Replacing the Camry

[CamBOT]

I was planning to drive my camry for a long time. But its starting to show its age. I was ordering all the parts I needed to fix her up and realized I dont know if its all gonna be worth it.

For example I need new shocks, brakes, Ac, engine mounts, and tires; i'm at 236k miles with original motor/tranny. The parts/labour will be 1500 dollars or more for everything.

Also someone wants my camry as is for 1500. So i thought i'll get another gen 3 camry. But the prices are so unreasonable. 3000 - 4000 for a gen 3 camry thats barely in better condition than mine. I dont think i can afford a newer camry.

Thats when i ran into a 1996 Subaru Outback 5 speed. I drove it around the lot and instanly loved the car. I did some searching and I can get a decent 96-98 outback with about 100k miles for about 3-4000 dollars.

I know this is not exactly camry related, but what you guys think about the outback? Is it as realiable as the Camry? Also the 2.5 liter engine has a timing chain right? Are the parts expensive for the outback? and finally whats the difference between LEgacy outback and an outback.

Thank you, again i'm sorry if i've posted in the wrong section. But many of the guys in this section love suburas and I trust the advice i get from here.

[renmike]

I think Venom can offer an opinion on the Subaru topic, beings that he has one

[blackhawk]

man broi fell your pain that a tuff cookie dipp it in some milk na let me stop umm i really dont know what to tell you but dam .....

[Hobo]

I used to own a 89 subaru XT6.
Definately a love/hate relationship.

Motor & tranny were great. Lots of power. Fantastic snow car BUT, lots of little things went wrong that were not cheap to fix.

[rndmheroxx]

yeah im thinkin about replacin my gen 3 also, all the little stuff is adding up at this point ='( im lookin into a '03 tiburon 5spd well see how that goes

[mikeyq926]

i like my cam but one thing i hate about it is how freakin slow it is... i wish mine was a v6... haven't had anything major go wrong with it just regular wear and tear.

[bigbird]

my input is all hear-say from friends with subies.

1)quality- engine and trans are closer to nissan quality, great but not as good as some yotas, hondas.
2) some parts are kinda of expensive and doing engine work with the HO engine is near impossible without lifting or dropping the engine sometimes.
3)funner cars to drive then the camry and have plenty of aftermarket support if ur into that kinda thing. (i have a friend with a 96 outback, real nice)
4) great in snow and rain! !...however...
5) awd is more stuff to break
6) pretty good price

[CamBOT]

Wheres Venom_5 when you need him. lol

I cant wait to hear what he has to say about the subies

[Fredrick2003]

How do you KNOW that your Camry needs all of that fixed?

[CamBOT]

I know my camry.

The suspension is gone, drive it and you'll know. AC is broken i got it checked out and it needs a condenser. I've got vibration at idle, the engine mounts are to blame. Crack in the fly wheel, sometimes when you start it makes a Creeeeeeek sort of noise...then you shift the gears back and forth and try again.

My poor camry, still gets ~ 400 miles to the gallon ( 65 % city/ 35 hwy% driving)

[rndmheroxx]

looking for honest opinion............pls dont be biased towards yodas =P

2003 v6 tiburon
vs.
2000 celica gts

??? neeeeed opinions =P

[Nogusta123]

Originally Posted by CamBOT

I know my camry.

The suspension is gone, drive it and you'll know. AC is broken i got it checked out and it needs a condenser. I've got vibration at idle, the engine mounts are to blame. Crack in the fly wheel, sometimes when you start it makes a Creeeeeeek sort of noise...then you shift the gears back and forth and try again.

My poor camry, still gets ~ 400 miles to the gallon ( 65 % city/ 35 hwy% driving)

but 1500 sounds mightttyy expensive have you got a 2nd opnion off of other mechanics or a toyota dealer or something?have you considered giving it a go yourself?might save you a heap of money..

[sk8ersublime]

Originally Posted by CamBOT

Wheres Venom_5 when you need him. lol

I cant wait to hear what he has to say about the subies

haha yea...that guy is always one of the first ppl to post...

[bigbird]

Originally Posted by rndmheroxx

looking for honest opinion............pls dont be biased towards yodas =P

2003 v6 tiburon
vs.
2000 celica gts

??? neeeeed opinions =P

dont thread jack from now on, u can jsut create a new post and get more responses.

both are good cars, but i say celica. i think they look nicer and have a much better feel to them. tibron has a very avalible S/C though that makes it a fast little ugly car.

[tevolo]

ok my best friend is a Subaru FANATIC. He's got a Legacy Turbo at the moment. He's owned a few and this is what I've noticed.

1.)They tend to have the tick of death quite often. Not just my friends, but a lot of them. Not a big deal I guess if you keep the oil changed regularly and all that good stuff.

2.)Lots of little things tend to break. As far as the engine goes it seems really good and sturdy and as bigbird was saying in an earlier post, there's plenty of aftermarket support if that's your thing.

3.)They handle really nicely. ESPECIALLY on gravel. We take his out on logging roads and some of the rally courses in the off season. If you're into rallying then I'd definitely recomend getting one.

4.)If you're looking into buying a WRX, then let me just warn you that apparently they dent really easily. We went into a body shop the other day and the guy was saying he get's WRX's all the time with little dents everywhere cos apparently the exterior is a bit tinny, probably so it'd weigh lighter and go faster.

I'd for sure wait for Venom_5 to reply cos he'll be able to give you a lot more info too I'm sure.