Looking at 07 LGT

[bmf4069]

I've been poking around here for some info. I found this car for sale while looking for a car for my daughter. I've been contemplating getting rid of my 02 access cab tundra for more room, and double cab 1st gens are pricey.

 

Now, I have never owned a Subaru, but always pined for one, and did test drive a 10 WRX for a day before my (now ex) wife said no. I was heart broken. I ended up with a 10 SHO which I loved, but had to sell due to getting divorced the next month.

 

So with that said, I do have 3 early taurus SHOs, so I know a bit about finicky cars. I'm thinking of trading my 02 316k mile 4x4 tundra in on this 07 156k mile 5spd LGT. I have no clue about anything on these cars, but read a bit in the link in a post below.

 

Heres a link to the car:

https://www.wardmotorco.com/vehicle_pages/4s3bl676176202902-2007-subaru-legacy-sedan-used-sedan-amarillo-tx.shtml

[awfulwaffle]

Looks clean, but price is a bit high for what it is. I'd pay $6k at most, if I liked sedans. Some might say even that's high.

 

Do you have a Subaru dealer or a Subaru-familar shop you can take it to for pre-purchase inspection, or a friend/acquaintance who knows turbo Subarus and has datalogging capability?

 

Whenever I've bought a used turbo Subaru (3 so far, 4 if you count my parts car), I've learned to check common failure points and to datalog the car. These cars can seem to be running good during a test drive if you're not familiar with them, and you'd never know that there's a bunch of learned knock or fueling correction stored in the ECU or you're not making target boost, etc.. Last two I've also compression tested on the spot before making a decision. I understand not all sellers would let you do that.

 

Turbo, if original, is near the end of its typical lifespan. Most will tell you that one major visual sign of trouble is if the turbo's been recently replaced - this often means that the previous unit blew and the motor's filled with metal bits that will grenade it in short order.

 

If you feel confident feeling whether the car is responsive like it should be and listening for trouble signs, you could just go on a thorough test drive. At least a half hour, hitting peak boost a few times to listen for troublesome noises. That said, I wouldn't buy one of these on just a test drive in a million years. Too many nuances to miss and end up screwed. My .02.

[bmf4069]

Yeah, we have a Subaru dealer here. I'm sure they'd charge for an inspection, which would suck if I didnt buy it. How can you tell if the turbo has been replaced? Looks new I guess? If theyll let me I'm gonna leave my truck with them and take it overnight.

[awfulwaffle]

Yep, turbo looks new and fasteners look like they've been off recently. An overnight test drive would be a good deal.

 

I'd compression test the car myself for sure if I was allowed to take it overnight.

[bmf4069]

Sounds good. I got a buddy with a lift, I'll see if I cant throw it up there and peek around too. Thank you for the advice!

[08SpecBLeggy]

Did you end up buying it? Definitely, do a compression test ask for recent history there's a lot of information on this site and nasioc for these cars. Do some price comps on various sites for vehicles in the same age condition, mileage etc.. Use sites like autotrader, cars.com, and autolist.com

 

You will be fine just be picky and patient.