drdfblackm Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Well I am looking to take the plunge. I am looking for a Spec B. Love the styling....very sleek. What should I be worried about when looking at them. I know Subarus with turbos are very maintenance intensive...so I know to look for a good maintenance record. Anything specific other than head gaskets and timing belts? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Darrin currently in TDI hell!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 If the ad say's new turbo, ask why and what was done to ensure the short block is ok. Read the sticky's at the top of the forum's, lots of good info in them. Oh, have about $5000 on hand after the purchase...just in case. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandu Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Oh, have about $5000 on hand after the purchase...just in case. +1 for the after purchase expenses. My 2006 LGT 5MT is currently in the shop getting repairs/preventative maintenance work done, to the tune of just under 4k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesA Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 The ideal would be to buy from a responsible older adult, who bought the car new, has maintenance records and drove mostly highway miles. I would not say these cars are maintenance intensive, per se, but they don't react well to neglect or abuse. They require more attention than a Toyota or Honda, sure. It's a good idea to have a pre-purchase inspection done by a mechanic that understands Subarus and knows what to look for. Engines and transmissions are very expensive to repair. A compression/leakdown test can help reveal hidden problems. Signs that the car was heavily modified and then put back to stock can be a red flag. There is usually a reason they are selling. Try to figure out what it is. BTW, the notorious head gaskets are more of a issue for the normally-aspirated motors. The turbo motors have the multi-layer steel (MLS) gaskets from the factory, plus a reinforced block. It's all the other stuff you have to worry about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdfblackm Posted February 9, 2017 Author Share Posted February 9, 2017 Thank you so much for the info, all of it very good advice. Problem is that I am in the southwest and there are no spec b legacys anywhere close to me. So not very easy to have the vehicles looked at. They are either in the northwest or east coast. There are a couple on the forums here that I am looking in to. And there are 2 others that I have found on different sites. So I guess we will just have to see how everyone answers my questions. Thank you very much again and if you have any other info that might be helpful please let me know. Darrin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
200kSpecB Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Oh, have about $5000 on hand after the purchase...just in case. +1, sometimes you just never know. I bought a well maintained spec b with full service history and still had an exhaust valve explode on me within a week of owning it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdfblackm Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 Geez....starting to think I shouldn't buy one. Is it really that bad??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandu Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Geez....starting to think I shouldn't buy one. Is it really that bad??? Not really. I could have tackled most of the work I'm paying to be done but I'm really busy with work so I opted to pay the "convenience fee" and have a shop do it. Also, I've got a 2 year old and I feel much more at ease knowing a trained tech performed the work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
200kSpecB Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Not really. I could have tackled most of the work I'm paying to be done but I'm really busy with work so I opted to pay the "convenience fee" and have a shop do it. Also, I've got a 2 year old and I feel much more at ease knowing a trained tech performed the work. same here, these cars really aren't that hard to work on. In my case, I bought a high-mileage car - regardless of it being a subaru or a honda or whatever, something like that was bound to happen eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesA Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Geez....starting to think I shouldn't buy one. Is it really that bad??? This is why I like to buy new cars and keep them until the wheels fall off. Expensive way to go, also. You are rolling the dice with any used car, hoping the previous owner(s) took good care of it. The stakes are higher with the LGT, though. Hence, the advice to have some extra cash just in case your bet goes wrong. There are an alarming number of posts on here recently, though, that go like this: "Hey, I just bought a Legacy GT recently and it was running great, until (insert catastrophe here). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLlegacy Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 If you are looking for transportation, look elsewhere. The LGT in any form in a performance variant of transportation, so be prepared to spend when its needed and a spare vehicle or a nearby rental agency. If I was in your situation, oh wait I was lol, I would keep saving while looking and find one close enough to check out in person or suck it up when the right one comes along and take a few days off work to check it out. A couple hundred dollars in air fare and a hotel room will be peanuts to what these cars can cost unsuspecting owners who don't do their homework. And above all, be prepared to walk away they aren't so rare you can't find another one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdfblackm Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share Posted February 14, 2017 Actually I am only looking for Spec Bs. So in that case they are rare. Why can't these be like my GTI stage III. It was dead reliable.....but it was too small. I have the money, it's not that...there are just actually none in the Southwest I can find. I am currently looking at one from a member here and we have a good rapport going and I feel that I can trust him. Just need to find a time when I can fly and go check it out. Again thank you for all the input and help. I mean honestly I am looking for a fun sedan to drive that has room for 4 adults and is a manual transmission. My TDI buyout hasn't happened yet and I am running out of miles, I am supposed to turn it in with 90K miles. I am at 88,500 miles right now so I need to do something pretty quickly. I am not really sure what car I want next so I am looking to buy a car to get me through the next year. Don't want to spend a ton of money on the car itself. I have a Ram Power Wagon and Wrangler Unlimited so I have other vehicles but they have terrible fuel economy. In the end I thought that the Spec B would fit the bill, not too expensive, big enough, good power, better fuel economy than my other 2 vehicles, looks great and is fun to drive. Now everyone has me scratching my head. I'm not sure what to do or think at this point. Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
200kSpecB Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 In the end I thought that the Spec B would fit the bill, not too expensive, big enough, good power, better fuel economy than my other 2 vehicles, looks great and is fun to drive. Now everyone has me scratching my head. I'm not sure what to do or think at this point. Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. In my opinion I don't see any added risk for an LGT compared to any other used car, but I might be biased If you like it and everything checks out, I say go for it; don't let strangers on the internet talk you out of it! Good luck and keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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