Subaru Brumby

I had one in NZ. Gave it hell for a few years and only had trouble with the cv boots ripping. Oh yeah, a bit of rust along the bottom of the doors but it spend a lot of time along the coast on fishing trips.

There is a guy on this forum that has one. It is really really really high, and looks very very very cool, and I wan't it!

I'm sure he'll reply.

Lots in West Vic but no one seems to want to sell such a versatile & comfy economical 4wd. Treated reasonably they seem to go for ages without bother,
none of the nonsense that the bigger 4wds seem to have with broken this & that.
Few around with HUGE kms on the clock, remarkable for a light vehicle.

Lots in West Vic but no one seems to want to sell such a versatile & comfy economical 4wd. Treated reasonably they seem to go for ages without bother,
none of the nonsense that the bigger 4wds seem to have with broken this & that.
Few around with HUGE kms on the clock, remarkable for a light vehicle.

Yeah,

Forum Member Bradley has one. He is in country Victoria somewhere.

Hi Bonz. Yes near Horsham. Down your way they would rust quickly without the
fish oil treatment.
Ones from up this dry area hold up well but are very expensive compared with their sedan counterparts. Has a 1984 sedan with 270,000kms & in near perfect condition , ran like new, could drive it anmywhere but as rego was due ended up selling it to a wrecker who on sold it within a few days for a big profit no doubt.
I had it advertised for months without response with RWC but if it had been a Brumby or would have sold quicker.
A wagon may be easier to find & a wanted adv in the cars section of the
Wimmera Mail Times might help.

Hi mate,

I had one from new in 91 for a few years before i needed more seats and i still rave about how good it was. I would have liked to give it a lift kit but didn't get around to it. Very economical, reliable and brilliant in the sand. The tappets need setting regularly, but its easy cos with a flat four the covers are easy to get to. Lots of power too for a 1.8. There are stories of these motors being good for 400 000k's.

The Brewman

Peter,
Things to look for
1/ Rust in sills
2/ Rubber boots and CV joints - test by driving on sealed surface at full lock in both directions, any clicking at full lock is sign of problems
3/ Oil pump leaks
4/ Holes in exhaust, near block
5/ Sticking carby, (no fun in city)
Rolande

Peter,
Ive owned three of them, small but very capable. They tend to get taken places they probably shouldnt cause they mostly get out again.
CV s are always a problem but when new they did around 100000km unless damaged. If a rubber boot tears then theyre stuffed. Water gets in, grease flys out, end of CV. Nothing else goes wrong. 92 are the last ones so most problems sorted by then.

Ive still got one, sadly it looks like Ill have to sell it, 130,000km A/C, GL 1992.Excellent cond. Make an offer.

John R

gday peter i had a 92 brumby for 4 years and it was the most reliable car i ever had the only thing was the cv boots, but are replaced very cheap, and i thrashed the box of it

Hi Peter. I have a 1982 Brumby Filled it full of fish oil years ago. Age suggests I should have replaced by now . But it just keeps rolling along. Comming up for 700,000 k now. If you find a good one grab it. Best vehicle I have ever owned. Just keep the service up and they will never let you down. I have a brumby motor in my ultralight, which means i bet my life on it Good luck Stan

I had one yaers ago and when I got rid of it, it had done over 200,000 km's and the only problems I had was rust and a cv. it went places I now know it shouldn't have but it was fun, comfortable and reliable. One of the best value vehicles I have owned.

Great machines, subaru only stopped bringing them in when the adr's changed and they couldn't justify updating the model.

Most of them have done service as farmers hacks, especially on dairies.. Most get rust in the tub along the front edge, and in the doors and tailgate if the drain holes have been blocked. Spares are fairly easy to get as they shared most components with the sedans and wagons of the same era, Tailgates and lights are another matter .....

To find a good one nowdays, the best place to look is in the metro area as quite a few have been well looked after and never done any heavy work. My friend spent months looking for his and found a lot of late model units in Melb. He ended up paying $8000 for a late model white brumby in immaculate cond..

Once you have a good one it will be very hard to let it go.

Lots of easy mods can be done, even wrx engine conversions, lots of brumbies around doing 12 second quater mile times :-)))))

Check the web, there are lots of brumbie sites / groups..
Cheers Brad