El Oxido es El Diablo (Rust is the Devil)

I had this SVX a couple of years back and never posted up the story here until now.  I always wanted an SVX back in college in the mid 90s but they were still too expensive.  I love the windows and always knew Subarus were an underrated car (at the time at least).

I found ol' green at an autotrader ad.  The rust had eaten up the body as the owner used it as a fast and low winter car instead of a truck, etc.  He had all the records, receipts, and even magazine articles and loved the SVX.  Just didn't wash it too often after letting the salt in. 

I had it cut and welded for rust repairs.  I had the expensive 500 dollar radiator changed and even did the balljoints for 250 a piece.  The strut mounts were 125 each, all just in parts.  The car was running like a beast and I still have a video up on YouTube with the same nick.  See the transformation.  She was an awesome beast, really way ahead of its time in design.  I would love to see another one come out with Subaru's really pricey line up today.

A note for the new SVX driving Gen

tlemen, remember that the transmission problems were finally understood after years of returns to dealerships and then years after that in the used car market.  The transmission was reliably used in the Nissan Pathfinders and had less problems on that car.  The reason it was get so hot was not just because it was a bulky unit, but mainly because it had to be tilted to be used on the SVX.  The fact discovered later was that the heat in addition to the lack of fluid getting to the rear of the case cause gear 3 and 4 to fail.  The trick that the previous owner used, and I continued, was to drive on D3 in the city and only on D on the highway.  You spend more on gas, but you keep the transmission soaked.  Also, get an auxiliary cooler for 23000 GVW just to be safe.  Also, buy subaru parts online from cheaper dealerships in the Midwest.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON BUYING AN SVX, IT SHOULD BE SOONER THAN LATER.  I watch their going prices on trader mags, and ebay and before the 94-97s were selling for premium while the 92's were in the 1000-2000 mark.  Now, even the 92's are in the 4's and 5's.  This happened to the old 300zx turbos from 84-89.  Trust me, this is a plateau at 4-5K.  These cars are worth the purchase.  You can never believe that the transfer case is bad, the transmission's should be testing when the car is really warm, and know that parts are rare and expensive.  Good Luck.

Some Rust Patches with Rustproofing sprayed on the other Side