1000 miles on my 08 Legacy Limited

Hey Group,

 

Well I have 1000 miles and 5 weeks behind the wheel of my 2008 2.5i Limited. I thought some people who are considering a Legacy might like to hear the perspective of someone who has had it for a little while and the pro's and con's as I see them.

 

I replaced a 135K mile 1994 Lexus ES300. I had owned this car for about five years. It was solidly built, with a wonderful engine and transmission. However, the A/C was due for about $1200 worth of work and it needed struts, springs, etc. I decided it was time for something a little newer anyway.

 

The cars I seriously considered included another ES300 (newer than '00), a 2005 Mazda 6i GT S, and a 2003 Infinity G35. I liked the styling of the G, but I didn't care for the interior much, and the model I was looking at seemed to have accelerated wear and tear. I loved the engine and transmission in the Mazda, it was very strong. The interior was not very good though, and the Mazda forums are ablaze with quality issues. The Bose stereo was terrible too. So I decided on the Legacy.

 

I bought a Deep Bronze Metallic Limited with the factory sub, no spoiler, and Astrostart auto-start. I think the ivory interior with the black dash and bronze exterior is the best color combo. In every car I have ever owned, I always put an Alpine cd player in and JL or Kicker subwoofers. Now I am 25 years old, I don't need the boom-boom, but I still have discriminating tastes in a stereo. The Legacy stereo with SRS-WOW is really quite good, even though it can't get nearly as loud as my previous aftermarket systems could. I really enjoy the multi-disc MP3 capability and the Aux-in is perfect for my ipod. Tons of flexibility. The subwoofer is a must-have, but don't expect it to rattle your mirrors off. I haven't looked at the xover settings yet, it is still factory-set. I am be able to improve performance by tweaking it a little. But it does give a nice bottom at rational volume levels.

 

Here are the things I really like about my Legacy:

 

1. Hardly any of them where I live (North Dakota). haven't seen another bronze one yet.

2. Styling is attractive for its class. Clean lines, best Subaru design yet.

3. Headlamps are excellent. Best halogens I have ever had. It took some getting used to at first, with the 'black curtain' above the sharp cut-off point where the light stops shining above the beam.

4. Interior over-all fit and finish is equal to my Lexus (even though it was 14 years old)

5. More room in the back than my ES, I think.

6. Smooth ride, low tire noise, comfortable around town and on the highway. Seats are very nice.

 

Here are things I don't like:

 

1. Flex in the interior door panel where your left knee rests while driving is unacceptable. This should be rigid, not flexible.

2. Fog lights, while I have not had the opportunity to use them in fog yet, cannot possibly be useful. Yellow light is best for incliment weather, not white light. You cannot even tell they are on during good weather, so how will they do anything in bad weather?

3. Transmission hesitates when you floor it under some low-speed conditions, such as trying to hurry through an intersection. Sport mode does not help. Does anyone else have this problem? It doesnt show on the interstate. Only at lower speeds (less than 30 or so) and you floor the gas, it takes half a second to 'spool up'.

4. A little too much body roll during spirited driving.

 

Overall, I am pleased with the quality and comfort of the car. I do kind of miss my 1mzFE in my Lexus though. Now THAT was a top-notch powertrain (even though it was 14 years old).

 

Andy

Where are you located in ND?

Good write up man... glad you like your new car for the most part.

 

A few things: for the fogs, grab a nice set of replacement bulbs, it's something you might do anyways. Then treat yourself to a set of front/rear swaybars and from what I hear (don't have mine yet) it reduces alot of the body roll/understeer and they're not too pricey an upgrade.

 

Oh, and the door... get your knee off of it!! Your in a pimp-mobile now, stretch your leg out and relax!! j/k man! GL with the new wheels!

I have 70 watt yellow H3 foglights bulbs. If you can get a higher wattage I reccomend it.

Nice report.

 

I just reached 3500 miles on my 07 and I have to admit that I have no complaints so far. Well, it would have been nice to have some more cupholders up front.

 

As for your hesitation, is it your transmission? Or engine? You'll find lots of posts regarding engine hesitation on this forum.

I just reached 1k today too and I had the same problem with my leg hitting the door. But otherwise it's great.

my father has put 1100 on hiis and that inital take off u were talking about, well the engine has to turn all 4 wheels as opposed to 2, and the motor has to break it self in, my fathers is no where near as bad as when he 1st got it, but basicly between me and my father we broke the motor in hard, probally do a 1500 mile oil change here in the next week or so.

 

oh btw the 1mzfe is a great motor, it should have been in a celica though.

I have 70 watt yellow H3 foglights bulbs. If you can get a higher wattage I reccomend it.

 

Can you tell me what brand/type of bulbs you bought are?

 

To Wayne, I am in Fargo, ND. I bought my Legacy at Ward Muscatell Subaru in Moorhead, MN.

 

The hesitation is in the transmission. The engine will rev up like it should (not as fast as a mechanical throttle, but adequate), but then it seems to take like 1/3 to 1/2 second for the rest of the car to catch up. This is my first AWD car, so I don't know if this is normal or not. It sounds like maybe I need to break the car in a little harder. I have been easy on it for the most part.

 

How will the dealer react to front and rear bars as far as tire warranty and such?

 

Andy

i would think they would care less about the sways... all it does is add body rigidity. may be worth asking your dealer as they're all different, and its better to hear it frorm the horses mouth.

First, break it in like you stole it. 3 new cars broken in that way, each burned no oil.

 

Other than rentals/borrowing I haven't driven an Auto in about 8 years, but that doesn't sound quite right. Is it downshifting? If so that might be the case? Like you are in 4th gear loping along at 30 and then you floor it and it takes a second to figure out what to do...

 

The body roll is a little much. Plan on doing some swaybars and springs. That is my plan at least.

 

Don't know about the door, never rested my leg there.

 

Enjoy the ride!

 

The fog lights aren't too bad. I find that they help out a bit for illuminating immediately in front of the car.

First, break it in like you stole it. 3 new cars broken in that way, each burned no oil.

 

Other than rentals/borrowing I haven't driven an Auto in about 8 years, but that doesn't sound quite right. Is it downshifting? If so that might be the case? Like you are in 4th gear loping along at 30 and then you floor it and it takes a second to figure out what to do...

 

The body roll is a little much. Plan on doing some swaybars and springs. That is my plan at least.

 

Don't know about the door, never rested my leg there.

 

Enjoy the ride!

 

The fog lights aren't too bad. I find that they help out a bit for illuminating immediately in front of the car.

 

OK thanks for the tips. I will start hitting it hard to make sure it is broken in OK. My dealer told me to take it easy, especially with the brakes for 1000 miles. The owners' manual says nothing about break-in.

 

My Lexus had yellow fog lights, and they were great. I had read on other car forums that yellow light pierces through fog much better than white light, which tends to bounce back and create a wall of light in front of you. I will get these lights changed ASAP.

 

Any favorite sites for quality sway bars?

 

Andy

1st off... i duno about the whole 'beat the shit out of your car the first 1000 miles' deal... i personally didn't and wouldn't.

 

As to the sways, go to the vendor link on the top next to USER CP and you'll find a number of the site's vendors. PLTek, AVOWorld, KOP, just to name a few. Some give discounts to LGT.com members too. Shop around definitely.

07 2.5i limited here as well. I am on the 8K mile mark. What you are experiencing I have as well. I think it has to do with the electronic AWD system.

 

X

07 2.5i LTD here just cracked the 14k mark in approx 8 mos....

 

the engine does seem underpowered b4 break-in but if you break the car in easy and then start driving it like you stole it at around 1000miles, you'll notice the engine tends to pickup more power.....by no way is it a rocket ship but then again at 175hp and 30mpg, you can't expect it to be

 

 

 

and yes, the door panels suck.....my handles rattle from being grabbed on thru shutting the door so many times

I have driven mine like I stole it since new.

 

Most of the time I keep it in Sports mode.

 

If your last car was not turborcharged and running 250+ HP then you woj't miss much. The limited makes for a nice interior IMHO.

 

X