olympic1

Thanks for your thoughts.

I appreciate the sounding board and collective hive mind here. I welcome feedback on these as we continue to search and ponder our options, expand our search area, and watch for new ones to come available. First up a couple of two owner limited's both with about 100k for miles: Car A is stock and all up to date on maintenance with recent clutch, head gasket, timing belt and water pump. The issue is while a two owner with no accident history it has had some paintwork and am told one side doesn't quite match the other and that the current owner bought it that way. Also told front end and hood re-sprayed a year ago for rock chips. Car B is a two owner that has stock engine/turbo but does have TGV delete, Cobb tune and bypass valve, aftermarket engine/trans/rear mounts, downpipe and cat back, coilovers, whiteline swaybars. Timing belt has been done and it has an upgraded clutch. Told it's been a daily driver and running on the tune the last three years or so. Both of those cars are priced similarly. I've also been considering a very nice car with a rebuilt title, but the issue there I've learned is that my insurance company doesn't insure cars with rebuilt titles. Got quotes from a couple that do but they are pretty high (more than double what we'd pay for full coverage on one with a clean title) and that higher rate doesn't include collision or comp on the rebuilt. Knowing it's for my son makes that tough as insurance already isn't cheap and you also add the risk that if he was ever at fault in an accident the car itself wouldn't be covered. I considered whether to move our entire cars over to one of the companies that will cover rebuilt titles to see if more attractive rates than just putting one over there, but those I've contacted were not even close to competitive with what we pay today. The search continues. Have a great weekend everyone!

Yeah, I can relate. I've bought some of my cars that way. Bought my Audi in Southern Cal and drove it back to WA. Bought our 2016 Legacy in Boise and drove it back to WA. With COVID it's a big tougher to range as far but still possible. Shipping is also an option if I feel I can trust it's condition.

Thanks. Yeah it's apparent we will have to be patient for one to come up in our area that checks all the boxes (mileage, ownership, maintenance, condition and price) or expand the search nationwide. The challenge with out of the area cars is the added cost to ship it (or fly out and drive it back) and the wonderment of how nice it actually is. For the right one it's certainly an option.

Thinking out loud...How many miles are too many? Obviously lower miles in general are better. There have been comments that these can go 200,000 miles. I don't know whether we should just stay away from ones at 150k+ miles or still consider them if the car has been maintained and has perhaps been a one or two owner car. Seen one in person and others remote (pictures) that could use front and/or rear bumpers repaired or replaced. I see some of the inexpensive aftermarket pre-painted bumpers which are pretty reasonable (about $375 for the cheapest ones) but I worry about paint match on car that is 8-10 years old, not to mention fitment. I'm sure patience is probably the key here waiting for the right one to come up within a days drive or so that checks all the boxes of good maintenance, clean car, reasonable price.

Ah that makes sense. Yeah seems if you have to pull the head on these it's expensive.

Yeah by the looks of that I'm surprised it didn't show up on a compression test.

I have a compression gauge, but not sure that a seller (dealer or private) is going to want someone other than a certified mechanic pulling plugs and compression testing their engine.

Called around and seems Indy shops will do it for about $275-$300 which seems more in line.

Yikes. Sounds like a full leakdown test would have been needed to find that. I just spoke with a dealer about what they charge for doing a compression test and was told 3.5 hours @ $154 per hour. That comes to $539 just for a compression test. That seems really high.

Great info thanks. Yeah that makes sense. We are trying to find a good example and ideally one with no known issues or at least nothing major. We are being very careful with modified cars since reliability is pretty important as it will be his primary transportation.

Thank you for sharing that information. It helps me get my arms around potential expenses.

I'm a cash buyer in the market for a 2010-2012 Legacy GT. Looking for one that has been well maintained and in good condition. If you have one that you are looking to sell or know of one please message me. Thanks!

Hi boxkita. No this one is just a daily for him. Now, he may eventually want to take it to an HPDE event to better see what it can do, but this isn't primarily for that purpose. I'm still exploring other options there.

Thanks for that info.

Yeah been trying to find a one owner or two owner situation. The one that had head gasket issues (twice) had them done at independent shops and not a dealer. Sounds like the first time around things didn't go right and a few months later done at a separate shop. I also found out it has accident history on the record. Keeping my eyes open for my son and he's looking too. He's willing to wait for the right car at the right price. Luckily he's not in a rush. Many are in need of maintenance such as the timing belt which adds another $800 for that and closer to $1200 if you do the water pump at the same time.

Can you give me an idea of what each of those cost you for repair? I want to make sure I'm understanding the potential outlay for these repairs. Thanks

Okay if I get serious about one and it passes all the other checks then I can progress to the compression check. Interesting on the spun bearings. I wasn't aware of that.

Yeah I've been checking for timing belt being done at 105k. I found a clean looking one but it has had some head gasket issues (replaced twice). Makes me a bit suspicious of it's history (4 owners). Wow, now that is an awesome writeup! Thank you so much for this detailed response. This gives me great information on what to look for and to make sure any PPI also checks these items. Thoughts on a compression test with the PPI or is that overkill if everything else looks good? I assume it's probably cheap insurance to do it...guess I'm answering my own question. Thanks again!

I don't see it on the scheduled maintenance so I'm assuming you are saying that most head gaskets on the turbo engines go around 120k and to just plan for it. Of course most for sale at this age seem to fall into that mileage range. I've been looking for the timing belt to have been done on time but will add head gaskets to inquire about. Found one for sale that dealt with the head gasket issue at 130k miles so that doesn't sound too far off your 120k mark. I've seen examples of others at 150k that haven't had the head gasket go yet.

Thank you for your thoughts. Yes I would have a PPI done. I didn't realize that the EJ25 turbo engines had as much trouble with the head gaskets.

Long post. TDLR: - In search of a clean 2010-2012 GT - What to look for? - Considerations before purchasing 2010-2012 GT My son is looking for a car and he’s gravitated to the 5th gen Legacy GT. We are in a northern climate and get about 40 inches of snow on average through the winter. Insurance is very reasonable on the GT (much less than a WRX) and many WRX have been modded or run hard. Not to mention WRX and STI prices are high. Looked at the 4th gen but right now prefers the 5th gen. While he may eventually want to use it for a HPDE or lapping day (I am exploring alternatives for us for occasional tracking), this would be more of a daily driver car for him. There are a few GTs out there. Looked at one yesterday but it was a little rougher than he was looking for cosmetically (a 20 footer - headliner starting to come free front and back, rear bumper spider cracking, scrapes on all four corners, few dings, oxidized hood, top and trim, thoroughly rock chipped front bumper, lower sides and just in front of rear wheels). It was good though for comparison as we begin the search. I welcome thoughts on anything specific to these cars to look for. There are high mileage examples (150k+) but on the original block/heads - that seems like a lot from what I’ve read but welcome opinions on that. Seen a couple where blocks have been replaced which might be good. Couple of examples with some rust starting to bubble. We realize it’s a used car so have to decide what one can live with knowing too that future resale must be considered. My concern is if the drivetrain at some point has a major issue (engine or trans) how much of a unicorn are they? I’ve read heads are specific to these and so finding a new head I’m guessing would be problematic. I’ve read something unique about the blocks too. Are there other blocks that are replacement candidates if needed? Are the transmissions shared from some other year WRX or are they unique to the GT as well? So if you know of someone selling a good example let me know Also please share any “gotcha’s” that should be considered. Thanks!

Gteaser confirmed that those bilsteins will not work on the 6th gen. Saved me some money.

I'll shoot Gteaser a PM. thanks!

I see they are Gen 5. Any idea if they fit gen 6?