When did you know it was time to sell your 4th gen?

[DeltaNu1142]

We had actually made up our minds to sell the Legacy this fall, thinking it was time to get something with better MPG.

This thread piqued my interest because I have a paid off '09 with relatively low miles, stage 3, suspension dialed in, and no intended mods anytime soon. Unintended mods come in the form of worn brake pads (time for a BBK), paint chipping on the grille (ooh, carbon fiber), or dirty floormats (new injectors, fuel pump, and a more aggressive tune should help with that). I have no intention to sell my car until reliability becomes an issue. And for two years of ownership, things have been going reasonably well.

 

MPG... have you ever really looked into how much you'll save with a more efficient vehicle? Or how much you have to spend to save?

 

I commute around 45 miles round trip to work daily. My average annual fuel spend between 2013 and 2014 (extrapolating through Dec 2014) is right about $2600. I get about 19 MPG with my LGT. If, instead, I had a car that got 30 MPG, I'd save myself... maybe $800, $900 per year? To obtain a car that 1) gets 30 MPG, and 2) I enjoy driving, I'd have to spend way more than that every few months, let alone annually.

 

Think logically about MPG. If you've got a car you love that gets 15 MPG, you may be sacrificing more than you realize by buying a boring-ass econobox, especially if it means piling on a payment.

[JmP6889928]

I could make due with the first kid, but I can't fit a rear facing baby seat behind me. And it'll be nice to have something with a warranty again.

 

LMAO...I just noticed your statement "Land of a million Wawa's"....Pennsylvania or NJ?

[JmP6889928]

My car is an '05 and will only have 80k on it after I drive home this evening. At this point, it's probably worth more in parts than it is in a private sale Guess I missed the boat on the "right time to sell"

 

What other AWD vehicle w/ ~350+ HP could I have for even remotely close to the same amount of money? Some things would be nice like factory tech options, HIDs, and a larger back seat, but other than that...?

 

If I had known that I was going to do a full 6mt swap, I would have ponied up for an 08/09 model as a starting platform, but oh well.

 

Right there with you. Mine has 90K on it-new in October of 04' and it's most likely worth more parted out, especially with the forged engine now. But even when these are bone stock and everything works correctly, they are an absolute blast to drive, and what's out there now that's as much fun for less than $50K?

 

Boxkita said it best-Anyone that bought one of these new would buy another one new if they offered it again. Bang for the buck and actual comfort versus a WRX or an EVO (not to mention that there is nothing out there that is even remotely as handsome as a 4th gen body when it's stanced nicely EXCEPT for same era Mazda 6, which I also looked at when I bought mine new but no AWD then) doesn't exist for the money that these were when they were new OR what they are even today.

 

I'd buy another one, even knowing what I do now about "some" reliability issues, the stupid "mod bit me in the ass" bug, and the rest of you clowns all having to keep on modding so I have to keep on modding so you have to keep on modding so I have to keep on modding so.........well...you get the picture...LOL.

[kristian88]

MPG... have you ever really looked into how much you'll save with a more efficient vehicle? Or how much you have to spend to save?

.

 

That's the truly nutty thing, when gas prices were high this year it actually made more sense to get something that averaged 33mpg, even taking into account a payment for the difference between the Legacy and the new car. And that's before maintenance. I spent a lot last year on bearings, axles, bushings etc etc. Premium fuel around here is approx 12% more as well. For what it's worth I really like the new Mazda3 and will probably get one eventually. Reminds me of my old Integra GSR (never riced I promise!) which is a very good thing. The Legacy is quicker but a lot less fun to toss around (unless it's in snow, in which case the Legacy is an arcade on wheels with unlimited tokens)

 

Chicago is a terrible place to have a turbo car if you're doing dink n dunk kinda driving with short trips. Lots of time idling and accelerating.

 

For what it's worth I'm able to get a rear facing seat behind my drivers seat. It's a Chicco Nextfit. It's safer in the middle though, so that's where ours rides most of the time. Enough room to do that is pretty uncommon in most of the cars I'd want to drive.

[Leviman]

Time to sell my fourth gen legacy when it's a 2.5i and there's a turbo fourth gen for cheap on craigslist! OBXT with bilsteins is a dramatic upgrade.

[Lafta]

I know next to nothing about my car. I don't deserve it. But I'm learning!

 

I come to this site, and I see most of you know a heck of a lot about your rides.

 

Too embarrassed to ask questions on the forum, so I have my two go-to guys I PM.

 

Max and Tris....you da best!

[MrTris]

G, you don't have to be embarrassed -- We all had to start somewhere! Heck, I suppose I could even dig up my first handful of posts -- Man, I was shiny!

 

We learn best by doing and discussing. It's one thing to be here and read and discuss others' experiences, but, in the end, the knowledge isn't truly solidified until you get some grease under your nails turning your own wrenches.

 

Make some posts -- ask some questions! It's OK!

[ttnio]

I still have to mod.

[BoyceWare]

In lieu of a separate thread about "When did you know it was time to sell your 4th gen and then decide not to sell it"...

 

We had actually made up our minds to sell the Legacy this fall, thinking it was time to get something with better MPG. My driving pattern changed this year and turned to mostly city miles which is just terrible mileage here in Chicago, on top of that we had 2 10 year old turbo Subarus and were getting a bit worried about the maintenance and repairs, although aside from a WRX clutch that died on a trip they've both been really solid cars.

 

We were thinking new Mazda3, Mazda5 etc since the newer Subarus just don't do it for me. Had a classified ad up and everything. Decided to spend some time prepping the car for sale and while doing test drives on potential replacements realized nothing comes remotely close and decided to keep the GT, for at least another winter. I think it was one day in particular in which I had to carry the car seat, plus a bunch of 7' boxes, and actually had a great patch of roads to let the car loose (minus car seat occupant and boxes of course) and actually got to enjoy and use the car the way it's meant to work. There really isn't anything that offers this much usable space in an attractive non-SUV package, while being superb in weather and fast all the time. That and every single new car I looked at looked weird inside compared to the Legacy. Digital gauges are freaking terrible, and a blue light does not replace a coolant temp gauge!

 

Happy to rock the fastwagen for a while longer. Anybody had similar story?

 

I was actually going to do the opposite when I bought my 07 LGT. Was planning on getting rid of my 2008 4cyl 33 MPG Accord when I decided last minute to keep it as my DD. So glad I kept it. When my oil pressure starting dropping on the LGT I parked it until I had time to fix it. No pressure or immediate need to get it fixed.

 

In the past 15 years I've gone through 2 dodge daytonas, 98 Integra GSR, 95 JDM Swapped Civic, 2000 LGT, 06 WRX, and now my current 08 Accord and 07 LGT. My problem is I get bored with the cars too quickly. I've found that having a slow and a fast car at the same time has definitely solved this problem!

 

Best part is after driving the Accord 250 miles a week, I get in the LGT and it feels like a rocket .

[BDII]

September 14th, 2005 when the drivers seat frame weld broke and the tech who fixed tole me the seat would have broken free in an accident.