IwannaSportSedan Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 This is kind of brought on by the "What if you had to choose something other than a Subaru or AWD" thread, and somewhat otherwise by my wife. We've been looking for Legacys in our area. 500 mile radius area. There are two, and they are both about that far away, or farther, in the case of the classifieds here on this forum. So my wife starts asking me about other cars. I reluctantly start throwing out some alternatives, and mostly try to point out that they arent' as good as the Legacy, either no manual trans, or front wheel drive, or both. Well, we came across an alternative that I couldn't completely dismiss. A 2005 Mazda 6s 5MT 5-door sedan. There is a specific one in Nebraska near her family's home, but they tend to be easier to find around here than Legacys, generally. Before anyone says "Legacy Wagon", know that my wife hates wagons. I tend to prefer sedans, she requires it. something about not looking like a soccer mom, or something, even though it would mostly be my ride. First off, it breaks my anti-FWD rule, and has less power, right off the bat. Immediate disadvantage. But pros are: better practicality, with a rear hatch, and folding rear seats. probably more interior space than my Ranger and her Miata put together. Bright Red and bright blue colors are more common, both with black leather interiors. V6 gets better mileage on regular fuel. And sacrifices some horsepower. (and again, drives the wrong end of the car...) 2004 and 2005 model years are slightly more available, and probably as inexpensive or less than a 2005 Legacy GT Limited, if we could find one. Wife is really trying to push for used, and as inexpensive as possible, with the prospect of having children before car is paid off, and going to a one-income household. We are about a month away from buying, but she doesn't want to wait too long after that point, so that we can have a good amount paid off by the time our family situation changes. So. I know I like the Legacy better. I know the Legacy GT is technically a much more suited car toward my tastes. I know this is a subaru forum. But what are the opinions on the board? Decent, albeit slightly lower alternative, or I should avoid it like the plague, no matter how high and low I have to look for a Legacy, or long I have to wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesA Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 My honest opinion, if you want the Mazda6, you are better off with the 6i 5-speed. Why in the world would I suggest the four-cylinder model? - The I-4 with 5-speed is fun to drive. The V-6 is weak until you rev it out, not a lot of torque down low, has unimpressive throttle response. The clutch is kind of numb, it is easy to stall it out. In many ways, the I-4 is a better driver. Like the Miata, you don't need tremendous power to have fun. - Handles better. The big V-6 hanging off the nose in the 6s messes up the handling. The 6i is a better-balanced car. The handling is really great for FWD. - Better fuel economy. Real-world fuel economy with the v-6 is sub-20s city/24-25 highway. The 4-cylinder can do better than 30 mpg highway. - Cheaper to buy. The rest of the world only gets the 4-cylinder gas or diesel. North America is the only place where Mazda sells a V-6. They did that because people here expect a V-6 to drive cars through automatic tranmissions. To summarize, I would suggest a 6i 5-speed with a good set of sticky tires mounted on lightweight 16" aluminum wheels as a fun, economical daily driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wukindada Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Get Opie's LGT it is a good price & the car is immaculate;) Toyota 6EATS .........SUCK!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShockerGT Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Get Opie's LGT it is a good price & the car is immaculate;) Exactly, that car is taken care of better than most people take care of their children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted August 13, 2006 Author Share Posted August 13, 2006 I badly want to get Opie's GT, and I would push the budget a bit to get it. I wouldn't mind OCDetail's old car, which is at a dealer in Utah, or Waterdish's 05 RBP/black GT limited. I'd take just about any Legacy GT with a manual trans at this point. The bad part is that they are 1000-1400 miles away from me. The travel or shipping would take at least $1k out of my down payment. I would pretty much have to be committed to buying before making such a trip. Probably not an issue, as I am sure those legacys are top-shelf... but the cost still exists. And the logistical issues of getting there, and getting the car back, or buying a car sight-unseen. Not to mention that they may or may not be available in a month, AND I would have to sell my truck first (who knows how long that could take), no trade ins for private sale. Also no sales tax breaks on a trade, I'd have to pay full sales tax on the private sale, not just the difference between trade and sale prices. As a matter of mods... Opie's mods are PERFECT. Every single one is exactly on target with what I would want to do anyway, plus a couple more, but that isn't a problem. I'd also take a stock car. I'd have to think twice about a poorly modified one, but that would be extremely unlikely to find, given how rare legacys are anyway, and how most people here mod their cars with taste and purpose. AWD and a 250hp motor trump the mazda. I live in Iowa, and we do get a fair amount of snow in the winter, and rain in the spring, and I am a driving enthusiast, so driving dynamics of are not lost on me. The real thing that snags me is the hatchback on the Mazda. it would be NICE to have that kind of versatility. I've owned fastback hatch coupes before, and love the space availability. This decision is mostly made in favor of the Legacy. I've been here for more than two years. I know the car well, despite not owning one. If I were to get something else, it would always be a bit of a thorn in my mind that it isn't as good as a Legacy GT. I just need a bit of a sanity check, and motivation re-focused to hold out for the Legacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wukindada Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Had mine shipped from TX.....595, It's less than you think came out to about the same price as flying out there, gas & staying a night. Opie's car is well worth the $$....If you come down we will have a meet & I'll take you for a ride in the Daewoo wagon;) Toyota 6EATS .........SUCK!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted August 14, 2006 Author Share Posted August 14, 2006 Did you like the carrier? were the shipping arrangments and terms easy to set up and were they met? I am considering having it shipped... but I haven't tried that before, and am leary about getting ripped off by the shipper, or the car being damaged in transit. I'd consider driving a car that far, and have done so in the past, but my wife is not a traveller (I am hoping a nice leather clad Legacy interior will help soften our regular 3-hour road trips... multiple days probably won't be something she wants to do...) and I am not sure I would want to be out on the road that long and far by myself, in case something happened. Then there is the case of trying to find someone who has time, and wouldn't mind the trek... of course, all this is predicated on the idea that Opie's car isn't already sold to someone else by the time I sell my truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallispec Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 we've got a mazda 6 and the LGT --- the 6 is much nicer on the highway (we use it for all of our long trips) - i've even autox'ed the 6 and it did better than i expected. no comparison on space inside the car - the mazda is huge compared to the legacy... Power is the same way - but in the legacy's favor of course. anyhow, both great cars for different reasons. If i had to choose one though, it'd definetly be the LGT - so much more fun to drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallispec Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 oh, and like MilesA pointed out -- the 4cyl 6i is pretty much better in every way than the 6s -- other than topend power, the 6i has plenty of highway passing grunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wukindada Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Contact any of the carriers suggested by Ebay..the are all insured & bonded. Carrier I chose was fine, it took 2 days I was told 3:) Only downside was the car arrived @ 12:45am....My neighbors were not amused.... If Opie's car is avail have him prep the car for shipment (Plastic wrap) you will not be dissapointed;) Toyota 6EATS .........SUCK!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Did you like the carrier? were the shipping arrangments and terms easy to set up and were they met? I am considering having it shipped... but I haven't tried that before, and am leary about getting ripped off by the shipper, or the car being damaged in transit. I'd consider driving a car that far, and have done so in the past, but my wife is not a traveller (I am hoping a nice leather clad Legacy interior will help soften our regular 3-hour road trips... multiple days probably won't be something she wants to do...) and I am not sure I would want to be out on the road that long and far by myself, in case something happened. Then there is the case of trying to find someone who has time, and wouldn't mind the trek... of course, all this is predicated on the idea that Opie's car isn't already sold to someone else by the time I sell my truck. i'll sell mine. i'm in Il. west of chicago. was $29964 new in nov. 05, $5000+ in extras. never raced, never wrecked. adult driven. 6000mi. Kelly Blue Book says it's worth $25000 asking $28000, want 07 spec B. pm if interrested. bosco Stay Stock Stay Happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted August 15, 2006 Author Share Posted August 15, 2006 I'll keep it in mind. it sounds like a nice car. unfortunately, for a used car, it is about 6-8k higher than I was looking at for a legacy... I did get your PM, and it is an impressive list of power mods. Opie's is suspension/brake/running gear modded, not really power modded, and 6k less, but an 05 ABP/black leather, and farther away... give some, take some. Certainly on the list, and one of the closest locations so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 I'll keep it in mind. it sounds like a nice car. unfortunately, for a used car, it is about 6-8k higher than I was looking at for a legacy... I did get your PM, and it is an impressive list of power mods. Opie's is suspension/brake/running gear modded, not really power modded, and 6k less, but an 05 ABP/black leather, and farther away... give some, take some. Certainly on the list, and one of the closest locations so far. cusco f/r sway bars to be installed next week (already have them), brakes are next month. good luck in your search. bosco Stay Stock Stay Happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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