The internet is Brian’s friend when it comes to fixing his old first generation Subaru Legacy.
for starters he should check out The Tire rack for new struts at a fraction of the cost of OEM. i suggest the KYB GR-2. the best part is KYB makes the oem struts for subaru. the GR-2 is a better strut at a lower cost.
next he needs to join either the Legacy Central message board at bbs.legacycentral.org or the Ultimate Subaru Message Board at www.ultimatesubaru.org
both those websites are an amazing resource for keeping the old subarus on the road. plus they are full of cheapskates that have figured out the least expensive way to do it. chances are if there is a problem being had with a subaru those sites have talked about it.
i drive a 1995 subaru legacy wagon with 275,000 miles on it and those sites have saved me tons of money. somebody always has used parts for sale.
join the sites and find someone in your area to help you change the struts yourself. subarus are VERY easy to work on and many parts from different models fit on other models. the old joke is that subarus are like Lego.
i hope i helped out some subaru owners today.
Greg in Fargo