2007 LGT, 78k - Private seller. What to look out for?

New around here, but I wanted to ask the experts...

 

I have daily driven a 97 Impreza 2.2l for the past 6 years, and at 214k miles the head gasket has gone. It's no cherry one owner, so I'm just going to sell it as-is and upgrade. I'm 100% positive it will be a Subaru, and most likely will be a Legacy. If I can talk the wife in to a new WRX.....That's a whole other story.

 

I've always loved the 2005-2009 Legacy sedans, and I almost bought what I thought was a perfect 2008 2.5i 5spd last week with 45,000 miles in black pearl. My wife and Dad looked at it the previous week in the pouring rain, and confirmed that it was really nice. I rode the train from Salem, OR to the Seattle area to pick it up, and when I saw it in the dry it was obvious that it had been repaired. There was evidence of repair on both passenger doors and the quarter panel. I got my deposit back and returned to Oregon with my tail between my legs. I've since been very wary of used cars. Of course, now I have an opportunity to buy a GT, which the wife was pretty set against, due to increased maintenance of a turbo, and the required premium fuel...

 

I've been scouring Craigslist, Autotrader.com, etc., and I've found a couple leads. I would like to find something with less than 60,000 miles, but for the price I'm willing to pay ($15,000) for a 2005-2008, I can't find anything.

 

I found this 2007 with 78,000 miles for $15,000.

http://corvallis.craigslist.org/cto/3648828938.html

 

I am looking at it tomorrow. It has all the options I want, as well as the color I love. What should I look out for, besides the obvious leaks, tire wear, transmission smoothness, etc? I'm fairly knowledgeable about cars, but I've never owned a turbocharged car before, and I want to make sure it's been maintained well. Specifically, what should I look for when it comes to the turbo, and what questions should I ask?

 

Thanks in advance....

If you are looking at a GT, the 1st thing to check is if the oil filter in the oil feed line to the turbo has been replaced or removed. Subaru recommends changing it every 60K miles but it is not necessary and should be removed. It is located in one of oil feed line banjo bolts. If its clogged it will destroy the turbo.

You could subscribe to Carfax for a month to watch out for those accident cars.

In general you want to make sure the differentials have been serviced. If they are not serviced regularly they can lead to expensive repairs. Other than the differentials, the Legacy is just like any other used cars and the normal items should be checked. AAA offers a service that will inspect the car for about $90 which is a good idea if you find a car you like but it has no records.

I just got an 11 legacy recently so my opinion may be biased, but the 4th gens used right now are sort of overpriced. Because they're not the newest ones with good fuel economy, etc, I've noticed they do not sell hardly at all and they just sit on lots for months. For the money, it'd probably make more sense to get the newer gen as it will hold its value better and you get more for your money. I've seen a guy sell a 10 with 70k asking 13000 in southeast michigan, there's another 10 listed in the cleveland area with 40 to 50k at a dealer asking 12,600 (had a minor accident at one point tho).

 

I haven't driven an 09 legacy, but we do have an 09 outback. Stuff to look out for? The usual stuff: undocumented repairs, frame corrosion will ruin an investment in a hurry, how it drives, does it shake after its warmed up while letting it idle (got burned on a beater saturn that drove just fine, had a real obvious shake after warming up due to low compression in the 4th cylinder), how much tire tread (you could be tacking 400 on your purchase price if they need replaced), are the brakes tight, check the fluids, run the fax on it, but the MOST important thing to do is to take it to your trusted mechanic to fully inspect it, it will be the best money you can spend when you're making a big investment in a car private party AND/OR dealership. If it's not easily viable to do, put it into the agreement the sale is pending a satisfactory shop inspection before finalizing the paperwork (don't sign over the title immediately and get it all in writing signed by both parties) or otherwise figure out how to put this into the agreement. Anyone selling a good car should not have any problem with this.

The 1st thing you have to do with a turbo Legacy is remove the oil filter in the oil feed line to the turbo. Subaru has issued a tech/service bulletin #02-106-08R which you can Google. Subaru recommends changing the filter but you don't need it so just take it out. Other than that, the turbo requires no additional maintenance. It is more important with turbos that you change the oil regularly and let the car warm up before revving the engine high.

The differentials have to be regularly serviced so check for leaks or any whines coming from the diff/trans. The Subaru stick shift isn't the best, it has fairly long throws for a 4 cyl. If you don't want a modified car, check under the hood carefully for anything that doesn't look stock, especially the electric wiring. The GT is a fast, safe, and fun car but you have to be extra careful finding one that wasn't abused.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. As yukonwags said, 05-09s are inflated right now. I looked at 3.0 Limiteds, but they're just as bad. Went with a '13 3.6R Limited, and I am absolutely in love with it.

Yeah I was really looking into an 09 since I love our 09 OB, but the best price for around 40k miles was 13,200, which was absurd. I had my reservations bout the 5th gen and some of its issues, but tried it and it's a marvel of modern engineering and the cvt and I clicked. Now the 09 OB looks like crap in comparison. I figure the people who don't like the cvt are the ones who like to punch it every time they hit the gas. I drive like an old man and ease it off to starts and barely notice a difference minus it having really decent pickup for the base model. On my first trip with it 70 hwy / 30 city, I averaged almost exactly 30 mpg. That still blows my mind.

My first tank with the 3.6 I averaged 24.6MPG. No complaints here, considering my old 2.2l Impreza got about the same.