Wanting an L-series wagon, have a few Q's :)

[Jake]

Hi guys im brand new to the forums, im thinking of getting an l series wagon and was wanting to ask a few questions about them first.

How reliable are they?

Are parts cheap and readily avaliable?

What is fuel consumption like? Im trying to move away from my current car because of its fuel consumption on the highway and would like something with a 5 speed to travel in that is quite good on the highway, What is the capacity of the wagons fuel tank and how far will a tank take you sitting on 100kph on the highway?

Are they quite good offroad stock?

What other vehicles share the stud pattern?

Basically i want an l series wagon raise it a little maybe an lsd in the rear, sunroof, roof racks, aftermarket bucket seats possibly, some lower offset wheels for wider track with possibly taller tires, a nice steering wheel.

I want to take it on long trips and offroad camping, stack it full of camping gear, drive it daily, travel long distances on the highway. How suitable is the l series wagon for my wants and needs?

Thanks in advance guys much appreciated
Jake

 

[Jake]

Oh and how much do they weigh?

 

[yarney]

Hi Jake
I think by what you want to do you would be better off with a Liberty there are plenty around and parts are getting cheap all the time
They have plenty of power d/r gearbox and are just as good as an l-series
I don't believe i said that i had an l-series myself for 3 years and had a hell of a lot of fun in it
I have plenty of mods on my car but no lsd and i get around just fine have a look at some of my videos on youtube type yarney100 in the search
They are good on fuel cd players fit in fine they have 5 stud wheels l-series only have 4 stub very little to pick from
You can pick up them cheap too


Jan

 

[El_Freddo]

Yarney's probably on the right track with the liberty move... That said I've not had a liberty, just the L series.

My tips would be to look out for a well treated L series MPFI touring wagon. These vehicles have everything you'd need and will return good fuel economy if looked after. As for your question about how far the 60L tank will get you while cruising on 100km/h - the best I've got was 730kms from a tank and we were still moving! That was with a fresh engine though so you might not get as good as that.

They're an alright unit stock, but even better with an EJ! That's probably the most significant modification you could make to an L series to make them better. The liberty will come with most of the good stuff you list except the low range sucks balls!

Lifting a liberty has a few options over the L series: strut and spring lift or full body lift with springs... The L pretty much has just body and spring lift or spring lift only as the options. Doing a strut lift on an L would chew through too many driveshafts/CV joints!

And as Yarney said, the 4 stud pattern has VERY few options compared to the subaru 5 stud pattern! This is a sticking point that I have at the moment. Other than that my L has served me well and got me into some very interesting places!

I would like to build up an L series with 2 inch lift, 26 or 27 inch tyres on standard offset rims (no flares), EJ22 or EJ20. It would have to be a touring wagon this time around though - I've not put my full interior back into Ruby Scoo and this does not do her any justice in the looks department

All the best with it, just keep your eye out and check the unit out for rust under the windscreen in particular.

Cheers

Bennie