Cross Country Trip for a Unicorn?

I am new to this forum, but have spent quite a bit of time browsing it in the past. I have spent a few months on the hunt for a decent Legacy GT wagon. Unfortunately for myself, I don't want one unless it has a manual (I don't like to make things easy for myself ). I live in Kansas, and there is very little locally, even Denver very rarely has manual GT wagons for sale that aren't heavily modded or with over 100k on the clock.

 

That said, I did find what looks to be a good one in Annapolis MD. Here it the link:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=67401&endYear=2005&vehicleStyleCodes=WAGON&modelCode1=LEGACY&showcaseOwnerId=100052188&startYear=2005&makeCode1=SUB&transmissionCode=MAN&transmissionCodes=MAN&searchRadius=0&mmt=%5BSUB%5BLEGACY%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=372200591&Log=0

 

I was curious if anyone has dealt with this dealer recently. I saw some mixed reviews of this dealer on a few threads. Asking price isn't too far off. KBB has the car around $12,300.

 

I was hoping to get an opinion of the dealer, and if anyone was local in MD, if you might be able to take a look at it, maybe give me an opinion if it is worth an 18 hour drive.

 

Thanks so much,

John

I have the identical wagon in taupe interior, which I have owned since new and I love it. It is easily my favorite car that I have ever owned (granted, not too much of a challenge as I have owned mostly boring cars). It is both practical and unbelievably fun. Is it as fun to toss around as an sti? No, but you can't haul the things with an sti that you can haul with this bugger. Note, it's very tight in the backseat for a rearward facing car seat, but that's the only real limitation I've had. Besides, I still did it, I just had to put it behind the passenger seat, moved forward. I've carried lumber and furniture on a roof rack. I've put full size trash cans in it (on its sides) to haul to the dump.

 

Without knowing any details about the dealer or this specific car, I would say, go scoop that sucker up right now. Looks like a good deal on a good car. However, you need some more research before you move forward too far. You'd like to find out if it's ever been modified. If it's been returned to stock, it may be tough to tell, but often there's an aftermarket part in there somewhere still to indicate that the previous owner knew that an aftermarket exists. This doesn't mean you should necessarily stay away, just that there's some chance the car has been beat on a little more by a modder. Never modified is preferable, but there are stock owners that abuse their cars and modders that treat their cars' like gold. It's all a bit of a crap shoot.

 

You'd also love to know if the turbo has been replaced recently. You should be slightly wary of LGTs with brand new turbos as it is very difficult to properly repair a blown turbo on these cars because of the possibility of cycling metal throughout the entire oiling system. Again, it can be fixed properly, but even dealerships struggle to do it right.

 

Really, before you buy, you need to have a qualified Subaru mechanic look at it. A non-dealer specialist would be best. You can probably find one local to the car by searching or asking around here. How far is it from AZP Installs in NJ? That's the closest recommendation I would have. You might even be able to find a generous member who can go look at it for you or take to said other mechanic.

 

As far as going to get it ... couple hundred bucks for a one-way ticket and a day out of your life to get an awesome car you've been coveting for a long time. That's a no brainer to me. Go get the car you want. Do your due diligence to try to get the best car you can and know that no matter what, it's always a risk buying a used car. Buy a warranty if you're really concerned and enjoy the car you get. If it breaks down on the way home, well it turns into a few more crappy days to deal with it. If it doesn't, you have an awesome time on your way home getting to know your turbo Subaru.

 

Welcome to LGT.com! Good luck with whatever you decide. Enjoy!

Dujo, thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately the car is about 3 and a half hours from AZP Installs. I appreciate all the good things to say. I have been looking for one of these for about 8 months, found one other good one, and it got purchased before I could make a move on it. I don't want that to happen again with this one.

 

I have a fantastic mechanic here locally, but he won't be able to make the trip up there. Only thing keeping me from going up there today is college graduation tomorrow evening. Why not just a little more debt right....

 

Since it is low mileage for its age, I am really hoping it hasn't been modded and then reverted back to stock. Carfax isn't as detailed as I would like it to be unfortunately. But it is a 2 owner car, and only 70k on it.

 

I am definitely leaning toward going to get it. I could use a good road trip.

Just talked to the dealer again, car sold earlier this afternoon... Damn.

Plenty of fish in the sea. Just be patient.

I live in Denver, and I can relate to not having much of anything GOOD to look at around here. for some reason, people go crazy for their subarus here in colorado. We looked for 10 weeks before finding the one we actually bought. Good luck with the search.

KBB has the car around $12,300.

. . what's a little more debt, right?

 

John, if you're gonna take out a loansky, you should stop using KBB. Most banks and CUs only use NADA. KBB takes into account dealership overhead and other factors, whereas NADA is fairer price for the car itself in its current mechanical condition.

 

It's a good idea to know both when you're getting in front of a salesman and begin to negotiate.