My friends scared to buy an LGT because...

Of all the blown this broken that threads he's found on here. He's seriously scared off. I'm telling him, so what if your VF40 blowns, replace it with a rebuilt or aftermarket, it's not that expensive and these problems are not a weekly ordeal or even going to happen with tons of cars. He's worried about clutches too because it's an "expensive" fix even though a once per ownership type of deal if you're not an idiot or someone who drives their car into the ground.

I've had experience with LGT's and I can say that I am not scared what so ever of them, these issues are small and not horribly common.

Can someone put misconception to rest?

Every car is going to have problems and require maintenance. Even if you buy a Toyota, you are going to have to put a clutch in it at some point.

Same goes for almost every other car on the road.

If he plans on leaving the car stock, and simply "just driving" then he can't take the word of enthusiasts on the reliability or repair costs of a car.

We'll find a fault when none exists, just so we have some excuse to upgrade.

Tell your friend that online forums act as an amplifier of problems. When I researched the last two cars my wife and I purchased I thought I had it all down. Until I hit the forums and it seriously seemed as if I was looking into buying two of the worst vehicles built by mankind ever. Just rationalize the fact that what you get online is a collection of problems which in reality are far and in between.

The Legacy is no worse than any other car out there and for that matter, does a lot better than many of them.

And if you look, EVERY dealer has a service department, so ...

Just ask your friend what his wants are:

I personally trust my LGT to be very reliable to 60k. Between 60-90k I will not be surprised to need a clutch job and even a new turbo.

My 2006 Civic SI, on the otherhand, is torqueless and dead reliable and needs minimal maintenance.

If he wants a worry-free experience, then go and buy a BMW 335i (or xi) with the 100k warranty and maintenance package for 35k. Stuff will go wrong, but it'll be taken care of till 100k

Joe

I was going to ask if you were insane when I read 335 before I got to the part with the 100K mile warranty

Well Joe, I am at 75K miles, Stage 2, and my turbo is going as strong as ever. The VF40s dying is a non-issue for me and as far as I am concerned blown out of proportion.

Tell your friend that online forums act as an amplifier of problems. When I researched the last two cars my wife and I purchased I thought I had it all down. Until I hit the forums and it seriously seemed as if I was looking into buying two of the worst vehicles built by mankind ever. Just rationalize the fact that what you get online is a collection of problems which in reality are far and in between.

The Legacy is no worse than any other car out there and for that matter, does a lot better than many of them.

And if you look, EVERY dealer has a service department, so ...

So very true; automotive forums typically represent a very small percentage of overall owners - honestly most people that own the car don't go out and start surfing legacy websites, just the people who want to know more about their car or get help, and of course the enthusiast crowd - whom tend to push vehicles a bit further than the average person would.. Just like with virtually everything else, no one ever comes on to say "I drove to work today and my car was fine", it's "I drove to work and something happened". Internet research and forum research is good, but you're really only going to see the people who have had problems, which doesn't necessarily represent the majority or even a big chunk of legacy owners.

My point was "I will not be surprised"

I understand what you are saying. I've always tried to live with low expectations and be pleasantly surprised

Your friend doesn't need a car like the LGT if a more rigorous maintenance and repair schedule is unwanted.

There are plenty of cars out there that will make a nice peppy commuter. You can get a loaded 09 Hyundai Sonata with a 250hp v6, 5spd auto, nav, leather, and sunroof for around $23k after rebates.

Interior -- not too shabby!

http://image.motortrend.com/f/9480781/112_0802_03z+2009_hyundai_sonata+interior_view.jpg

my LGT was/is more reliable than my s2000. Actually I've been 350whp+ for about 1.5 years and its been more reliable in this state than when i was stock..

chew on that

Your friend doesn't need a car like the LGT if a more rigorous maintenance and repair schedule is unwanted.

Care to elaborate? The maintenance interval doesn't look that much more different to me. The only things I can think of are diff fluids and banjo bolt. Other than that, coolant flushes, oil changes and that's about it. I will agree with you however on the point that the LGT is more pretentious/picky as far as how you do it and what you use. For example, have to stick with OEM coolant, spark plugs are 60K and harder than on other cars, etc.

Don't forget coolant at 30k And alot of cars go 105k on their original spark plugs, belts, etc.

Of course, my Civic SI requires a valve adjustment by 105k. I mean really, who does valve adjustments anymore? Pfft.

Don't forget coolant at 30k And alot of cars go 105k on their original spark plugs, belts, etc.

 

Of course, my Civic SI requires a valve adjustment by 105k. I mean really, who does valve adjustments anymore? Pfft.

Funny I adjusted some valves on a Honda 400EX the other day yeah is a ATV but still

Don't forget coolant at 30k And alot of cars go 105k on their original spark plugs, belts, etc.

A lot of mundane, non high performing cars? I don't think coolant is that out of the ordinary nowadays when you look at other turbocharged/supercharged vehicles.

Also, the newer Subarus come with the blue Super Long Life coolant which does not need to be replaced until 100K afaik.

They also have a timing chain, not a belt, so you do not have to worry about servicing that either.

Of all the blown this broken that threads he's found on here. He's seriously scared off. I'm telling him, so what if your VF40 blowns, replace it with a rebuilt or aftermarket, it's not that expensive and these problems are not a weekly ordeal or even going to happen with tons of cars. He's worried about clutches too because it's an "expensive" fix even though a once per ownership type of deal if you're not an idiot or someone who drives their car into the ground.

 

I've had experience with LGT's and I can say that I am not scared what so ever of them, these issues are small and not horribly common.

 

Can someone put misconception to rest?

Your friend is right - after reading this forum I too am afraid of my Legacy. I have learned that there are so many problems with so many different parts and systems on the car that the surprising thing is that any of them are still driveable. At the same time it also appears that the Legacy GT outperforms any car ever made or likely to be made - on the rare occasions when it actually can run.

Care to elaborate? The maintenance interval doesn't look that much more different to me.

I guess I shouldn't have said the maintenance schedule was "more rigorous." More precisely, you can't skip routine checks & maintenance as if it were a Camry. It's just more than a "gas and go" proposition which a lot of people want in a car.

Of course, my Civic SI requires a valve adjustment by 105k. I mean really, who does valve adjustments anymore? Pfft.

I would never do a valve adjustment again unless something wasn't running right...did it on my old Integra and gas mileage dropped from 38-42 to 34-37! So much for doing the right thing for my car.

As for reliability; I think these cars are pretty damn good. Sure things break but it is also a car that the typical owner is going to modify or at the very least drive hard. You drive any car hard for long enough and things will need replacement.