reliability question

Hi! Right now I am looking at the 2005 Legacy GT manual and a TSX w/navi. This might be a stupid question, but i have to ask..

 

here it is.. I have never owned a car with a turbo before so I am questioning their reliabilty. Since the current Legacy is a new model reliability in the long run can't be told, so how reliablie is a turbo'd engine? also subaru in general? last question, around how much would it cost to maintain it? I plan to keep this car for atleast 8 years or about 200k miles. So if having a turbo would cost more to maintain, it would make me consider the TSX more as my future car.

 

Right now I have a 02 4runner ltd with about 53k miles.

 

Thank You for helping me!

 

oh! I found a used 2004 Sti w/ about 4K miles for 26000. Is this a good deal? If it is.. i might just have to forget about the Legacy and tsx.

An N/A engine is usually more reliable than a Turbo engine, and in this case with the TSX's 4-cyl N/A vs LGT's 4-cyl Turbo, the N/A takes much less of a beating since it doesn't run under high compression compared to when the Turbo kicks in.

 

But if you are on it most of the time, an N/A would have to be up in the high RPM range to get any power/torque compared to the LGT's Turbo that gives you good torque from 3000RPM and hits peak Torque at 4000RPM and HP at 5200, more than 1000RPM below redline. Therefore the N/A will see more stress than a Turbo if you want to pass, monkey around, have some fun.

 

Never buy a used STI, you have no idea what the current pwner may have done with it. Did the owner drive it like it was stolen from day 1, any donuts, any mods went south, a lemon?

 

Edit: The TSX has more electronics and gadgets compared to the LGT's down to earth barebones functional and practical amenities. In the long run electronics tend to have more weird and unsolvable problems since the circuits are buried everywhere in the car.*

Now with a Turbo, as long as you do routine and some preventative maintainance it should go at least 100-150k miles.

 

*Excludes LGT's HVAC, and ILL indicator.

melayout, thanks for your help! I've never thought about it that way before. helps to ask for other people's advice. yeah, the gadgets in the TSX could lead to lots of potential problems..

 

i've seen the sti(friend of a friends car) and it looks and drives great. supposedly it has never been beaten but i find it very hard to believe..

the car basically stock except for clearbra and tint. Does anybody know how much off msrp i can get off an new 05 Sti? hehe.. i've always liked them

 

oh! i only just remembered! I've also never owned an AWD vehicle. Does that play any factor in reliabilty/maintenance?

 

Many thanks!

I'm not sure about the STi, but I know someone that just bought an Evo with the sunroof/leather package for $33k OTD. The reason he said that he wanted the Evo vs. the STi was the 10 year warranty.

melayout, thanks for your help! I've never thought about it that way before. helps to ask for other people's advice. yeah, the gadgets in the TSX could lead to lots of potential problems..

 

i've seen the sti(friend of a friends car) and it looks and drives great. supposedly it has never been beaten but i find it very hard to believe..

the car basically stock except for clearbra and tint. Does anybody know how much off msrp i can get off an new 05 Sti? hehe.. i've always liked them

 

oh! i only just remembered! I've also never owned an AWD vehicle. Does that play any factor in reliabilty/maintenance?

 

Many thanks!

 

It is more preventative maintenance than anything for AWD. Check all tire pressures frequently to reduce the amount of work the 3 differentials have todo to compenstate for tires with different diameters as a result of different pressures.

 

Don't do burnouts, donuts. If you play with the car, forget everything you know about FWD/RWD cars and understand how the symmetrical AWD system works. It can save your life or it can drain your wallet(worst case).

thanks, i've asked around and turbo wouldn't be to bad. my 4runner's 4wd has prevented many possible accidents and so far hasn't cost me much.. except for when i pay for gas.. sigh

 

my friend aslo bought an evo because of the warranty, but it didn't last too long..