legacy is about as good a combination as you can get for safety, reliability and fun. Of course:

<<If you don't want the same "legacy" as your bro...get an early 90's turbo legacy w/ a 5spd. Legacy's low inssurance rates in a much sportier package. <- I wish I had one. >>

(FYI- my last car was a '91 Legacy Turbo Sports Sedan <grin>)

....but the turbo WILL show up when they ask for the VIN number to register the insurance and it WILL cost more (but probably not as much as the SVX) AND it's probably more horsepower than a 16 year old should have at their disposal in their 'formative' years. (and it, too, requires premium fuel).

Another point- the outward visibility (especially to the rear) is somewhat limited in the SVX. It is not the kind of vehicle I would recommend as a 'learner's' car- and at 16 you are still definitely in a 'learning' mode.

Make your (inherent) 'mistakes' on a good, used, 'practice' car and you will appreciate a nice, new(er) car all the more when the time comes. Find a nice used Legacy or Impreza; believe me, you'll still have a lot of fun with it.

-Mark

[Reaper450128]

My 2 cents:

I bought my first car at 17, a 1994 Crown Victoria (Police Package, of course). I had the car about 3-4 months before I rear-ended a Lexus and totaled it. Stupidly, I bought another one a couple years newer the following summer, and less than a month later, hydroplaned it into a fire hydrant (an out-of-service one, thankfully), and totalled it. After that I realized how beneficial AWD would be, as you and your parents already have, and bought myself a 1995 Legacy L. Just this past year, at age 20, I found the SVX and fell in love with it. I bought mine last March, a black 1992 LS-L, and within three weeks had to retire it due to a failed transmission. Fortunately, I still had the Legacy. So, reinsured the Legacy, and drove that while I figured what to do about the tranny in the SVX. I finally took the cheap way out (big mistake) and bought a used one with similar mileage for $250 (plus $200 shipping). $900 later for installation labor, my baby was back on the road. 5000 miles later, the second transmission dies. Fortunately again, I still have the Legacy, so yet again, I am driving that. I am now looking at spending over $2000 to rebuild and reinstall my original transmission myself (if you're not mechanically inclined or don't have the tools and service manuals, add another $1500-$2000 for labor).

The point of all this is to illustrate what you might have to go through if you do buy an SVX. The car is a dream when its running right, but the cost of repairs can be a nightmare when it isn't. Do yourself a favor, get something reliable and cheap to repair like a Legacy or Impreza, and come back to the SVX later once you've got a job that can support it. You don't want to end up dropping a load of cash on an SVX only to have to buy a temporary replacement when the transmission goes.

Also, the Crown Vics perform fairly similarly speed-wise to the SVX. Now I know I don't know you, so I don't know what you are like, but when I was your age, my inexperience at driving got me in trouble twice. I was lucky I walked away from both occasions unharmed, as both times I was doing stupid things and out-driving the road conditions. The SVX is a powerful vehicle that can make it through lots of poor weather condition without batting an eye, but it also has the potential to get you into situations you are not experienced enough to deal with yet. Like the Crown Vics, it is heavily built and apparently holds up really well in a wreck (as far as protecting the people inside it), but you don't want to destroy it, as fixing it would be extremely expensive (I'm still paying my parents back for the all these cars I've gone through).

Do what you and your parents think is best, but my advice to you is to leave the SVX and cars of its class alone until you are experienced enough and have enough cash flow to handle them.

[RojoRocket]

The suggestion that you look for a Toyota Celica All-Trac Turbo is valid, except those are even harder to come by than a nice Legacy Turbo 5-spd!! And if you find one chances are good the price will be higher. I'll recommend again that you look at the smaller, lighter, quicker Impreza RS. Lots of guys leaving their RS's for WRX or Evo and prices have dropped considerably.

Glenn

The last post reminded me of something else:

From one perspective, a Legacy would be a lousy choice for a first car,

My second car was a '62 MGA 1600MkII. I learned how to fix cars by owning that vehicle. There was alway something needing repair on that car.

Legacy = longer, yet shallower learning curve of car repair......

You'll never truly appreciate the reliability and 'serviceability' of a Subaru Legacy if you don't own something like an MG (or Chevy Beretta) first.

-Mark

[RojoRocket]

Been there, done that! Does the term "Lucas Electricals" still make the hair on the back of your neck stand up?

Good and valid point Mark, but I wouldn't wish those experiences on anybody I was trying to encourage to pick up a wrench!

Glenn

[Bobb]

Hi everyone, The post about Lucas reminds me that the original Lucas"the man" was called The Prince of Darkness. Take Care, BOBB