Are LGT's "fragile" ?

I've been considering several cars lately, ranging from Mazdaspeed 3's and 6's, WRX wagons and Legacy GT's, and have spent alot of time on this site, trying to get a good feel for the cars, as I think I'm pretty set on buying a Legacy. But I keep reading about major problems with cars with relatively few miles (Blown turbos and motors by 30,000 miles, constant wheel bearing problems, blown headlights, the clutches only being good for 70,000 miles (WTF?! ) , major issues with certain oils, necessary coolant additives, etc. etc.)

I've always gotten the impression that Subaru's were built like tanks, but judging by the things I've been reading, it's doesn't seem to be the case. One of the main things to me is that the car I buy is reliable, and certainly not prone to blowing up at 40,000 miles. To be fair, I've read some bad things about the Mazdaspeed 6's as well. I realize that all cars have their issues, but catastrophic failures shouldn't be one of them

Are the LGT's a highly sensitive car prone to major problems, or are they pretty problem free, despite the things I've been reading?

The truth is that they are pretty problem free.

 

Howerver, this thread will not end well

 

Problem free. All cars have issues with the enthusiast crowd, and posts reflect that. Many posts about exhaust smoking (turbo issues?) and rear diff mount breaking on Mazdaspeed6, motor mount failures/shifter fork issues with Mazdaspeed3, clutches/flywheels and turbos on LGT...

 

All are fairly low numbers, just something to make a note off and keep an eye on for each make and model.

+1 on being problem free.

 

However, get ready to some hear dissenting voices.

Any car is as good as the human that cares for it (neglect it and treat it in an abusive manner and it will break). You will read about problems because that is what people will talk about. How often to you say "hey, my water heater works great, no problems whatsoever"?

I don't think these cars as reliable as Subaru enthusiasts would like to believe.

 

It's not just how you maintain and treat them. I think Subaru has their share of duds and clearly 2005s are least reliable.

 

But overall they are still not bad. I would not not concerned as much about reliability rather about the customer service you will receive (or not) from your Subaru dealer or SOA.

 

Howerver, this thread will not end well

 

 

Not my intention at all ! Not trying to start anything, I'm just curious. I do realize that alot of the problems could be attributed that it's a performance oriented car and will be driven hard, so alot of the issues could be brought on by the owners themselves. It makes me wish that I could just afford to buy a brand new one and avoid used altogether, but my budget would never allow it.

While I would push one hard-ish occasionally, I'm not one to beat on cars. I take care of them and treat them right. I guess the key is finding a gently used one, but how would you ever know? (I've seen Legacy vids on Youtube of people pointlessly hammering on their cars in fields, gravel, etc. And for what, to post a stupid video on the internet? . I guess these people have enough money not to care, but I'd sure like to avoid buying their junk used after they're through beating the crap out of it.... *sigh*

 

I'm rambling.

Not bad really.They have some "quirks" but it's all about picking your battles.

I used to think Toyotas were the best damn cars on the planet ,then I started working on them.They have their issues as well.More often from operator error and neglect.If anything, Subie owners could possibly have Munchausens because we can never leave the damn cars be.Always have to mod them and increase failure opportunities

Hint: buy a car from a forum enthusiast. Chances are if he had problems or did something silly he posted about them here Not guaranteed but likely.

No car is bullet proof - unless I don't know...you are into Bentley and Rolls Royce.

 

GTs are quite reliable...and the common quirks are actually minor - headlight bulbs, dash rattles and some other stuff along these lines. Mechanically, it will last longer than you take pleasure in driving the car if you do not dick with it. Mod the car or beat the crap out of it...and things will go wrong every now and then and/or sooner than normal - a clutch, a gasket, a bearing...

Hint: buy a car from a forum enthusiast. Chances are if he had problems or did something silly he posted about them here Not guaranteed but likely.

 

Yeah, any car I've taken an interest to in the for sale section, I've looked through every post the owner's ever made, lol. The problems will definitely surface that way. If you looked me up on Turbobuick.com , you'd see a mile long list of issues

Any car is as good as the human that cares for it (neglect it and treat it in an abusive manner and it will break). You will read about problems because that is what people will talk about. How often to you say "hey, my water heater works great, no problems whatsoever"?

 

+1

 

Let's just say that the forums probably don't constitute a "representative sample" of the general population. We're kind of a self-selecting group

No car is bullet proof - unless I don't know...you are into Bentley and Rolls Royce.

 

.

 

actually those are poor examples, until they became essentially german built (VW=bentley and BMW = RR) the classic british examples were tempermental and had classic british reliability issues, lol. But they were built heavy solid as in trim didn't fall off.

Any car that has the potential to add lots of horsepower with simple changes has the potential to have problems surface... overall the Legacys seem fairly reliable....

 

Just remove that banjo bolt filter...

I've always gotten the impression that Subaru's were built like tanks, but judging by the things I've been reading, it's doesn't seem to be the case. One of the main things to me is

 

I've got 34k on mine and no mechanical issues. It doesn't burn or use oil. I drive my car very hard (though I don't abuse it; I double-clutch downshifts, etc.) and it always runs string. I've done RallyX as well. It's a tank.

 

Of course there are things I don't like: the grocery bag hooks in the trunk are weak, the trunk lining isn't particularly strong/durable, and the dealer service around here is substandard. Also, the door armrests aren't particularly solid (especially in the back): too much pressure and I believe they'd crush.

 

My car's got a few dings from horrible people who don't have respect for the property of others, but that's a Bay Area problem, not Subaru's.

I've got 34k on mine and no mechanical issues. It doesn't burn or use oil. I drive my car very hard (though I don't abuse it; I double-clutch downshifts, etc.) and it always runs string. I've done RallyX as well. It's a tank.

 

Why do you double-clutch downshifts and what exactly do you mean by that?

Have no fear welby. These cars are quite reliable. As others have said, on a forum like this you're going to see people raising questions about problems because that's what it's here for.

 

If you don't know the person you're buying used from I'd recommend that you get one that is under warranty still (the 5 year 60K powertrain warranty) and I'd budget to get an extended warranty as well.

 

Cheers!

I am a new owner (1 month to be exact) of an '08 turbo Legacy, so you can take my opinion as just that.

 

From exhaustive research on this site (easy to do, and yes, exhausting) and others regarding turbo failures I have found that quite a few may have been a result of Subaru's original recommendation of 7500mi oil change intervals. After the failure of enough of these units to get their attention Subaru changed the recommended oil change intervals to a maximum of 3750mi. The biggest reason for this, if I understand correctly is because of an inline filter feeding the turbo getting too easily clogged. SOA (Subaru of America) apparently came to the conclusion that there was good enough reason to believe the longer oil change intervals resulted in clogged inline filters, and in turn, starved and failed turbos. My bet is that they are right in this assumption and with the shortened oil change intervals owners will see less failures overall.

 

I don’t think turbo failure should be a big worry anymore. As a preventative measure I changed my oil at 1000mi. and will again at 3500mi. And keep in mind, just like any of the cars you are considering, none are race cars, and abused they will not last long.

 

As far as 70,000 mi. on a clutch, I don’t think that is unreasonable for a car that makes a reasonable amount of ponies.

Those that have problems will always be the most vocal.

as usual. you'll see a few posts about problems. but the vast majority of people who own these cars wouldnt have these problems. my clutch i can forsee failing in the near future but thats because a bigger turbo is going in

 

 

however, there are injector/misfire issues, and recall for the radiator fan. i have an 05 u take risks like that for cars made in the first model year.

 

other than that it's been reliable even after throwing mods at it like a madman. YMMV. i dont daily drive my car.

<-----05 LGTL not 1 problem

As someone who intends to buy an LGT and has looked into those other cars, I'd say that the LGT is a solid entrant.

 

Move beyond the 2005 year and you start to get more reliable offerings.

 

That being said, I expect the LGT to require the following 'out of the ordinary':

 

1. Oil changes every 3500 miles vs. every 7500-10000 like many modern cars.

2. More frequent tune-up items like coolant flushes, spark plugs, etc. (i.e. my 06 Honda Civic SI only needs a tune-up after 105k miles...so spark plugs and wires are good for that long).

3. I won't expect the clutch to last longer than 60k miles of normal use, and I'll be happy if I get 90k out of it.

4. I'd expect to need to swap out the trans and rear-diff fluids within 15k...I did this with my trans fluid on the SI, and it made a world of difference in shifting quality.

 

Aside from that, headlight bulbs and most rattles have been worked out...there still seems to be a couple of weird electrical glitches for some people, but it's not like centrally failing electrics or anything major failing. Just more like radio volume goes up or down randomly. I can live with that.

 

It's a pretty solid vehicle. If it's for you, just buy it, it'll treat you well

 

Joe

Why do you double-clutch downshifts and what exactly do you mean by that?

 

Double-clutching helps out the syncros so that they last longer: they don't have to spin up the input shaft (if done correctly) so there's less wear. Since double-clutching implies rev-matching, the downshifts are smoother as well -- you don't have to let the clutch out as slowly to avoid jerking the car as the engine speeds up. Yes, I know that this technique isn't needed with modern transmissions, yada yada, but I find it fun.

Erik,

 

Could you tell me how double-clutching "implies" rev-matching? It doesn't imply rev-matching to me...are you saying you double clutch and rev-match? If not, then double-clutching would actually require the clutch to work harder by allowing rpms to drop further before engaging the lower gear.

 

Joe

This is my first Subaru, and I've been very happy with it. After ordering it, I got it on 10/1/2004, and proceeded to put 40K on it between then and 10/15/2006. I've only put 5K on it since then (working out-of-state in my truck).

 

I went through a headlight bulb on each side (no big deal), a rear wheel bearing went (no big deal, as I was gonna take it in to get a cabin filter installed anyway).

 

I had the click in the front end, and this forum had the 10-minute fix to retorque the bolts down there. I got 40K on the clutch, but this was after 150+ dragstrip runs, plus track time, and hard street usage. Friends have said the (leather) smell inside the car makes it smell like a new car.

 

The only complaint is the body sheet metal and the paint. If you as much lean on the car, it dents. And it seems that touching the paint with something other than a feather will nick it.