Easy to spot differences between 2005 and 2006 GT Wagon

There is a parts car a few hours away and I need it to be a 2005 so all the electronic components match my other cars. I think the 2006 has mirror headlight housings, but that's all I can think of atm.

manual only came in 2005. ask for a vin number?

good call will do that. anything I can spot when looking at exterior and interior photos?

manual only came in 2005. ask for a vin number?

 

you mean manual wagon. we dont know if the parts car OP is looking at is a wagon or not.

 

yes, OP, the 05 was the only year with a black headlight housing.

Here's the first numbers of my 2005 GT wagon 5mt. 4S3BP686256xxxxxx

 

You can find a breakdown of the VIN here, http://people.csail.mit.edu/ilh/vacation/ in the service manual.

I swapped my 2006 digital display (top) from one that I found in a 2005 (bottom) because it had an additional function (dimming display w/ button) and didn't have any broken tabs.

 

You'll have to cross reference other interior photos from 2005 because I only saw the one that I took the display from, but both of my 2006s have the top pictured display.

 

Hope this helps!

I swapped my 2006 digital display (top) from one that I found in a 2005 (bottom) because it had an additional function (dimming display w/ button) and didn't have any broken tabs.

 

Great call on the display. ( I don't know if it's just me, but your picture is super small.)

 

Basically, 2005 has two buttons on the left, Illumination, Display, and two buttons on the right, +, -. 2006 has only Display on the left, and +, -, and Set on the right. I've attached pages from the 2005 and 2006 owner's manuals.

 

Also, 2005 has the passenger side airbag status indicator in the display under the cubby, 2006 has it up in the overhead display.

 

Oh, and 2005 has the Legacy logo in the tach in white, whereas 2006 has it in red. https://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6015076&postcount=7 (That may be hard to tell if the parts car has no power.)

 

And as has been mentioned, check the VIN if possible. The 10th digit is the year, 5 = 2005, 6=2006.

 

 

Edit: Just found this thread from 2005, comparison between 2005 and 2006: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/answers-2005-vs-2006-legacy-gt-differences-22636.html

Edited June 22, 2021 by csaari

you mean manual wagon. we dont know if the parts car OP is looking at is a wagon or not.

 

yes, OP, the 05 was the only year with a black headlight housing.

 

his title says wagon. seems a reasonable assumption

I appreciate all the info. The car I'm looking at appears to be an '06, which would mean the ECU and other electronics are different with my '05. When I see the car in person I will know 100%

I swapped my 2006 digital display (top) from one that I found in a 2005 (bottom) because it had an additional function (dimming display w/ button) and didn't have any broken tabs.

 

You'll have to cross reference other interior photos from 2005 because I only saw the one that I took the display from, but both of my 2006s have the top pictured display.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Did your airbag light under the tach come on?

 

I recently did the opposite put an 06 in our 05, and chased this airbag issue for 2 months before a helpful person pointed it out to me.

Did your airbag light under the tach come on?

 

I recently did the opposite put an 06 in our 05, and chased this airbag issue for 2 months before a helpful person pointed it out to me.

 

No, it was plug and play. I didn't have any issues whatsoever. No lights, nothing.

 

To add to the thread. I can confirm that 2005 OBXTs and 05 LGT sedans (I'd imagine LGT wagons do to) came with aluminum side sill/scuff plates in the front and rear, whereas any newer years only came with front sets. I speculate it may have been to reduce costs.

 

I think all Spec Bs came with front and rear sets. Pdxammo on here may be able to confirm this as he has numerous Spec Bs. You could probably also reach out to the Spec B Registry thread for confirmation.

confused why checking the vin isn't the first step in getting the date? or the build tag on the door frame?

I was looking at photos. I was not physically near the car. The owner claimed it was a 2006 but the cues suggested it was a 2005. I needed an '05 to be able to use my tuned ecu and other electronics. It was a rare non sunroof LGT AT wagon and I was just doing my homework before I drove 300 miles to get it. Edited October 29, 2021 by leetdrv