Legacy Reliability in Car and Driver test

[Vimy101]

I don't want to take this thread too far off track, but I can't afford an '06, so it's '05 or no Legacy for me.

 

Currently there's 2 '05 GT Limiteds for sale with a killer price. Both are Garnet Red 5 MT models for $20k. I can't touch that price even with a regular GT. I don't like red, but I do like great deals and an '06 for about $5k more is simply too much. If my budget allowed $25k I'd be looking at an '04 TL instead.

 

The Legacy is an incredible bang for your buck which is why I bought mine. Honda does make a great car though.

[emorphien]

The headlight bulbs are covered under warranty. Subaru will even replace your wiper blades under warranty. Buy the car, you won't look back. Best overall car out there for the price. Power, Comfort, Safety, etc. etc.

 

Funny thing, knew someone who just traded their '04 TL for a 2006 WRX limited.

The stock wipers are pretty miserable though. After several sets I finally gave in and replaced them myself during the last major rainstorm when my driver side wiper decided to unravel.

[traskw]

The stock wipers are pretty miserable though. After several sets I finally gave in and replaced them myself during the last major rainstorm when my driver side wiper decided to unravel.

 

I think it has more to do with the shape of the windshield. I have yet to find a wiper that works well on its own for any length of time. Use rainX washer fluid, you'll never go back.

[GTTuner]

No body offers a car with the LGT's available equipment for 30K. Period.

Subaru has truly bridged the gap in the entry level luxry segment.

 

Reliability has been outstanding for me, and I beat the crap out of the car. 25,000 trouble free miles, no rattles....nothing! Plus lightning fast with $800.00 of mods and 25 mpg. Cop's don't even look at the car when I buzz by 25mph+ over the limit.

[iyalla]

That was a pretty scathing long term report. The funny thing is everything they reported has happened to someone on this board. Do a search. Light bulbs out, stutter, clutch gone, automatic climate control that needs human intervention, bad back support for long drives, misfire CEL light, wheel bearings going bad and a suspension that is not quite as sharp as the car looks. The only thing they missed was the thin paint and rattles LOL

 

One thing everyone seems to agree on is that the GT goes like stink for under 30K and nobody gives you this kind of sophisticated AWD for under 30k either.

[spinski]

C & D must have let all their high school interns drive the LGT for the past year. I have heard of one vehicle (not a Sube) getting fueled with diesel and it was back in the 80's. Not that it can't happen but this is one of the premier car mags in America, you would think their drivers would know what they're putting in the tank. If they put diesel in, they probably filled it with regular also. They dropped the clutch too often, they drove it like you never would since you're paying for it. Someone should get the VIN of their LGT and make sure Carfax knows this car was driven like crap.

[emorphien]

I think it has more to do with the shape of the windshield. I have yet to find a wiper that works well on its own for any length of time. Use rainX washer fluid, you'll never go back.

I have two bottles of it, but for some reason I'm waiting to use up the regular fluid I have. I should just drain the tank and fill up with the orange stuff.

[robinasu]

20k, and so far:

 

1) hesitation - seems better? after 3rd flash

2) many rattles and noises

3) spotty service (techs forgot to but oil and clutch caps on! I found them loose in the engine compartment months later!)

4) car has pulled to the right since I bought it. Dealer most likely pumped up the tires on one side, or I just missed it. I think it was the previous.

5) ABS died, Error #55. Dear replaced ABS module 1st - not it. They think it is the wheel hub sensor. I still need to have it fixed. During their work they asked me if I ever worked on the ABS system. I said no. Apparently, the protective cover around the ABS wiring the the hub was not installed. WTF?

6) Recently, a crack from the driver A-pillar has developed. The windshield guy said he thought it was the second windshield and I've never had it replaced previously.

7) Had a lot of "clutch stink", but its gone now. The clutch feel is pretty bad.

 

Good things:

 

1) Stereo sounds good to me. Not perfect but a number of passengers have noticed without me asking.

2) The suspension is a good mix of comfort and sportiness

3) Fun turbo engine likes to rev

4) Nice interior

 

I really want to love my car but the bad points outweigh the good.

[Penguin]

35,000 miles.

 

2 fuel injectors. One window replaced due to defective window regulator (scratched the glass). One window regulator.

 

Several persistent squeaks and rattles.

[sjmdesigns]

11200 miles and so far the car has been flawless. No rattles so far.

 

Now I have 19600 miles on it. This car has been pretty much bullit proof. No rattles, great reliability.

 

I'm pretty happy so far (All stock by the way).

[jond_68]

25,000 miles and still none of the issues reported by people here.

 

The 1 issue I had was with the leather inserts in the rear door panels. Replaced under warranty.

[dcurrie]

I'd have to agree. I've got over 110k miles on my Accord and have not had one major problem with it. Not one.

My front rotors, or at least one of the, seems to be warping. But it's not bad, and only noticable on clutch-in slow stops.

 

I gotta say, that C&D article was kinda scary (unlike the excelent motortrend article), and the fact people here are having issues with so relatively few miles on the car isn't too great either.

I'm still going to get one... it's the only car fits my needs (good looks, 240+ HP, 4 doors, AWD, < $22k, 5 years old or newer)

 

Clearly these cars, and I say this from reading not experience, since I've owned one exactly 4 days ;-) are not perfect. Then again, my 2007 Honda Odyssey with 5000 miles is getting a new transmission today -- there's one in every crowd!

 

Quirky, fast and stealthy. Worth the price of admission in my view.

 

DC

[schneiks]

I'm at 9,000mi on my legacy and I've had a few quirks, but nothing major.

 

I had rattles in the dash but there are gone...I think maybe it needed to be broken in? I notice some wind noise on windy days at high speeds coming from the passenger door.

 

In a car wash I usually get a drip or two inside the driver side window. Other than that, like I said, nothing major.

[BDII]

Head light, fog light, seat brackett and the radio face plate.

 

all under warranty.

[TravisS]

Clearly these cars, and I say this from reading not experience, since I've owned one exactly 4 days ;-) are not perfect. Then again, my 2007 Honda Odyssey with 5000 miles is getting a new transmission today -- there's one in every crowd!

 

Quirky, fast and stealthy. Worth the price of admission in my view.

 

DC

 

Heh, you quoting me should give somewhat of an indication how old of a thread this was

 

I've had my legacy for about 8 months and 12k miles now, 42k overall on the car. No major problems to speak of. Have had the cooling fan relay replaced, it's got some squeaks and rattles, clutch probably has less then 10k miles left in it, and the "studder" which still present doesn't occur very often. While more problematic then my Accord these are certainly very minor issues.

[Penguin]

I forget to mention the car eats up headlight bulbs like candy unless you deactivate the DRL's.

[Zoombaru]

23k and no major issues here.

 

Car and Driver still thought enough of it to give it 4th place in their

The Quickest Cars of 2007: $25,000 to $30,000.

 

 

In one aspect, Car and Driver's tester would've performed a LOT better

if they'd not put DIESEL fuel in it.

[edkwon]

 

As for stuff goin wrong with my car, I have a shudder in my steering wheel, sometimes very violent under hard breaking conditions,

 

Ive experienced that in other cars and it has usually due to brake rotor warping, a resurfacing job and it goes away.

 

Ed

[Beanboy]

LGT is now been back to the dealer one more time than my first-year Neon I bought used.

 

TMIC replacement do to tab failure, recall on fan relay/ECM, wheel bearing failure, and flooded passenger foot well thanks to clogged AC drain line.

 

Hopefully other than the bearings, the birthing issues are now settled until things start going from old age in the seven year range, we shall see.

 

Uh-oh, jinxed myself with this one being my 2K post!

[bilzebub]

With all the ratlles people speak of, is the dealer really obliged to fix them? I had (still have) so many in my 2000 OBL that either the dealer (a) refused to hear [front passenger seat belt fastener rattles like a marracca when no one is in the passenger seat], (b) merely said that it is a 'known issue' with no actual fix [rear cargo cover rattled all the time on its mounts, dealer 'fixed' by covering mounts in hockey tape, but this would cause the cover to pop off at times since the mounts now had a larger diameter] or © replaced over and over again until the warranty ran out and then they wanted to nickle and dime me [e.g. $9 for rear light access cover 'knobs' that would always fall off onto the road when the hatch was open, little square plugs covering door armrest mounts...]

 

I mention all this because I really want to buy a 2007 (06? 08?) Legacy GT, as the OB is now at 260,000 km, & has no hp left to speak of, but I am still worried about build quality - not powertrain so much, although I do also wodner about how many miles you can expect to get out of a turbo unit before it has to be replaced, as I drive a lot... and does turbo-ing and upping the compression on the 2.5 reduce its longevity by any significant amount?

[Gire]

^^^

Sounds like you have a shit dealer to work with. In the name of service and long-term customers, my dealer bends over backwards to help me out with my finicky car issues, like rattles. All have been fixed under warranty. No labor charges.

 

In return for the service with a smile every time, I have given them great feedback on surveys and have told them that they will be my first choice for when I am able to get my wife a used Outback.

 

If I got push back like you mention or nickle and diming, I'd find a new dealer and tell them so.

[RuhRoh]

Of course, any info that we assemble here is purely anecdotal and has no statistical significance whatsoever.

 

That said, my 05 Legacy GT Wagon Limited (25k miles, purchased new 7/05) has had very few problems. The brake rotors warped and were turned under warranty, a fuse blew rendering the accessory outlet useless, and I have had to replace the headlight bulbs more frequently than any other car I have owned.

 

I have had far fewer problems with this car than with my 2001 VW GTI GLX -- the list of things that went bad with that car in its first 24k miles was very long....

 

As for statistically significant info, Consumer Reports rates the Legacy as being above average in reliability.

[kopy_kat]

11k as of today on my 05 LGT Ltd. No major problems at all. the cd player would eat my cds. after a few days it would work again. replaced under warranty.

 

other than that nothing else.

 

i feel like going to stage 1 soon.. i've yet had to replace the light bulbs. i figure when that happens i'll disable the DRL then.

[sactojesse]

31K miles so far without any problems other than the ECU/fan relay recall. I did manage to drop one of my SportWorks bike rack arms into the sunroof glass, so I had to replace that.

[Bdubs]

I bought a new one because my 2nd Gen Legacy has been to hell and back, and can still drive 60+ miles a day. (207k). I must say, cosmetically the car has seen better days but mechanically it runs very well.

So far I've barely put 3k miles on the sedan in 4 months, but other than the damn taupe interior I love it.