Test drove a Legacy GT today...

And I must say I was quite impressed. It was an '05 GT. Now i'm seriously considering getting a new '08 GT or spec.B.

I currently have an '02 Audi A4 1.8TQ and i'm not exactly pleased with it. Aside from the 2 transmission replacements, horrible dealer service experiences, countless boost and fluid leaks, and an interior that seems to crumble at a touch, I love the car. I love the look, the handling is great, but I've spent more on repairs than I owe on the car. Needless to say, I now have a very sour taste in my mouth for Audi's, even though mine is probably a rare case.

The Legacy GT is what I was deciding between back when I got the Audi. Are there any common issues with them, big or small, particularly the tranny or engine? What does the spec.B offer that can't be done as good or better than aftermarket on a GT? Anyone here actually go from Audi to Subaru?

I'm really looking for reasons why it should be my next car so info of any kind is helpful.

Thanks!

Having had Audi's in the past, get the Subaru. I would look for a '05/'06 if you're looking for a tuning fix. The 1.8T's motor were pretty rock solid aside from EVERYTHING else around the engine. (hence why Audi's suck.....)

Having said that, Subaru's being built (and then somewhat assembled here) on the other side of the pond, they're just better built cars than the german tanks IMO.

As far as issues, we've seen some tranny problems with the new 5EAT's on the '08's (automatics), shuddering turbo's, some fuel injectors, but nothing that is going to cause the car to blow up.

Welcome to the boards btw.

Aaron

A member on this board (psi365) is an actual tech at an Audi dealership and he bought an 08 spec.B... that spoke volumes to me when I was doing some comparison shopping a couple months back. He's pretty active on the board so he might chime in if he sees this.

I've had great luck so far with our 08. We did have to go back to the dealer for an ECU reflash (under warranty of course) and so far, so great! The car is exactly what I expected/hoped it would be. Happy car hunting and welcome to the board.

Well thanks guys! You guys are alright, I dont care what those German boys say about you.

Seriously though, its kinda funny that the sales guy at the Subie dealer just bought a new Audi A4 a few months ago. Should have seen the look on his face when I started telling him about the problems I've had with mine. We started talking about Legacy upgrades too, exhaust, brakes, turbo, etc. He said they have it and do it all in house, at risk of warranty of course. He also mentioned the STI turbo is a direct swap in the spec.B. Would it not be also in the GT? I don't know if i'd do any serious engine modding for a while anyway, stock power is already a great deal more than the A4 and i'd want to hang on to the warranty just in case. Exhaust maybe, I love the 2.5l sound. Suspension probably, I'm a spirited driver at times. I'm interested in a manual car, any issues with either the GT's 5 speed or the spec.B's 6 speed? What about the clutch, any power handling issues? I've heard of some slipping problems from some reviews. (they also mentioned poor interior material quality compared to Audi, they obviously never drove an Audi. I thought the Legacy interior was pretty nice for the price.)

I'm in the Annapolis, Maryland area. I'd like to get something new, or at least with enough mileage left to retain a warranty. I'll check the classifieds here though, maybe i'll get lucky!

Thanks again everyone, so far i'm very much leaning toward a Legacy now!

Haha, well I guess it goes to show... He is a salesperson though, just tryin to make a sale. Of course, I did have to tell him the specs of the car during the test drive, as he didn't know. That was kinda strange.

Also wondering about the clutch since the pre-owned car I test drove obviously had a new one put in recently. I've had more than enough transmission problems for at least a few more years.

I have an 05 GT. Before that car I leased a 1.8T A4. The Audi was always in the shop. Leaking oil at 18k miles.... service guy said that normal for Audis... New brakes at 20k miles. (never put brakes on any of my other cars before 40k). He said that was normal as well. Said it was my driving........... Also, radio broke Heated outside mirror cracked, fluid came out (I was told it got too cold outside..). Bad rattle in steering column. They changed the entire column from wheel to axle. Rattle still there. I gave up. The free service and maint was great, but I got so tired of bringing the car in.

I won't ever go back to Audi. Subie has been virtually trouble free. Although I do sometimes miss the "German " feel. The Subie doesn't have it and it has gotten a bit worse over time.

My 05 lease is up next year. I am consideirng keeing my car, 3 series, G35x, or maybe a new 08 Spec B. Hope that helps.

Yes it does, thanks! The Legacy I test drove had about 46k miles or so and felt really solid, even when compared to the Audi's i've driven (which also includes an '07 loaner).

Now i'm reading that thread on the "stutter" issue. I think Imay have felt it during the test drive, but it was only a short skip around the block.

I have an 05 GT. Before that car I leased a 1.8T A4. The Audi was always in the shop. Leaking oil at 18k miles.... service guy said that normal for Audis... New brakes at 20k miles. (never put brakes on any of my other cars before 40k). He said that was normal as well. Said it was my driving........... Also, radio broke Heated outside mirror cracked, fluid came out (I was told it got too cold outside..). Bad rattle in steering column. They changed the entire column from wheel to axle. Rattle still there. I gave up. The free service and maint was great, but I got so tired of bringing the car in.

 

I won't ever go back to Audi. Subie has been virtually trouble free. Although I do sometimes miss the "German " feel. The Subie doesn't have it and it has gotten a bit worse over time.

 

My 05 lease is up next year. I am consideirng keeing my car, 3 series, G35x, or maybe a new 08 Spec B. Hope that helps.

Audi's are a great car for road test magazines only. The real world is a Subie. Twice burned, never again.

Yes it does, thanks! The Legacy I test drove had about 46k miles or so and felt really solid, even when compared to the Audi's i've driven (which also includes an '07 loaner).

 

Now i'm reading that thread on the "stutter" issue. I think Imay have felt it during the test drive, but it was only a short skip around the block.

I think the fact that mine is not quite as solid could be an issue with my car. I had another post on here where guys gave me a few suggestions about my susension.

Glad I could help you out.....

P.S. The Audi service manager knew me by name. He told me he should have coffee waiting for me since I was there so much...........

I have only had two problems with my 05 GT 5EAT (5 speed automatic) that currently has 33,000 miles on it. I've been at stage 2 (305 hp / 345 ft-lbs) since about 15,000 miles. All I have done is "gut" my downpipe and loaded the new tune from the Cobb AccessPort (handheld ECU programmer).

(1) I have had two low beam headlight bulbs burn out. The bulbs are warranty items on the basic 3yr/36,000 mile warranty, because of it being a known problem. I recently disabled my daytime running lights to prevent that from happening a third time. I fixed replaced the bulb myself the last time. It took less than 5 minutes to install, and cost me $25 or $30 for the right bulb at Walmart.

(2) I had a bad wheel bearing that was replaced under warranty as well. It sounded like I had 4x4 tires on my car, and it happened all of a sudden. I drove it for a few days like that, before taking it in for repairs.

I wouldn't get a new Legacy. At two years it will be worth about half what you paid for it.

I have an 05' GT Limited with 40,000 miles, and problems have been minimal. The interior is starting to flake here and there, and it's getting squeaks here and there. It's still fun to drive though.

Edit to add: Pretty much the same problems as spacejumiehsv. Mines a manual at Stage I for the last 8,000 miles.

Went from a Mazda 6, 5mt to the '07 Spec B. Very impressive upgrade, and I won't go back. My middle son has an 06 GT, with about 36K on it. Both cars are trouble free and we are both spirited drivers.

Interior, suspension and tranny on the Spec B are the major upgrades. I love mine, others would rather start with a GT and mod it out. Personal preference, but I am very happy with my car -- great performance right out of the box. First car I have had where I can stay stock and stay happy!

Having had Audi's in the past, get the Subaru. I would look for a '05/'06 if you're looking for a tuning fix. The 1.8T's motor were pretty rock solid a

Except the excessive sludging problems they have with that motor

Except the excessive sludging problems they have with that motor

I would hardly call them excessive, and they were easily prevented by running a bigger filter. It was (and is) a great motor. People were reliably running 180hp/liter, and the motor can easily go to 200k miles.

I would hardly call them excessive, and they were easily prevented by running a bigger filter. It was (and is) a great motor. People were reliably running 180hp/liter, and the motor can easily go to 200k miles.

Prevented by a larger filter and regular synthetic oil changes, but that's all I hear about problems on those motors

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=vw+1.8t+sludging&btnG=Google+Search

Kit at my school used to have a huge goddamn turbo with an FMIC on his 1.8T and that thing hauled ass. Too bad it ate window regs and coilpacks like clockwork

Audi actually started using the upgraded oil filter several years ago, it's huge for a 1.8L! I'm talking diesel engine size, easily 2x bigger than any V6 i've done oil changes on. Strangely enough, even with the smaller filter, the factory recommended OCI is 10,000 miles! And the coilpacks have been a well known issue for years too. They're up to revision "R" now if that tells you anything. lol. Also, there's guys with BT's pushing 350-400+hp with ease too. I don't doubt the engine, just everything around it.

Just curious, anyone know the LGT's powertrain loss? The A4 is estimated around 28%.

Just curious, anyone know the LGT's powertrain loss? The A4 is estimated around 28%.

From dyno plots and logs of MAF from people on this forum, I estimate it to be 25% for the automatics and 22% for the 5speed manuals. I haven't done much research on the spec B's 6speed manual.

on dynos it seems stock lgts and spec bs put down 190-210hp. 07+ seem to run more boost from the fatory and no cat in the up pipes so tend to make more power stock. if the oem hp is really 250 then thats only about a 25% loss at 190, but seems like the power output is underated so it is prob more like 30-35%.

Spec.B seems to put down more power than the LGT according to most of the dynos floating around here.