View Full Version : Bought a Legacy GT Today
I have been debating what to do for a daily driver for awhile - second kid coming reinforced that a 70 chevelle wagon was not the best choice - I finally settled on a 5 speed Subaru Legacy GT wagon - drove just about everything - including Acura's, Evo, STI, Scion XB and on and on... Legacy is a blast to drive, for 25k out the door, it is hard to beat, plus 4wd, curtain aibags, and plenty of room for stuff/kids is nice. maybe a short shift kit and stiffer shocks/swaybars are all I might add. just my 2 cents for anyone in the market for a "normal" car.
Bill Howell
05-25-2005, 06:00 PM
How long before this one is for sale :lmao:
I am glad you got off the Scion xb kick, just could not picture you in one of those.....
Those Legacy GT's are nice car. Looked at one myself. I picked up a well maintained 97 Tacoma for dirt cheap which means more money for the Firebird in my case. Had I been looking to spend more I probably would have ended up with the Legacy as well. It's handles well in stock form, I could imagine what a better set of springs and shocks would do for it.
protour_chevelle
05-25-2005, 07:17 PM
I have an 05 Legacy GT Limited 5 speed. Every option except for navigation(its worthless where I'm located, nothing important is recorded to justify the price) Its a blast to drive!
One question though, Do you notice that when rolling in 2nd gear at 2500 rpm and you mash it, the car kind of hessitates(almost jerking) but then it pulls hard? Lots of Legacy owners have this problem. I have the same problem. Its weird.
What color?
-Matt
Bill - I will give you first dibs if I decide to let it go ---
It is silver with black interior - it does have the hesitation issue around 2500 - check out legacygt.com there is a ton of info there. Seems like there is a B spec euro/asian model that has a vg suspension setup, and there are guys selling them there... in terms of the hesitation, there is a Cobb tuner which adresses the issue, but is $645.... it is so fast as it is, I will probably just live with it. Can't wait to smoke my neigbors kid in his mustang GT. More worried about tickets in this thing - 90 feels like 60, and the curvy roads in my 'hood are calling for me.
protour_chevelle
05-26-2005, 05:30 AM
When she's broken in, try doing 200+(km/h) It feels like nothing!
Congrats on the purchase once :)
-Matt
Steve Chryssos
05-26-2005, 05:33 AM
I've been looking at that car more and more. How's the leg room? I'm 5'11"
protour_chevelle
05-26-2005, 06:15 AM
Leg room is decent. One complaint I have is theres limited space to air out your nards. Stop by a Scoob dealer and sit in one. I live with it, I'd just like more room. What tires do the Legacy come with in the states? In Canada their crap!. OK on snow, dangerous on ice, loud on dry, decent on wet.
-Matt
After driving the car quite a bit last night, I noticed it had a stinky clutch when ever backing up, or feathering it in traffic, as well as a tricky engagement. With some reasearch on line, it looks like Subaru had some early issues, fixed the problem, and did not issue a TSB on early cars. Went to the dealer this morning - they verified the smell, but said it was "not a functional problem" and there was nothing they could do. While I was there, I drove another car with no problems whatsover with the clutch, but bad hestation at 2500 rpms - enough to shake the gear shift lever. I walked and told them to keep the car. If you do look into buying one - make sure you get a very recent production date. I decided to pass, as I would rather not have to deal with this crap. Seems to me like the motor may be better than the transmission and related components. FYI there is a ton of info on this at legacygt.com - do want to take up to much PT.com space on this, but wanted to post it for those of you who responded to the thread.
Also - according to the legacy forum, there are dealers who havbe replaced these bad clutches and have seen good results. Gillman Subaru in Austin would hear nothing of it - and lost a customer.
trapin
05-26-2005, 11:39 AM
Congrats on you purchase, that is an attractive car.
However....I'm saddened to hear that you did not consider an American car in your research. All you listed were Japanese cars.
Tony - to be honest, there is not an American car that fits the bill in terms of quality... I like Chevy Suburbans, but can't handle 15mpg (have owned in the past). Build quality of the magnum wagon seemed poor, Ford freestyle and chevy malibu maxx=rental car FYI subaru may not be any better - I took it back today.
I will but American when the product is up to par. At least the Sienna van I bought my wife was built in the states.
As I am looking at cars again - please feel free to turn me onto some American made cars.
Sam, so you did take it back then. The GT I drove (auto with manual shift) did not have the hesitation you speak of. One thing I did notice however was lots of boost spikes in the upper revs. It pulled to redline strong but not smooth.
I could definitely see some refining to the engine tuning. Hopefully you find something of your liking.
I love american cars, but I can agree with your statements in regards to quality etc. I think Ford is making good strides in this area. Have you seen the new Fusion sedan that is coming out? Looks like a very competitive package. Of course it won't hit the market for another couple months (Likely September) and I'm sure you'll need a daily prior to that. Good luck with the search.
I did take it back - I am became concerned about loner term reliability. Maybe I just had a bad car, but I drove another one w/o the clutch issue, but worse hesitation.
If they could retune, and put the STI 6 speed in it, I would be back. Will look out for the Fusion, but need a rig ASAP.
-John
trapin
05-28-2005, 05:42 AM
Sam...sounds like your looking for a 4 door sedan 'family style' car. One that can haul the kids around and then haul some ass when it's just you behind the wheel. I can relate...I wish I could have that. I'm stuck with a full-size Silverado extended cab.
Have you looked at the 300C or the new Charger over at Chrysler? They are both sweet rides however I don't think you can get a stick with them. I wish GM built the type of car that you're looking for. The only one that comes close is the Grand Prix GTP V8 that debuted this year. But it's front wheel drive and no stick. I think you can get Cobalt in a stick with 4 doors, but no V6. Just the Ecotech motor that you can upgrade through bolt-on stuff. As far as handling performance, Mark Stielow designed the chassis on Cobalt and hammered it out over at Nurburing in Germany. But this might be too small for what you're looking for.
Steve Chryssos
05-28-2005, 06:20 AM
I rented a 300 while down in NC. Very capable car--even with the V6. E-Benz suspension, E-Benz tranny, Dodge pricetag. I'm very funny about dashboards and the 300 dash trim was out of character for a "luxury" car. So the Magnum R/T would probably get my vote.
I'm still holding out for a RWD Trailblazer SS. Come on baby!! Give it to me!!
nitrovette
05-28-2005, 07:21 AM
WIth the new kid now im in the same boat,Ive been trying to talk the wife into one when i hand in the 03 pathfinder but she likes suv's.
Thanks for all your input - the magnum was close, but I went with a G35 6 speed, as I want to row the gears... really wanted a wagon for versatility, but have an ols jeep scrambler for hauling stuff. I am hoping in 5 years when I am ready to buy again, there will be a magnum 6 speed wagon pushing 400hp with better interior styling....
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