L Series vs Liberty

teki1975

Forum Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2015
Messages
61
Location
Hobart
Car Year
1998
Car Model
Outback
Transmission
Auto
Well I have spent months looking up articles on the difference between the L series and the Liberty/Legacy. From what I have read the engine on the liberty is the best but the 4wd gearbox of the L series is the best ?

I have seen all the arguments for putting an EJ engine in to a L series and if it wasn't for the ECU I would do this. One thing that I have not been able to find much information on is the 4wd capabilities of the Liberty vs the L series.

The most I want to be able to do is take the car on the beach when I go fishing and a tiny bit of trail blazing collecting firewood.

Just wondering if any members have owned both and done four wheel driving in them. and which one you would pick if you were me ? Any help would be much appreciated

Thanks Teki
 
gen2 or gen3 liberty?
 
Due to financial restrictions more than likely Gen 1 but Gen 2 is also a possibility. I will be installing a 2" lift kit as well
 
teki1975 said:
Due to financial restrictions more than likely Gen 1 but Gen 2 is also a possibility. I will be installing a 2" lift kit as well
Click to expand...

Rego must be cheap in Tassie.. in Sydney, its not worth registering and insuring anything worth less than a couple of grand.

Sorry to misdirect - can't answer your question..
 
Rego is pretty cheap down here and so is getting them over the pits. But the price of cars down here is crazy new cars are pretty much the same as Melbourne but older cars are way more expensive than in other states. They keep there value. Even if the condition is poor. And used parts are expensive too. I see cars in Sydney and Melbourne for $1500 but down here they are selling for $2500. The same is with land and houses the land is cheap but to build is expensive.
 
Why does "the ECU" stop you putting an EJ in an L series? It's just part of the job and didn't stop hundreds of others :)
 
I want to try and keep the engine electronics free as possible.
 
The phase I ej22 doesn't have much in the way of electronics in the ecu anyway, the l series carby does choke on steep climbs.
 
What's wrong with having electronics?
Sure it adds complexity, but I'd argue a modern Suabru engine with EFI, ECU etc would be more reliable overall than an old EA donk. Also, if you are considering a Liberty then isn't that point kindof moot anyway as they all have these pesky ECU contraptions anyway?

In answer the the original question, there are some pros and cons of both.

Points for L series:
- Better entry and departure angles (Liberty has bigger front and rear overhangs to smash on things)
- Locked centre diff when in 4x4 mode (Liberty just has a pretty weak 4kg centre diff)
- Good low range ratio (1.5:1) (Liberty only has 1.1:1)
The Liberty can have gearbox modifications to improve the low range and even add L series locking centre diffs but the locking diffs are pretty rare.


Points for Liberty
- Way better power from the EJ engine (The L series can of course have an EJ engine fitted).

Honestly if you are planning to do a bit of beach driving, and collect firewood, a Liberty will do you totally fine and is a WAY nicer on-road car.
 
Thanks for the input guys it is much appreciated. I will take a few liberties for some test drives. And it might be worth buying one on the mainland and bringing it back to Tassie.
 
For the price of a Gen1 Liberty you'd buy a 97-98 Forester down here anyway.
2.0 Dual Range
already lifted
easy to modify
heaps of compatibility with impreza/ WRX and late model forester parts too
 
I will have to look in to the Forester, Mind you I still love the L series if I keep the L series I will put a weber Carb on it. But I doubt it will do to much. Back to looking up about Foresters
 
All the years I owned my L series, there seemed to be a tiny bit of jealousy every time a newer model was on the beach when I saw one.

Go the lib.
 
Thanks for the advice guys I ended up buying a L series it was registered and only $400 so the cost made the decision easier. But I must say driving the Liberty and Forester was very smooth I did not get a chance to do any off road driving with them. But I may upgrade to a forester in the future. Thanks again for all the input
 
The cool thing is you already have the 1,59:1 low range for the future Forester…if they're or will be both manual gearboxes !
 
You'll be very happy with the L series. While not as comfortable or refined as a Foz or Lib, they are very capable offroad & have a lot of character :biggrin:
 
Yeah it is old and besides the interior I do not mind the look. And for what they are they are very capable little off roader. Will see how it goes with the new Weber Carb, Lift kit and larger rims and tyres.
 
Watch out for cheap L series - they have a habit of becoming offroad monsters... My $500 L series has!

If you're going to mod for offroad improvements do your research! There are many ways of doing things and the way that you do it will depend on what you're actually trying to achieve in your end goal of the build.

Otherwise, enjoy the ride with the noisy lifters! That's one reason why I went with an EJ. I've found the EJ bullet proof over the EA and the ECU does the trick/keeps things factory. You're only afraid of the ECU as you don't know how they work or what's involved in the wiring cut down. The early EJ's can be easily DIY'd with some wiring diagram reading skills ;)

Anyway, I digress again!

Cheers

Bennie
 
The master has spoken. Been following (El Freddo) your Subaru build on various forums.

Down the track I will be doing the EJ Conversion.

My lift kit just arrived 2" Strut and body kit. I hope to be installing it this week. My Weber carb arrived as well but will do the lift first no rush for the weber.

What tyre and rim size would you recommend El Freddo ? I will be doing the usual beach driving and driving on rocky off road tracks. I have 13" standard rims at the moment but was thinking of going 14" or larger what do you recommend ?
 
Once you have the lift kit fitted, you will have room to fit 14 inch wheels. Try to get some with the correct offset as this will have less negative effect on steering at full lock. Otherwise you WILL need to remove front mudflaps.

14 inch wheels will give more clearance, and greater variety of tyres to choose from.

The biggest negative is that you will loose a little of you lower gearing.

Having said all of that, I have stuck with 13inch wheels on mine, and have had very few issues.

Beigewagon.
 
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