Exhaust smell emanating from old car?

Question

I drive an '97 Subaru Legacy. Far as I know, it still works perfectly.

Lately, there's been a bad exhaust smell around the car when I park and get out. I can smell it inside the car on occasion, but not often. But every single time I get out, it's there, right in the immediate vicinity of the car on all sides.

A mechanic in passing said he "didn't smell anything he wouldn't expect from a car of my age," but he didn't really look at it at all.

The smell is not super-strong, but it's strong enough to irritate me.

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

The first thing to check for is an exhaust leak. If the exhaust is leaking some of it may be accumulating under the car instead of exiting out the back. This could be why you smell it on the side of the car when you get out. This could be dangerous if it is getting inside the car.