What were the LGT's Contenders when you went car shopping?

[elarbee]

elarbee, that's one of the nicest avatars I've seen on here.

thanks mate, never mind the bullocks...

 

http://www.myfoto.com.au/Photo/amyliam/forum_pics/sid_gt.jpg

 

http://www.myfoto.com.au/Photo/amyliam/forum_pics/sid_legacy.jpg

 

[Ovcoursitsilver]

...However the biggest roadblock to the LGT is the fact

that she thinks it is way smaller (interior volume) than the SE-R.

 

I am hoping to get the LGT to move up because the the Nissan Altima is about to totally change and if I hold out a little longer the next gen Altima might turn her off. To be honest it is probably between the SE-R and the LGT, since they are the only two that has everything we are looking for. We me luck guys.

If it will help, everything I've read about the SE-R has been quite negative; too much power for its FWD and the handling is weak. As for the advantages of AWD - don't you get black ice in Your Town? And what's this about interior room? She should know good things come in small packages. Finally, in the end, the SE-R is still a Nissan.

[EL PAALO]

Thank God it's almost 2006 which means we should be buying in the next three or four months. Here are the top contenders at this time.

 

Pontiac GTO - Great power, nice interior but no sunroof or heated leather.

Pontiac Grand Prix GXP - Also great power but no manual.

Nissan Altima SE-R - Good power, has everything the wife wants, nice rumble

The wifes favorite.

Dodge Charger Hemi - Great power, boring interior, over 30 grand when

optioned the way we want, no manual.

Acura TL - Nice power, great interior, over 30 grand, dime a dozen in our

area.

Legacy GT - My farorite hands down, has everything I want including the

turbo and AWD. The problem is that the wife gets to chose the

next car and I can not convince her of the advantages of

AWD. However the biggest roadblock to the LGT is the fact

that she thinks it is way smaller (interior volume) than the SE-R.

 

I am hoping to get the LGT to move up because the the Nissan Altima is about to totally change and if I hold out a little longer the next gen Altima might turn her off. To be honest it is probably between the SE-R and the LGT, since they are the only two that has everything we are looking for. We me luck guys.

 

The altima interior may look bigger, but as far as legroom, headroom, backseat room, it felt smaller to me.

[Kaa Kaa Man]

Why don't you show the following things to your wife:

 

1) According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report, the Legacy was only one of four passenger cars in the U.S. market to receive "Gold Medal" designation as the safest car in its class. No Volvos, Nissans, BMWs, Toyotas of Pontiacs won.

 

2) Subaru was tne #1 rated car company in terms of reliability in the 2005 model year.

 

In addition to all that, you are right: the best AWD system in the world versus front-wheel drive. Not to mention 0-60 in 5.6 seconds.....

 

Hands down, LGT.

[chiz45]

In no particular order:

 

Saab 9 whatever (briefly, and only because the lease incentives here were awesome);

G35 4 door (but never even test drove it);

Acura TL (close to $40k!)

RX-8;

Audi A4 (because the lease incentives here were awesome).

 

While the LGT doesn't ring out 'luxury' like the Euro offerings, i'm happy with my choice.

[skibum]

All the models considered:

 

A4 Avant, A3

Saab 9-3 Sport Combi

Saab 9-5 Sedan/SportCombi

Acura TSX

OutBack XT

Mazda 6 Sport Wagon

Honda Element

Cadillac CTS

Honda Ridgeline (briefly)

M-B B200 Turbo

Infinti G35x

 

And Bought the Leg Gt Wagon. Never Looking Back.

 

 

Your wagon looks almost maroon in your avatar. Is it just the lighting, or did you have it painted? I wish Subie offered such a color. And what kind of wheels are those btw?

 

Cheers!

(From a Mazda 6 Sportwagon owner looking seriously at an '05 LGT STS Wagon)

[skibum]

Hey Cincy!

 

Consider adding a Mazda 6 5-door V6 with MT to your list (4-door sedans are boring and lack utility - regardless of the make/model). Granted it has no where near the power of the Charger (or the Legacy GT for that matter) but has tons of storage room, a terrific chassis, goes like stink in snow with proper snows, and since it sounds like you like leather (personally I hate the stuff), you can get HIDs. It really is a decent overall choice, plus you can get a ridiculously good deal on them. Unless you want the power, it deserves to be on your list.

 

Cheers!

 

Thank God it's almost 2006 which means we should be buying in the next three or four months. Here are the top contenders at this time.

 

Pontiac GTO - Great power, nice interior but no sunroof or heated leather.

Pontiac Grand Prix GXP - Also great power but no manual.

Nissan Altima SE-R - Good power, has everything the wife wants, nice rumble

The wifes favorite.

Dodge Charger Hemi - Great power, boring interior, over 30 grand when

optioned the way we want, no manual.

Acura TL - Nice power, great interior, over 30 grand, dime a dozen in our

area.

Legacy GT - My farorite hands down, has everything I want including the

turbo and AWD. The problem is that the wife gets to chose the

next car and I can not convince her of the advantages of

AWD. However the biggest roadblock to the LGT is the fact

that she thinks it is way smaller (interior volume) than the SE-R.

 

I am hoping to get the LGT to move up because the the Nissan Altima is about to totally change and if I hold out a little longer the next gen Altima might turn her off. To be honest it is probably between the SE-R and the LGT, since they are the only two that has everything we are looking for. We me luck guys.

[ineedboost]

Actually as soon as I posted my last reply I realized that I had forgotten the Mazda 6. In fact the last car we drove was the Mazdaspeed 6 just about a month ago. Excellent car but, since its brand new the dealer was trying to rape us. However they did say that they were taking $4000 off sticker on all other '06 6's.

 

Rest assured rfd425 she has promised me that she will look at and drive the LGT again before we buy anything. I am kinda hoping for a decent snow to take her out in to demo the AWD. As far as room goes it's shoulder and head room (sunroof) that most concerns her.

 

You know The first car that I took her to drive was the LGT because of the turbo power.

Her last car was a Chrysler LebaronTurbo GTC (before you flame know that it was the best car I have ever owned, almost bullitproof) that she flat out loved because of the turbo boost. Another reason that makes her reluctant

about the LGT is that she thinks I will get in trouble with it (tickets) .

[IwannaSportSedan]

I am hoping that the LGT turns out to be more driveable, and faster than a Lebaron GTC VNT Turbo Coupe. My mother has driven one for more than a decade. Car is really showing age. clearcoat peeling, interior is definitely showing significant wear. sun damaged rubber trim... it has also had several issues with throttle cables, shifter linkages, and other minor-turned-significant problems over the years. There is one wheel that never has consistantly held air, through different tires. several psi monthly lost...

 

But the car is hella-fast. Torque steers like a wild animal. If you don't pay attention it will ditch itself by tearing the steering wheel from ya'r hands, when that turbo came online. FWD, no LSD, and 2.2 VNT Turbo makes for an interesting drive.

 

That car pretty much sold me on turbos, but very much against FWD. My 93 Probe GT didn't torque steer that much (no torque to steer)

 

The Mazdaspeed 6 I sat in did NOT have more shoulder room than the Legacy. I have sat it several Legacys, one where the seat was far too forward, and the battery disconnected in the showroom. I still was able to fit, barely. The rest have been initially very comfortable. (not spent much time at a sitting, for longer impression)

The first thing I noticed, within seconds of sitting in the Mazdaspeed 6, was that my left shoulder and elbow (driver door open) hit the b-pillar. A lot. Might not be as much of a problem with the door closed, and left hand on the wheel, but it was immediately noticeable.

 

But the salesman kept saying "the Mazda 6 is a bigger car than the Legacy" but could not cite an example, nor could he cite the standard AWD torque split...

 

IF the Mazdaspeed 6 had Real AWD, a FMIC rather than the rediculous hood, and were available in the 5-door bodystyle, it would pull on me a little harder. as for now, it is just a marker post I hope the Legacy soon passes, because it isn't pulling my impending choice away from the technically superior, and better looking Legacy.

[skibum]

Actually as soon as I posted my last reply I realized that I had forgotten the Mazda 6. In fact the last car we drove was the Mazdaspeed 6 just about a month ago. Excellent car but, since its brand new the dealer was trying to rape us. However they did say that they were taking $4000 off sticker on all other '06 6's.

 

Rest assured rfd425 she has promised me that she will look at and drive the LGT again before we buy anything. I am kinda hoping for a decent snow to take her out in to demo the AWD. As far as room goes it's shoulder and head room (sunroof) that most concerns her.

 

You know The first car that I took her to drive was the LGT because of the turbo power.

Her last car was a Chrysler LebaronTurbo GTC (before you flame know that it was the best car I have ever owned, almost bullitproof) that she flat out loved because of the turbo boost. Another reason that makes her reluctant

about the LGT is that she thinks I will get in trouble with it (tickets) .

 

 

They will try to rape you on the Speed6, no question about that. I too owned one of those Chrysler 2.2L turbos. A Dodge Omni GLH Turbo. It rode like a dump truck and was a poster child for torque steer, but was one of the most entertaining cars I've owned. And other than a slight power steering fluid leak that developed around 100K, I didn't have a bit of trouble with it.

 

If I wanted a sub $30K do everything 4-door sedan, the non-SpecB Legacy GT seems the better choice over the current crop of Nissans, Passats, Accords, 3series, etc. There is an awful lot of bang for your buck there. The only things that I don't care for are the lack of fold down rear seats and no cloth upholstery. You guys must be over 6'2" if you're concerned with headroom in the Legacy.

 

Also, I'm not sure how great an idea it is to wait for our next snow to demonstrate the AWD capabilities of the Subie. The general consensus here is the RE92s are total suxxor in the snow.

[DonB]

MS6 - Did a test drive and really liked

Acura TL - not really a contender...no turbo

[sjg]

I had 3 requirements: AWD, Wagon, Good Value. I considered the following:

Nissan Murano: liked it but a bit bigger than needed and pricier with options

Volvo V50 T5 AWD: too small and pricier with options

Chevy Equinox: was a new model at the time and tried to suppress stereotypes about GM and give a new model a chance....big mistake: that thing is a POS

Audi A4 Avant: too pricey

 

Couldn't be happier with the LGT Wagon.

[Lubeman]

I had a $30k price ceiling and drove the following:

 

Mazda RX-8: Not bad interior, nice feel, fun to drive hard, but waaay the hell too impractical for a daily driver. I wish Mazda would put this engine into a smaller chassis and create a real sports car instead of the androgynous RX-8.

 

Acura TSX: Excellent interior, handling seemed to be pretty sharp. Felt a lot like everything my 1991 Accord ever wanted to be.

 

Acura TL: Over my price ceiling, but the Acura dealer recommended that I try it after I mentioned that the TSX felt underpowered. Great interior, but my first thought upon getting into the car is that the beltline is way too high. Doesn't feel nearly as fast as the LGT. 270 hp overwhelms the front wheels with a manual transmission.

 

CPO 325i: I couldn't find an E46 330 under the $30k ceiling (even a used one), so I tried a 325i and was very disappointed. Probably didn't have the sports package, but this car didn't feel like anything special. Interior was also disappointing.

 

G35: Didn't think I could possibly stand to be in that interior every day. Exterior styling didn't do much for me either.

 

Legacy GT: Felt like the most powerful car even though the TL had it beat on paper. Excellent driving position (with Limited seats) and interior. Very smooth ride on the freeway. On the other hand, it didn't handle as sharply as the RX-8 or turn in as well as the TSX, and I really wanted a factory Navi system.

 

It came down to the TSX vs the GT Limited. When I sent out emails to dealers (in northern VA, where I lived at the time) asking for quotes, none of the Acura dealers would budge from MSRP while two of the Subaru dealers offered invoice pricing. Case closed.

 

Every time I get on the throttle on an on-ramp I feel confident that I made the right decision =)

[Jerboa113]

this post is too long and I dont really feel like reading every word lol so Ima post.. from the looks of things we all have looked at the same things..

 

I looked for an entire year before I bought my car, I test drove the legacy 5 times most dealers consider me a non-serious buyer because of the impression they get from me, but if I come back that many times you should be happy hehe cos that means the car hasn't been struck out.

 

I did everything even TCO analysis and a spreadsheet line to line comparison with point scores to find the car that really offered what I wantd, I did the "box test" joined forums did lots of reading on consumer reports, here, acura forums, edmunds and fuel economy.gov were virtually my home page.

 

I originally had struck the LGT out because the TCO was above average (due to awd) and the depreciation was ranked at 10k (based on 04 models) where most cars wre 3-6.

 

Heres some of the cars I looked at that:

 

Acura TL: loved it, too expensive, guy wanted 38 for a car that costs 31 to make.. walked out of the deal making process

BMW 325/330i: loved it, too expensive too many gadgets, I have a hard time saying no to gadgets, I dont like a stripped car and I couldn't afford the loaded one (45k!)

G35 coupe: loved the car! friends girlfriend convinced me I "didn't need" a 2 door.. failed my "Box test"

G35 sedan: failed box test

Pontiac GTO: Failed Box Test, 2 door car

Pontiac Grand Prix GXP: Good car, definatley passed the box test, not fun to drive, torque steer monster.

2002 Corvette: WOW!! passed box test, used car, 2 door, no rear seats.

Lexus IS300 (05): MEH! not enough space, too slow poor layout not that attractive too expensive..... I dont think I need to keep going.

Mustang GT (05): good price, 2 door, passed box test.. blue ovals disease, couldn't bring myself to buy another ford after having a disaster on wheels for 7 years from the same company.

Nissan Maxima: MEH! nothing else to say.. didn't like it.

Nissam Altima SER: torque steer monster #2, not fun to drive, nice looking car lots of storage lots of goodies

Volvo anything: anyone who buys a volvo hasn't driven anything else, no offense, hated every volvo I've looked at.

Audi A4: quattro was too expensive, CVT was too slow

Dodge Charger R/T: crown victoria with some good power, land barge?? wasn't what I was looking for.. maybe when I'm mid 30s..

Hyndai Sonata: nice car, impressed with the 06 but hyndai has a bad habit of dropping motors like ford drops transmissions, wouldn't negotiate on price...

Mercedes C230 kompressor: slow startoff then BAM, the supercharger lagged?? very unusual but it was a nice car, I heard it was FWD but it wasn't, wound up being $40k.. too much for a car with less than 200hp.

 

The legacy was my final desicion when the 05 results came out correcting the depreciation of the 05 legacy to nominal rates. This cleared my conscious and another test drove proved to me that I really did like the car, I set in motion buying the car, which took about a week to negotiate the price among 3 different dealers. I drove to savannah to get it and have enjoyed the driving experience.

[MDork]

no competitors...crazy thing is i hadnt ever driven an lgt 5mt wagon before flying to phoenix to pick it up. took a 5 min test drive in an outback 5mt....

 

just knew it was the right car.

[motion_157]

'05 Nissan Altima SE-R

'05 Acura TL

 

TL had too much torque steer, and didn't have the performance handling. I came really close to getting the Altima SE-R. It had fold down rear seats, 6 speed gear box, HID's, and a sporty suspension with a wicked exhaust note. It just didn't have the AWD. It was a tough choice, but obviously I ended up picking the legacy, and i'm thrilled with my decision.

[wayoutwest]

Volvo V70 R

[SBT]

In the final analysis (which took all of 10 seconds), there were really only two AWD Wagons in my mind:

 

The Audi S4/A6 or the Legacy GT.

 

None of the other AWD wagons had their AWD drivetrains oriented correctly and most were cobbled together FWD wagons with AWD added as an afterthought. Non-starters in my mind and not worthy of consideration.

 

Audi was off the table without even looking at it due to known issues with reliability and maintenance upkeep/costs both during and after the warranty periods.

 

Long, long-time Subaru owner so the brand has earned my respect and appreciation... never really was a question that the LGT wagon would be my next car.

 

As far as sedans go, only the Audi and Subaru would have made the cut... Infiniti G35 - too heavy and non-symmetrical AWD, same with BMW 330xi. At least they have their drivetrains pointed in the right direction.

 

SBT

[ABPillinois]

I had been looking at cars since last fall when I bought my Leggie a couple months ago.

 

Looked at

1 Mazdaspeed 3 (test drove)

2 Audi a3

3 Mazdaspeed 6

4 Civic SI sedan

5 IS 300

6 G35

7 S4/A4

 

I really like hatchbacks my last car was a 2000 civic hatch I'm only 23 so the LGT wagon was out of the question. I really liked the Mazdaspeed 3 I drove but the interior and other parts seemed cheap. I wish I could have had the money 4 the A3 with the dsg that would have been sweet. I have no regrets with the Leggie.

[lawl]

s2000.

 

yea. really.

[imstillatwork]

My three requirements were 200+ hp, AWD, and less then $30k. The Volvo S40 T5 AWD was pretty much the only other choice. And, at the time the dealers around here wanted $35k-ish for it. The answer was clear. That, and I've had two other Subarus before this one......

 

The interior of the T5 was very very nice. very euro. Just not enough 'fun' though...

 

BMW was too much $$$ for not enough car. To much name. I don't wanna be 'that guy'

 

mazdaspeed6 - whoever said they can't take it serious, I completely agree. I wanted to like it, but just couldn't

 

The GT is plenty luxury for me, and plenty sport for my wifes daily driver. 250 HP is nice, but 3400lbs sucks big time. 4 cylinder low end bites - but I love the car.

 

I still have %200 more fun in the Corrado VR6 - but don't regret the GT at all!

[sjg]

Looked at:

WRX: a bit too cramped

Nissan Murano: nice package too much $$ once options were added

Chevy Equinox: really feels like a piece of junk

Volvo V50: much more $$ for much less space than the LGT wagon

Dodge Magnum: thought it was too big...now with a dog and a kid, I'm not that sure I made the right choice.

[DukeTrout]

After getting used to my wife's OBXT for the last couple of years, there was only one other car that I considered, and only because SoA was trying its best to keep me from buying another Subaru. I test drove a 2007 Infinity G35, and was really quite nice. The RWD one was deliciously sporty and had everything in the right places. The new interior is as big of a step up from the older generation G as the 04 LGT to 05+ LGT step was. In the end, though, the availability of a well-priced spec.B made it a no-brainer.

[DukeTrout]

Looked at:

WRX: a bit too cramped

Nissan Murano: nice package too much $$ once options were added

Chevy Equinox: really feels like a piece of junk

Volvo V50: much more $$ for much less space than the LGT wagon

Dodge Magnum: thought it was too big...now with a dog and a kid, I'm not that sure I made the right choice.

 

You have the MT LGT, so you made the right choice. The LGT is smaller, yes, but that means fewer door dings and easier parking. The Magnum (and Charger) would be so much more attractive if they just put a manual transmission option in the darn thing.

[shiggins]

After attending the local auto show last weekend.....if the '07 G35 would have been out when I purchased my '06 LGT in the late summer of '05, I'd have been posting on Infiniti forums. While I love my Subaru, I completely understand why Subaru has trouble selling LGTs.....they're simply not competitive in today's market.

 

The old G35 had too many downsides in the interior and fit and finish for me then, but the new one seems so much better......not to mention the sweet new Lexus IS 350. i sat in a new Spec B there too and just felt like it'd never make my cut today if I were shopping a new car. It felt old and outclassed. Subaru needs to get off their collective ass and market a competitive sports sedan, as I feel they're quickly falling far behind. The only thing saving the Subie is that the price is a bit better than the other two....but not enough better to make me chose it anymore.

 

Again, I still love my LGT and wouldn't have chosen any different when I bought it....but my choices would be different now if I were in the market