Newbie needs advice

[Roo]

I'm looking at joining the family of SVX owners within the next couple of days.

I found a dark green '94 SVX with the suede interior, with around 97K on the odometer, and it drives well, runs strong, and is pretty good around the corners.

I'm new to SVX's, however, I've owned two Foresters, and am the site admin for www.subaruforester.com , so I'm not new to Subaru. I need some help and advice on what to look for, and I'm also wondering if 4K out the door from the dealer is too much for this car.

Anyone who can help me with an opinion? Anything I should be looking for? When I test drove it, the shifting was buttery smooth, just like the Forester XT my g/f has... there were no noises from the wheel bearing issues like my first Forester had, and I didn't notice any shaking on the brakes (warped rotor issue) when taking it down in an emergency stop.

I believe it is the AWD edition.

[Chiketkd]

Welcome to the nut-house Roo!

A '94 SVX with 97K miles for $4,000 sounds like a great price, and you seemed to do your homework re: the most common problems with SVX's - transmission, rear wheel bearing and warped rotors.

What I'll add is this:

1) Do you have a copy of the Carfax for the car? The carfax will not only tell you the accident history, but you'll also be able to learn whether it's a FWD/AWD SVX.

2) Does the dealer have any service records? If not, post the VIN# on this site, and any member who works for a Subaru dealership could tell you what warranty work has been done on the car.

There will be a ton of other advice that people will add, but these are two good things to look into.

Good luck and happy motoring!

-Chike

[seasvx]

the search feature on this board is very useful. many requests like yours have been addressed over the past few years. pick out a key word like "transmission", "bearing", "rotor" or "buy" and see what comes up. if you find a thread that speaks to your needs, you can send a private message to the author for more details.

also check out this page:
http://www.subarusvx.com/faq.html

[BordeauxComet]

If it's a 94 and has an all suede interior it's a FWD LS (or LE - nobody's really come to a conclusion on that). I have the same thing except in bordeaux pearl.
-Nathan

PS - it would still be a good idea to do the carfax thing.

[Chiketkd]

It could be either the LS/LE or LSi if it has the suede & leather interior. Roo just seems to be completely unsure as to whether it's the one or the other. A carfax will reveal the drivetrain...

SVX Models

-Chike

Originally posted by BordeauxComet
If it's a 94 and has an all suede interior it's a FWD LS (or LE - nobody's really come to a conclusion on that). I have the same thing except in bordeaux pearl.
-Nathan

PS - it would still be a good idea to do the carfax thing.

[ensteele]

Roo

Welcome to the site. Hope you find a good one.

[Andy]

Just have a look for a rear diff

Just signed up to your Forester site, Roo

If the paint is good, (what about the spoiler) and the seats aren't all cracked, it is a good price. Usually those two places are a good start on any car. There aren't many people who take care of a car mechanically and let the looks go to crap. Also look between the radiator and ac. That is a pretty coomon place for a tranny cooler, another huge plus for our car. Oh do all the tires match? The ultimate diff detroyer! All of this I am sure you already know about. Just a reminder from an ex used car salesman. I paid $6k for my 92 lsl with 73k miles on it. Happy Hunting

check out the vin #, if you see x33 it's an L model (FWD), x34 is an LS (AWD i think), and x35 is the LSi model