5th Generation Legacy GT Transmission

I've been shopping for a 5th Gen 2.5GT for a couple of months now and I've only been able to test drive one, but I've read several reviews from magazines and car reviewing websites about the "clunky-ness", "vagueness", and "difficulty finding gears" of the 6MT. The one I drove was fine, though the throws were a tiny bit longer than I expected. It did feel a bit different than my buddy's STI, but I expected that. I'm planning on installing a short-throw shifter anyway, so I wasn't concerned with the length of throw.

This is one of the reviews I read:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...t/viewall.html

Anyway, has anyone heard of these "problems" before, and if so is it a common occurrence? Is it something I should be worried about in my continuing search? Thank you in advance for any advice!

P.S. - I'm very new here, so I apologize if this post is in the wrong spot or format.

It's more vague than clunky. Nothing wrong with it, just don't expect it to be very sporty (long throws and lack of feeling due to cables vs direct linkage)

I've never had a problem finding gears, I tend to think a lot of reviews of manual transmissions are from people who either haven't driven a manual before or aren't very good at driving them.

I have the sti short throw. Still not perfect but I don't really care anymore. Grew on me.

Just let it get warm before you try to shift quickly (seeing your locale) and you'll have no issues.

On really cold days double-clutching from 1st/2nd and 2nd/1st is advisable until everything is up to temp.

Also, remember that magazine writers are comparing the Subie box to a Porsche, Miata, or Honda s2000 box. We're never going to win those comparisons.

Thank you for all of the good information! I have a better idea of what to expect during future test drives. I can't wait to finally pull the trigger on one.