Why do we love these cars?

So my legacy is not even half a year old, and it already has ticks, buzzes, rattles, clunks, funky noises and all the wonderful Subaru quirks, but for some reason we stay loyal. I stay onboard for the hope of a long lasting vehicle, despite how it may seem while sitting in the driver's seat.

 

Why do you stay on with the six stars?

Well, one reason is because it is different. Even when I lived in New England, you saw way more Camry's and Altimas than Legacies. Also, the utility for me. I love a wagon, and I love the all-wheel drive. Options are rather thin, especially affordable ones. Not to mention, there are very few wagons that are so much fun to drive. I fell in love with Subis when I worked at a dealership in the mid '70s. We had one of those fugly tourquoise 4WD wagons traded in, and I had never seen anything like it. Then my future (now ex) wife had a sedan, it it was a decent car, with 4WD when you needed it. The only one I have had that I didn't like was one of those crappy, boxy 1988 GL sedans. They could have skipped that generation. I have only had seven cars (just turned 52) and the last five have been Subis. Plus, I have found them to be very reliable.

My 2007 Legacy was my first Subaru - previously I had been a Saturn owner and a fan of the company, before GM ruined Saturn by taking away everything that made it unique and turned it into a standard GM division. I owned two Spring Hill built SL2's, which were durable, reliable, and inexpensive to own. I still miss my dent resistant plastic body panels!

 

GM started cutting costs in the late 90's by eliminating features like 4 wheel disc brakes (my '97 had 4 wheel disc, but by 2000 all trim levels had rear drums). The ION that replaced the S Series was a complete joke, and had numerous downgrades like the torsion beam rear suspension in place of the independent setup in the S Series. Not to mention it was ugly as hell! More recently, Saturns became more "maintstream" as GM turned the once independent subsidiary into a standard GM division. Even unique features like the polymer body panels were eliminated. Eventually it essentially became the American outlet for Opel vehicles. Consumers didn't buy, and so now Saturn is history (well, Roger Penske bought the name, presumably to sell cheap foreign sourced vehicles).

 

I guess maybe I was attracted to Subaru for the same reasons I liked the original Saturns - unique, affordable, well engineered vehicles. But I was close to buying a Mazda 3 or Mazda 6, and at one point I even seriously considered a Pontiac G6 GTP (yeah, what was I thinking?). Really, the sleek, well proportioned looks of the Legacy are what made me take a close look at Subaru. I knew about the boxer engine and AWD, and those were certainly factors in my decision. Living in northeast PA, a good AWD system is certainly useful. I loved that I could get a sporty looking, driver oriented car with a good AWD system without having to spend Audi A4/BMW 3 Series money. Oh, good IIHS crash test scores were a factor as well, along with reliability record. I was annoyed that I couldn't get stability control or in dash nav without buying the GT, not to mention the 5 speed auto, but I still went with the Legacy over the other cars I was looking at!

 

Unfortunately, as much as I appreciate the Subaru powertrain, and as much as I would have liked to stick with the brand, I can't stand the 2010 Legacy. Much like GM ruined Saturn, it seems Subaru is ruining its character by trying to go more mainstream. The 2010 Legacy completely lacks the sleek, understated classiness that attracted me to the previous gen Legacy. It's generic, uninspired, and from some angles downright awkward looking. Also, the de-contenting troubles me. (Trying to save a buck elminating things like 4 stage seat heaters, folding mirrors, etc. is a sign to me that the company is going downhill. Reminds me of the cost cutting I saw at GM.) So, my first Subaru will likely be my last. Rather than compromise on my next vehicle, I'll be more likely to hold onto my current one longer, and save for something like a BMW 3 Series next time, unless something else comes along in the next few years that I like as much as I liked the previous gen Legacy.

OP you have rattles and noises. May be you need to drive it like it was meant to be driven.

 

My 05 has hit pot holes hard enough to make the hood pop open. In Winter time I have taken a short cut going skiing that is a frozen dirt road. I typically take the road at 50mph, hit a few good pot holes there too. 109,000 miles no rattles. No alignment issues. Never had the car aligned, all tires wear even.

 

This is my 3rd GT wagon. I make use of them during the Winter, that's the main reason for driving one of these.

My 2007 Legacy was my first Subaru - previously I had been a Saturn owner and a fan of the company, before GM ruined Saturn by taking away everything that made it unique and turned it into a standard GM division. I owned two Spring Hill built SL2's, which were durable, reliable, and inexpensive to own. I still miss my dent resistant plastic body panels!

 

Me too.. I came from saturnfans.com having owned 5 SLx series. The last of which was a SL2 with every bolt on mod available, which I beat the crap out of and sold still running strong and looking good with 180k miles on it. I ended up in an Ion Redline after, which was a blast to drive, but was a serious POS at the same time. I had an SL1 (95) with 5spd that consistently got 40 mpg mixed driving, and 44+ on all highway cruising. New hybrids don't even do that.. They really did ruin those cars.

 

I have some similar feelings on my spec b.. Pretty expensive car to be rattling and squeaking/squawking at me. It's nowhere near as bad as the redline was though.

I have no attachment to Subaru, but there's a lot to like about the one I have.

 

* AWD for ski/snowboard trips

* not too small (I test-drove a WRX)

* not too big (also test-drove a 330xi)

* powerful right out of the box (the 335xi wasn't out yet...)

* more power can be had for a reasonable cost

* tactrix, ecuflash, romraider, etc (I'm a nerd)

* comfortable interior

* attracts no attention from cops

* handles just fine, and handling upgrades are cheap

* good price

* looks great

 

I won't be getting a 2010 Legacy, but I'm really curious about the rumored coupe.

I show no brand loyalty. I go where my interests are at the time. I bought the Subaru because it was the only thing in my price range, that was quick (somewhat), had AWD and came with a manual transmission. To be honest, it's most likely my last Subaru. I hate the direction the company is going right now. So my next vehicle will have to suit whatever my criteria are at the time.

OP, I've asked myself the same thing. But every time it snows ...

i just developed another dash rattle while driving around today, it's maddening, but luckily the roads here are fairly benign so the rattles aren't so apparent but still....

I show no brand loyalty. I go where my interests are at the time. I bought the Subaru because it was the only thing in my price range, that was quick (somewhat), had AWD and came with a manual transmission. To be honest, it's most likely my last Subaru. I hate the direction the company is going right now. So my next vehicle will have to suit whatever my criteria are at the time.

 

Same reason I got mine.. Mine only feels somewhat quick after stage 2.. Still a bit disappointed really. Wishing I had just gone for the 335i..