SVX Advice needed.... long

Hello all, new to the board.
I have a question for the SVX experts. I honestly just 'discovered' the SVX yesterday. I have been trying to find the right Impreza now for some time, and found an ad for a SVX. I did some research, hit several informative sites, ( like this one) and found that I like the SVX as well. Now, my question is: Since I am looking for a car not as a collectors item, but as a daily driver, is the SVX for me? The one I found is a '94 SVX LSi, 139K miles. I have read that STX's are infamous for tranny, rotor, and wheel bearing issues. I also saw that these had been fixed by 1994. I want a reliable car, that gets me to work everyday, but at the same time, I want it to be sporty and fun to drive. I have no doubt the STX will be a blast to drive, but I don't want to be setting myself up for constant maintenance issues either. Do I have to fear problems from an SVX? Do these problems arise regardless, or as a result of hard driving? Also, is $5200 a reasonable price for this SVX? Should I keep looking for an Impreza? Thanks to all in advance...

Geoff Tessau
Desperately Seeking Suby
Suby-less in Iowa

Geoff-

If you're looking for a sporty daily driver, the SVX could just be your ticket. However the SVX you're looking at might not be your best best.

for a daily driver, 140,000 miles is kind of a high starting point. for a car with 140,000 miles, $5200 seems a little high.. Granted it's a 94, but I paid $5000 for my '92 with 113k on it.

an SVX which was well cared for by its previous owners SHOULD be relatively worry-free. I always say that since these cars were so expensive when they were new, if you could afford to buy one, you could afford to take proper care of it.. your best bet is to find a one-owner car which is just reaching 100k and expect to pay no more than $6000 for it.

take it to a reputable mechanic, especially one who has seen an SVX or two. a certified subaru tech should be able to give you a good opinion, but if possible, try to make sure that he or she was working for subaru when the svx started production.. that way you stand a better chance of finding someone who really knows the cars..

I'm sure others here will be able to offer other viewpoints

-adam

[benebob]

Just from your post I would probably tell ya to shy away from the SVX and towards either a later Impreza or my first suggestion would be a Legacy GT.

Having owned an loved my Impreza sure its a great car but in stock form it isn't much more sporting than a Corolla of the same vintage. Sure now you have aftermarket stuff but much of it is focused on the WRX model and doesn't fit all the earlier models.

Reason I recommend the Legacy GT or even a 92-94 Legacy Turbo is they are a blast to drive, quite reliable if well mantained, reasonably cheap to fix, have a great balance between comfort and sporty handling. The turbo is fun simply b/c of the turbo factor but these are fairly rare and getting a little grey if you're not into keeping it in good running order you'd be better off going with the newest/best condition one you can find in your price range.

Not that I would ever try to talk someone out of an SVX but it just seems that you would be happier with another Subie. Check out the Ultimate Subaru Website for some more help on non-SVXs should you go that route again.

[thumper_svx]

The SVX is a fabulous daily driver... but 140K is a little high. You also need to find out how well this car's been cared for in the past to really make a decision.

The SVX has two major problems that I myself have encountered (I've owned two of them to-date);

1. Wheel bearings. Yep, the SVX pretty much eats rear wheel bearings for breakfast!. I went through several sets on my first (a '95), but only replaced one on my second (a '94). YMMV, but replacement is relatively cheap (about $250 every 6 months or so isn't TOO terribly bad... but that depends a lot on your individual car, driving style and so forth). My personal feeling is that it's liveable maintenance... but that depends how much money you have to pump into the car, how you drive and so forth.

2. Transmission. Definitely a weak point in the vehicle... I've heard of some SVX's eating a tranny every 40K miles. Granted, many of the problems were sorted out by 1994, but later models still have occasional problems. The root cause seems to be heat, so many have reported good results from installing an aftermarket transmission cooler, but again YMMV. A rebuild on the tranny is around $4K last I checked... for a little more you can have a 5-speed installed instead (my personal choice would be the latter). How long until the tranny detonates? Don't know... when was the last time it was rebuilt? Find that out and you'll have part of your answer; if the car shows frequent rebuilds then the tranny case itself may be flawed (insufficient oil flow), in which case you're going to be replacing it often. On the flip-side, an "original transmission" may indicate that it's on the verge of dying... or it could run to 250K miles without an issue.

I guess the upshot is that the SVX is a great daily driver... but you HAVE to be ready for the expense of maintaining a 10 year old luxury sport coupe with a unique drivetrain.

Hope this helps.

[wasions]

IMHO $5200 is a reasonable price for a good, clean car with an accessible history. As was mentioned, try to find a SVX savvy mechanic who can look at it. Also, make (darn) sure you drive it at least 50 miles and at all speeds. Listen, feel. The SVX is a very smooth, quiet (with the right tires) car. You may have minor low speed thumps from the front end, that's normal. My '95 (also with 139,000 miles) has never needed wheel bearings or transmission work, but it also has a pretty good preventive maintenance history. I would be much more skeptical of a car which has had multiple w/b issues, or even one transmission issue. (My car, btw, does not have a transmission cooler.)

As mentioned previously, tires can make a huge difference in the db level of your ride. They can also mask bearing noises, etc. If you hear a noise that you feel may be associated with bearings, be sure to post here the type (Brand, Model) of tire. Generally, we can tell you which ones are the noisiest.

At that mileage, the brakes will probably shudder a little. New rotors are a reasonably economical fix for that.

I would never sell my car if I thought all I could get was $5200. But then, I don't think I'll ever want to sell it anyway. I could not replace my SVX today with anything similar for less than $40,000, and then whatever I got would not come clost to being an SVX.

[scottsubarus]

Goeff, I'm here in Omaha and I answered an ad SVX for sale. It turned out he had 2 for sale. The one we bought was a black 92 with 128,000 miles. It had some problems that he pointed out. We paid $2,500 for the car. The car he had for the ad is still for sale. It is a 92SVX it is Maroon with a sunroof (but no spoiler) he had it lised for $4,000 or best offer. It too has 128,000 or so miles. When I asked him why the price difference between the two cars he said it was because the one I bought needed some repairs right away....the maroon one is his wifes daily driver. If you want his phone # e-mail me at SAShaeffer@hotmail.com

Scott
Omaha

[svxistentialist]

Hi Geoff,

First and foremost, welcome to the forum.

I would have thought $5200 was reasonable for a '94, but only if it does not have major problems. I echo the advice already given, look hard at the service history, and have a knowledgable [in SVXs] mechanic do a check on it.

The SVX is a lovely daily driver, relaxed, competent and with surprising grip and safety levels. It is a long distance high speed cruiser, so it may not be as sporty as you are looking for. The turbo WRX is way more sporty to drive.

However, the SVX is special . The Impreza can't come near it for looks. If you have a difficult commute, the SVX is a better bet, you can drive hundreds of miles and get out like you have just done a short trip to the shops. If music is important to you, it will be a better bet than an Impreza, because sound deadening is pretty good if you are using quiet tyres. I was cruising at 3000 rpm last night, 88mph on the clock, didn't have to turn up the stereo.

Don't be too put off by the posts about trannies and so on. Remember only people with problems tend to post. There are plenty of cars [and post 94 is the way to go,] that give little or no trouble.

Best of luck with your search

Joe

If you're looking for a good daily driver, nothing more, I recommend either an Impreza or Legacy.

Don't get me wrong.....I LOVE my SVX, and use it as a daily driver. BUT, parts are almost always more expensive than other Subaru's and they are getting tougher to find. If you break down in your SVX, it's almost guaranteed that you will have to wait for parts.......whereas you'd have a much better chance of finding the Legacy or Impreza part without much of a hassle.

IF, HOWEVER you want a car that draws attention like a Ferrari, is a great highway cruiser, and in my opinion is the best car Subaru ever built....get an SVX. Just be prepared for the extra hassles and expenses, should they pop up. Remember, Subaru only imported about 14,000 of these. Dealers aren't exactly fighting each other to stock up on parts for a car they rarely see, and a lot of parts aren't available from aftermarket companies.


I'm not bad mouthing the SVX. I LOVE it. I'm just saying that with it's rarity comes the occasional, expensive, special-order-parts headache. But if you have SVX fever, like we all seem to have, you barely notice the pain

MY TWO CENTS

Dave