08 Legacy GT being sold. Do I switch to the dark side?

10 years and I’ve only had Mitsubishi’s. Just sold my 09 Ralliart and now looking for something else. 2008 Legacy GT just came up for sale. Brand new to the world of Subaru’s so just wondering what I should be ok the lookout for. 93,000 miles/150,000km and they are asking $7300 US/$9900 CAD. Used car lot and it comes with warranty (not sure what it covers but I imagine it’s a 3 month power train warranty). What should I know/do if I like it after a test drive? What should I look for? If I get a Subarudealership to inspect it what should I really get them to test out? Thanks for any info.

Timing belt should have just been done based on age. Mileage limit is around 100k, or 10 years.

 

Another thing we see frequently are cars being sold with new turbos, but blowing up soon after. Usually the turbo blows up, shop replaces turbo but not engine. Engine has particles from old turbo floating around in oil, eventually killing the engine and the new turbo. Ideally you would like to see that some decent mileage has been done as opposed to only 1500 miles on a new turbo. A lot of places will advertise this kind of repair to try to give buyers a peace of mind. In reality what happened was a previous owner had to make a choice, sell with blown turbo or pay for repair then sell. They get the repairs then decide they want a newer car anyway, and don't want to have to pay for that kind of repair again.

 

Other than that, normal car stuff. Maybe check for surface rust on rear wheel arches.

At the Subaru dealership, you should have a compression and leak down test.

 

The 4th Gen Legacy GT turbo failures are common and they often take out the entire engine if not caught in time. On top of that the EJ255 turbo engine (in any turbo Subaru) can also have bearing, ring land and burnt valve issues that affect higher mileage examples. Month after month this forum has new threads of owners threads with replacement motors (especially used car purchases).

 

If you are looking for an inexpensive AWD turbo car that will have low long term ownerships cost this probably not the car for you. You can make them reliable again but it costs money. I went into my Legacy GT ownership knowing that I might need to replace the motor. When I went to buy a 2nd Subaru for its utility, I stayed right away from the turbo models.

Thank you for the honesty all. I've only had one unreliable car in the family (01 GTI...and yup, turbo issues) and I'm looking to avoid that again. If I can get a good warranty (1 year or more) then I may still bite as I usually keep cars for 2 years or so. I've only had small hot hatches/sedans so this would be my first larger car. Love the idea of having something rare on the road but then the $$$ warnings start blaring in my mind.

Have a shop look at the car carefully. Have them check to see if it looks like the turbo has been replaced. It's easy to tell if it's been on there a while. Have the oil drain tube examined closely and look for other parts that have been removed/put back on for the sale. A lot of these cars are heavily modded for a while, and when the owner decides to sell, they just bolt the old OE parts back on and don't do anything with the tune or to adjust for the old parts.

 

These are wonderful cars then they're right, and expensive cars when they're not. If you can do your own work, they can be an absolute gas to own, but you MUST keep up on the maintenance and check the oil every other fill up because these engines use oil.

Read somewhere to do a full lock turn at low speeds in forward and reverse and listen for a clunk/thump as its a sign of diff problems. Any truth to this test?

 

Also, for those have the car would a 3 month power train warranty be of any use or are problems likely not to show until much later if even a half-decent repair job has been done.

If you're concerned about reliability, I'd suggest to stay away from a used turbo Subaru.

Not because the cars are bad... because the previous owners are (can be) bad.

 

Unless you manage to find a clean, well maintained vehicle at a reasonable price.

Test drove it today.....and I loved it. They are throwing in a 6 month powertrain warranty too (including diff/turbos) and took off another $600. Help me y’all. I think I’m going to buckle

That's a pretty good price if it's clean and unmolested.

Need to know:

- age of turbo (tread lightly if it's brand new)

- does warranty cover new engine should it be needed

- has timing belt been done?

- compression and leak down test results

 

If those are good, go for it.

Hopefully the turbo isn't new.

 

If the timing belt and components haven't been replaced yet definitely factor that into your decision. It's reasonably simple and inexpensive if you know your way around a toolbox.

 

I'd be surprised if they're willing to do the work required to get compression and leakdown numbers. A super dirty engine bay would set my mind at ease (evidence suggesting that the motor hasn't been modified and later returned to stock).