Subie Newbie - Need Advice on LGT

Hey guys,
I'm new to the Subaru end of the world but am looking at adding an LGT to the stable. I need a reliable, daily driver that goes in the snow and is fun to drive in the dry.

Here's my question. What kinds of things should I look for (reliability wise) on an 05? I know this is the first year of a new body style and all. Any major issues?

 

I remember when they first came out they had a recall on the side airbags...it was folded the wrong way and wouldn't deploy correctly...other than that I didn't hear much more...This was on the first 05 shipments...they fixed it by the 2nd allocation.

 

Honestly, I haven't really heard of any major issues with these cars yet. My wife has an '06 LGT with about 11k on it now and we've been extremely pleased with it. It's been rock solid so far (well, except for the 2 dip****s that have swiped her bumper ).

 

I've had my 05 LGT for almost 2 years and 24k miles and have never had a problem with it. There is a current recall for the cooling fan switch/relay which is causing the fan to stay on for extended periods of time but it's an easy fix if it hasn't already been done by the time you get yours.

There is this wierd hesitation thing with the throttle that does take some getting used to. The word on the street is it has to do with the stock ECU mapping but I thought it was the throttle-by-wire or lag.

There is an amazing difference in the car running the Stage 1 AP but do get some better rubber on it before going Stage 1.

The only thing missing in my opinion is an auxiliary audio input for an MP3 player on the stock head unit. So yeah, that's not a huge issue.

 

Ahhh...whoops

 

I have an 05 and have been very pleased with it. The above mentioned recall for the fan is all that I can think of in terms of any problems. (and it really isn't a problem).

IMHO it's a great buy and a great ride.:biggrin:

Good Luck!

 

fantastic automobiles, look for a glove box that wont stay closed,and the recall

 

I'm looking for a manual tranny car.

Sounds like there are just a few small recalls on the car.

Anything else to watch out for on the 05's? Mechanical issues? Bodywork issues? Excessive wear items?

Also, how are the stock tires for MN winter driving?

 

stock re92s are absolute junk

 

im affraid to drive in the rain with them...cant wait for my new tires...and whats the deal about the glove box, mine sucks and never wants to close!

 

Get a set of Prodrive P1s and put summer tires on them and use your stockers for a set of Hakkas. The gold P1s look sweet on the regal blue sedans. Or just get a set of Yoko Advans for all-seasons.

The glovebox thing drove me nuts one day and I spent 10 minutes fighting with it. Figured out that it just needs a gentle touch and now it closes every time for me. It's like showing someone a magic trick when you close it after they've fought with it for a couple minutes.

 

Well, here's what I started with......



And here's how far I'm at right now.

 

Uh, sorry, but Firestone? Newbie here. I'm assuming that is a racetrack?

Thanks for the compliments. I'm aiming to have it done in early 2008.

 

No, the "Firestone" we all refer to is the parking lot of the Firestone tire place on University near Porky's in St. Paul. Lots of car folks gather around there and hang out or cruise. The Subaru folk generally gather at the Firestone lot.

 

Ah, gotcha. I didn't think there was a racetrack nearby called Firestone. The ones I recognize are Cedar Falls and Rock Falls.

 

Although a recall fix has not yet been listed yet. THere should be one relatively soon for the centre console. From time to time the display in your radio will bo blank and you will not be to change anthing on the radio but it will continue to play. A quick thump on the side should this happen to you will fix the problem for six months or until Subaru figure out how they want to address it.

 

Ha, like they'd ever recall something like a stereo.

 

That is their intentions. Too many failures.

I went back to the service department guys today and queried on an update for one of my customers 05 who has this problem. One of the other salespeople drives an 05 LGT 5spd wagon and hass had the same issue but it has only occured once. Many others have never even had the issue.