Year Old & History

My LegGT/Ltd wagon with MT, SS and low profile HP tires is one year old this week and I love it more than the day I took delivery. This car is "history" because you cannot buy a hot Legacy Sport Wagon from Subaru anymore. NO manual trans for Subys great LegGT wagon.

 

I had a Manual Trans BMW3 wagon AWD and I am having much more fun & function with my LegGT. I love every thing about my LegGT. No problems, seats are GREAT and holding up like new, interior is so simple and ergonomic, not ugly like new Volvo V50. When I first got the LegGT, I thought the suspension should be a bit stiffer, but over time, I have come to appreciate the fine line the Suby engineers achieved. The more I live with LegGT the more I appreciate it.

 

Suby did a great job attracting and satisfying a BMW snob. Since I will be spending 6 months a year in Sierra Nevada Mtns after this year, I would consider the Outback GT that is still offered with a MT, but if Suby does not offer a MT Leg or OB turbo 250+HP, I will not be a reapeat customer.

I was afraid that the car was totaled, glad to hear you are still enjoying it. I am coming up on one year also-12/31-and am happeir with the car now also. Last night my wife commented on how "we" made a great choice with the LGT wagon. Viva el 5 speed.

Have had a year of payments.

 

I've done some minor mods to the car to sharpen the performance of the car up a bit, nothing too drastic.

 

I really think the LGT is much like a 90s BMW 3-series/A4 in spirit for the price class it is in. Good performance, fairly light, and not-over-the-top luxury. A great daily driver that can handle driving events on the weekends.

 

The Germans have since packed on the pounds and luxury items on their models while Subaru has lightened the Legacy. A 325ix wagon weighs in around 3600 pounds and retails for nearly $33K!

 

Really happy I got the car when I did, if I had to do it over again, would have bought the same exact car (maybe with subwoofer installed already) all over again.

 

-B

what are you guys gonna give your car for his/her birthday? racing gas?

Already got them. Past two months it has been UP/DP, AP Stage 2, and Cusco braces! Lucky car...

I really think the LGT is much like a 90s BMW 3-series/A4 in spirit for the price class it is in. Good performance, fairly light, and not-over-the-top luxury. A great daily driver that can handle driving events on the weekends.

Personally, I think the LGT is superior to any of those cars except maybe the E36 M3. If you only consider AWD cars, nothing from that era touches the LGT. I came from a modded '98 A4 2.8Q, and the LGT has way more power, is roughly the same weight, is better balanced (i.e. the weight is distributed better, particularly due to the LGT's boxer engine, I think), and is just a way more fun car to drive.

 

I don't know, maybe a stage 2+ A4 1.8T (B5 platform, i.e. '97-'01) would come close to the LGT, since that car was only about 3,000 lbs. with MT, and I think you got around 210hp or so with a stage 2+. However, those cars tended to break if they were modded much past stage 1, and Audis are not very reliable anyway. Also, you couldn't get leather on the 1.8T, and the interior was generally cheaper looking than the 2.8.

leather was available on B5 A4 1.8T. my sister had one. US market would not approve of a luxury car without leather - we are so posh here

 

when it comes to other cars on the US market, you are right, there is really nothing like the GT, especially in a wagon form. europe has a lot more hot affordable cars (with a manual tranny), but legacy comparable cars are so expensive, that i probably could not afford one. a 180hp corolla ts hatch costs as much in germany as my legacy gt!

 

let us all bow and thank subaru for offering their superb cars at such low prices!!!

This car is "history" because you cannot buy a hot Legacy Sport Wagon from Subaru anymore. NO manual trans for Subys great LegGT wagon.

 

Whew... I was scared there for a moment, but the Leg Gt Wagon is still available in the 5speed up here in Canada. (Just in case I total mine)

leather was available on B5 A4 1.8T. my sister had one. US market would not approve of a luxury car without leather - we are so posh here

Starting when? If it was available, it wasn't until right near the end, year 2000 at the earliest. I really don't think you could get leather in the 1.8T until the '02 A4, but it's possible I could be wrong and they made it available on the B5 right near the end.

 

Leatherette was always available on the 1.8T, though. Was your sister's perforated, like the LGT seats? If so, that was the leatherette.

 

I used to be a regular on A4.org back before it became Audiworld.com, and one of the major complaints on there was the unavailability of leather on the 1.8T. When the 1.8T came out, it had 150 hp versus 172 hp for the 12-valve 2.8. Since the 1.8T was considerably lighter, performance was about the same. Therefore, they had to make the 1.8T less luxurious; otherwise no one would have bought the 2.8. For instance, I believe the 1.8 had no center console, it did not have the burled walnut trim, and leather was not available. I believe it also came with 15" wheels, unless you opted for the sport package.

 

BTW, Audi's marketing strategy worked on me; one of the main reasons I got the 2.8 was that I wanted the wood trim and the leather. Also, when I bought mine, the 2.8 had the 30-valve 190 hp engine, so that made the price difference more justifiable.

Maybe I did not stress the FUN, FUN, FUN factor enough in my original post. Letting the clutch out on a LegGT wagon is soooo much fun and gasing thru the corner (assuming you have great tires) is amazing. No tail whip, no oversteer/understeer, just point and shoot.

 

I have suffered the Audi turbo problems and walk away attitude of Audi. I hope Subaru continues to build rock solid products. Please Subaru, deliver the LegGT in a 5MT again and please deliver a turbo H6, MT6 in the Leg & Outback for those that love, love. love sport wagons. Subaru, you own the sport wagon market and you will devistate all others with a turbo H6, Leg/OB.

 

I understand buget justification and priorities. I sure hope Suby can justify offering the BEST sport wagons, Leg & OB.

 

Will I be a reapeat customer? I hope so. Let BMW add excess weight, distracting IDrive, non-drivier oriented dash designs and low torque/HP engines for a 20% premium. Keep it simple, keep it light, keep it durable, keep it FUN. Oh, you can raise the price and still be competitive for an H6, MT6 turbo with great seats and Subaru reliability.

+1 for me! My baby also turns 1 in the next week or so I, too, love it more every day.

 

My iON springs should be here this week. Then I need tires, breaks and AP and she'll be perfect... and with all the money I saved by not buying a BMW, I'm thinking about getting my wife a wagon.

 

Funny thing... I did a "build your own" for an '06 LGT wagon on Subaru's site last night and they would even let me choose the AT as an option! The MT was pre-selected and the AT was greyed out ... but it seems to be fixed today, alas :/