Junkyard Gem: 2002 Subaru Legacy Wagon

The Outback designation, introduced in The united states on off-highway-increased variations of the Subaru Legacy and Impreza for the 1995 product yr, inevitably proved so preferred on a one design — the Legacy station wagon — that Subaru ditched it from use on any other automobile. American car customers could acquire a new Legacy Outback sedan all the way by way of 2007, and they could also get an regular Legacy station wagon by that year. Following that, the Legacy wagon became available as an Outback only, dropping the Legacy name once and for all. Here is one of these really hard-to-uncover 21st-century Legacy wagons, noticed in a Colorado self-assistance property.

Although US-marketplace Outbacks missing all their exterior Legacy badging commencing in 2000, they ended up nevertheless deemed Legacies by Subaru and any corporation registering or insuring them. This puzzled everybody, primarily because the lower-end Legacy L and snazzified Legacy GT even now sported comprehensive product-title and trim-degree badging.

To muddy the waters additional, every new Subaru offered in The united states acquired all-wheel-push starting up in the 1996 model calendar year, yet trapped with 1994-style AWD badges very long soon after that.

In any scenario, barely anyone was acquiring Outback sedans by 2002, and — at least in Colorado — even less wished the Legacy wagon without the need of the Outback’s lifted suspension, increased roof, body cladding and winter-helpful capabilities. I see hundreds of Outback wagons of the 2000-2004 era in Entrance Vary automobile graveyards just about every year (as well as proudly owning one myself), and this is the initial normal Legacy wagon I’ve viewed in quite a while.

So why did another person invest in this just one, twenty several years in the past? I am guessing the $19,995 sticker price (about $32,640 in 2022 bucks) looked desirable future to the Legacy Outback wagon’s $22,895 ($37,375 now) price tag, particularly since they approximately equivalent below the skin.

You could get an H6 motor in some 2002 Legacy Outback styles, but each other member of the American Legacy family members obtained this 2.5-liter H4 rated at 166 horsepower.

A five-velocity manual transmission was base equipment, but most Legacy prospective buyers insisted on two-pedal driving by this time.

There is some rust all around the fenderwells, but I feel large miles and most likely a worn-out motor sent this motor vehicle to its closing parking place.

The digital odometer requires Eu energy to display anything at all, so we’ll in no way know the remaining mileage overall.