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Hello Legacy Owners! Another new or used question... I need help


lostmind

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Hey All, I am from vancouver bc. I've been searching for a replacement to my 2002 wrx and I've found it in the legacy gt I think. I test drove an 05 legacy gt today for 30 mins and I really liked it.

 

However, my problem is I can't make up my mind...

 

There is an 05 legacy gt 5spd in silver with an aftermarket two way pager alarm (stingray?), sti short shifter (although the actual stick shift is kinda tall so I would be looking to swap it out, I am sure that's not a problem) and aftermarket rims/tires (dunno what rims, kinda ugly, but decent 17" falkens on it). 12,000 km on it and absolutely great condition. This is going to cost me $35k.

 

Or, I could go with the 06 legacy gt, 5spd in black for $40k (and a little change).

 

Finally, I could get the 06 lgt ltd, 5spd in black for $46k. Great car, reminds me a lot of my wife's tsx, except it has way more go power and awd :)

 

(well, I was considering the STi, but it comes out to $59k, is basically the same engine, and has too much "look at me" factor... although I really like the STi very much...)

 

Now, I really dunno what to do. I am not a huge fan of silver - I'd really prefer a black car. But silver isn't a horrible car colour... just not my fave. I am just not sure if it's worth it to get a new car, when there is one that is essentially fine sitting there with only 12k km's on it for so much less money. I would appreciate the extra luxury of the ltd model, but it's not a real requirement. And beyond leather and a sunroof, what real benefit is there to the ltd model? Is it worth the $6k extra?

 

I've been searching the classifieds and dealerships for used subies lately and there isnt much out there for me...

 

Can anyone give a poor canadian boy some advice?

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i would never buy a blk car again... but when your spending this kind money.. you better make sure your happy.. 12,000 km is about 7,500 miles... thats about 6 months of driving for me....so that car is def'n broken in..not your color of choice.. but you said you can live with it.. it has a few minor things on it that you dont sound to thrilled with.. ie sts, rims.. the new 06 is only 5k more and is the color you prefer...I would say go with the 06 gt brand new for 40k get rims you like, sts thats good for you...40,000 cad is 34,000 us.... too bad you cant come down here and save about another 8k...

Got Torque ?

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Re: color choice - Remember, you're the one who has to look at your car every day...day in, day out. :) Go with what really speaks to your heart.

As for the money you could've saved, that's definitely not an insignificant amount, so you've gotta ask yourself whether you can tighten your purse-strings for a few months, while "making up" that 5K CND change..... Perhaps delay future mods for a while more? - but that will also coincide with the break-in of your completely new vehicle, which wouldn't be a bad idea, right? ;)

The main benefit of the Limited models is indeed the factory moonroof, heated seats, and heated outside mirrors.

The former can be addressed by good aftermarket parts and a good install, however, the latter two concerns - especially that of hte heated mirrors, would require some additional sourcing of parts on your end, should you later decide that such items are essential to you. I'm not sure of the climate where you are, but here in NE-Ohio, I truly do not regret the purchase of the Ltd. trim, despite its additional weight and monetary cost - and perhaps the sole reason for this is the heated outside mirrors, which makes for a great companion during our snowy/icy winter months.

This difference, to me, is highlighted by my wife's '05 WRX - which we purchased in the trim level without factory moonroof or heated seats/mirrors as it had been nearly impossible to source one in her color-preference w/ the 4EAT. While I am actually jealous of the functionality and more streamlined appearance of her aftermarket moonroof, the lack of heated mirrors made itself quite apparent to me over the course of this past winter.

<-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges

'16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family

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I would say.."keep shopping". When you see the car with the deal, then jump on it! Always look to the end of the month for the best deals, and just be ready. Inventory constantly changes.

If black is your thing, then get it, but I personally don't like it as it shows every spec of dust, but it does look gorgeous clean.

 

Good luck with your venture!

"You poke it, You own it" - Man law supporter
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I really like this car in black. I saw one at another dealership (who wont budge a dollar on msrp) in black and wow, it was smoking. Of course, my last two cars have been black and I know first hand the pain in the ass black can be.

 

I guess my biggest problem here is I am a little cheap at heart. Although I can usually justify spending more for quality... I do love to get a deal. But with cars, us Canadians never get a deal like you guys down south.

 

I have found out that this guy here http://cars101.com/ is very knowledgeable about shipping cars up north to us Canadians though. Seattle is only a couple hours away... going to email him. At the current exchange rate... the price difference between US and Cad models is disgusting! Another thing I noticed is that a lot of legacy sedan owners have a rear wing I like. But it isn't an option in Canada, or at least the dealers over here don't have it available... so that's another potential bonus to buying down south.

 

If I do get this car, I think I would at the very least go with some engine management to bring the engine back up it's potential. Seems this car has a ton of power left untapped. Even stock, it's a really nice, fun ride. Put's the smaller, more sporty looking WRX to shame.

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Welcome!!! I actually deal with Joe every so often. He's great! I got a friend hooked up with one of their brand new '05 GT LT MT Sedans Black/Taupe with 150 miles on it just two weeks ago. Joe sold it for $23.9k US (which is $27,658.36 CAD as of today:icon_bigg) , now how about THAT for a difference in price? Not to say what you should or shouldn't do, BUT, YOU NEED TO GET A CAR FROM DOWN HERE! :icon_tong It's really just a matter of registering it up there I believe. As you saw Joe can help explain some of that too.

 

Let me know if you have any questions, I'd love to help. He's easy to work with and gives pretty solid pricing right upfront. In fact, there are a couple '05's left on their lot. Go check out cartersubaru.com, it's where he works. Even if you don't see an '05 you like, he'll give you a solid deal on an '06 also! Good luck! PM me or post on here if I can help out...

Please PM joeleodee For All Site Questions. He is the acting Admin and can resolve anything related to LegacyGT.com
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Thanks LegGTLT.

 

I am talking to my wife about importing a car right now. The more and more I research this, the more sense it is making. I simply can not believe the money savings to be had. Blows my mind.

 

You may get a pm from me in the near future!

 

Shane

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I read that and it was VERY informative.

 

Here is my initial thoughts on importing from USA.

 

Car price: $27,000 @ 1.2 exchange rate = $32,400 CAD

Plus taxes:

GST @7% = $2268

PST @7% = $2268

Plus fees:

RIV = $209

AC Fee = $100

Prov Inspection = $128

 

Total cost to get the car to Canada: $37,373

 

Total cost to buy exact same model here, incl taxes and paperwork, etc: $48,028

 

Can someone explain to me the "but"? What's the gotcha?! factor? This doesn't make sense... $11k savings buying at sticker price in the USA over a discounted Canadian dealership price? Using a very conservative exchange rate?

 

Only thing I can see different is the speedo is in mph/kmh not kmh/mph? Heck, I could probably replace that if it bothers me enough. Perhaps it's waiting on the paperwork that's the gotcha? I dont get it.

 

If it sounds too good to be true?

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Can someone explain to me the "but"? What's the gotcha?! factor? This doesn't make sense... $11k savings buying at sticker price in the USA over a discounted Canadian dealership price? Using a very conservative exchange rate?

 

Only thing I can see different is the speedo is in mph/kmh not kmh/mph? Heck, I could probably replace that if it bothers me enough. Perhaps it's waiting on the paperwork that's the gotcha? I dont get it. If it sounds too good to be true?

 

I don't think there really is a gotcha! factor here. I believe SoA produces alot more cars then in Canada? Economies of scale? As for the exhange rate, that was taken off an international currency exchange site today, it is real and up to date. US dealers may also be willing to make less per car. Could be somewhat of a "cultural difference" between how car dealers work in each country. Glad you're thinking it all through.:)

 

As for the mph/kmh, just ask Joe or the Canadian dealer what it will cost to buy and install. Subtract that out of mod money or your down payment if you want to do it. You will be saving $11k CAD so I think you could afford to do it if it bugs you. :lol: What are the interest rate differences though? Canadain dealer vs. private bank loan? Or whoever you're buying the car with... or cash?:icon_bigg Keep those questions coming!!!

Please PM joeleodee For All Site Questions. He is the acting Admin and can resolve anything related to LegacyGT.com
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Well the dealer in Canada seems to think that the legacy is indeed cheaper in the USA and that I should be very concerned about duties and excise taxes (although I can't see how I would be liable for any due to the legacy being built in Indiana.

 

The dealer here did say the warranty is a non issue and that passing CARB (emissions) and other inspections should be no problem as the car is essentially the same between USA and Canadian models. He mentioned I may need some french stickers to replace the all english ones for airbags and such.

 

He warns that my resale value on the Legacy will be less as it is imported when I do wish to sell it down the road. I am sure this is true but I am not so sure it is such a big issue.

 

Other then that, the dealer wants my business so he is going to ask around for anything else I should watch for. He hopes he can get me to buy off him.

 

Will keep updating as I go along. Unfortunately I am very busy with work and don't have the spare time to spend researching this further right now. Maybe over the weekend

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Good luck! You are honestly taking all the right steps. Go at your own pace, not the dealers, and you'll get what you want when you want it. I would ask him if it's gonna be $10k CAD less on depreciation and see what he says then. :lol: Somehow I doubt it... Tell him there is no duty (cause there isn't) and that taxes are taxes no matter if you buy it there or down here, you still pay 14% no matter what. As for the excise and other taxes, according to the other thread they're a combined $300 or $400 bucks? Not much... Keep us up to date on what happens. What did they say about the speedo switch over and trip computer? (the one that calculates MPG and avg. MPG) Any cost estimates?
Please PM joeleodee For All Site Questions. He is the acting Admin and can resolve anything related to LegacyGT.com
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Thanks bro! All I am waiting on is a response from Joe @ Carter to see if my cost calc's are roughly correct. If so, I'll be calling customs and riv to ensure I have all the steps to import mapped out properly.

 

I think I'll leave the speedo as is, cuz I really don't care... heh.

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Well, the one subaru dealer I had talked to here about warranty issues called me back today and said they just received word that they can no longer honor subaru of america's warranty on 2006 models. Makes very little sense to me but they said to check with other dealers... so I will. But man, getting a little confused now. I guess they don't wanna lose the sale? Or they want me to pay $10k more? damn.

 

Joe from Cars101 got back to me, I need to give him a call and get some more info. Things are moving along, I should receive the money from my condo sale at the end of the week. Getting a bit excited!

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  • 4 weeks later...
Well, the one subaru dealer I had talked to here about warranty issues called me back today and said they just received word that they can no longer honor subaru of america's warranty on 2006 models.

 

Hi - any further word on this? Or on how your US buying experience is going? (Thanks.)

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  • 1 month later...

Hello guys I am also looking into importing a 2007 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT spec.B into Canada , Albert Canada to be specific, no provincial sales tax just GST to pay which by the way will be 6% in July of this year, the one thing I am concerned about are the warranty issues once we know if the warranty is honored in Canada it is looking like a no brainer. I was at a local dealer here in Edmonton and there MSRP on a 2006 Legacy 2.5 GT was about $41,500.00 before any taxes, (and that was a 5MT with no NAV) Were Joe from Carter Subaru in Seattle lists a Legacy GT Limited sedan, auto, with navigation for $32,620 at today currency conversion rates translates to $35,979.82 CAD for a savings of $5520.18. Now if you take into consideration the flight to Seattle $225.00 CAN one way inspection fee $209.00 CAN your looking at least a min $5000.00 savings. Which can easily buy a nice set of wheels and snow tires for winter with lots of change left over.

So once I have firm pricing on 2007 here from my local dealer and Joe in Seattle say he will know pricing this month I will make my decision and I doubt very much Subaru of Canada will take the current strength of the Canadian dollar into account.

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