I've been looking for a car - not necessarily a Subaru but I'd really like one. The one Subaru that I'm seriously considering is a '98 Legacy Brighton AWD. It has the 2.2 and 14" steel wheels with very few options. It doesn't even have cruise. The car has 99,000 miles on it and it looks to be in very good shape mechanically. I think it's only had one owner. The only problem with it is that there are a few dents on the body that annoy me, but aren't major. I guess it helps to have a few dents to keep from becoming obsessive about the condition of the body. Anyway, they want $5950, and it's at a Saturn dealership, so that IS the price. Please let me know if this is a good deal. I do realize that it isn't exactly fast and it is very plain, but that hasn't stopped me from enjoying it on test drives!

I've searched all over the place and it's just plain impossible to find decent used Subarus under $10k around here. The only other ones I've found have been higher mileage and not as nice.

 

99k miles on a '98? Lets see...national average (for pricing) is 12k miles per year. Thats 5 years...they should have... 60k miles on it. Dang....39k extra miles.

I suggest you get the VIN number off the car, go to CarFax.com, get a report on it (not the free one, the $30 one, you want to know what has happened to the car), go to KBB and check the value of the car. Of course, the dealer will laugh at you if you bring up the KBB value, but at least this will give you a general knowledge of how much the car is really worth. Especially with the extra 39k miles on it.

Last time I did a check for a used car I was looking at, the dealership was actually selling it for less than what it was worth, so...just double-check to be sure.

Um...those are the advices I could think off of the top of my head, I suggest you check www.carbuyingtips.com for more info. They have a section about buying used cars.

 

$5950 is actually a few thousand $ under kbb's price, and I knew this from the start. I guess I wanted to know if this particular year/engine/model combination had any unusual problems.

I think I'm going to buy this car. Compared to everything else I've been looking at, it drives and handles the best of any of them. I accidentally hit 70 on a rough backroad in it simply because it feels so stable in these conditions.

 

If thats the case, go for it. For me, I was a day late on mine. Oh well, I got a brand new '03 WRX instead.

 

Actually, there seems to be very little interest in used Subarus where I live. All of the cars that I've looked at have literally been on the lots for MONTHS. I was really surprised.

Of course, these will be my famous last words before the car is bought out from under me! Shouldn't be a problem though, I saw it last on Tuesday and I will most likely be buying it or placing a hold on it on Thursday.

 

Guess it depends where u live. I doubt you will find a used Subaru in decent shape sitting on a lot in NE for a couple of months. Do your home work!

 

Well, I'm glad to say that this thread is no longer important. I got a loan lined up today and put some cash down on the car. Come Saturday, I'll be the proud new owner of a '98 Legacy Wagon!

 

99 grand on a car might sound like alot...but remeber its a subaru.......but hey this might sound like something you dont want to do, but humor yourself and look on e-bay.
I have seen several wrxs on there with less than 100,000k for about 6 grand...may have to take a trip to pick it up but if thats what you want then it might be worth it.

 

I was in a situation where I really couldn't get a car on ebay. Basically, I needed a car within a week or so. Besides, I'm still a little uneasy about buying a car sight unseen.

 

but i was just making a suggestion. its a solution if you really wanted to find a wrx for not o much $$$

 

Oh... probably thinking about the "ineedawrx" thing. To be honest, I can wait. The Legacy will be more practical for me anyway.