Where to search?

I am looking to buy a used Legacy GT and I've been browsing these forums almost daily for a few months now. I keep reading about people finding them for under $18k so that's what I set out to do. I've been constantly scanning autotrader.com, cars.com, various Subaru dealers' websites in my area, the cars for sale forum here, eBay, and craigslist since late February and I've maybe found three for under $18k. I've been looking in TX and the immediate surrounding states and all long the west coast and my requirements are under 40k miles, any color other than red and the lighter blue (no offense to those that own cars in these colors), and 5 speed.

So my questions are:

Am I being unreasonable thinking that I can find a car with my requirements and in one of the areas that I listed for less than $18k?

If I'm not being unreasonable, are there any other places that I should be looking?

The cars I have found that I can remember are:

- a non limited GT with 33k miles in Houston for $17k, but it was red so I decided to wait

- a silver non limited GT in Seattle with 28k miles for $16.5k - I would have bought this one, but someone pulled the trigger before me

It's not impossible the way you are looking but if you expand your search to inlcude leather and $19k you may find lots of GT LT's. Also, by cutting out two colors you are now down to White, Black, Silver, and Dark Blue. You just cut 33% of the color choices.

Realize also that enthusiasts seem to dump their cars more often and for cheaper on here. There's always a price war no matter what you post your car for sale on here. Someone always knows someone or some website that has it for cheaper and thus the prices fall on here lower then they may in real life.

It's not impossible the way you are looking but if you expand your search to inlcude leather and $19k you may find lots of GT LT's. Also, by cutting out two colors you are now down to White, Black, Silver, and Dark Blue. You just cut 33% of the color choices.

 

Realize also that enthusiasts seem to dump their cars more often and for cheaper on here. There's always a price war no matter what you post your car for sale on here. Someone always knows someone or some website that has it for cheaper and thus the prices fall on here lower then they may in real life.

The requirements I listed were just the base requirements, I am open to a limited or a non-limited. I've seen posts on this forum about people finding cars that fit or exceed my requirements and I'm wondering why I haven't been as lucky.

I know your search area is pretty big, but if you were willing to pay $500 to ship a car I'm sure you could look over at the East coast where A LOT of Subbies are. I saw about 4-6 FS threads that met your requirements but they were all in PA and New England area. Also, realize what you ended with: lucky. It takes a bit of luck to land one of these cars for $18k. You just got to keep plugging away and not give up! GOOD LUCK!

Keep asking more questions if you have any, everyone is pretty cool on here as long as you search first.

I know your search area is pretty big, but if you were willing to pay $500 to ship a car I'm sure you could look over at the East coast where A LOT of Subbies are. I saw about 4-6 FS threads that met your requirements but they were all in PA and New England area. Also, realize what you ended with: lucky. It takes a bit of luck to land one of these cars for $18k. You just got to keep plugging away and not give up! GOOD LUCK!

 

Keep asking more questions if you have any, everyone is pretty cool on here as long as you search first.

The thing is I want to test drive/actually see the car before I buy it. I have family on the west coast that can do that for me. Thanks for the good luck and encouragement.

Sure, the good cars are few and far between-- but there *is* a car that might fit your needs.

I'm assuming you're in TX-- but I might be wrong. In case you are, and Dallas isn't too much of a stretch for you, PM Onramp on this site. Apparently, his immaculate, extremely low-mileage non-limited black-cloth-interior '05 silver LGT is still for sale, and his pricing is right within your ballpark.

I've already met the dude, and test-drove his car when I was in town for business. Car is amazing, and I almost bought it myself. Regretfully, circumstances have prevented me from picking it up.

But for you, it sounds like a good match to me.

I, too, searched for for months, realized that there's slim pickings of these cars out there, many either having been cosmetically beat up in strange ways or just priced absurdly high by user car sleazemen, and almost bidding on the salvaged one from Oregon or somewhere in the Pac. NW that keeps showing up on Ebay, failing to have bids meet its reserve. Then, I was forced to put the search on hold to tend to priorities.

But, finally, I just picked mine up about a week ago our of sheer luck and coincidence easily under $18K with some details that were just far too attractive to ignore. I'm definitely happier with its performance than I am annoyed by its rattling.

Thanks for the tips.

I think I contacted this guy earlier when I saw an ad on craigslist. He told me that he had to take his car off the market, otherwise it would already be sold to me and this post would have never happened

I think I know what salvage GT in OR you're talking about issai and I've considered taking a look at it.