Dilemma**I Need Expert or Experienced Advice** Please Chime In, & Help!!

Ok my name is Jay from NY & I’m new to this cool A$$ forum! Here is my dilemma, I’m sure you guys have read this thousands of times so please bare with me! I have been automobile shopping for a while and finally decided that Subaru is the way I wanted to go. I’m particularly interested in an older 4th Gen. Legacy. I am pretty savvy in terms of motor-sports and vehicular engineering as a whole (also on BMW M5 Forum)! So after much research and reading up (6 months) on the preferred 2004-2009 2.5 Turbo & the naturally aspirated 2.5i; I’ve gotten myself into a pickle. I really want the GT Turbo version (but kinda afraid), however my research and intuition tells me the natural 2.5i seems obviously safer. The Turbo’s banjo bolt / filter issue is telling me to stay away, but the power is calling me! I have read about the attention to detail required for the Turbo’s as well as multiple opinions on how to remedy my nervousness regarding the turbo seizing! 1.) Remove the filter from the banjo altogether, 2.) Install aftermarket oil supply line with accessible filter built in. 3.) Monitor and/or change the filter at every oil change! This is obviously labor intensive, do I want to choose this level of care, or is there another remedy, which will allow me to enjoy my turbo without fear? (Don’t plan to drive this car hard.) I really want the 2.5 Turbo as I am an enthusiast at heart, but have read horror stories about seizing, are there any good / success stories about tackling this? Am I overreacting, or is it really as serious a problem as it has been reported?

 

I have found a 2005 Legacy Base Model with 39,000k, and I also found a 2005 Legacy GT Limited (Turbo) with 70,000 both relatively cheap! They are both at different small dealers in my area waiting for my decision, both carfaxed well!, both 1 owner with seemly no problems. I’m looking for sound advice from knowledge-able current owners, mechanics, and/or other enthusiasts? Your feedback is much appreciated, and thank you for the help! I also welcome a poll...GET THE 2.5 TURBO? Yes or No is sufficient!

 

P.S. thanx to the 2 guys at the Exxon past city center for welcoming me to the site!

you will fall asleep every day wondering about the power you're missing out on by not having a turbo

If you owned a BMW M5, any repair costs you will have will be nothing compared to your BMW. With that said, I suggest getting the turbo.

From a 2.5i owner, get the turbo many more parts and mods than the NA. Even if the turbo siezes you wont regret it.

If you are concerned about maintenance, something tells me you don't own an M5.

 

In the long run, the turbo isn't going to cost substantially more than the naturally aspirated cars. There are plenty of turbo Subarus from the early 90's still kicking, many with more than a quarter million miles and driven daily.

It has been stated before, if you look around all you see is banjo bolt issues, but that doesn't mean it happens to everyone. You won't see someone saying, "100K and no banjo problems!"

 

Eventually (if you are keeping the GT for a while) the turbo will need replacing...oil starvation or not. Keeping up on checking the filter is not hard. Or if it is out of the question...remove the filter! plenty of other people have and not had problems with debris (that I have noticed)...

 

Hope this helps. Good luck!

I'll probably offend some 2.5i owners but the way I see it, the single thing the Legacy has for it is power potential. Take that away and there's really no compelling reason to own one unless you've just got to have an AWD car.

 

Stay on top of maintenance and do no mods past Stage 2 and you should be fine. After that it gets expensive quickly -- too expensive for me to keep playing the game!

Get the GT.

if the legacy did not have a gt model, i would not own one.

2005 lgt, removed banjo bolt filters, have a catless uppipe (sti), looking into a stronger oil pickup tube. oil changes every 3k miles.

the turbo will eventually fail from age/mileage, but besides that i have removed other parts that can cause the turbo to fail.

for the money, find me a better car.

133,350 miles on my 05 GT wagon with the oem banjo and filter still installed. There are a few of us like that with even more miles.

 

Get the Turbo, check the banjo, clean it, put it back in and change the oil every 3000-3500 miles, I use cheap dino oil and Fram filters. Do my own oil changes and most maintenance. Keep an eye on the oil level and top it off as needed.

 

LET THE TURBO COOL before you shut off the engine. I coast as much as possible before I shut my car off.

 

My car see's 7000rpm a few times a week and see's speeds in the triple digits. Went to stage 1 93 octane on Dec 8th 2004. Went stage 2, 6 weeks ago. Engine and turbo is all orginal, changed the timing belt at 97,000 miles, because winter was coming and I didn't want to do it in the cold in the driveway.

Get the turbo. You'll regret it otherwise.

as long as you keep up oil changes, i do 3-4k with synthetic, and idle your vehicle after a hard drive your banjo shouldnt rear up its nasty head. with that said, GT FTW!!!!!!!!!!!

Def. seems like this is a no brainer for most of the crew here! My concern was less about the maintenance or its cost and more about the piece of mind as I will have the lady driving this vehicle as well! My brother and I have the E39 M5 with 87k, and ur right maintenance cost is what it is...theres no way around it! Luckily for me I get to offset the cost with my brother who drives it in Gainesville FL. when it gets nasty in NY (Ny Winters) (I have her for the spring & summers and drive her down!), drive a Jetta 2.0 during winter in NY...getting rid or it for the Subbie! Sounds like I need to be getting the turbo...is this the general consensus? I'm thinking that I should remove the filter altogether, i understand the consequences, good idea or no?

I actually asked something similar this morning in another thread, I'm from nj and I've been looking for the gt for a while, I was worried about the miles to, but the gt is the one, just the boxer rumble should sell you on it, from what I've seen, the 2.5I doesn't have the boxer rumble like the gt does, go with the gt, I'm doing the same

Max Capacity ur mileage is definitely encouraging! And I think you all are right about me regretting not getting the turbo!

Most remove the filter. There are a couple of us that have not. If I were to buy used car, like I said above, check the filter, then decide what the best option is at that time. If something like a main or rod bearing go the filter may save the turbo.

 

Having said that, on our expensive race engines with huge expensive turbo's we don't run a inline filter before the turbo. None of the turboed Honda guy's run filters either. But when those engines blow it's normally instant stopage of the rotating assembly.

njwrestler07 i actually had that in the back of my mind...I listened to both of this babies purr! and the turbo definitely sounds like it is ready for the "challenge." What sucks is that the 2.5i also sounded good to me because it's build way better than my VW Jetta 2.slow! The Jetta sounds like a Toro Lawnmower with a poor sparkplug!

Max Capacity ur mileage is definitely encouraging! And I think you all are right about me regretting not getting the turbo!

 

 

Yep take care of it and it will take care of you. I was doing 110mph on my drive today at 3:30 AM. Dropped it into 4th and rolled into the throttle, result, BIG SMILE. Yesterday only had it up to about 105.

 

At a stop light leaving work, being the first in line, its nice to roll into 1st and then look back to see how far the pack is behind you.

 

 

Not that I drive it hard. After all, it is a station wagon.

I hear ya Max! Hey I just noticed your location is Somer, CT. My youngest brother did 6 years in prison there! how coincidental! (I think theres a prison there!)

Sleeper station wagon! that's what the e39 is like, 4 door sedan + baby seat + groceries + the last quarter mile that you just took from a Z06 Vette! lol

brb, lady having Jetta problems......she just dumped the entire coolant reservoir on the ground for no reason, gotta go diagnose this thing AGAIN!!! Cant wait for the the Legacy by friday! talk with you guys later!

jhow257415 & njwrestler07,

 

Word of advice from someone who bought a 2.5i NA used from a dealer in our area...make sure you get it checked by another mechanic before you buy. I'm not a mechanic but did plenty of basic maintenance on my Hondas before switching camps and missed a few things. Car sounded OK & performed OK but first Oil change pulled sludge out. Hadn't been changed in 15k-20k and 30k service was never done despite dealer swearing car was up to date. Luckily motor was still in decent shape after purge/cleanout. Running great now but I wouldn't even buy new from them again.

 

Also, should have gotten a GT but I had too short a timeframe to find one.

jhow257415, you and your brother don't happen to be E30 M3 owners as well? I know of two guys in the NY area that go down to Florida that own E39 M5s.

I hear ya Max! Hey I just noticed your location is Somer, CT. My youngest brother did 6 years in prison there! how coincidental! (I think theres a prison there!)

 

Yea, I grew up about a 1000ft east of there. Gee, I guess that makes him an old neighbor of mine

My step father is a mechanic so I'd bring him to check it out, thank you for the advise, and what dealership was it?