Shopping for a 2011 Legacy 2.5 LTD or 3.6R LTD

Unfortunately I have recently found myself shopping for a new car, and I say unfortunately because I love my current car quiet passionately. I drive a 2003 G35 sedan, and I've had her since November of 2002. 220k miles. Almost 10 years of amazing memories. 10 years of blood, sweat, and tears. Alas I guess It was time - this past week the high pressure power steering hose went, followed by a noise in the transmission that unfortunately involves a rebuild to fix - and a leak in my rear main seal that is getting worse and worse. Part of me wants to just pick up a junkyard transmission and engine with 30k miles - throw them in and continue on - but I know the rest of the car will eventually fall apart around the engine and tranny.

 

Mod wise - the G sits on 19" XIX X05 rims, black barrel with a machined face and lip. 19x9.5 rears, 19x8.5 fronts running 255/30 rear and 225/35 front. EBC 3GD rotors front and rear, Hawk HPS pads, StopTech Stainless Steel brake lines. Dropped on a full 350z suspension all around - shocks, struts, springs sway-bars, top-mounts, bushings. Fujitsubo Y-Pipe with a Greddy EVO2 exhaust (y-pipe back). I took off my Injen CAI about a year ago and swapped to a simple Z-Tube with a KN Filter. (the z-tube is essentially just a straight pipe from the filter to the throttle body that came stock on the 350z's; G35's got one with 2 inline resonators for reduced noise). AAM Angled plenum spacer. Unorthodox Racing underdrive pulleys. Black painted headlights and taillights. Suede pillars and headliner, along with interior accent trim.

 

I'm adding some pictures I have from over the years. Most of the shots are on my facebook so I'd have to re-upload them somewhere so I can publicly link them. For now the one's below should suffice.

 

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400004_large.jpg

 

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400029_large.jpg

 

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400030_large.jpg

 

Before rims, freshly dropped, with blacklight around the car:

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400010_large.jpg

 

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400011_large.jpg

 

Old rims. Menzari Diablo Black - 18x8.5 and 18x9.5; along with freshly painted tails:

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400015_large.jpg

 

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400016_large.jpg

 

Spoiler installed:

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400018_large.jpg

 

Last set of rims:

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400021_large.jpg

 

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/628/1801/26568400022_large.jpg

 

So now that that has been said and done - it's time to start looking for a new car - and the Subaru Legacy seems to be the best car under $30k that doesn't put me into a FWD vehicle. Sure I would LOVE to get another Infiniti - however they're not the same price they were back in 2002 - 2003 - and while a $18k down-payment back then gave me monthly payments of $300/month - these days that same down-payment gives me monthly payments of around $450/month. So I went into the local Subaru dealership yesterday morning and took a quick look around at their horrible selection of 1 legacy with cloth interior. Ideally I am looking for one with leather, and with the HK sound system. I'm bringing over my Rockford Fosgate P3 12" and it's Rockford Fosgate P600.2 amp - so combined with the HK's 440-watt's I should end up with a fairly decent audio system.

 

Coming out of something that smacked you into the back of your seat as you downshifted into 3rd, chirped the gear (in an automatic) and propelled you forward with music coming out the exhaust - I have my hesitations with the Legacy. For starters I can barely find a 3.6R Limited in-stock anywhere around here - and most dealerships so far have said it would be at least 6-8 weeks to order one - and if it's not sitting there on the lot - it's much harder to haggle a price down. So this puts me into the 2.5 Limited, since the 2.5GT starts at over $30k and comes purely stick - which will not work well with the girlie. It's hard to justify 170HP to yourself coming from 280. This coming weekend is dedicated to going to several Subaru dealers out in Jersey (I'm in Brooklyn) and doing a few test drivers. Since all the Brooklyn dealership had was cloth interior I really didn't want to bother. If I manage to find a great deal on the 3.6 Limited - I'll jump on it - but I have to get myself prepared for the chances of being in a 170HP 4-banger.

 

What I would like to know is how the owners of both the 2.5 Limited and the 3.6 Limited feel - do you feel there is something the car is lacking (HID's for starters). Something that isn't comfortable. A control knob that seems to be very flimsy. Rough shifts from 2nd to 3rd in the 3.6 5-speed. Issues with the CVT? How do you guys feel on performance? How does the 3.6 feel, how about the 2.5? How has the interior held up? Any rattles? How does the leather steering wheel hold up, how about the seats? How is the HK sound system really sound - quality wise?

 

As far as modding for the Subaru - I want to say I won't do anything this time around. Really everything you do is usually what you end up having to fix anyway. Dropping the car leads to bent tie rods, premature wear on the ball joints, compression rods. NYC potholes and dropped cars leave you with bent subframes, torn flex sections in your y-pipe. Then again If I have to be honest with myself - I'll probably want to bake open the headlights and paint them black, tint the rear lights, paint the grill, give her a rim job (stop the smirk - yes you), drop her, etc. I'll do my best to refrain for as long as possible though.

 

If you've made it this far - I trust you have some good feedback to give - and I truly congratulate you on having the patience to make it to this point.

Welcome to the site and glad you could join us. Coming from an older G35 to a 2010+ Subaru should cross nicely in terms of comfort, power (either 2.5T or 3.6NA) and handling.

 

Lot's of information on the site and Search is your friend. If you can't find something, locate the associated forum and post up your question(s), letting members know that you couldn't find it with your search criteria. Someone will get back to you.

 

And, just a reminder, our Site Member Classified (MC) sub-forum rules require all members to have a minimum of ten (10) non-FS-related (no buying, selling or WTB/WTT items) posts before posting in another member's FS thread, or posting up your own FS thread, otherwise these posts will be removed. Questions, please PM me or one of the other moderators.

 

Again, welcome to the site and good luck on finding your new ride. Be sure to post up some pictures when you find what you're looking for in the market.

Welcome to the site and glad you could join us. Coming from an older G35 to a 2010+ Subaru should cross nicely in terms of comfort, power (either 2.5T or 3.6NA) and handling.

 

Lot's of information on the site and Search is your friend. If you can't find something, locate the associated forum and post up your question(s), letting members know that you couldn't find it with your search criteria. Someone will get back to you.

 

And, just a reminder, our Site Member Classified (MC) sub-forum rules require all members to have a minimum of ten (10) non-FS-related (no buying, selling or WTB/WTT items) posts before posting in another member's FS thread, or posting up your own FS thread, otherwise these posts will be removed. Questions, please PM me or one of the other moderators.

 

Again, welcome to the site and good luck on finding your new ride. Be sure to post up some pictures when you find what you're looking for in the market.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome.

 

I've done some searching through the 2010+ forums along with the interwebz and found a few issues I was hoping to get more information on.

 

1. For starters I have read on a few reviews that the AC feels very weak in the summer. I however have not seen this mentioned amongst the forums.

 

2. No HID's is upsetting - but a simple $50 fix. How straight forward is the install? Simple plug and play or does Subaru have some weird plug's and I have to splice in?

 

3. The 2.5GT with a starting base of 31k isn't really a consideration. The 3.6R Limited and the 2.5i Limited are the 2 real contenders. Keeping this in mind - how does the 2.5i feel on a hot summer day, with the AC on high? Any extra engine noise? Does it feel like it has to strain to get it's 3,200lbs going?

 

On a quick update - I spoke with a few NJ dealerships today who sound quiet anxious to get their 2011 3.6's gone - so a good deal on those might be fairly possible - which should cancel out the concerns on the 2.5 - but i'd rather cover all my bases.

 

If timing works out I'll go for test drives this Saturday. I guess the shimmy issue would be a major factor to look out for - however I did notice a few members here developed that issue 5-10k miles in - and I really don't know how comfortable I feel knowing that.

OK here goes for what you are looking to achieve and avoid, the Legacy is not for you. It's going to come with several issues. If this is something that you are willing to accept and understand, then you are half way there. No car starts out as a perfect platform, which is why we mod them to our personal taste. If your expectactions are high coming in, then you will find disappointment. The Legacy does what it is supposed to well but to keep it at a competitive price point there had to be some sacrifice. Very few cars are equal to or greater then we remember them to be. For me I am very happy accepting this car as what it is, which is a beginning. Hopefully more research will put you in the car for you, and hopefully you will get another 10 years out of it. Stay blessed and enjoy the ride.

IMO, no sense in going from a 6cyl to a flat four just b/c you can't readily find a 3.6R.

 

Two things that are on my Legacy peeve list.

*no HID option

*no driver memory seats

 

You won't be chirping any tires in this car, but the power is smooth and ample off the line and when you need to pass when cruising. Also, I had to order my 3.6R and I still got less then invoice pricing. If anything the dealer would make a bit more money on an ordered car since he doesn't have to put it on his floor plan.

 

Expand your search into NJ since you're not that far away. Have you considered a pre-owned?

I would say go cheaper and try to find a 4th gen 2004-2009. If you want a newer car then go with something different i had a 2003 g35 coupe. If you are going luxury with power this isnt the platform but the gt's limiteds are nice but what i here the spec b's have more luxury and can be a nice jump from a g35.

The 4th gen GT limiteds w/5EATs are a nice combo of performance and near-luxury. 08 and 09s with very low mileage might be easier to find than a 3.6R 2011 and would still be under the 5Yr/60K mile PT warranty and possibly even under the 3Yr/36K mile BTB waranty. I wouldn't buy the 4th gen with the 3.0 H6 as it doesn't have quite the smooth power delivery of the 2.5T or the 5th gens 3.6R...and it requires premium (91 Octane min) fuel. 3.6R only requires regular (87 Octane min) fuel.

^^^ I don't have to much to say because these guys have said it. 4th gen, low miles, 5/eat (wish it was 6). These r great cars, I had a 2005 lgt that was stg 2.0, BBK, blah blah blah. Sold it w/40000mi. 1.5 yrs latter got a 2008 LGT, its modded as well, first car I really missed. I looked at G's before I got my 05 LGT.

 

IMHO Great car,has awd for NY winters.

If I was to go for a used car I could pick up a CPO 2008 Infiniti G35xS for around $22k - I just really want to avoid buying someone else's problems. True there might still be some warranty on the vehicle, and a certified 2008 will come with another 3 years warranty - but I pass on having 5 years of drivetrain warranty. The same goes for a CPO Subaru. I think I have a better chance of getting another 10 years out of a vehicle if I look for something brand new.

 

As far as gas goes, the G has only gotten 91/93 anyway - and I expect to do the exact same on the new car - so that's really not a concern for me.

 

It does seem certain that I should be looking at the 3.6R over the 2.5i - and I understand anything under $30k will have its share of issues. A comparable accord doesn't have projector headlights, and makes me stuck with FWD - which would be a bigger pet peeve than having to put in $50 set of HID's into the Legacy.

 

What other issues do you see me having with the Legacy? (Yes - I do realize at this point I'm essentially arguing FOR the Legacy - which I guess is a good thing - feels like I'm getting rather comfortable with the thought of owning one)

Get the 3.6R.

I concur for what you want/need, the 3.6 is better.

Test drives this weekend. Guess we'll see how the 3.6 feels.

Test drives this weekend. Guess we'll see how the 3.6 feels.

You'll love it over a 2.5i. Have fun on test drives.

As a fellow New Yorker I'd say get the 2.5i and have a thicker Rear Sway Bar installed. The RSB makes for a smoother ride, I drive mine on Jericho Tpk daily and the RSB has improved the way the car rides. Another plus for the 2.5 is the fuel consumption which is fantastic.

 

I will point out that the 2.5 has only 170HP compared to 256HP on the 3.6. Its a trade off between power and mileage. A 2.5 costs about 22k on average and the 3.6 25k and over. I hope you're able to come to a happy conclusion and wish you best of luck.

By the way that's a nice looking Infiniti.

Thanks alot formattix. A part of me really does want to just rebuild the transmission, put in another couple grand into the car - and drive her for another 3,4 years.

 

I have a 3.6 and a 2.5i test drive setup for this Saturday - I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Awesome! enjoy. On another note don't feel pressured to use your local dealership, shop around, a few dealerships across LI before settling on a deal.

your infiniti black light pics are so tempting...

 

would you mind if I bring them to our "Teh Rice" topic?

your infiniti black light pics are so tempting...

 

would you mind if I bring them to our "Teh Rice" topic?

 

Go for it. In my defense - I never drove with the lights. They were setup purely for show - and I took them off later that same month as I grew some common sense. Nissan Sport magazine did love them though - those are the same photo's they used in a feature. This was back in 2003 - when no-one had taken a G yet and dropped her on 350z suspension. I guess it intrigued them.

if you took it off then those pics are no longer legit

Eeehhhh - it shows the car over the years. Sadly I don't have decent shots with the exhaust on, or the suede headliner. The doors and other trim you see in suede was done in lamb skin, the headliner was ultra-suede.

 

I don't think I'll be able to keep this Legacy stock haha.

my friend, nobody, NOBODY ever bought a Subie and kept it stock

I have two Subes right now that are bone stock, so there are a few of us that do buy them and just drive them. That's not to say that two others in the stable aren't modded "a bit".

you sir, I heard you put a JDM rear sway bar on your car?

Is this thread on buying 2% below invoice still not active and up to date? I would think for someone needing a new car that this would help you get the price down on a 3.6 Limited or at least give you a great starting point.