Considering A 4th Gen Legacy. First Time Subaru Owner W/ Questions

Hello all. I'm currently driving a 2001 Infiniti G20 which is very small. Our family is expanding and I really need something a little bigger and I like the idea of AWD in a car since I live in the snow belt.

 

I really like the 4th gen Legacy sedans. I looked at one yesterday at a used car dealer, it was an 05 with 79K miles on the car but the engine, transmission, and turbo were just replaced. According to the used car salesman an oil cooler line broke which caused major problems? I probably won't buy that particular car because I just have a bad feeling about it but we'll see after I test drive it I guess.

 

I know the turbo is probably the favorite here but right now I'm leaning towards a non turbo model. I figure it's one less thing to go wrong with the car.

 

I have a few questions, I'll probably have many more.

1. I really want one with a standard transmission but my wife can't drive standard which is kind of a hassle. Do the non turbo models with automatic have enough power?

2. Do the non turbo models also require premium fuel?

3. In my current car I added an aftermarket stereo with an aux in jack. I was researching on Edmunds and I noticed that the Aux in jack wasn't added until 2007. I know it sounds funny but between my mp3 player and satellite radio I absolutely cannot live without an Aux in jack. Is there an easy way to add one to an 05 or 06 Legacy? I don't want to replace the stereo with an aftermarket stereo again.

 

Two negatives for me with these cars is

1. I don't really care for how there is no frame on the top of the doors, it's just glass. That looks cheap to me, it reminds me of Chevy's and Buicks from the 1980's.

2. A timing belt instead of chain is also a big negative but it is something I can deal with.

 

I haven't driven one yet because the dealership was about to close yesterday when I got there. I'll probably go back this week so I can see if I like how the car drives.

 

Looking forward to any feedback and suggestions.

 

Thank You,

 

Bryan

the auto transmission is the same hp. but it doesn't utilize as much as the mt. it should be good enough.

 

2. non turbo models do not require premium gas

 

3. there is a thread about adding a aux jack (i believe). i'm not familiar with it as i own a 07 model which had the aux jack stock

 

 

i know with the 05-06 models there are some things to look out for. i know one is the fan staying which has a tsb recall to fix the issue...i cant' think of the other things that are there.

wheel bearings..that would be warranty as well

Be warned... the 4eat on the non-turbo model is garbage...

 

Not that the 5eat on the turbo model is much better but it is still light years ahead of the 4eat...

 

-Pierce

Subies are great cars...for the most part. My Spec B is awesome and it's the 5th Subaru in my family. You can't go wrong......I mean you could by going with an auto 2.5 but it's all about preferences.

 

My Spec avg 25 mpg so the 2.5 non-turbo may not save you a whole bunch of gas either.

Subaru's are great cars and the 4th gen Legacy gt is excellent and reliable. The frameless doors require a little getting used to but by no means does it compromise safety or rigidity. You should have no problems with the timing belt/chain . Rare to have problems unless you go way over the recommended change interval. There are several ways to to get input jacks into the stock head. Like you I cannot live without MP3 and Sat radio capability. Last but not least go for the turbo. The added power is most welcome and if you take care of it , will last quite awhile without problems.

If it's something you'll have for a while, why not get an 07? It also has fold down rear seats in addition to the sat radio and aux input, will have more warranty time left, etc.

 

To answer question 1: Teach your old lady to drive a stickshift! Most girls i know pride themselves on being able to drive one.

 

I love my subie, but don't know if i'd buy another. Its starting to get some rattles, the frameless windows make wind noise. Just small things.

 

But it is fun to drive, reliable, almost unbeatable in snow and ice, and looks good without being too noticable.

women learn to drive stick faster than men do, it's a fact ~

after teaching my brothers to drive stick this summer, id say the transition to be able to drive a stick is easy. the transition to being comfortable driving a stick is a little different. It rly depends more on the driver/ driving conditions. im all for recomending an 05 manual gt- thats what i have....but if your wife rly wont be comfortable driving it (hills, urban areas w/ stop and go) idk if its worth putting her through the trouble. kinda like how id be pissed if i had an automatic car to drive everywhere as it wouldnt be as exciting.

 

as for the turbo...i highly recomend one.....definately makes the driving experience more entertaining and as far as turbos go, subaru seems to have done a great job equiping their vehicles with reliable turbos.

 

if you do go NA and decide to go auto, get a 5EAT , not the 4spd auto. my mom has an 05 outback with the NA engine mated to a 4spd auto.... i personally hate that combo. i agree with the many reviews that it is slow. i find myself getting caught in between gears often. dont rly think its a good setup.

 

I have an 05 and really want an Aux In.....can somebody refer me to a thread which shows that procedure. Id love to convert.

I have a 08 Legacy 2.0R (EJ204 engine) with the auto 4EAT transmission.

It is in fact my wife's car, but I sold mine and still looking, so it's the only car we have right now.

 

The fisrt thing I would say is that the 4EAT trans. is the worst I have ever driven. I used to think that vw's auto transmissions were bad, but subaru has the worst. I tried the 5EAT and it is not so much better.

If you can get away with the manual then go for it.

 

-The frameless doors for me look great.

-I have about 36k miles and the IP has started to rattle quite bad.

-In my opinion it is a difficult car to service, (at least doing oil changes due to the undercover).

-The ride quality is pretty good, but because the suspension is too soft.

-The handling is not bad considering the suspension stiffness, (here is when the low cg shows off), but I dont really like the suspension setup.

I have only found good comments about the GT's suspension

 

I guess If I had to get another subaru it would be a legacy gt manual. I would stay away from the others.

the auto transmission is the same hp. but it doesn't utilize as much as the mt. it should be good enough.

I know what you mean with the MT vs the AT. My G20 only has 140HP and I can't even imagine driving this thing in an auto. It can barely get out of it's own way with the manual.

 

Be warned... the 4eat on the non-turbo model is garbage...

Not that the 5eat on the turbo model is much better but it is still light years ahead of the 4eat...-Pierce

 

Good to know. What year did they add the add the 5 speed auto?

 

If it's something you'll have for a while, why not get an 07? It also has fold down rear seats in addition to the sat radio and aux input, will have more warranty time left, etc.

 

To answer question 1: Teach your old lady to drive a stickshift! Most girls i know pride themselves on being able to drive one.

 

But it is fun to drive, reliable, almost unbeatable in snow and ice, and looks good without being too noticable.

 

I'm actually looking for a 2007 but I thought if I found an 06 in really good condition I'd hate to have to pass on it because it didn't have an Aux input.

My current car is a stick and I'd tried to teach her to drive it but she really has no interest. I'm afraid I won't be happy with an auto but her not being able to drive my car is a hassle at times.

I know what you mean with the MT vs the AT. My G20 only has 140HP and I can't even imagine driving this thing in an auto. It can barely get out of it's own way with the manual.

 

 

 

Good to know. What year did they add the add the 5 speed auto?

 

 

 

I'm actually looking for a 2007 but I thought if I found an 06 in really good condition I'd hate to have to pass on it because it didn't have an Aux input.

My current car is a stick and I'd tried to teach her to drive it but she really has no interest. I'm afraid I won't be happy with an auto but her not being able to drive my car is a hassle at times.

 

Check this thread out - http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18504

 

Dont let the non aux in from the factory scare you away - the Jazzy mod is easy - and it works flawlessly.

 

Having owned LGT's with both the 5MT and the 5EAT - my preference now is the 5EAT. I commute over 100 miles a day in the wagon - and couldnt be more happy.

 

Good deals can be found on the 5EAT versions - cause the majority of the members here want the 5MT variety.

im also looking into buying a 4th gen. im going with the 5EAT because i've never owned a stick, and flat out probably never will for a daily driver. manual trans are fun as all hell to whip around in but for the daily commute for me its just not worth it.

 

as stated above it seems you can find better deals on the 5EATs ....but you have to shop around allllllllot more to find them.

 

as for audio concerns...the aftermarket has any/everything your heart desires for any vehicle.

as for audio concerns...the aftermarket has any/everything your heart desires for any vehicle.

 

i would tend to disagree wholeheartedly with this statement. i havent looked into this as much as i would have liked to before commenting, however.... ive found audio conversions (i.e. new cd players or other various upgrades) very hard to comeby for the 05+ leggys because of the design of the factory unit. The bezel basically takes up much of the center control panel (console). To just switch out the cd player for an aftermarket w/ an audio input is probably not rly feasible, for at least the amt of work most ppl would want done.

 

mabye other members want to back me up, tear my answer apart or comment more, but i will say that these leggys with their full face cd console design make it hard to fiddle in the aftermarket. Now things like navs, subs and upgrading speakers are a different story and im aware that there is an aux how to thread. im merely adressing aftermarket cd players and other devices which would normally fit right into a center console.

^ at least for those of us with the 6 cd changer...its all built in as 1 unit (alog w/ climate controlls)

Subies are great cars...for the most part. My Spec B is awesome and it's the 5th Subaru in my family. You can't go wrong......I mean you could by going with an auto 2.5 but it's all about preferences.

 

My Spec avg 25 mpg so the 2.5 non-turbo may not save you a whole bunch of gas either.

do you do city driving or is that about 90% highway?

Absolutely true. The 4th gen Leggy is difficult to do aftermarket audio upgrade. The radio circuit board is mated to Dual HVAC system leaving a nearly impossible mod to do on your own. Options include doing the JDM dual din Bezel (needs to be modded) , AVO bezel in the top cubby, JL cleen sweep. Best to keep things simple and do the jazzy mod. I would stay away from the soldering hack in mod MP3 aux hookup. Better to just get an 07 or retorfit 07 radio for simplicity.

 

 

i would tend to disagree wholeheartedly with this statement. i havent looked into this as much as i would have liked to before commenting, however.... ive found audio conversions (i.e. new cd players or other various upgrades) very hard to comeby for the 05+ leggys because of the design of the factory unit. The bezel basically takes up much of the center control panel (console). To just switch out the cd player for an aftermarket w/ an audio input is probably not rly feasible, for at least the amt of work most ppl would want done.

 

mabye other members want to back me up, tear my answer apart or comment more, but i will say that these leggys with their full face cd console design make it hard to fiddle in the aftermarket. Now things like navs, subs and upgrading speakers are a different story and im aware that there is an aux how to thread. im merely adressing aftermarket cd players and other devices which would normally fit right into a center console.

Yea it's difficult because there is no dash kit for it, but I have seen more than a few people that have went custom with their stereos.

I agree with BWD with a little money you can make anything happen. I think it is very well worth the couple hundred dollars to make a custom unit.

1. I don't really care for how there is no frame on the top of the doors, it's just glass. That looks cheap to me, it reminds me of Chevy's and Buicks from the 1980's.

 

I've had my car for over 5 years now and the seals are perfect. The doors still close with a solid thunk and I have no wind or water leak issues. My brother's Mercedes stickered at over $190,000 and it has frameless windows, as did my Dodge Stealth TT. I think it's cool to find a sedan that's built like a coupe.

 

On the audio issue, there's a very long thread in the interior/audio section dealing with a JDM dash kit that does work. Granted, it's expensive, but it does allow you to use any radio you want.

Timing belts are much cheaper to change than chains. Timing chains on a typical SOHC or DOHC engine start making noise or get slack between 100,000 and 150,000 miles. Your typical timing belt change on a late model car is 100,000 miles and probably half the cost of a chain replacement.

I'll take a belt anyday over a chain.

OP, if you want power and the wife wants automatic, get a 5eat turbo. While it's not the exact same as having a manual, you do have the manual mode. The SPORT mode is also a fantastic setting. The turbo will MORE than make up for the power you are worried about losing with the auto-tranny.

The wife will be happy, you will be more than happy, turbo 5eat all the way. As far as having to use premium gas with the turbo, 20 cents/gallon really isn't noticeable when gas is over $2.50/gal.

 

As far as frameless doors, I like it that way. I prefer the look, and there is something nice about getting out of the car when the windows are down and the frame isn't in your way. Sounds weird, but there is something almost "stylish" about it. Try it when you test drive.

 

I also agree with what others said about the aux in jack and the timing belt.

As far as frameless doors, I like it that way. I prefer the look, and there is something nice about getting out of the car when the windows are down and the frame isn't in your way. Sounds weird, but there is something almost "stylish" about it. Try it when you test drive.

 

I completely agree with you. Everytime I get out with my windows down it feels sporty like the vette or something. I am also embarrassed to admit it but I have smacked myself in the face a couple times getting out of my husbands car cause I am not used to the frames when the windows are down.

Just to clarify regarding the 4EAT vs 5EAT, you don't really get a choice. The turbo models get the 5-speed auto and the non-turbo only get 4-speeds.

^rly? i had thought that the 2.5i could be equipped with the 5EAT...

Not in 07, I would have liked an additional gear. Other model years might have been different, as I was shopping only for new cars in 2007.

Yea it's difficult because there is no dash kit for it, but I have seen more than a few people that have went custom with their stereos.

 

I agree with BWD with a little money you can make anything happen. I think it is very well worth the couple hundred dollars to make a custom unit.

 

 

as long as you have the rotary controls you can try this for $50...

 

http://www.scosche.com/ecom/images/product/1600.13213.600x400.SU2025B.jpg