tkop98 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Hey everyone I'm new here and I tried to search for this type of post but couldn't find it so I apologize if this post is redundant. Currently I drive an 07 Legacy 2.5i sedan and I'm looking to sell it and buy an 09 Legacy 2.5GT. I'm not much of an expert on cars however I would like to learn more. My question is what type of things should I be looking for as a potential red flag or something to be concerned about when buying this car in terms of maintenance or just the general parts in the car. The one I'm looking at is 09 LGT with 130k miles. They're asking 8,955 which seems to me to be a reasonable price compared to other similar ones for sale in the area. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyy8 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I'm going to go by your username your probably 19/20 years old. Unless you have some mechanical knowledge, deep pockets, and a second car I wouldn't. The EJ motors randomly blow up, leaving you with $3k-$4k repair bills for a new shortblock and a rebuild. Leaving you probably a month without a car. Turbo's can fail, and when they do, you better hope they don't grenade themselves and send metal shavings into your engine. General maintenance will be higher, a N/A legacy will need a oil change maybe every 4k-6k miles. These car's have to have it done pretty much every 3k-3.5k and don't even think about running anything other then synthetic. Ask a couple members, I'm sure my friend Max Capacity will jump in, he's paid for his car almost 3 times over. Legacy GTs as they age are turning into a niche car, those who can afford to keep them on the road are, and those are getting fewer and fewer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outback2.5XT-05 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I'm going to go by your username your probably 19/20 years old. Unless you have some mechanical knowledge, deep pockets, and a second car I wouldn't. The EJ motors randomly blow up, leaving you with $3k-$4k repair bills for a new shortblock and a rebuild. Leaving you probably a month without a car. Turbo's can fail, and when they do, you better hope they don't grenade themselves and send metal shavings into your engine. General maintenance will be higher, a N/A legacy will need a oil change maybe every 4k-6k miles. These car's have to have it done pretty much every 3k-3.5k and don't even think about running anything other then synthetic. Legacy GTs as they age are turning into a niche car, those who can afford to keep them on the road are, and those are getting fewer and fewer. Wisdom! Still, I've never got more smiles per gallon than in my obxt. I suppose that living is making the most out of the tough choices you have. Good luck padawan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustCallMeNick Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I was in a similar position as you and “upgraded” to a GT. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into though and it’s fairly expensive to maintain these if you do it right and even more expensive if you don’t. That being said, don’t buy one unless you pay a third party shop to do an inspection and compression test. Make sure the timing belt has been done, the turbo hasn’t been replaced. if the turbo fails catastrophically which is common, it can put metal shrapnel in the oil in system which soon thereafter causes the engine to fail. The bill ends up being around 6-8k and that’s not an exaggeration. From there you can haggle or walk away once you have the details from the shop. Make sure the timing belt has been done. Seriously don’t don’t go turbo Subaru unless you are prepared to drop some serious money in the next few years. In addition to the thousands I’ve spent on mine in the two years I’ve owned it, there has been way more stress than when I had the NA Legacy. And my engine and turbo and timing belt have been fine so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunny5280 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I was in a similar position as you and “upgraded” to a GT. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into though and it’s fairly expensive to maintain these if you do it right and even more expensive if you don’t. That being said, don’t buy one unless you pay a third party shop to do an inspection and compression test. Make sure the timing belt has been done, the turbo hasn’t been replaced. if the turbo fails catastrophically which is common, it can put metal shrapnel in the oil in system which soon thereafter causes the engine to fail. The bill ends up being around 6-8k and that’s not an exaggeration. From there you can haggle or walk away once you have the details from the shop. Make sure the timing belt has been done. Seriously don’t don’t go turbo Subaru unless you are prepared to drop some serious money in the next few years. In addition to the thousands I’ve spent on mine in the two years I’ve owned it, there has been way more stress than when I had the NA Legacy. And my engine and turbo and timing belt have been fine so far. I'd like to emphasize this. It seems counter intuitive but a new turbo is a red flag for the reason given. If you should come across one with a new turbo ensure you, or preferably someone who understands cars, are comfortable with the reason for its replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cseagle08 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Potential red flags: "It has an occasional misfire, it's probably just the coil pack" "New Turbo" "Overheated but replaced X and it's ok" "It just quit running one day, I think it's just a sensor" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relative4 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 That price seems really high, where are you located? I disagree with Nyy8's doom-and gloom assessment, but there are challenges and caveats to respect. Before buying any turbo Subaru, you are well advised to get a compression test and have the downpipe removed and the turbo inspected, and if the turbo is new, run away. If those pre-purchase inspection items are OK, the car can be reliable if maintained properly, fun and rewarding to work on and modify, and tons of fun to drive. Just don't buy one with a questionable engine or turbo, and you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasted Potential Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I'd sell my LGT for 9k and it's pretty fresh lol.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustCallMeNick Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 If the car is in good shape that’s a fair asking price for an 09 with that mileage. Once you pay to have it inspected you can talk them down from there based on what needs to be done but the later models are more rare, newer, have a couple minor improvements over the early turbo fourth gens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Don't buy a turbo car unless you are knowledgeable and can do your own work. These cars are a love-hate relationship and while they are absolutely the best bang for your buck WHEN they are correct, it might GO bang and cost a LOT of bucks-ask MANY people on this forum how we all know. Stay away from ANYTHING that says "Brand New Turbo" as this is a car that most likely won't last a week before going boom. Stay away from ANYTHING that has a check engine light/cruise flashing light. A BUNCH of things can be wrong. Stay away from ANYTHING that has any kind of excessive rust underneath on brake lines and sway bars/suspension parts. Stay away from ANYTHING that the seller won't take you on a test drive in-make THEM test drive it and drive it hard enough to feel the boost. Make sure you go about 25-30 miles total, because if it DOES have a "Brand New Turbo" and he doesn't tell you, that's about the life span. If he's driving, then YOU aren't responsible when it pops. Basically, unless you are mechanically competent and have a solid bank account, stay away from ANYTHING that says Subaru Legacy GT. Just my own two cents. I know that many won't agree here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasted Potential Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Curious how many members would walk away from an LGT that has piston slap for 5 to 15 seconds on start up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Curious how many members would walk away from an LGT that has piston slap for 5 to 15 seconds on start up. Mine sounds like an old tractor for about 4-5 minutes (forged pistons and slightly loose valves on purpose) so, I'm used to it. If it's only for that long, it still has 100K of life left. I had a 98 OB wagon that slapped for about 30 seconds and it went about 80K more before it finally gave up, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dishwasher Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Curious how many members would walk away from an LGT that has piston slap for 5 to 15 seconds on start up. Is it really piston slap, or is it the timing belt tensioner giving out? Brought to you by Pfizer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasted Potential Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Timing belt, water pump, and tensioner all new within 8k miles. It is worse when cold as well, not sure if that helps indicate piston slap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustCallMeNick Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Haha my 2002 Legacy would slap in the winter for the first five or ten minutes until they expanded in the cylinder and all that. Once the car was really warmed up it ran fine. Went through a lot of oil though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasted Potential Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Ironically I burn less than a quarter quart at 3k miles, but some piston slap at start for no more than 15 seconds unless cold (maybe 30 when below -5 celsius), but compression was down maybe 10% on one cylinder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrisNilland Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 (edited) You might need to document yourself on the matter before making any move, unless you are willing to risk your money. Japanese car are known for their fiability. Nissan Skyline, Honda Civic, Toyota Supra...All these cars have a very nice reputation. I guess you should really check everything you can get your views on, whether it's engine, the body of the car, the electrics. Oh, and of course, checking the steering and the suspension of the car it's a must when buying any car, including a used GT. Edited July 10, 2020 by CrisNilland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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