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looking into buying an 05 legacy gt limited


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Hi there,

 

new to the forum. I'm looking into buying an 05 legacy gt limited. its got 230,000 km (or 142915.374 miles) and has the following done to the car:

 

Automatic with Sportshift 5spd, shifters on the steering wheel.

2.5L 4 cylinder turbo.

Aux port and wired for amp and subs.

Thule ski racks.

Cobb Accessport stage 2

Rally Innovations bush bar

H&R Springs (also comes with stock springs).

Automatic key fob start

Carbon fibre interior trim.

The wheels on the car are outfitted with snow tires. Huge sunroof.

Tow hitch.

 

is it a good deal for $7000 canadian dollars. and also, when i do go and look at it, what are some things that i should look out for, etc. Thanks for all your help

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Are you getting a PPI? You absolutely should if you're not mechanically-inclined enough to know what to look for.

 

Some stuff that breaks a lot on these cars:

 

All of the rubber. Absolutely all of it. Bushings, window trim, suspension, valve stem seals in the engine (causes oil burning), hoses, spare tire, you name it. It's a 15-year old car with a lot of miles and very soft rubber. I have replaced every single suspension bushing on my car with 213K miles (342 kms) in the last 10K miles.

 

Engines: These engines suffer from many issues, namely rod bearing failure, piston ring failure, head gasket failure (if the boost has been turned up), and burnt valves. Do a compression test when you buy the car and ask if the engine has been replaced.

 

The 05 year had a catted uppipe that was prone to sending bits of catalytic converter shrapnel into the engine and turbo, nuking both. Make sure the uppipe is replaced with an aftermarket catless one, is gutted, or is upgraded to an 07 LGT uppipe.

 

Wheel bearings. Subarus go through these a lot. Lots of vibration in the wheel or noise in the cabin, depending on which one is bad. You can easily test their status by jacking the car up on all four sides or putting it on a lift. Set it in park, leave the parking brake off, and go around each wheel. Grab your dominant hand on the wheel spoke and grab the suspension spring with your other. Spin the wheel as hard as you can. If you feel any vibration in the spring then you probably need a new wheel bearing. If the wheel moves inward and outward from the hub, then you need tie rods. Since your car is lowered on H&Rs, you can replace those tie rod ends and ball joints with the Whiteline Roll Center kit.

 

My car has had a few things break with age. Both O2 sensors, the MAF sensor, both oil control valves, the car is on its third turbo, the thing seems to eat headlight bulbs every year, the fourth gear syncho is a little bit worn, my left rear door sometimes doesn't unlock, and I've replaced two wheel bearings. You'd have to pry it from my cold dead hands despite all this. Love getting it into boost and passing Mustangs :lol:

 

As for the price, 7K is a little much for an auto sedan to me, but I also don't know how the market is up there. You guys would have a lot of rust on a 15-year old car, would you not?

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Thanks for your advice. He says he's gotten all the stuff for the engine redone ie. timing belt around 40k km (25k miles) ago. I mean, I'd hope to check invoices and all that stuff to see recent work done rather than take his word for it as i'm only talking to him via Facebook messenger. He said he has it in a cobb stage 2, so again, I can only assume that the pipe has been replaced.

 

That said, rust isn't an issue depending on how its been kept? I had an 01 Honda Accord that never rusted and we parked it outside for most of its life. I reckon our weather up here in Vancouver is similar to yours in Portland haha.

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What makes you keep driving your Legacy?

 

That's easy, once you push your right foot to the floor, you will understand.

305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD).  CHECK your oil, these cars use it.

 

Engine Build - Click Here

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What makes you keep driving your Legacy?

 

Because it's not what everyone else wants, which is a WRX/STI. Its not the same LS swapped, or mustang with a this or camaro with a 150, Hell cat, charger shot or what ever you see on the street videos.

 

People do not know what to think when they see a Nice legacy. Is it 500hp or 300hp. I tell people I am on 8 pounds and they just walk away after they see the motor lol.

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What makes you keep driving your Legacy?

 

Where else can I find a reliable AWD, turbo, manual wagon that has beautiful lines.

It's unique and a joy to drive, look at, and work on.

It's gonna be a long time before I drive something else...

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You need to know what you are getting into. Read through threads like this one on reliability modifications.

 

This car requires 'active' ownership. It is not like another car you can just drive and have fun. If you are not willing to check your oil weekly and top off weekly, then walk away. If you are not willing to clean the MAF, get a good tune for any modifications, and have the willingness to pay someone else or take the effort to track down gremlins, walk away. Are you willing to learn about banjo bolt filters? O2 sensors, OCV that need changing, stumble at 2000-2500 RPM, wheel bearings...

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One thing that wasn't mentioned is turbo failures at higher mileage which pretty much every GT is these day, it is probably the number 1 failure and expense of owning a 4th Gen GT. Turbo bearing failures is not dealt with immediately often result in engine failures. Run away from cars with a brand new turbo, most people/mechanics do cleaning out the engine of the resulting glitter bomb that eats bearings. You have to be careful with car that seem OK as well, too many owner sell/trade in their car at the 1st signed failing turbo's.
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Where else can I find a reliable AWD, turbo, manual wagon that has beautiful lines.

It's unique and a joy to drive, look at, and work on.

It's gonna be a long time before I drive something else...

 

A joy to work on? You must like to suffer! :)

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A joy to work on? You must like to suffer! :)

 

I'm a new owner and haven't really dived in just yet, but my other car is a 2008 Audi S4. I was just earlier today looking at the OBXT engine compartment and marveling at all the room. I could see the ground from above the engine! I could put my first between the intake/heads and the next parts of the car and not touch! Never happen with the Audi. You have to remove 3 things just to get a look at one side of the thing you think is failing there. I'm looking forward to pulling the EJ. What luxury!

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Exactly.

I love that I can get to most everything.

I've had several minivans and I really dislike working on transaxle layouts.

I love that the engine can still be pulled out the top.

I can (and have) done basically everything other than rebuild a transmission on Subarus, and they are much easier (and more fun) to work on that most other vehicles.

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Why?

Because you can haul 5 full size ppl, all their stuff for a weekend and put the snowboards on top, go 80mph at 20+mpg through anything. When you get to the resort, you can get into the parking garage without clearance issues. Then you can drive home on the same tank of gas.

 

For around town, nothing else fits its sleeper status. "soccer mom" stealth with sti performance. You have to really do stupid stuff to get a "license and registration" stop.

 

in yer case, the tow hitch & bush bar suggest it's been hammered especially if its a BC car. I'd get a ppi, check the fluids in oil, radiator, diffs, and transmission. check suspension for rust & broken bushings. get a cylinder pressure check (best way to see if a new engine is in yer future).

 

look at the components. check if it has the stock snorkel (subaru aint honda, you want the stock intake). Check the tunes stored in the cobb access port. Ask who tuned it. If no one, that's a red flag if there's non-stock items.

 

check tire wear, it should be uniform. check rim damage. Check mounting bolts for tow hitch and bush bar. be sure all doors work.

 

test drive with radio off. any noises can be expensive. check dash for discoloring or "melty", either are bad as there's no replacement.

 

if no records/invoices, i'd take 1000-2000 off immediately.

 

best of luck. they are fun if you get a good one. You'll want to buy a gun and eat it if you don't.

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Why?

Because you can haul 5 full size ppl, all their stuff for a weekend and put the snowboards on top, go 80mph at 20+mpg through anything. When you get to the resort, you can get into the parking garage without clearance issues. Then you can drive home on the same tank of gas.

 

For around town, nothing else fits its sleeper status. "soccer mom" stealth with sti performance. You have to really do stupid stuff to get a "license and registration" stop.

 

in yer case, the tow hitch & bush bar suggest it's been hammered especially if its a BC car. I'd get a ppi, check the fluids in oil, radiator, diffs, and transmission. check suspension for rust & broken bushings. get a cylinder pressure check (best way to see if a new engine is in yer future).

 

look at the components. check if it has the stock snorkel (subaru aint honda, you want the stock intake). Check the tunes stored in the cobb access port. Ask who tuned it. If no one, that's a red flag if there's non-stock items.

 

check tire wear, it should be uniform. check rim damage. Check mounting bolts for tow hitch and bush bar. be sure all doors work.

 

test drive with radio off. any noises can be expensive. check dash for discoloring or "melty", either are bad as there's no replacement.

 

if no records/invoices, i'd take 1000-2000 off immediately.

 

best of luck. they are fun if you get a good one. You'll want to buy a gun and eat it if you don't.

 

Thanks. It is a BC car lol, so i'm assuming the owners taken it up the mountain and back a couple times. I'm bringing my mechanic friend who's a lot more discerning and skeptical than I am to check over and drive the car. How do I check the tunes on the access port? I don't know the numbers I should be looking for.

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unless yer friend is going to rack it and actually check things, its not really a check.

 

ask the owner what tunes they have loaded, if they ever got it "tuned" and by whom, etc. The v2 unit is no longer supported, so you'll have to upgrade to the next version before making any changes. Thats a $700 upgrade depending on sales

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