Is a spec B worth it?????

Dear god, I hope I don't start a flame war....

 

But I'm starting to look at getting a new car sooonish (read after college). I'm just wondering for those that have Spec B's, are they worth that extra chunk of cash?

 

How about LGT owners, is it worth it to run 89+ in your car just to go faster (i know the answer, yes!!!)

 

 

I've only heard good things about the newer Legs and the Spec B keeps calling me (in red mmmmmm ) but @ 35K that's a lot of car.....

 

 

 

I'm open for some thoughts here...

Just my 2 cents if you plan to buy new straight out of college:

Save $10k and get the 2.5i Limited instead of a specb. Should be able to negotiate down to $24k or less for one with a few dealer accessories thrown in. Granted that you can't really mod the N/A engine, but the great handling is there and it still looks good. You'd get to run the 87 grade gas too.

 

On the other hand, if you aren't worried about school debts...

I'd say LGT over specb. Set aside the savings of the price difference to cover the inevitable speeding ticket(s).

I kinda wish I had gotten the Spec B. The six speed and beefier rear diff would be nice, but $7000 financed over 5 years (my particular circumstance) is a lot of money.

 

Since I've modded the LGT I plan to keep it a long time. I want to get my money's worth, you know? Not just sell it for a huge loss and trade it in to buy another car as soon as this is paid off. Upgrading the LGT is always going to be cheaper than trading it in for a Spec B at this point.

 

I never planned on modding the car when I bought it, but now I am tempted to some day put a front diff in the LGT 5 speed and call it a wash until the rear diff goes, then upgrade to the R180.

 

If the transmission ever dies I would likely get an STi six-speed with front LSD and DCCD, but thats probably just a dream, and a whole lot of work for a guy who does little more than oil changes in his garage. The GT is a great car with lots of performance potential, but I shoulda got the Spec B.

Not too worried about school debts, they'll be there, but I'm already paying them off. If I do get a new legacy, it's going to be mine for a Long long time, so I want something that will be worth the purchase.

 

But, thank you for the input. The 2.5i always pulls at me cause of the whole gas issue, but then you loose some of the oomph...

 

 

tradeoffs......

 

 

Just to give some background, the 96 Leg I drive has been in my family since it came off the showroom, and it's still chuggin along. So I'm def looking for something that will last and also be fun to auto x here and there.

It is absolutely worth it; I would pay several thousand dollars over MSRP to get one. You can use the lower octane gas to offset the cost......

 

I never planned on modding the car when I bought it, but now I am tempted to some day put a front diff in the LGT 5 speed and call it a wash until the rear diff goes, then upgrade to the R180.

 

How many rear diff failures are there ?

It is absolutely worth it; I would pay several thousand dollars over MSRP to get one. You can use the lower octane gas to offset the cost......

 

 

wait what? Which suby can run lower octane? I thought it was only the NA cars.....

wait what? Which suby can run lower octane? I thought it was only the NA cars.....

 

Read the small print

the "reccomended" part?

his signature

How many rear diff failures are there ?

 

I really don't know. I was under the impression that a viscous rear diff would likely wear out after a few years of use in the occasional autocross or track day in addition to daily driving.

my spec B purchase was worth it for me, but for a lot of ppl on this board who are more budget minded, its not worth it for them.

 

interpret that as you will.

 

the car makes a lot of ppl on these forums pretty angry for various reasons.

Drive the 5-speed GT, then drive the 6-speed Spec.b. Your personal preference for the transmission should dictate which car to get. Pretty much everything else on the GT can be modified to match, or exceed, the spec.b within a reasonable budget.

The Spec.B was the first car I bought out of college (3 months after graduation). But then again, I landed a good job and had no school debts. If you can afford it, go for it!

if you really really really want a spec b then get one. but with gas prices being high, you can expect to lose a lot of value in depreciation as soon as you drive off the lot. if you know for certain you will own the car for a long time that is no big deal. i would recommend finding a slightly used Legacy GT and let someone else take the depreciation hit. Or just get a 2009 wrx which will be around 10k cheaper, is faster and will handle better. last i checked the spec b was still selling around sticker, but everything else (Legacy gt, wrx, etc) is selling below sticker. are red seats and nav really worth that much more?

I just picked up my 2008 Spec last week and so far I am loving it. Nav is great to have 6 speed is awesome, and it's a very comfortable car to commute in.

 

I say if you are looking for a roomy, optioned out Legacy and you can afford it, go for it.

 

I really can't complain about the price on mine............. lets just say I paid no where near sticker price for it, and it wasn't used or a demo. If I would have optioned out a 09 GT it would have cost me more than what I picked up my spec for.

 

Good luck.

If I were in your shoes I would buy the specB

Drive the 5-speed GT, then drive the 6-speed Spec.b. Your personal preference for the transmission should dictate which car to get. Pretty much everything else on the GT can be modified to match, or exceed, the spec.b within a reasonable budget.

 

Agreed.

I have no regrets getting my Spec B. I had an 05 LGT before I got the 07 Spec B. What you could do is find a used, low mileage one.

 

[thread jack]I'm looking at selling mine (trying to buy a house), so let me know if you're interested[/thread jack]

Graduation wont be for a while (2 years), but i'll def hit up the forum before I buy one new.

I have no regrets getting my Spec B. I had an 05 LGT before I got the 07 Spec B. What you could do is find a used, low mileage one. [/thread jack]

 

Do you think the 07 is noticeably quicker? Or better to drive?

I bought my 07 Spec B used. Knocked off 6 large.

Well hes got 2 years, who know maybe the 2010 spec b with have 800hp:lol:

My 06 Spec.B was worth the $21K I paid. The interior alone is reason. I don't notice any other benefits; car still doesn't handle well, so the shocks and big wheels don't mean anything to me. Well...the wheels do, because they look great. Keep in mind, spec.B's have at least 100 more HP than a 'lesser' Legacy...search the forum for 'Vimy'.