1997 Subaru SVX

Fun car, expensive to maintain

By bp (CA) on Monday, February 11, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 230,000

Pros: "fun to drive, fast, looks good"

Cons: "premium fuel, expensive an hard to maintain"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

"Its comfortable, sleek, fast, and fun to drive. As an added bonus there are few of them on the road, so it gets looks from time to time. The window-with-a-window design is cool looking at first but gets annoying after while. It started having problems at around 230,000 miles. Hard to find a mechanic who knows how to work on them, the mechanics at my local Subaru dealership even said they call it the "Subaru mistake". Also hard to work on yourself, you almost have to pull the motor just to get to the spark plugs. Overall, its a fun car if you have the money needed to maintain it."

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The SVX offers more smiles per gallon

By JCD (TX) on Thursday, December 13, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 172,000

Pros: "Fun fun fun. fast, fun and fun. Comfy tourer"

Cons: "No built-in cup holders, no longer in production"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

My fun car.

"I own a 94 black over white pearl LSi and a red 97 LSi. The LSi was the top of the line for this rare vehicle, with leather seats and sun roof standard. I bought both used and with 150K+ miles on them. They give more smiles per gallon than any car I have ever owned. They are a guaranteed head turner. Boy racers are always wanting to check it out at the stop lights. It's also fun to count the double takes on the freeway. The SVX was designed to be an all wheel drive high speed touring car. It is fast but not particularly quick because it is heavy. It is the most comfortable sports car I have driven with great handling and smooth ride. It is perfect for those long drives in the country, particularly if they involve a few tight turns. Gas mileage is outstanding. The 3.3L flat six easily achieves 22-25 mpg in town and 30+ mpg on the highway at speed. Speed for me is 75 mph and above. The SVX was technologically ahead of its time with speed sensitive steering, variable valve timing, automatic climate control and with manual and power modes for the drive-train. Now, we are talking about cars that are approaching 20 years old. They do require TLC. They will require parts from time to time. The local Subaru dealer has been great at tracking down some OEM parts, but there are very few new items remaining in the parts bins around the country. The SVX community maintains several forums for assistance in finding solutions to mechanical issues and parts. That is part of the fun of owning a rare exotic car. Examples of parts that I have needed for my cars are a radiator, rear wheel bearings, alternator, radiator cooling fan and original key fob. Nothing there is out of line for cars with 150,000+ miles. If you buy one in good shape, it will give you many miles of pleasurable driving. Just understand that as with any used car, things happen. With the SVX it could be expensive unless you do a lot of work yourself. Some mechanics won't even try because they are intimidated by the exotic looks and the fact that the engine is flat. The SVX is not that hard to work on if the mechanic is even part way competent. It's a motor, transmission and wheels. It just looks different. I love my SVX's and hope to drive them a long time."

4 people out of 4 found this review helpful

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Best car I have ever owned.

By Big E (WA) on Thursday, February 16, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 100,900

Pros: "Fun to drive with lots of zip"

Cons: "cupholder are inconvient."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"This car turns heads. It has power plus. Step on the gas and it goes. It calls for Premium gas but I use Plus and it drives great. I can get 26-30 miles highway. The only thing that I wished was better is the cup holders as too hard to reach in middle console. The AWD makes winter driving a breeze. The windows are attractive with good wind resistance. This is truly the best car I have ever owned. Love it, love it."

2 people out of 2 found this review helpful

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Terrific car but not for beginners

By Rallye72 (AZ) on Saturday, November 19, 2011

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 110,000

Pros: "awesome looks, unique. Smooth and fun to drive"

Cons: "maintenance cost, premium fuel"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I own a 92 SVX LS. I bought it 10 years ago in FL. It is a fantastic car and I love it. It has never let me down or stranded me. Advertised MPG is, I believe, way underestimated as I typically get just under 24 around town and 27 on the highway at 75-80 mph. The car was manufactured from 92-97 with a total of around 25000 brought to the states. While some suggest parts are unavailable I've not found this to be true, they are however expensive. This is not a cheap car to maintain if you do it properly. It is not a car for young people on a budget or parents looking for a driver for high school or college kids. The car is designed to run on premium fuel. There are after market chips availabe to run it on 87 octane. In some forums owners claim they just run it on 87 and accept lower mileage. I don't think this is a good idea and would not recommend it. Bottom line: I love the car but I'd only recommend it to people who can afford to maintain it properly. If you do you'll be very happy with it. Happy SVXing."

3 people out of 3 found this review helpful

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Beautiful car 1995 still looks cool in 2011

By Brick (UT) on Tuesday, October 25, 2011

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 94,800

Pros: "reliable looks great fun to drive"

Cons: "no cupholders, parts hard to find."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"Even though I purchased this car in 2010 it was in excellent condition. I purchased it for a fair price. As a matter of fact while I was waiting to have the car detailed for 3 days, the dealer tried to buy it back from me saying that he had other people interested in the car. I loved the car by then and told him no thanks. Surprise! when I called the dealer 30 days later to pick up my license plates, the scum bag told me "we have a really big problem" "Somehow we bought this car without knowing that it was salvaged" I was so upset I could not finish the conversation. The dealer immediately wanted me to bring the car back but my daughter was in love with it. So I made them give me back the majority of the money I paid. After all this, I am still happy with this car, salvaged,(for a very minor reason that was already repaired)or not. It is a great car!"

2 people out of 2 found this review helpful

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Driving it is like sitting in your living room!

By redsvx (NJ) on Saturday, September 03, 2011

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 222,500

Pros: "Head turner; powerful;very comfortable;aerodynamic; tres cool"

Cons: "Needs premium gas; expensive to maintain; hard to find old school mechanics who know how to fix it"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I bought my '94 red SVX back in '97. I absolutely love this car! I've had some annoying electrical problems, including the automatic seat belt (who's idea was THAT?), rear window defroster and driver side window switch. And parts are getting hard to find... But I don't think I'll ever find such a unique car again. Nothing out there that mere mortals can afford compares with this car. After you've had an SVX, how can you go down to a WRX? I'm sorry Subaru chose to discontinue the SVX. Maybe some aggressive advertising would have saved it. I have no idea what I will buy next. I'm spoiled!!"

2 people out of 2 found this review helpful

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