Looking to join the club.. need some first hand input

I'm looking to buy a Legacy in the next little while. I am currently driving a 2007 Honda Fit, it is aftermarket turbocharged and is putting down 175whp/170wtq.

 

But I now want something "more my age"... I am turning 31 soon and I wanted a car that has a little more comfort and a little less "boy racer".

 

I am looking for a used Legacy, either a GT or a Spec.B, my budget is around 20-25k in Canadian funds. Currently I've been able to find 2005-2006 Legacy GT Limiteds in my price range.. a 2007 Spec.B will be at the very top of my price range...

 

I'd like to know from you guys "the members" as to what your opinions are and what I should look for.

 

I know some of the differences between the 06-07 models... 6spd, Bilstien susp, Si-Drive, Navi.

 

I'd like to know how important some of these differences are and if they are really worth spending the extra money on.

 

Thanks in advance, and I hope to soon be posting about my new Leg!

Both the 06 & 07 Spec B's had the Bilstein suspension and NAV. The differences between the '06 and 07-09 are mainly the 6 spd transmission and the SI-drive.

 

The Legacy GT is a great car as it is. The Spec B ads some extras. Only you can really make the decision as to whether it's worth the price. It was to me.

I got my car about 4 months ago at Hyatt Infiniti for $22.3k, 05 GT Limited with 30k kms. Only thing about Legacys and Calgary... or AB in general is just the availability of them used. Mine was pretty much the only one for sale, there was one in Red Deer but it had 90k kms.

Do not settle for anything less than the King of Cars: SpecB.

If you don't want to spend the extra cash for the Spec-B. You should get the LGT and then install some mods. Look into Perrin and Cobb they make many mods for the new Legacy Gts.

So besides the additional features on the Spec.B is there any reason to not get the GT? like any major mechanical issues or stuff like that?

 

The kid in me says to go with an STI, but the grown up in me says go Legacy...

There are no mechanical issues that the LGT has and the Spec.B does not share. They're 99% the same car. The differences, in my opinion, are worth the extra scratch. You can have an 08 spec.B these days for under $25k USDs - some WAY under. You should consider traveling to pick one up from the states.

Both the 06 & 07 Spec B's had the Bilstein suspension and NAV. The differences between the '06 and 07-09 are mainly the 6 spd transmission and the SI-drive.

 

The Legacy GT is a great car as it is. The Spec B ads some extras. Only you can really make the decision as to whether it's worth the price. It was to me.

 

 

07 = fold down seats, mp3 audio in port in the armrest, fog light surrounds are black and not body colored, no up pipe, more aggressive tune from the factory.

Hmmmmm... so I've narrowed my list down to 3 cars that I am considering...

 

2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI

2004 Audi S4

2005 Subaru Legacy GT Limited

 

I think all 3 are great cars, and I think the STI will be the most fun, the S4 the most comfortable, and the Legacy the most practical.

 

It's gonna be a tough choice...

If you're looking to get away from the "boy racer" image, stay away from the STI. Get an LGT, put 1 grand or so into power mods and enjoy having more power than an STI, without ricers trying to race you at every light. Just my .02

If you're looking to get away from the "boy racer" image, stay away from the STI. Get an LGT, put 1 grand or so into power mods and enjoy having more power than an STI, without ricers trying to race you at every light. Just my .02

 

I do want to get away from the "ricer" look.. what can be done in terms of boosting the power on a 05 LGT? I don't want anything loud so an exhaust is out of the question for me... Perhaps an intake would be nice, but how much power can the intake add? what else can be done that doesn't cost a million bucks?

 

At most I'd be willing to put maybe an extra thousand dollars into the LGT in performance mods... would that take me to STI power?

You are looking for a stage 2. It sounds like you have the same preferences as me. I went with a Downpipe, uppipe and Accessport with stage 2 tune. I am as fast if not faster then a stock STI. I kept my stock catback so my car is as quiet as stock. Don't do intake it's actually kinda loud. The stock airbox flows very well. For under a G your car can be stock sounding with STI power.

Does doing a Stage 2 on the LGT motor make it any worse for wear? will it affect the lifespan of the motor?

 

What is the expected life of a LGT motor anyways? +200k?

If you get a good tune the car can actually be safer. Good tuners can give you a really safe fuel curve. Obviously the harder you beat on your car the shorter it's lifespan. Going stage 2 just makes it even more tempting to beat on it. and yes subbies have been known to last 200k+. There are already members in the 150k's without any problems with the motor.

 

Lets put it this way. A STI's motor is the same as a LGT's motor. The STI has better fuel, intercooling, bigger turbo, and a different manifold design but really same engine. So a STI is already a tuned LGT motor, so if you are ok with a stock STI's reliablity the LGT should be even better since the turbo is smaller.

So I've decided to go with a 05-07 Legacy GT sedan. I have been looking at my local market and there really isn't much selection.

 

I have found 3 Legacy GTs all 2005 models with manual trans. All are around 70-80k (kilometers) and range from 22k-25k CAD.

Welcome to the board! I bought my 05 GT Ltd 2 years ago, just before the CDN and US currencies were at par. That was when we were getting totally hosed with price discrepancy. I paid way more than what Ithese cars are going for now even takining into consideration depreciation!

 

Now the CDN dollar is in the crapper but the CDN prices aren't through the roof. For that reason you'd probably be better off buying CDN.

 

My car was a lease return at Subaru of Calgary, they had about 5 on the lot all in varying states of trim, color, etc. Have you checked out them as well as Centaur? SoC was also open to negotiation too. I traded in my 98 Outback, 90 Miata and some cash. Saved me the hassle of trying to sell two cars on my own! If you do go there go see Tom.

 

I recently switched over to a JDM GT Bilstein suspension setup on my 05 Ltd. From what I have been told, this is the same as the Spec b suspension setup. IMO all GT's should have had this suspension setup. If you want a manual transmission, the spec b 6 gears are always better than 5. Also as mentioned by someone else the newer Legacys have a fold down rear seat and I believe the 2007+ audio systems come with an aux input.

 

Hope this helps!

Here's the deal: 2005-2006 are great, but do have more issues (supposedly).

 

2007 switched to a new ecu mapping...some don't like it as much.

 

I would honestly recommend a 2007 Spec.B.; and I say that as a 2008 LGT 5-speed owner.

 

I think the 6-speed transmission, rear diff, and stock suspension is worth it once you are buying a USED model (where the difference in price is far less than when it was brand new). I think the 6-speed model will also be more enjoyable for you on a daily basis.

 

If you need a fold-down rear seat, then 2007 or older. If not, then 2005-2006 are fine choices...just recognize that 2005 was the first year of the model.

 

For tuning: 2005-2006 have a cat in the up-pipe that should be removed (it also is a bad idea from an engine longevity standpoint). 2007+ no longer have that cat.

 

Also, to give you more info on tuning:

 

If you are at all computer savvy (i.e. you know how to install windows updates), then you can work with opensource tuning. Why is this good?

 

If you have a 2007 model, you can gut one cat from your downpipe (it has 2 cats) and go to "stage II" by hiring an e-tuner ($100-200) to create a custom map for you to go along with your gutted cat. You'll be making ~230whp and maybe ~270 wtq at that point. That's equivalent in peak HP to an STI, but with more torque and probably a fatter powerband overall. You'd have spent maybe $400 at that point, and maybe 5-10 hours of research and logging time. That includes the cable to tune your car, the e-tune, and new Downpipe gaskets after you've gutted one cat.

 

Just some ideas for you. I wouldn't do any recent model S4 of 2005 or before. It's not worth the ownership expense.