RavenII Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 Hello all, As the title states, I'm looking at a fairly clean 3.6r Limited with ~95k on the clock...aside from the usual things to check, what should I know about the CVT on this car? I'm not a fan of CVT to begin with, but I like the Legacy so much that I'm going to overlook it...any way of testing, things/sounds to look out for? Should I avoid it all together? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougKelly20 Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Nothing wrong with CVTs in general. We've owned 5 cars all with that high torque TR690 CVT and not a single problem with any of them. Granted they were traded or wrecked for other reasons all before 70k. On my 3.6R I have had a flush at 60k due to track use. It's also modified and tuned. Our other legacy and 3 WRXs were not. I recommended a flush assuming it was not already done. I doubt they will go for it but maybe try to make your deal contingent on them doing it if it has never been done because it's pretty expensive. The 3.6R works very well with the CVT, better than the WRXs by far IMO. If you maintain it, I'm sure you'll be very happy w it. Others have had issues with valve bodies and some have had replacements under warranty. Some recommended against the flush but I'm not a believer in "lifetime fluids" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beamercub Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 Run. I have the same exact car. Run. I would suggest to look for a similar aged Lexus... Just say NO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 On 2/19/2023 at 11:21 PM, Beamercub said: Run. I have the same exact car. Run ... Just say NO. For someone who claims advanced automotive knowledge and experience, you have done nothing on this Forum but whine about alleged deficiencies of your Legacy. Many of your posts have seemed downright naive, and some of your reported "problems" appear to have been self-inflicted. Regardless of the reasons, your experience with the car is not typical. Clearly, the Legacy is not the car for you. Life is too short; sell it and get on with your life. 1 "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 I enjoy my 2017 Legacy 3.6 but I will admit the interior is a tad dated and should have held out for an '18 or '19... but I got a REALLY nice 17 so I can't be mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougKelly20 Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 Yeah it seems like most of the issues that they had got ironed out by 2018/19. I bought my 19 new and we had an 18 between WRXs after our accident for a year and they've both been solid. Most complaints seem to come from the early models which is typical for every manufacturer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amuse_mee Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 Definitely flush and refill the CVT (I did it on my 15' around 75k) assume previous owner(s) haven't, definitely take a look under the car - depending on region and conditions you may hear a heat shield rattle or other flanges that have rusted and possible belt squeaking as well so check those too. One thing to note with the CVT definitely get under if you can, I bought mine w/ 45k - around 50k the CVT seal gasket had snapped and developed a leak. Luckily I caught it in time and it was all replaced under Subaru warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenII Posted February 25, 2023 Author Share Posted February 25, 2023 My biggest issue is that it takes for EVER to find a nice any 3.6 in my area...hell when I bought my 2010 3.6 in 2016, I looked for almost 8 months before finally finding it, and I didn't even like the color haha. Thank you all for the input...Beamercub, in the future maybe elaborate on *why*, what maybe a big deal or issue for you, might be negligible for someone else. Like the dated interior comment, for me it's not an issue as I have a full sound setup along with an iPad mounted in my dash, but your input can be valuable. The car had Arkansas plates, but the seller was in WI, so that was kinda a red flag for me...'10 that I bought was from a private party, who was a psychologist and took VERY good care of the car. The car that intiated this post had front end damage reported, and of course the guy said that it was minor....but a 2015 with 95k for 12.5k.....that's a little hard to justify I think....unless I'm wrong. Thanks again everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 4 months ago I paid $26k for my '17 with 59k on it and it was the only one within 500 miles at that time. So you're absolutely correct, 3.6's are few and far between especially if you're looking for a Legacy over an Outback. There's only two 3.6's on my local craigslist at the moment, both on rot lots. a blue 17 with tan interior; 27k miles for $26k, and a white 16 with black interior; 113k miles for $16k 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenII Posted February 25, 2023 Author Share Posted February 25, 2023 Interesting, now that's some perspective, I guess 12.5 doesn't seem so bad now... Maybe I'll go check it out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 I am in the PacificNW where there is a hefty subaru tax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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