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| Author |
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| 25 new of 63 responses total. |
rcurl
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response 34 of 63:
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Dec 1 06:42 UTC 1997 |
I've decided that I don't want a 'truck'. I want a wagon with 'good'
clearance, a clean roof for fixing a rack, gas mileage at least 20 mpg
or better, manual shift, a 'bed' at least 6 feet long behind the front
seats, and 4WD (maybe, AWD) - and for less than ca. $25. The last car
like that is what I have - the Subaru GL wagon. I guess I will have to
sink money into the old rustbucket to keep it alive until people come
to their senses.
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n8nxf
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response 35 of 63:
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Dec 1 15:15 UTC 1997 |
Perhaps you should look into the used car marked down south where they
don't spread salt on the roads every winter. You will have far less
luck waiting for people to come to their senses.
I wonder if Linseed oil would make a good rust preventitive? I read about
someone using it inside bicycle frames to keep them from rusting from the
inside out. I've been spraying motor oil inside door panels and such in
attempt to keep the rust at bay.
Subaru Model Length Width Wheelbase
Forester 175.2" 68.3" 99.4"
Impreza 172.2" 67.1" 99.2"
Legacy wagon 180.1" 67.5 103.5
The wheelbase on the Impreza and Forester are pretty darn close.
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rcurl
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response 36 of 63:
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Dec 1 16:08 UTC 1997 |
Subaru GL 173.6 65.4 97.0
A fault of the GL is the too tight rear legroom. They did add more
in the Legacy.
Yes...sigh...trucks won't fall out of favor unless the mileage requirements
get applied to them as well as "cars" - or unless fuel prices go much
higher. It has occurred to me to look "down south" for a GL in better
condition than mine - but that is such a gamble, buying a used car from
far away (unless one has a 'connection' with someone scrupulously honest...
know anyone?).
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kentn
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response 37 of 63:
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Dec 2 00:50 UTC 1997 |
Re: 35, dunno about linseed oil, but I spilled a quart of motor oil in
my truck's engine compartment about ten years back and that spill is now
the least rusty part. I imagine grease would be even better as long as
it wasn't tying up any moving parts. But any oil is apt to be better
than nothing...
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rcurl
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response 38 of 63:
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Dec 2 02:53 UTC 1997 |
I've been wondering what might be good to spray on the rust. It is tricky,
as moisture can get under many coatings, and then rust really accelerates.
If oil - motor or linseed - were really good, I would think there would be
spray-on preparations for sale to put on rust spots to slow them down.
(The lower panels below a rear tire rusted out on my Subaru and a *lot*
of dust got into the car on dirt (dry) roads - until I just filled the
space with polyurethane foam. It occurred to me to fill *all* the spaces
with foam, so when the metal rusted away, I would have a foam car....)
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kentn
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response 39 of 63:
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Dec 2 03:54 UTC 1997 |
Heh, I hear you...think mebbe I'll try that foam car... Actually, since
my oil spill was in the engine compartment, it's still relatively
protected from the elements. But compared to similar areas of the engine
compartment, the spill area held up the best. I don't know what salt
and road grime would do to an oil-coated part--probably wear off the oil
eventually. But inside doors, where there isn't constant abrasion and
contact with corrosive chemicals, maybe oil or grease would hang in there
(the problem there is in the application).
I know not all rust-proofing materials are created equal (cf. my 83 Subaru
GL wagon, which had rust-proofing but still suffered significant rust
damage) so not even paint or rubberized coatings last. Probably the
main problem is that once the "seal" or "bond" is broken between the rust
inhibitor (be it oil, grease, paint, whatever) and the metal, then water
leaks in and oxidation starts. Fiberglas...that's the ticket...yeah...
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n8nxf
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response 40 of 63:
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Dec 3 17:16 UTC 1997 |
I have used oil inside doors and other isolated spaces for several decades.
It works very well. I have never had a door rust out along the bottom
even though I would see the same model / year on the road with the doors
rusted out. Some areas are difficult to protect, however. The floor pan
is one of those areas. When it rusts out, I use scraps of aluminum, old
rags soaked in roofing tar and more roofing tar to patch it all up. Rags
soaked in roofing tar make fantastic patches! The patch can even be painted
once the tar has set up after a week or so. It won't be as pretty as a good
Bondo or fiberglass job, but it will outlast it! I also paint the insides
of my wheel wells with roofing tar to keep the metal there protected so it
doesn't start to rust.
Our Chevy Nova, now almost 12 years old with 115K on the clock, still looks
very good. I never had it rust-proofed. I find that rust proofing really
doesn't work very well. If it gets a little hole in it and rust starts,
the rust blister will swell the area and allow more water / salt to get in
and more rust, etc. It is also difficult for this area to dry out so you
get rusting than too. For rust to take place you need three things: 1)
metal 2)moisture 3)oxygen. Eliminate any of the three and you will not
get rust.
I like oil because it displaces water and will flow where water flows, like
into the metal seams along the bottom of a door trunk-lid, rocker panel, etc.
It never gets hard so it doesn't form a harbor for rust to hide in like
hard rust proofing does. I built an atomizer with a long snoot on it this
year. I used it on the Nova this year. It created quite the oil-fog
however! Perhaps it would be better to squirt than fog the oil? I use
90 weight motor oil and cut it with kerosene before fogging.
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scott
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response 41 of 63:
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Dec 4 17:27 UTC 1997 |
Newer cars are apparently better designed to resist rust. I haven't done
anything to my Jetta, but it does look like a little oil has leaked out the
door-bottom drains as if Klaus was in there with his oil-fogger.
The problem with using oil on rusty spots is that the soap at the car wash
will remove it...
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n8nxf
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response 42 of 63:
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Dec 5 18:27 UTC 1997 |
I never use soap. Never have unless there was a stuborn spot.
I've always looked at cars a few years older than mine, of the same
model, to see where the potential rust problems are.
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srw
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response 43 of 63:
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Dec 20 22:21 UTC 1997 |
I think the Subarus got better wrt rust when they introduced the Legacy, too.
Based on your requirements in resp:34, Rane, I think the Legacy Wagon
would do the job for you.
My 8-year old Legacy is still doing OK rustwise, except for the
rear door. I'm inclined to believe I would replace it with another if nothing
better comes along in the next 5-7 years. 15 years is my extimated lifetime
for it.
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n8nxf
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response 44 of 63:
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Dec 22 12:35 UTC 1997 |
Our '95 Legacy claims to have 75% of the body panels galvanized. It also
came coated with a really gooey rust proofing from the factory. This stuff
is inside the body panels as well as underneath. I have noticed oxidation
in only a couple of places: The optional, aluminum, air deflector screwed
on just above the rear window and the metal framework that supports the
trunk latch and license plate lights. The air deflector problem seems to
be galvanic since it is aluminum screwed to metal. I have also noticed
that the more recent deflectors are now made of plastic.
Our Legacy is the bottom of the line Brighton. It is a very nice car. My
only complaint is the ground clearance. I have noticed that the all the
Legacy's come with 14" wheels, except the Out Back which comes with 15"
wheels. The tires on our wagon will need to be replaced soon and I would
like to go to a taller tire to help improve ground clearance. Does anyone
know where I can go to find out how large a tire I can use on the Legacy?
Will camber and toe-in need to be readjusted? I know that the speed-o
will read lower but we can compensate for that. Same for the odometer.
BTW, the ground clearance issue only became an issue after we added a
trailer hitch.
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rcurl
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response 45 of 63:
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Dec 24 05:54 UTC 1997 |
That (low clearance) is a major problem for me with the Legacy, because I use
my cars on unimproved roads. The GL has been fine, but anything lower will
be a problem. The Legacy GL has larger tires - and a bigger engine than
the plain legacy - but also a sunroof, which I don't want.
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n8nxf
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response 46 of 63:
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Dec 24 12:06 UTC 1997 |
What is the difference in ground clearance between the Legacy and the GL?
Or has that already been posted here somewhere?
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kentn
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response 47 of 63:
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Dec 24 17:52 UTC 1997 |
Are there any after-market products you can get to improve the ground
clearance?
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rcurl
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response 48 of 63:
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Dec 26 05:17 UTC 1997 |
I haven't yet found the clearance for the Legacy GL (or, is that GT?).
It also has power windows - bummer - can't open and close windows when
car is not running.
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srw
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response 49 of 63:
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Dec 28 21:48 UTC 1997 |
Power windows are mildly annoying, but we got used to them very quickly.
They come with the power door locks, and you'd be surprised how handy it
is to be able to lock up a 5-doored car with one touch as you're
exiting.
I don't know about clearance. I never evaluated that. It has enough
clearance for me, so I am happy with it, even on Michigan dirt roads,
but it sounds like you have more stringent requirements.
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rcurl
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response 50 of 63:
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Dec 30 06:53 UTC 1997 |
I sleep in the back of my wagon and like to be able to open or close
the windows if it gets too hot, or starts raining, etc.
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n8nxf
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response 51 of 63:
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Dec 31 12:05 UTC 1997 |
I also have a friend who slept in the back of his Subaru when he went
on cross country ski trips. He is about 6' 2". He even use to own
one of those U.S. Ski Team Subarus. For some reason he never had a
problem parking at ski race events, even when he arrived only minutes
before the start.
That's another reason I purchased the Brighton: No electric windows or
locks. I do wish I had gotten the optional lighter though... For plugging
in the CB, etc.
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valerie
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response 52 of 63:
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Aug 13 19:59 UTC 1998 |
This response has been erased.
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scg
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response 53 of 63:
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Aug 13 22:17 UTC 1998 |
I imagine you might have better luck going through the ads in the Ann Arbor
News.
I'd be very nervous buying a car that new (and therefore expensive) from an
individual I didn't know. When I bought mine from the Saturn dealer it came
pretty thoroughly refurbished, having had a pretty thorough inspection and
having gotten soem stuff replaced, and it had a reasonably long warranty, such
that when a few things did go wrong it was easy to get them fixed for free.
People I've known who have bought used cars from people they didn't know have
often ended up with lots of problems reasonably quickly, and nobody to turn
to get the repairs paid for.
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scott
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response 54 of 63:
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Aug 13 22:34 UTC 1998 |
Then again, I've had generally OK luck on used cars (that 1983 Nissan was
bought from somebody I didn't know, Steve...)
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n8nxf
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response 55 of 63:
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Aug 14 13:30 UTC 1998 |
The trick is to take the car you want to buy to a trusted mechanic and have
them go over it with a fine-toothed comb and report any problems back to you.
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valerie
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response 56 of 63:
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Aug 17 00:44 UTC 1998 |
This response has been erased.
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omni
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response 57 of 63:
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Aug 17 06:16 UTC 1998 |
I've seen cars for sale at the K-Mart on Washtenaw. Sometimes at Arborland
near the gas station as well.
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n8nxf
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response 58 of 63:
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Aug 17 19:32 UTC 1998 |
Across the street from Arborland use to have a lot of them.
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