Anyone had any experience with a Justy?

Hey guys,

I found a 1990 Justy for sale and was wondering if anybody here had any experience with one? I am looking for a fun beater and a little car with awd sounds pretty cool.

Are parts availible for them?
Are they too slow? (3 cyclinders of fury!)
How do they drive?

thanks

 

ive driven an awd 4 cyl one, it was a BLAST! alot of parts are still available, they drive like you think they would, like a small small car, they are ultra reliable too!

 

I have owned two of them. The first (1990) was a really great car. The second (1991) was a bit of a lemon. I knew absolutely nothing about cars then or I might have been able to use the first to fix the second. Both were the 5-door GL Hatch, 5 spd with push button 4wd. Most driving was done in fwd just turning on the 4 when conditions or the road requested.

The first one was replaced because it needed a complete brake rebuild and due to two accidents (while a friend was driving it, and getting rear-ended) the work+parts cost way more than it was worth. The first accident was also causing it to eat thru CV joints. We found out this was because of a bad ball joint when we discovered the brake situation.

The second one was in great shape except it was low mileage and probably thus had engine trouble. The first one even after being garaged for a year would start up on the first turn of the key after the MPI had fired w/o giving it any gas at the pedal at all. It stayed strong until the alternator was pulled for the lemon. :emo:

The first one I had while I was in the army and there was really nothing to do but drive around on the ranges during off-duty time. I took that thing places I would not have taken even the 4X4 Dodge our unit had (probably b/c of government maintenance and cost-cutting: retreads, etc). With four of us packed into the car we would bomb all over the red clay or sand range roads and trails.

We even used an axe to cut a berm down enuf that we could drive/lift/push our way over and then across a set of railroad tracks and on to a different road. We also used to take it across the creeks at the armour vehicle "Ford Crossings".

It did many Midwest - Western Canada and Midwest - Southeast trips. Road noise is what you would expect for a small car of that nature and the top speed was about 75, maybe 80 if you really pushed it - or added a vertical mineshaft.:eek4: Passing on two lane highways at speed (60+) could be a little tricky at times with only 3 cylinders, but it just made you drive thoughtfully.

In the western mountains on logging or deactivated roads that got quite steep you might have to play the hand brake/high revs to get moving if you got stopped. Once these climbs were over there was usually quite a strong coolant smell. I always felt bad about those but happy the car made it - and luckily those were not very common. You had to watch your shifting to keep moving on these roads. Highway driving in the mountains on long climbs was sometimes a bit tough as the gearing forced you to drive lower geared and slower than you wanted b/c the next gear up was too low revs.

All that being said I would happily have another Justy if I didn't now have a 16-mnth-old. The car is a little too small for a family car on long trips and not quite as safe as I want for the boyo - not for any reason other than there are a lot of bozos out there and a great many of them are driving too big vehicles that keep them safe enough to not learn how to drive any better. If I had any need for a second vehicle or something I was puttering with for off-road/ ice I would definitely be thinking that way.

Oh - it was great in snow as long as it didn't get too deep. Once you started to plow with the bumper there was not much deeper you could go. But I imagine I will find that true with the Impreza this year, too.

 

Posted a link to a Justy that has had a "few" mods. It brings back the love, even if muh cars were never anything like it.

http://mnsubaru.com/forums/showthread.php?p=360135#post360135

Oh yeah - a plus to the 3 cyclinder is we had heat pouring out the vents after 3 blocks from a cold start in MN winters.

 

Holy ****.... I want one!

 

I sooo wanted one of these for my winter beater/DD substitute while I was swapping the RS. The 5 speed + push button 4wd sounds so damn fun.

I found one on craigslist and it looked awesome, but I emailed and called and the idiot never replied to anything. Supposedly he didn't take calls cuz he hates telemarketers, so you have to call and leave a message, AND he has no email. I still wonder now how the hell he was expecting to sell the damn thing when he acts like a freakin caveman?

I ended up buying a beater legacy wagon instead. I'd sell or trade it for a 5 speed justy in a heartbeat.

 

Bump for an update... you get the Justy? (And if so, whatta ya think so far?)

 

justy = subaru bastard child.....

a small, reliable car powered by a transverse-mounted inline engine is no more interesting to me than a honda.

 

^ej swap

 

I have absolutely no idea if this was true but this seems to be the place to put it. I heard a long time back, early 90's or so, that Subaru designed the Justy only to test the (then) new ECVT transmission - a transmission type that could theoretically go as fast in reverse as forward. Afterword they decided to market the car.

I also think that the body design was an evolution of the earlier 3-door GL Hatchbacks of the 80's if anyone remembers those. I don't think either the Loyale or the Legacy had a 3-dr option, so...

The different engine did make it very difficult to find service technicians who really knew anything about the Justy.

Anyway, just some thoughts provoked by Chux's stated opinion.

 

they never needed techs for the justy, they seriously last forever! lol