Up for sale is my 1992 Subaru SVX LS-L.
At a glance:
• 134000 miles
• 3.3 liter EG33 flat 6, 230 horsepower
• 4 speed automatic out of a Forester, 4.44 final drive ratio
• Quick Change module to remove shift torque management, plus an auxiliary trans cooler
• New brakes
• Fresh timing belt, tensioner, idlers, water pump, radiator hoses
• All seals on the front of the engine have been replaced
• New o2 sensors
• Fresh oil in both diffs, along with a new filter and fresh ATF in the transmission
• Decent summer tires
• No rust
• All electronics work
• ABS is out – comes with the parts to fix it, but I haven’t gotten to it yet
• Makes for a good, quick, unique daily driver and has never let me down
• Needs some cosmetic work – dents and sunburned paint
• Comes with factory literature, owner’s manual, etc
• Factory keyless entry and alarm, power sunroof and driver’s seat, leather interior, cruise, heated mirrors – all the luxury options available new
If you don’t know the history of the car, back in the ‘80s, Subaru was known for building cheap cars. Their ads touted amazing reliability and frugality, generally skipping over things like performance and driver enjoyment. With the advent of the SVX, Subaru aimed to take on the likes of other GTs of the time, including the 300ZX, the 3000GT/Stealth, and the Lexus LS300. It was a big jump from economy cars to the sport-luxury class, and many people didn’t see the prestige in the Subaru name. As such, during a production run from 1992 to 1997, only about 14000 SVXs made it to the United States, and only 25000 were produced worldwide. At the time, and for quite a while afterwards, the SVX was the most expensive car that Subaru had ever produced.
Two trim levels were available in 1992: the LS, and the LS-L. Mine is the upmarket LS-L, which added a power sunroof, power driver’s seat, leather upholstery, a 6-speaker sound system, CD player, spoiler, and somewhat stiffer suspension to the extensive list of standard options. The SVX is also equipped with cruise control, fog lights, power heated mirrors, a driver’s airbag, fully automatic climate control, a fold-down rear seat, and a rear window washer and wiper. All of the interior electronics work, including the security system and keyless entry. Being a car from the early 90s, it does also have those funky automatic seatbelts, both of which work fine. All four electric windows also work great. The only issues that I’ve noticed are that the sunroof needs a little help to open, and stops in the middle when closing. Press the button again and it closes the rest of the way. The driver’s window switch cluster also has loose/missing switches, but the contacts are still there, and they work fine. The only other strange interior issue is that the tachometer occasionally drops out, only after the engine is fully warmed up. There is no effect on drivability.
Externally, my SVX is all stock. There is no rust aside from the two places where the paint cracked: one from a dent, and the other from a bra that was installed on the car. There are a few dents and scrapes, as expected on a car that is more than 20 years old. The paint is burned off the spoiler, and it is bare fiberglass. The car will come with a spare good used rear bumper, but it is the wrong color. The color is Dark Teal, and can be purchased online.
Mechanically, it’s in very solid shape. The suspension feels good, and doesn’t make noise. The brakes are new, with fresh pads and rotors all around. The tires have a good amount of life left. I’ve replaced the water pump, all of the radiator hoses, and air filter. I also did the timing belt, idlers, tensioner, and all the oil seals on the front of the engine. Both differentials have fresh oil, and I replaced the filter and fluid in the transmission. It has been swapped to a 4.44 transmission, making it a very quick car. It also has a quick change module to eliminate torque management, as well as an additional transmission oil cooler. Both o2 sensors are new. The transmission doesn't slip, but it does shift kind of hard into second, and it does the laggy 2-3 shift thing unless you're past 50% throttle, at which point it's nice and firm. the trans brake band is adjustable on these, and is responsible for this behavior, so I'll keep trying to sort that out. It's been that way as long as I've had it with no ill effects, and when I dropped the trans pan, it was all nice and clean inside with no evidence of slipping.
It’s a very solid car, and most of the hard work is done. I use it as a daily driver, but I have 3 cars, and need to let one go. I’m asking $3000 OBO for it at this point, with a clean, clear Indiana title. Chances are, I will keep fixing things as I go if it doesn’t sell. If the buyer is interested, I also have a lot of SVX literature and the factory service data for the car.
Pics to come in the following post.
...though I'd be a lot more concerned if I actually lived there. Definiely good to know for the future, heh.
