One problem with buying an older used car

[Huskymaniac]

You don't know what "normal" is!!! I don't know what the car is supposed to sound like. I don't know what the acceleration is supposed to feel like. I am going from a 97 Outback to a 96 SVX and that is a pretty big shift.

The SVX has more road noise but less wind noise. Some of that could be a bearing but I can really hear changes in road surfaces which was much less pronounced in the Outback. I sort of assumed that is partially due to the stiffer suspension maybe transmitting the vibrations more.

The SVX also has what appears to be a louder exhaust. It has a distinct resonant growl at around 2500-3000 RPMs and it seems to be RPM related and not speed related.

I also hear quite a bit of "clunking", for lack of a better word, over uneven surfaces. I suppose that could be sway bar bushings but maybe it is normal and I am just being over sensitive to ever little noise I hear. Every car makes SOME noise when plodding over rough roads.

And it feels like the acceleration should be a little stronger. However, I admit that I have not pushed down the accelerator much yet because of my little temperature gauge issue. Even though that seems to be behind me, I am still a little spooked by it and have not pushed the car even a little. I would like to get the codes cleared and then re-checked later to see if any of the sensors are going. Any suggestions on how to do that easily?

[StatGSR]

Road noise is almost always directly related to the tire on the vehicle, and changes depending on the type of tire you get.

[Mike621]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

You don't know what "normal" is!!! I don't know what the car is supposed to sound like. I don't know what the acceleration is supposed to feel like. I am going from a 97 Outback to a 96 SVX and that is a pretty big shift.

The SVX has more road noise but less wind noise. Some of that could be a bearing but I can really hear changes in road surfaces which was much less pronounced in the Outback. I sort of assumed that is partially due to the stiffer suspension maybe transmitting the vibrations more.

The SVX also has what appears to be a louder exhaust. It has a distinct resonant growl at around 2500-3000 RPMs and it seems to be RPM related and not speed related.

I also hear quite a bit of "clunking", for lack of a better word, over uneven surfaces. I suppose that could be sway bar bushings but maybe it is normal and I am just being over sensitive to ever little noise I hear. Every car makes SOME noise when plodding over rough roads.

And it feels like the acceleration should be a little stronger. However, I admit that I have not pushed down the accelerator much yet because of my little temperature gauge issue. Even though that seems to be behind me, I am still a little spooked by it and have not pushed the car even a little. I would like to get the codes cleared and then re-checked later to see if any of the sensors are going. Any suggestions on how to do that easily?

If you have a 96, pick yourself up a cheap OBD 2 code reader by Actron (you can get one on Amazon)

I'd suggest jacking the 4 corners of the car individually, and checking for play.
Check your tie rods/ends, ball joints, and check for hydraulic fluid on the strut body. From what it sounds like, you at the very least could probably use a set of sway bar bushings, but I'd keep an eye out for other worn suspension components.

Check now for bearing issues to avoid fiery incidents! (Waiting for Freeman or SVXfiles to comment on that)

[dcarrb]

My cars are very quiet but do have something of a snarl when provoked. You may have a modded or leaky exhaust.

Do check those bearings and suspension components as suggested above. Road noise shouldn't be an issue, and certainly not clunking.

As to acceleration, I went from a 5-speed manual Legacy with half the horsepower to an SVX, so flooring the accelerator at 40 MPH in the latter was like engaging warp drive. I've never felt that the car has gobs of power from a standing start, but don't recall a situation where I really wished for more. I'd think your SVX should have more spring in its step than a '97 Outback.

dcb

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by StatGSR

Road noise is almost always directly related to the tire on the vehicle, and changes depending on the type of tire you get.

Agreed and especially when the tires are worn unevenly due to a misalignment, which I have not checked yet.

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by dcarrb

My cars are very quiet but do have something of a snarl when provoked. You may have a modded or leaky exhaust.

Do check those bearings and suspension components as suggested above. Road noise shouldn't be an issue, and certainly not clunking.

As to acceleration, I went from a 5-speed manual Legacy with half the horsepower to an SVX, so flooring the accelerator at 40 MPH in the latter was like engaging warp drive. I've never felt that the car has gobs of power from a standing start, but don't recall a situation where I really wished for more. I'd think your SVX should have more spring in its step than a '97 Outback.

dcb

Yeah, the problem is that "very quiet" is a relative term. Even my Tribeca makes some thumping/clunking noise when going over bumpy roads. When you drive a car for a long time you get to know what normal is so you can immediately know when a new sound appears or when something is more noisy than normal. I will get the suspension checked out. The exhaust, I think, is stock. The car only has 74K miles on it and it was driven in TN and norther GA so it never saw significant amounts of salt. Still, it is 14 years old so the exhaust could have a small hole somewhere.

The acceleration is definitely way better than my 97 Outback. I'm just not sure if it is normal or if it should be even better. I have still never come close to flooring it.

[LetItSnow]

Stop up my way, and I'll check your power, suspension, brakes and exhaust top to bottom. You're going to have to wait until October 3, though.

That's our next local autocross.

[svxwill]

Originally Posted by StatGSR

Road noise is almost always directly related to the tire on the vehicle, and changes depending on the type of tire you get.

Agree, the OEM RE960 was quite not much road noise and comfortable but when i replaced it with Kumho ASX, it was not quite and makes all kinds of different road surface sound and feels more little bumps but the traction was stronger than OEM. I have cheap Nankang EX500 now and are happy with them, its very close to the RE960 with better grip but not sure if it's all-season.

wheel bearing is another weak point in SVX, i had to replaced it twice on my 1st SVX. and axles will go bad too.

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by LetItSnow

Stop up my way, and I'll check your power, suspension, brakes and exhaust top to bottom. You're going to have to wait until October 3, though.

That's our next local autocross.

That would be great. I am keeping an eye out for someone selling appropriate sized Blizzaks (already bought an extra set of rims) so I may be coming up your way to get tires if someone in Syracuse is selling them. There are always a lot of people buying and selling Blizzaks in Syracuse!

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

Yeah, the problem is that "very quiet" is a relative term. Even my Tribeca makes some thumping/clunking noise when going over bumpy roads.

My teal has always made this odd squonky noise when traversing certain pavement irregularities at low speed. But bumps, clunks, and thunks certainly aren't the norm.

I envy your low-mileage sunbelt car. You should be in good shape, provided it hasn't been abused.

dcb

[LetItSnow]

Subliminal messages are exciting.

[alia176]

I can say that when the exhaust "donuts" (aka gaskets) wear down, the noise is rather noticeable. When new donuts are installed, the exhaust is very, very quiet and velvet smooth. As the donuts wear down, the noise gets louder and louder over time. So far, I've replaced them once and I'm at 135k miles approx.

Hope this helps.

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by alia176

I can say that when the exhaust "donuts" (aka gaskets) wear down, the noise is rather noticeable. When new donuts are installed, the exhaust is very, very quiet and velvet smooth. As the donuts wear down, the noise gets louder and louder over time. So far, I've replaced them once and I'm at 135k miles approx.

Hope this helps.

Where are these donuts you speak of?

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by dcarrb

My teal has always made this odd squonky noise when traversing certain pavement irregularities at low speed. But bumps, clunks, and thunks certainly aren't the norm.

I envy your low-mileage sunbelt car. You should be in good shape, provided it hasn't been abused.

dcb

Yeah, that is always the key in a sporty car. The owner was supposedly an 80 year old guy. I never met him because it was delivered by a dealer who is a friend of his. At some point, the owner's son (GA) was driving the car. He might have abused it a little but even that guy had to be in his late 40s or early 50s. It looks amazingly clean. I did the first oil change and haven't driven it too much yet. I went with Pennzoil High Mileage which has some cleaners in it. It has been more than 2 weeks and about 500 miles and the oil still looks very clean.

[sowise]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

Yeah, that is always the key in a sporty car. The owner was supposedly an 80 year old guy. I never met him because it was delivered by a dealer who is a friend of his. At some point, the owner's son (GA) was driving the car. He might have abused it a little but even that guy had to be in his late 40s or early 50s. It looks amazingly clean. I did the first oil change and haven't driven it too much yet. I went with Pennzoil High Mileage which has some cleaners in it. It has been more than 2 weeks and about 500 miles and the oil still looks very clean.

you say you haven't floored it really so just curious have you had your power mode light up on your dash yet? If not then that should surely be the pick up that you may be looking for from the car since it isn't an always on condition unless you do the mod.
As for the other issues definitely suspension for the noises and possibly even struts and strut mounts. For my exhaust the donut gasket was dead back where the center pipe connects to the muffler even the clamp for it was broken, it wasn't loud or horrible sounding like when my legacy had a leak, but it wasn't quiet and smooth either.