1988 Subru?
Ha.

@Djinn

Unless you are getting it for a song - meaning reeeeally cheap, and you enjoy trips to the garage every weekend, I would advise you leave it.

1988 is a very old car, subaru parts aren't always the cheapest, the car is a guzzler, and by today's standards not prestigious any more, its just like a toyota DX of the same age.

and, @TD - I think the car's vintage is not really a factor - we see many 126 series Mercs (1984-1990) in so much better condition than very many cars. Also many Merc 123 series (with local plates like KW, KX_, KY_, etc) - and their resale value is pretty high - between 200 and 400k. The 126 series are between 400-800k for a 25 year old car.

I guess with Japanese cars in general the resale value is rather high (e.g. Datsun 1200 pickup, Toyota Landcruiser, Toyota Hilux, Nissan Patrol, Datsun 120Y, etc etc). Of course the rest have as high a resale value like a used Tusker can

With European cars the resale value is low though they are durable (BMW, Mercedes, Peugeot, Landrover mainly) and their parts are mostly genuine.

I think if the vehicle is well engineered to start with, despite some problem areas which SHOULD be fixed with genuine parts and no short cuts on service/maintenance, it should be worth keeping for a few more years.

So we need to know, from those that have experience, what are the main issues?

Sometimes we see negative vehicle reviews because people skimp on maintenance and then give a car a bad name.

This guy is willing to revamp the main parts to the tune of Kshs 80-100k (bearings, CV joints, steering overhaul, tyres, major service, shocks, bushes, etc)

if you buying a second hand car locally its always advisable to know how the car has been maintained whether its a KBN or KST. Very few kenyans really maintain their cars.
Regarding the Leone ... think twice! at the end of the day i guarantee you, you will wish you had bought a new one or invested the cash in something else.
If you want something different get some datsun and work on it but subaru is a no no.

Ok simply put subaru is a high maintenance car in terms of price for spare parts. Unless the car was bought new (not mtumba) in your family and you know the history and has also been very well maintained it will cost you a fortune to keep it in good condition.If its the model that used a Carburetor or Single Point Fuel injection it will cost you in terms of fuel unless the engine is in mint condition.
On the other hand there are few guyz who are experts in subarus the majority of fundis around trust me ni watu wa kubahatisha and from interacting with the few subaru experts i know very few will spare you the time for a project car unless you paying them very well.