1993 legacy last night went out for ten minutes on way back engine check light came on and stayed on,went out this morning started car eventually it turned but took three goes before it burst into life,engine check light still on.l have no diagnostic checking equipment to check faults,is it safe to drive the car,any ideas what l could check,oil,wter etc are fine

check your oil levels, this should be done every week anyway. Do you have the manual? If so, check that. It is still safe to drive provided your temperature indicator says it is not too hot but best not to unless absolutely neccessary.

how did it sound when it started, could be anything from a
naff sensor to a fault in the ecu, try this subaru forum

http://type-ra.co.uk/vB/search.php?searchid=20244

im by no means an expert, but l would get it checked out a soon as, even if it does drive ok.

Your car is computer will have some error codes stored in it that would give u an idea of why it is turned the check engine light on.

If u take it to a garage, one of the first things they will likely do is retrieve these codes, look up their meanings & make their diagnosis from that.

You can probably get these codes & look them up yourself without any special equipiment, if u want to try that.

For example:

http://troublecodes.net/Subaru/

The Haynes manual for ur car would be a better source for this kind of procedure, if it applies to ur car.

Check your car with a ODB scanner. the fault codes will tell you what is the problem. Maybe theirs some problem with your O2 sensor. Could be due to your catalyte converter is gone.

You can have the code(s) retrieved at Pep Boys or AutoZone for free.

You should follow the advice given above by ioerr. Your car is pre-OBD-I l and it will blink the check engine light to tell you the trouble code(s) if you join the correct connectors under the dash together.

It is safe to drive the car. You can get it checked for free at Autozone. It could be a big problem or a minor problem. A check engine light could come on from a loose gas cap or Battery acid leaking out of the battery, which u should clean with hot water when the car is off.
The check engine light does not usually come on when u need an oil change. That would be the Maint. Req. light. You can check the oil dipstick & wipe with a white napkin. If the oil is dark brown, or black, then u need an oil change. If the oil is light brown, or gold, then it is okay.
Change ur Air filter every 6 months. Check u tire pressure. The tire pressure is listed on a sticker inside the door.