Just Bought my second SVX - NOW what should I do?

[Cappy]

sheesh! Talk about going overboard. Three months ago I couldn't even SPELL SVX, and now I own TWO of them! I just bought a '92 LSi from a 'little old lady' in Oregon for $7300. The car is completely original and only has 35,000 miles on it! It was her late husband's and was always garaged. She drove it about 1,000 miles per year over the past few years just to keep it running. The original tires still have 8/32's tread on them! needless to say the gray leather, and teal exterior are PERFECT!

Now for my question...what should I do first? I'm thinking about Chris' All Aluminum radiator swap in order to protect my tranny. Does that make sense? What else would you do with a sweet car like this? The wife will probably end up driving it (she puts about 5000 miles per year on a car), and I'll end up with the '94 SVX & put 30,000 per year on it. But I want this '92 to last forever.

Thanks,
Mark

[dcarrb]

Originally posted by Capuano
I'm thinking about Chris' All Aluminum radiator swap in order to protect my tranny. Does that make sense? What else would you do with a sweet car like this?

35,000 miles on a '92? That's sick. Congratulations.

I would not change the radiator if there's an external ATF filter in place. If there isn't, that would be the first item on my list of things to do. Install a modest-sized, external cooler, too. Definitely -- and frequently -- change the transmission fluid.

Regardless of the remaining tread on those original tires, I'd consider replacing them before driving the car hard or far. Belts and hoses, too.

Change the oil and filter, and drive.

dcb

[Andy]

NOW what should I do?

Get a third

[wawazat??]

Celebrate your good fortune?!

Great find man

Todd

[BordeauxComet]

If it was me, and I had another SVX, I'd garage that one and only drive it a little (like the lady you bought it from). I also wouldn't add any non-OEM parts. Of course, 5000 miles a year couldn't be that bad for it.

[ensteele]

How did I miss that one in Oregon?

Congatulations on the find.

Don't ask me what to do next!

[Cappy]

She's a really nice lady in her late 60's. Even though I bought this car from the dealer in Woodburn, she said it would be OK to give me her phone number. Her late husband loved this car. It was their third car & they seldom used it in the winter. They had it serviced regularly at the subaru dealer in Portland & as far as she knows he never had any modifications done to it.

They bought it in May, 1993. I'm wondering if there's a way to tell what version of the transmission is in it, and if it has experienced any of the early improvements that Subaru did on the later model '92's & 93's (like removing that inner ATF filter).
Why is she selling it? It's too fast for her & a bit scary to drive, so she traded it on a new Chrysler Sebring - 4 cylinder. (go figure).

Anyhow, my wife's uncle saw it and says it's perfect. I've never seen the car yet & will have it delivered here to Ohio some time next month. Anybody ever heard of A-1 Auto Transport, Inc.?

I'm excited!
Mark

[JeffN]

!st thing you should do evene before registering it is sell it to me...

A-1 Auto Transport, Inc. is a good company. They were recommended to me when I was getting quotes on shipping my Cobra out to a guy in Oklahoma and their prices seemed to be better than most other carriers.

Good luck with the car, sounds like a beauty!

[svxthc]

Ok fess up, you bought this car a couple thousand miles away, and how did you find it? I check ebay and autotrader almost daily and haven't gotten this lucky Come on, who needs 2 svxs

[JeffN]

We apparently, just bought mine tonight. And it's looking like I'll end up with a parts car as well.

[shelfy]

Originally posted by dcarrb
Regardless of the remaining tread on those original tires, I'd consider replacing them before driving the car hard or far.

i bought my 97 in feb 2003 w/ 8100 and original tires. after the dealer's armor all wore off, i could see the dry rot setting in. i only got another 5000 miles (while they were on the claret) out of them before a rockslide punctured a sidewall. i was glad to get rid of the bridgestone potenzas.

[Cappy]

I also used Autotrader all the time, but this time I found it while browsing the web for a car for my son (his loss, my gain). The web link I used was supposed to direct me to a california web sit that lists all cars within 30 miles of LA, but when I got there I found I could search the whole country. The web address was http://www.cars.com/go/index.jsp?aff=recycler. And there it was! Even the dealer (Miles Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge) couldn't figure out how I got the information, since they had only advertized it locally. Call it luck or fate or whatever, but I guess God heard my prayers for an SVX like my wife's! Only this one's even better (guess she'll end up with it, and I'll get her red '94, but that's OK.)

ps. Ok that link didn't work. I would imagine you can get there thru the cars.com site.

[Cappy]

Thanks for the testimonial. I have been SCARED TO DEATH to choose an auto carrier, but finally rolled the dice and went with A-1. Most web sites that rate them say they're one of the worst, but I also noted that there were only 8 or ten respondants, and they seem to be the same people. I read another rating web page that claimed they are ALL crooks, so I was really getting nervous. In the end, money won out, plus the phone reps they hire are really friendly and knowledgeable & I didn't realize they move 20,000 cars a year. Plus they have their own trucks and aren't just a broker. I'll let you know how the move goes. It's supposed to happen around the 30th.
Mark

[Bobb]

Hi Mark, This is what I would do with an older car that has not been driven much. Replace the tires, and other rubber pieces like hoses and belts. Also change all fluids and have the brakes bled. Replace all filters as well. Do not think that you can just jump in and go. You have a SVX with low miles but it is still 12 or 13 years old. And since the guy died it probably did not get TLC. But you can bring it back from the dead and have a great car that will last a long time. When I purchased my '92 in 1997 it had about 31,000 miles on it and had only been driven in town and under 40 miles an hour. I had the car about six months before the torque converter locked up. Good luck and take care, BOBB