wagonista's '96 BG7 [goodbye, old friend.]

[Wagonista]

1996 BG7 Legacy Outback. EJ22 5MT

- Purchased in CA July 2007 with 191,000mi on the clock. It has something like 136k on it as of fall of 2014.

Exterior:
- Aerotech knockoff (ebay) front grille
- JDM rain deflectors
- Ganador Aero mirrors (removed) Power / Folding mirrors [outbacks do not have them standard]
- Shaved pinstriping
- Removed fog covers
- DIY mudflaps do not want.
- Tinted 5% rear, 35.5% front
- OEM wing
- OEM sideskirts Need a new passenger side one...

Lighting/Electronics:
- Hyper yellow fog lights
- DIY red gauges
- LED dome lights and license plate lights
- Clarion DXZ585USB head unit

Interior:
- Greddy counterweight shift knob
- eBay pedal covers
- Door cards and armrest covered in black microfiber suede
- Razo 300mm rear view mirror
- 2003 WRX bucket seats
- DIY red hazard switch

Engine/drivetrain:
- Butchered stock intake
- SPT oil filler cap... Won in a raffle at a very large Subaru meet. Bling!
- 1995 Impreza L transmission 1999 2.5RS 4.111 transmission
- Kartboy front shifter bushings
- Group N Transmission mount
- GrimmSpeed lightweight crank pulley
- ACT Streetlite flywheel
- Exedy organic clutch

Suspension / etc:
- 2003 WRX 16x6.5 +53 225/60/16 // JDM Legacy GTB 17x7 // XXR 530 18x8.75 +35 235/40/18 // 2013 WRX 17x8 +53
- 2004 STi struts & springs KYB AGX Adjustable struts, STi springs
- Rear strut bar
- Drilled/Slotted rotors with ceramic pads

Pictures:

At stock when I got it:


From a couple years ago:






Then for a while it was like:

[Wagonista]

No real updates (I haven't even replaced the rear bumper!), but I did spend a lot of money on giving the wagons a new home.

[KNaph]

Congrats on the new place! Must be an exciting change for you!

[Wagonista]

Thanks! Lots more changes here. I have two new babies, now. One human, and one is a 40-year-old Toyota.

[foohfooh]

Re - upping this thread. Bump for updates. Homie had ganadors on an outback. Re examing photos now. Rad.

[fwa2500]

Well, there are updates but I'll let Alex post them.

[Wagonista]

Yeah... I've been meaning to update this thread for a while. I've kind of dreaded writing this post, because it's really the last thing that's left. The Eulogy.

After nearly nine years of daily driving the wagon, I finally parted ways with it.

This car was a huge part of my life. I'm still pretty shocked that I sold it, but it was just time. I've had more memories with it than with any other thing. Countless Thursday night meets, so many friends that I've made because of it, so many people who bought Subarus themselves because of it. I met my wife because of this car! We fell in love going for long drives and having long talks in it.

65,000 miles, two transmissions, countless memories, eight years, one track day, a few autocrosses, high school, college, marriage, commuting to work, first house, first baby, all with this car. I didn't quite make my goal of hitting 300K miles on the car, but I think it'll get there with the new owner.

She was so clean when I first got her, but the years in the salt and sun of Utah weren't kind, nor was the neglect that slowly crept in due to "life happening" - getting married just made it so I didn't have the time to take care of her like I used to. The suspension was really needing to be overhauled, and it was getting to the point where it was too low, too stiff, too loud, and just no fun to commute in awful traffic in.

I sold it to another enthusiast, a postal worker, the first guy who showed up to look at it. It'll be his family car. After listing it for sale, I had 26 people in line to look at it within 24 hours of listing it -- a real shock to me for a rough old modified car with a quarter million miles on it. I friended him on Facebook, so I still see it. And I've been tagged in a few 'spotted' posts on the local groups since then as well. It's odd, I feel kind of jealous. It's a similar feeling to seeing an ex with someone else.

As for its replacement? As boring as you can get, an automatic 06 Outback 2.5i in Atlantic Blue Pearl with really dirty beige cloth interior. It was a real steal of a deal and was tremendously undervalued, so I'm set on flipping it this summer to get a 540i Touring wagon or an 07 XT Limited in black. It's also allowing me to focus on restoring my Celica - a car I've wanted for over ten years, long before I got into Subarus.

But really, nothing will ever replace the old wagon. It's sorely missed, and despite being a horrible commuter in the end, I really miss the way it drove, and all the dozens of little things I did to make it mine.

Goodbye, old friend.

[Go Mifune]

Sorry to hear it but a very good eulogy.

[peugoby]

Great eulogy, I hope she lives on and treats the new owner as well as it did for you. She was a pretty wagon with a great story to share. You'll love the 540iT if you go that route. I dearly miss my old E39 540i 6mt sport. A truly great drivers car. I also nearly bought a late model 4th gen Outback Limited, but it was a rare '09 3.0. Both are great choices.

Happy roads to you ahead.

[Wagonista]

Feeling nostalgic for this car lately. It's still putting around from time to time, mostly as a winter car and occasional family car for the guy I sold it to. I'm facebook friends with him and have kept my eye on it. Every so often he'll post a picture, like his kids watching a movie in it at the drive in.

I replaced the 06 beigemobile with an 07 Limited, black on black. It was a really nice commuter until it developed a catastrophic oil leak. I sold it for not much less than I bought it for, but kind of regret not just having a shop fix it for me. I was too busy dealing with an engine swap on my project car to want to worry about a second possibly unreliable car. I'm down to one Subaru now, the wife's 05.

Either way, it makes me happy to know that it's still out there.

Maybe I'll own it again someday.

Maybe not.