I am trying to sell me xB and I am considering a Subaru as my next car. I am going to have about $2500 to spend, but I am willing to get a loan and use the $2500 as a down payment. Even with a loan, I don't want to spend more than $6000 or $7000 on a car. I like the Legacy and the Forrester. I may consider an Imprezza, but I think I want something a little bigger like the Legacy. So here are some questions..... What problems are common with the Legacy and Forrester? I see alot of ads where they say head gaskets were replaced. it this a problem on these cars? Are the Automatic transmissions any good? I come from VW's and their AT's suck complete ass. What about drivetrain issues? Wheel bearings, drive shafts, CV axles, how do all these parts hold up? Now problems or quirks that are more year specific. I like both Legacy bodystyles, the pre 2000 ones with the smaller headlights, and the newer ones, I don't know the exact year change. I kinda like the interiors in the older ones better. Are there issues with the older body style that aren't a problem with the newer ones? I guess this last question is trying to justify spending the extra money to get a newer Legacy. Thank you in advance for the input. Oh, also, where is the best place to look at these cars? Are there any dealers you would reccommend? Should I avoid dealers? Thanks
Oh, and what is different on a California Legacy then our Legacy's. I imagine there is more emmisions crap, but does this make the car more difficult to work on or find parts for? I ask because there is a nice looking 1999 Legacy wagon on craigslist, but it says California car.
Ok, another post.... lol Here are a couple I found on craigslist really quick. http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/1094473849.html Impreza, I think I want the Legacy more because of size though http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/1094439446.html Price seems kinda low here. http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/1093869414.html http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/1093721701.html I don't know why, but I like this one. Just noticed the trim on the windshield though. http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/1092818201.html And a slightly older one. http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/1092124044.html
California meaning no rust im assuming...... are you looking to mod or upgrade it at all?? Headgasket info....http://www.mnsubaru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12857 hope you like to read becuase this should answer almost all other questions you may have about subaru.... http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533787
The only mods I would do is wheels and maybe something for the stereo to make it more entertaining on road trips. Excellent read about the head gaskets.
then a legacy will do you just fine.... te 2.2l motor is great so +1 for a car with that motor. the reason i asked is becuase the impreza models have more mod parts avail to them
The AT's are ok in these cars then? And if it's from California will it have goofy emissions crap on it, or are they all built the same?
I believe that they are fine....im not a super techy person with trannys. but im not aware of any big known problems. shouldnt have any emmisions stuff. im not 100% on that. you could ask the seller though
Thanks for your help. I have a couple people looking at my xB this weekend so if everything goes ok, I will be shopping for a car next week.
That is a good plan. I have this bad habit of shopping before I sell my current car. Then, when I find the car I want I freak out because mine hasn't sold yet. Good Luck!
head gaskets can be completly cured with the sti gasket on SOHC 2.5s, and they have an updated gasket for the DOHC 2.5.
Thats kinda what I figured. I was just a little worried when I saw all these ads stating head gaskets were replaced.
you will ove the legacy's! they are still small enough to be called a compact and handle like a compact but when your friends get in the back or you have to haul stuff you can actually do it effectively
Ahh.. the age old question: "What would you like to do with your car? What is your goal out of it?" Just posting it now because I'm sure someone else will.
auto transmissions I have an '03 Legacy wagon with an auto tran. I've owned the car for almost a year now. My experience so far; the auto feels kinda lazy to me, it is slow to downshift durring "spirited driving". 2000 to 2004 Legacys are nice cars if rims and stereo are the only mods your looking at. But if you think you might want to do any perfomance mods, go with a late '97-'99. Everytime I try to search for mods for my car to see what is available I find tons of stuff for late '90s and '05+ models but not much for mine. Even basic N/A bolt on stuff like a cold air intake cat back exhaust is few and far between. Not so for the late '90 models. If you really want power though, do yourself a favor and get a model with a turbo right off the bat (wrx, sti, fxt, or spec b) unless of course you want to do an engine swap .
The more credible sources such as Consumer Reports and Edmunds classify the Legacy as a midsized car. If you an easily "moddable" car, $6-7k doesn't really get you into that range of vehicles. another grand or two and you're there.
I doubt I will mod it, this car is designed to be versatile, have room, and be reliable, but still look kinda cool. Thats why it is very likely I will never do more to it than wheels and ICE. I was just curious if there was stuff out there if I wanted to do exhaust, intake, and suspension. No seriuos mods.
:laugh::laugh::laugh: ha ha! the EPA is stupid! Legacy sedan is a "compact" but if you look at the wagon it is a "mid-size wagon". It is the Exact same car only a couple inches longer!:???:
That's exactly what I wanted when I was looking, camping, fishing, etc. that's why I went with the wagon. Kind of a poor mans SUV that truly handles like a car. And Subies are a blast to drive in the snow or rip down a twisty gravel road! AWD FTW!
once you do exhaust you will want to do suspension becuase you car will handle like a hog. trust me. that is the first mod you should do if you are even planning on starting. there are lots of options for mods for the bd's(sedan) bg's (wagon) (both 95-99) because almost all the parts that fit on a wrx and 2.5rs's are a direct bolt on for our cars
no **** sherlock, i was saying shhh to keep the word down. i hate when my car is classified as a midsize
Crap! The wife put the kabosh on getting a loan right now. I am going to take the left over money from my xB sale (about $2k) and buy something down in that price range. I am looking at a couple Saabs and a VW tomorrow in fact. We are going to look into a newer, nicer Subaru in 2 years when my wifes car is paid off though. Thank you for the information though. I'll still be around going to Rallyx's and Autox's to shoot pics.
The 2.5l engines are notorious for head gaskets. As Erik said this can be fixed when needed, and in reality it isnt that bad if you know that you will need to do it, but it would suck if it were a surprise. The 2.5l motors also tend to be loud (ie clickity clackity) it is fairly normal and isnt a main concern unless it bothers you. The 2.2l Motors are very strong and last along long long time. However on both motors you will want to be conscious of the service intervals. All of the 2.5l as well as the 97+ 2.2l motors are interference (broken belt = bent valves) so keep in mind that any around ~100k or ~200k might need to have the timing belt/water pump/seals changed (you change em all because you have to remove the timing belt to get to all of them). That is mainly it for mechanical issues. Otherwise normal maintainance will keep you just fine (ie check oil). The 4EAT is a pretty dang strong transmission. historically the automatic is stronger than the 5spd (5spds strip gears). However it does rob alot of power. My Impreza was an auto for 4 years or so. I liked how it worked, there are something that are not perfect, such as when it chooses to downshift and what not. but that will never be perfect (unless you get a manual). The AWD is run differently on the Autos, since they have a center clutch pack that is controlled by a solenoid. This gives it variable power distribution. ie highway driving will be about 90% front, and 10% rear, and under hard acceleration it will go to 50% and 50%. This is not the best way to explain it, as it is fairly complex, but it gets the idea across. The advantages are pretty much that you get better highway mileage ( better than 50/50 split but not as good as the 5spd. although you get 30s highway), and that if needed you can temporarily disable to AWD by using a fuse (good for if you need to get a tow and cant get flat bedded for a short distance). Disadvantages are that you technically dont have real AWD like a manual. It really comes down to what you get used to. I drove an Auto for 4 years and I liked it, so now the 5spd seems kind of weird. Other people are the opposite drove the 5spd and hate the auto now. Both are good, and it doesnt really matter unless you are getting high centered or are in REALLY REALLY deep snow/mud/goo. FYI: Between Joel's car and mine (very similiar except his is a 5spd and mine was an auto) at the ice race 2 years ago, were putting down extremely close lap times. Drive train issues arnt very bad. Wheel bearings might be an issue but I have not encountered that problem very often. Drive shafts seems to hold up just fine. CVs are kind of the weak link. The boots tend to wear out every now and then. Pretty much you can replace the boot for like $10 or get a reman axle for $60 after core. It takes about 30 min for me to change out an axle start to finish. as a reference My car has ~195k miles on it and I have had to replace both front axles ( at around 120k) and now I need to fix the boot on one rear one (~195k). No should be the same as any other US spec Subaru. Only with less rust than a MN one. Assuming you go with a NA Legacy or Forester, your power options are fairly limited. There is the standard intake/exhuast/pulleys route. It can be improved by doing cams and some sort of EM unit (greddy emanage / PP6) but really that about it for power stuff, until you look at forced induction (turbo kit or swap, this is its own can of worms) Suspension is key. Legacys and Foresters have softer suspension than the Imprezas. Struts, springs and swaybars would be a big help here, but ride quality will suffer for it. Also lighter wheels with good tires wont hurt. I highly recommend getting dedicated winter/summer tires. Subarus w/ Nokian Hakkapaliitas straight up dominate!
Wow, now that is an insightful post. Thank you. I am out today to prove to my wife that the $1700 I have will not be enough to get me a decent car. Once I prove that to her I will be back on track to getting a $5000 or so Subaru. Thanks again for the input.
the DOHC N/A 2.5s are not bad motors, but you have to be EXTREMELY thorough when you're looking at buying one. it's all in the maintenence. look at the coolant, remember, clean coolant is at least as suspicious as contaminated coolant. also, be weary of a car that has had head gaskets done. if the PO didn't replace them soon enough, a failed gasket could cause cracks and warpage in the block and heads. in which case, you'll just keep blowing head gaskets until you get a new motor. When my ex and I were looking for a subaru, she wanted an outback. and in her price range, a BG one ('96-'99), which meant the EJ25D was our only option (with an Auto anyway. the '96 5MTs had the 2.2). We looked for one that did not have a head gasket leak and they had not been done. this is your best bet to find a car with straight and solid block/heads. we ended up finding one with ~120k miles on it for $3500. and ended up getting him down to $3k. The EJ25D is a fairly high-maintenance motor. but IMHO worth it. just make sure you get one that's been maintained. If you do look at ones that have had head gaskets done, ask a ton of questions. make absolutely sure it was done by a reputable shop, and the heads were checked/rebuilt when it was done. If they say that it showed signs of a leaking HG, but still ran fine so they kept driving it for awhile, leave. now, from a modification standpoint. Subarus are legos (as you might have heard). so regardless of what chassis you start with, you will have a ton of options for upgrades. only major exception, is in 2000, they changed the rear suspension design for the legacies (multilink instead of a modified macpherson), which DRASTICALLY limits options for them. links: www.cars101.com - tons of information about stock subarus throughout the years. trim levels, engine options, all kinds of specs www.subarudesktop.com - links to pretty much any subaru-related website out there. venders, forums, clubs, shops, etc. etc.
Yeah, being in the same segment as an Accord and Camry doesn't sound as hot. Have you ever gotten a parking ticket that said Honda Legacy? I have twice......
I hated the auto in the '00-'04 Legacys. Maybe I'm just a manual nut but the 05 LGT was the first auto Subaru made that I didn't despise. I'd be looking at a manual 00-04 if I were you.
