1992 Subaru SVX LsL 3.3 from North America

Summary:

An amazing piece of road art!

Faults:

Just general wear and tear. Nothing major, had a small hairline crack in the radiator, had to get a new one, $560. Into preventative maintenance more than anything. Car has avg wear, drivers seat shows small wear. Dealership isn't too thrilled when I come in, but I'm looking for a new one.

General Comments:

I seriously LOVE this car, I cannot say enough good things about it, it's awesome in the snows, It's like a wolf in sheep's clothing. It has a super sleek style, I STILL get asked about it a lot. Many high end features that car makers now are just starting to catch up on, wipers are seriously speed sensitive, heated mirrors, auto climate, goes on and on. BEST vision in the world, and that's saying a lot since it sits pretty low, and visibility rocks! HIGHLY recommend one to anyone who's ever thought about it! You take care of the car, and it'll take care of you!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th June, 2003

1992 Subaru SVX LS 3.3 flat six from North America

Summary:

Stupifyingly underappreciated all-weather gran touring car

Faults:

Repeated replacment of the rear wheel bearings (SVX's are notorious for this).

General Comments:

Very comfortable car... for the driver and passenger. The rear seat is tight for anyone over 5'6".

Acceptable performance. Oddly, my '90 Honda CRX felt quicker, even though the SVX generates higher performance numbers.

I like the concept... a high performance all-weather gran touring car.

The space utilization is abysmal. If I had to carry anything bulky, I'd use my CRX (a two-seat sub-compact, for Christ's sake).

Subaru's marketing people (ca. 1992) should be collected and shot. The marketing campaign was a disgrace. Good thing for me though, I got the car at a steal!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st August, 2001

12th Feb 2006, 01:13

The wheel bearing problems are generally restricted to the first couple of years' production. Brakes are another legendary problem, but aftermarket drilled and slotted rotors should fix that as well.

Regarding marketing, I often refer to my SVX as "the Japanese Edsel". Subaru introduced a $35K luxury sports coupe at a time when the company slogan was "economical and built to stay that way". Clearly, marketing was NOT Subaru's forte at the time.

1992 Subaru SVX 3.3L flat six (opposed) from North America

Faults:

Operated in the NW. High speed winter driving in volcanic cinders plugged radiator and A/C condensor and forced repaint. Not cars fault. Rotors need frequent turning/replacement due to little engine drag from transmission.

General Comments:

Boxer six is better than Porsche and handling w/awd is awesome, particularly on ice and snow. Luxury car finish and trim, Japanese quality and reliability - fast and economical to boot. Drawback: too few for aftermarket to make tuning gear. A few more than the 230 horses would be nice.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th December, 1999

11th Jun 2011, 05:41

I agree with everything you said, but please can anyone elaborate on how the SVX stacks up to a Porsche? No doubt I will agree with your assessment, but I'd like to know how you see it.

I've never owned a Porsche (but nearly everything else - seriously), and I am curious how and in what ways it compares.

Thx!

My 92 Black on White is just great. A 2.5 mile stretch of pretty straight downgrade (about 4-5% grade) near my house lets me jam it (briefly) to about 125-135mph almost everyday. Sounds nice! Feels nice! Has been totally reliable... everything has been fine since getting it.

Actually NOTHING has gone wrong since getting it at 140k miles from a 70 year old who had it garage kept and dealer maintained. Yes, it's had a newer trans, newer rear W-Bs, alternator last year, almost new high speed all weather tires, and a new windshield. All this was done before I bought it. Thank goodness he left everything stock. Everything... OK, OK, maybe I should replace the stereo speakers. But even these old one's are pretty good, I used to wonder if new ones would be any better, I refuse to "upgrade" the stock sound system...

It's fun to punch it while going uphill too; (my commute to the bank and grocery store is 31 miles "down the hill" and we go 3-4 times a week). Then back up from 1200 ft elevation to 6,500 in that 31 miles... it's fun to hit it hard and watch the bummed out faces of the owners of high powered new cars (most all are from Silicon Valley or Monterey or San Francisco, up in the mountains skiing or having summer weekend drives). It's soooo fun to see the reaction on their faces as they are watching a 19 year old car that I bought for $1900 kick their butt... This stock SVX loves getting into the 4k rpm range and then gliding itself up to 7k... in short order... even when climbing all these steep mountain grades... it's nice... on the hairpins it just begs to be put close to the drifting mode...

Plus: it passed the most strict smog test in the nation with no problem. The CEL was on (why I got it cheap), and after checking the OBD, all that was needed was to wipe off the EGR heat sensor with a paper towel (after 2 minute spent removing it), and it's been fine ever since.