Just bought an older Legacy. What do I need to do?

Okay, I just bought a 2000 Subaru Legacy GT Limited ed. with 95k miles on it. It is in really good shape from the looks of things besides a few scratches here and there, a broken speaker grille, and some dirty molding.

 

Now my question to you Subaru experts is what should I do to ensure this car will last me? What is the general rule for tuning up a Legacy GT? Should I check anything out?

 

I am coming from a broken down 1996 Dodge Neon so I am making a pretty big step here.

 

I appreciate the help. Thanks!

I would do plugs, timing belt, all the filters, and a fluids change. Check the brakes while you are working on it. It doesnt have the check engine light on or anything does it?

No check engine light. When I test drove it I noticed the brake pedal had a lot of play to it and I really needed to press her down to stop. I told the guy who was selling me the car and he said he would look at it. I am actually picking it up later this morning so hopefully he fixed that.

Okay, I got the car today. It appears that the fluids were already changed and there are new wires on it. I will check the plugs tomorrow whenever I replace the rotors and brake pads. So far the only problems that I see so far is that the radio reception is utter crap and I'm not sure why. Also, the 6-disc changer isn't working. It just keeps ejecting the discs.

 

I am hoping the transmission is okay because it feels like the car isn't able to "coast" down a hill and something is holding it back. I am new to this AWD stuff so I have no clue if that's suppose to happen. It also seems to shift a little weird to me. But like I said it could be that I'm not used to the beast yet.

 

The brake pedal is still very loose and I really have to push it down to stop. Whenever we change the rotors and pads tomorrow I am going to bleed the brakes to see if that's the problem. On that note, any recommendations on how to paint the calipers?

 

Also, does the 2000 model have a cabin air filter? I saw a thread on replacing it and I don't think it would have been replaced recently if this car does have one. It mentions it in the manual but says "if included" This is the limited GT without nav/mirror defrosters/wiper defrosters/seat heaters.

 

Thanks again! I will post pics tomorrow whenever it isn't rainy and crappy outside.

Even though he said the fluids have been changed, I would check the harder ones for yourself. Changing fluids to one person maybe oil and check the radiator level.

 

I would be checking the gearbox and diff to see what the colour is like. If in doubt - change them.

 

Have you bought your pads yet? If not, pay a little more to get something with a little more bite than the normal OEM pads. I'm in Australia, so not sure of which pads to recommend but if you can source them, Ferodo TS2000s or Bendix 4WD will give you a better pedal and less fade.

 

I'm sure there will be a thread on here about painting your calipers. Just make sure you prep the calipers first. A wire brush attachment in your electric drill will quickly and easily remove all old contaminents (Make sure you wear safety glasses, that cr@p will fly everywhere). Spray some wax and grease remover and make sure you mask up before you start.

 

Tim

is it a USDM?

I will be checking everything over tomorrow once I get it in the air. I am pretty much going to go with the best pads that the local Autozone has because I can't really wait for something to be shipped to me. I will see if they sell those pads. Thanks

 

*EDIT*

USDM?

i have a JDM 99 RSK, and one of the first things that went wrong with mine was the front-right wheel bearings, so get that checked. if you go around a corner and it dont feel right, then it isnt.

 

 

US Domestic Model. mines a japanese spec.

US Domestic Market - meaning originally sold in the USA, or an import - JDM Japanese Domestic Market.

Ok will do. I'm located in the US if that's what the USDM thing was?

 

Pennsylvania to be exact.

 

EDIT*

 

Thanks for clearing it up. Yep it is in USDM

cool, im not sure, but did they make a turbo version in the states of that year? im in japan, and this is where i first heard of/drove a legacy. i also had a 96 neon. awsome gas mileage.

cool, im not sure, but did they make a turbo version in the states of that year? im in japan, and this is where i first heard of/drove a legacy. i also had a 96 neon. awsome gas mileage.

 

The first USDM 2.5GT with a factory turbo was 2005.

 

pchangeover- From my experience getting brake pads from Autozone is not the best idea. Subaru brakes are a bit finicky so you'll most likely get much better results with OEM pads. YMMV but this has been my experience on 5 different Subarus including the exact same car you have.

The first USDM 2.5GT with a factory turbo was 2005.

 

pchangeover- From my experience getting brake pads from Autozone is not the best idea. Subaru brakes are a bit finicky so you'll most likely get much better results with OEM pads. YMMV but this has been my experience on 5 different Subarus including the exact same car you have.

 

How much of price premium are the OEM pads over the ones I can get at Autozone or something? The other problem is that the closest subaru dealer to me is like 30 miles away, so I have to factor in gas.

Keep an eye on the head gaskets. Have they been changed?

Keep an eye on the head gaskets. Have they been changed?

 

Not that I know of. But I am basically in the dark for past experiences of the car. What's the best way to monitor the gaskets besides waiting for oil to leak into everything? lol

 

I got to work on the car a little today. I replaced the front rotors and brake pads. The rotors were awful but the pads were thick but cracked. I am guessing the previous owner put new pads own bad rotors to cause that kind of damage. So anyway, I replaced all of that stuff, cleaned the battery terminals up, greased some stuff and that was about it for today. I ran out of time to do anymore.

 

This weekend I am going to check the back rotors and pads. It's such a bummer that the rear brake pads are $82/pair. Expensive! I am also probably going to bleed the brakes. Other things on my list are to paint the calipers a few pieces under the hood and touch up the car. I also want to change the cabin air filter, which I already picked up some furnace filter stuff to do that. After I do all of that I want to do a thorough detailing of the car and I have read the O.C.D of detailing bible so I have a good idea of what to do. I will post pics tomorrow, I forgot to bust out my cam tonight.

 

Thanks!

Keep an eye on the head gaskets. Have they been changed?

 

you beat me to it. just replace it now since its gonna go anyway

Okay, how difficult is it to replace the head gasket? I know the part itself isn't that cheap but I am not a mechanic either. My uncle is so he would definitely be helping me lol. Could it be done in a day? Are there any good tutorials on how to do it?

 

Thanks again guys!

Usually with a bad head gasket on a Subaru the problem is coolant leaking into the motor not oil leaking out. Often the first indications are the car running a bit hot or being sluggish.

The head gaskets are a PITA because of the boxer engine and limited space around it.

i think the phase 1 engines had internal leaks and the phase 2 had the external leaks. im pretty sure the 2000 legacys had phase 1 engines. the magic number seems to be around 160k miles. if it hasnt gone by then your lucky. also the part itself is cheap its the labor that gets you

i think the phase 1 engines had internal leaks and the phase 2 had the external leaks. im pretty sure the 2000 legacys had phase 1 engines. the magic number seems to be around 160k miles. if it hasnt gone by then your lucky. also the part itself is cheap its the labor that gets you

 

I wish I had a subby that went 160k before it needed a head gasket. My '00 2.5RS, My friends '00 LGT and my wife's '97 Outback all needed them at 50k-60k. Fortunately they were all covered under warranty. It's a lot of what made us purchase the 100k warranty on the '05 LGT.

well i had a 2001 forester with the phase 2 running strong at 155k with no HG issues. phase 2 were noticeably better though

well i had a 2001 forester with the phase 2 running strong at 155k with no HG issues. phase 2 were noticeably better though

 

I hope so. My wife's outback actually had a "porous block" causing it to lose coolant into the cylinders and run like crap. It was replaced with a motor that had a bad crank which was replaced 14k later. My friends '00 LGT ate 4 auto transmissions and was on it's way to a 5th when he totalled it. This was all under warranty thanks to Metric Subaru.

Despite all of this I really love these cars, especially when the weather turns nasty.

well i have nothing but good experiences with my 01 forester and 05 outback. my 91 legacy blew 3 axels, 1 auto trans and had numerous electrical problems. subaru is like a cult some people hate them and some swear by them.

I've personally turned a few haters. All it took was a quick drive down a snowy road.

i just love the look when someone drives me car and goes "Thats not a subaru" with a huge grin on there face. i agree they dont have all the bells and whistles of other cars and they also arent the prettiest of cars(still think the legacy/outback are the best for looks in the subaru lineup). I like not having all the useless crap in my car plus its reliable with awd. what more can you ask for.