Spec B 6mt or Wagon 5mt?

[Shogun506]

That's what I was wondering, he says he always thought he wanted one but doesn't really like it. He replaced the brakes and said he's still driving it daily just wants to buy something else.

[lilredwagon]

No rust - excellent!

Mismatched interior - confusing, I also thought all the Limited interiors had leather/sunroof

Ticking at cold start - pretty normal

 

Thoughts on your description: It sounds like the previous owner got the car to do a swap, but stopped part of the way through. Does it have the original engine? Did you do a compression test? Did the turbo look like it was shinier or cleaner than the rest of the engine bay? If you pull the dipstick and wipe it on a piece of paper, you would see glitter in the sun. Overall, $5.5K is a little steep for a rolling shell even with perfect body panels. A bonus if the engine/drivetrain holds out for a little while.

 

Last comment - a check on your though process/expectations: it's totally true that the cheaper you obtain a car, the more room you have to fix things. But are you ready for the possibility that you might actually have to spend more straight away? And it is completely true that when it's all said and done, you spent X amount of money for a clean car with a new whatever. Is usually works out to be a better deal. What people often don't talk about is the wait to get it there and the total cost. I only mention this because if you're talking price, the $5.5K (asking) car might actually be a $10K car + a few months waiting. With some breakdowns and tail chasing in there. I'm not deterring you from going this route, just advising to set expectations accordingly. In the end it works out to being a $10K car with a new shortblock with 0 miles on it, and a super clean shell to last you for a while. It's all good stuff, but if you're not ready for it, there will be a lot of frustration in there.

[SubOperator]

That's what I was wondering, he says he always thought he wanted one but doesn't really like it. He replaced the brakes and said he's still driving it daily just wants to buy something else.

 

 

 

 

Check for bubbles in expansion tank or wet head gaskets. May be the new owner found tell tale signs of upcoming major repair and is ditching it. The only reason to really sell the car after 3 months of ownership.

[Enlight]

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/ca-2005-legacy-gt-wagon-5spd-manual-280339.html?p=5919324#post5919324

[GearJamr]

Not to mention the costs and hassles of importing. But it sure is a beaut.

[Shogun506]

Great price for all of those mods, but the Canadian dollar makes a purchase like that hurt IMO.

 

At the current exchange that would be $11,287.02CND

 

Yeah I took a look at that one but not practical with exchange and taxes, travel etc. So many good deals for you statesiders

[05MNLGT]

Shogun506

 

sedans are ok. spec b are ok. but wagons are workhorses and subaru nailed the design. you can't buy a bp5 and not have a long term plan to keep it. i've seen many a friend go ape shit and build awesome bp5s. but then they turn around and sell them in a couple years for way less than what they put in.

 

if i could do it all over again, i'd find a bp5 GT 5sp, (not the limited one) doesn't have the sunroof, cloth seats and unmodified. For engines, they are all prone to some kind of failure at some point, they're 10 yrs old. the 05 is a little easier to work on. i'm on my second rebuild.

 

my money is on the wagon. it's just more useful and personally i think they are sexy as hell.

[Gabo]

Shogun506

 

sedans are ok. spec b are ok. but wagons are workhorses and subaru nailed the design. you can't buy a bp5 and not have a long term plan to keep it. i've seen many a friend go ape shit and build awesome bp5s. but then they turn around and sell them in a couple years for way less than what they put in.

 

if i could do it all over again, i'd find a bp5 GT 5sp, (not the limited one) doesn't have the sunroof, cloth seats and unmodified. For engines, they are all prone to some kind of failure at some point, they're 10 yrs old. the 05 is a little easier to work on. i'm on my second rebuild.

 

my money is on the wagon. it's just more useful and personally i think they are sexy as hell.

 

If wagons came with a stout six speed I would have gone for that instead of the Spec B. On that note, sometimes I get an urge to buy a wagon and just swap everything over from the Spec B. (Engine, transmission, etc)

[05MNLGT]

If wagons came with a stout six speed I would have gone for that instead of the Spec B. On that note, sometimes I get an urge to buy a wagon and just swap everything over from the Spec B. (Engine, transmission, etc)

 

yep. 6sp is needed in these wagons. although i didn't like the spec b tranny, want a stronger one, plus i didn't like the gears. i'm doing a 2015 sti 6sp. my engine is beyond the spec b one anyway.

Edited September 25, 2019 by 05MNLGT

[Gabo]

yep. 6sp is needed in these wagons. although i didn't like the spec b tranny, want a stronger one, plus i didn't like the gears. i'm doing a 2015 sti 6sp. my engine is beyond the spec b one anyway.

 

My Spec B is a 500 whp "monster". Is the 2015 STI tranny really that much stronger?

[Tehnation]

I thought there were more differences.

 

So I pulled this from the 6mt master swap thread

 

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/6mt-master-swap-thread-107137.html

 

Considerations: (which recipe is right for you?)

 

The Spec B 6MT has a 50/50 torque split, lacks DCCD and has an open front diff, but is less expensive

04/05 STI 6MT has a 35/65 torque split, open center diff, and DCCD

06+ STI 6MT has a 41/59 torque split, helical center diff, and DCCD

R180 rear diffs are stronger than R160 rear diffs.

The Spec B R180 uses an R160 input yoke. Not sure how much this affects strength.

Unclemat opines on differential technology.

And so does Homemade WRX.

 

Last but not least, the Spec B 6MT gear ratios are more evenly spaced than the USDM STI 6MT ratios, and they're a bit taller. Rallispec will install them into STI transmissions, and they call it a "high speed" gearing option. I did it mostly for the even spacing. Better mileage would be a nice side-effect if I stayed out of boost, but how likely is that?

Edited September 26, 2019 by Tehnation

[yunliu075]

Drive as is legacy gt wagon, modify spec b.

 

 

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

[BoozeRS05]

I'd sell my specB before my wagon all day, barring issues that'd force my hand. Even my exgf admitted to getting tingles riding around in the wagon, it's so damn sexy and rare.

 

My specB gets people's attention. My wagon gets people geeking out.

Edited September 27, 2019 by BoozeRS05