1996 Subaru Touch Up Paint (27 OEM Colors)

The 1996 Subaru Vibe

1996 was a weird and wonderful time for Subaru. You had the SVX-that futuristic, window-within-a-window spaceship-parked next to the bulletproof Legacy and the scrappy Impreza. It was the year Subaru really started leaning into its rally identity. While the showroom brochures might have been full of greens and purples, the survivors we see in the shop today are the ones that actually aged with dignity: Brilliant Red and the classic Pure or Aspen White. These were the honest colors of the mid-90s, built for the dirt but dressed for the driveway.

Paint Health Check

If you're looking at a factory '96 shell, you're standing right in the middle of The Peeling Era. This was the decade where clear coat technology was universal, but the bond between the base and the clear wasn't exactly a lifetime marriage. We call it "Delamination." You'll see it on the hood and the roof first-the paint starts looking like a bad sunburn where the clear layer lifts away in flakes. Once that happens, your base coat is exposed to the elements, and it'll turn chalky and dead faster than you can say "all-wheel drive."

Restoration Tip

The secret to keeping a '96 Subaru looking fresh is to seal your chips immediately. Because these clear coats are prone to lifting, a tiny rock chip isn't just a cosmetic eyesore; it's an entry point for moisture to get underneath the clear layer. Once the clear lifts at the edge of a chip, it starts to "creep," and before you know it, you've got a silver-dollar-sized patch of failure. Use a precision touch-up to bridge that gap and seal the edges of the clear coat down. It stops the spread and keeps the "sunburn" at bay.