1991 Subaru Loyale from North America

Summary:

This car is going to be interesting

Faults:

Week one both back brake line blew.

Week two I noticed that my marker lights stayed on constantly draining the battery one night I went out to grab something from the car and noticed that the radio, heater and dashboard clock were all on without the key in the ignition.

Week three the exhaust system cracks making the car a real attention grabber.

The back wiper motors shot.

The handle to open the back hatch broke in the cold weather

Rust holes where the snow builds up behind the tires.

General Comments:

The car is great in the snow real fun.

I'll have to replace the CV joints and wheel bearings if I want it to last.

I'm interested to see what a set of beefy tires, bush bars and a nice roof rack would do to the car.

And so far I've already bought another one in better condition for $150 that had a blown rad

The best part of the car has to be the heater.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th December, 2005

1991 Subaru Loyale 4WD Wagon 1.8 from North America

Summary:

Dependable, reliable and... Loyal (e)

Faults:

Automatic trans @ 120k miles.

CV Joints @ 130k miles.

Timing belts.

A/C @ 125k miles.

New exhaust and brakes @133k miles.

General Comments:

Despite some problems, the car has been wonderful.

Comfort is good enough, 4wd is great, and the wagon has been able to haul furniture, an oven and a washing machine.

Slow w/automatic, but I manage.

There are some internal engine oil leaks, but I just keep feeding it 10w30 and it runs reliably.

22mpg.

Great snow vehicle!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th October, 2005

1991 Subaru Loyale 4WD 1.8L petrol from North America

Summary:

Not for those who feel the line drawn between driving and religion is "fuzzy."

Faults:

Exhaust broke at header.

Oil pump required a reseal.

Engine blew up (rod knock).

Clutch failed.

Fuel pump failed.

Car hit a tree.

General Comments:

Basically, the appeal of the car came from the price. My friend originally paid a few hundred for it, when it was in nice shape, but had rod knock. Fortunately the previous owner pointed us to a free parts car, which had sat for 6 years and started after 2 cans of carburetor cleaner and a new battery -- which we then drove 150 miles. Perhaps this is testament to their manufacturing quality. Animals were living in the vehicle.

During the engine replacement, we installed a new clutch as the previous had ironically started slipping around the time of the knocking. The car subsequently hit a tree in a snow storm at 35 mph with my friend at the helm. He pulled the front clip straight by tying the car to a tree and reversing violently and beating on the fenders with a hammer. I traded a Sony DAT machine for the vehicle, probably should have kept the deck.

I've owned lots of fast cars, such as 944 and 9000 Turbos, so when I hopped into this dainty creature I soon realized how boring driving could be. I felt buying a "practical" car would be more intelligent. The car is very slow, it rolls over like a whale in corners, and the brakes overheat after a few aggressive stops. "Dropping" the clutch was required on more than numerous instances to propel the car up to the speed limit in a timely fashion. I was looking into a turbo Loyale model, but then found another 1987 9000 Turbo for a thousand dollars and sold this car. The Saab has never broken or hit a tree.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th August, 2005

16th Aug 2005, 11:13

I would tend to believe that the owner of the car drove it into a tree, I don't think a car could hit a tree on it's own if the owner knew how to drive properly.

21st Feb 2009, 10:08

No car runs itself into a tree. Old Subarus are tanks and should be appreciated for their practicality rather than their speed and handling. Old Saabs and Porsches are ridiculously expensive to maintain, which is why, once depreciation has finished, the Loyale will have as much resale value as the 944.