scotabroad Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Well in 10 days I reluctantly move back to the UK & I will have sold my 05 Legacy GT Wagon. It will be a sad day to see it go. It was my first Subaru and I want another, but back in the UK I do not see the equivalent. I cannot afford to buy brand new after taking the depreciation hit here, does anyone out there know what would be the UK alternative? I would have the same car again but the '05's do not seem to be turbo, they seem to come with the "sport" moniker but no turbo?? Also dare I breath the question is there another manufacturer that produces a sports wagon which comes close in performance & is as affordable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 No such thing as affordable Subaru in Europe... You best bet might a previous generation Legacy which was available turboed in Europe. I know, that's not the same. Frankly in Europe I'd be looking at a VW 4motion wagon with manual transmission or Audi A4 quattro wagon. I am really curious why didn't you import your Subie to Europe, gas cost aside. Shipping car to Europe usually costs between $1000-$1500. It probably depends on country, but e.g. in Poland if you relocate you can bring a car tax and duty free. And there are no issues with importing US-specific parts - many cars are imported from the U.S so there is good supply. Bah, I forgot that you drive in the UK on the wrong side.... OTOH, my friend who moved from Poland to the UK bought a new LHD car anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 3.0 R spec.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 You are right, Subaru UK do not offer a turbocharged Legacy, more is the pity. But, on the positive side, you will be able to buy a Japanese import, either used or brand new, and get the 2.0 litre with twin scroll turbo, 280 hp and of course, the steering wheel on the correct side of the car. Like this one on Autotrader : Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenc544 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Bah, I forgot that you drive in the UK on the wrong side.... OTOH, my friend who moved from Poland to the UK bought a new LHD car anyway... Just like in US there is no legal reason why you can't drive on the "wrong" side of the car over there. But I believe the insurance is a lot more expensive if you have a LHD car in UK. I would say the MazdaSpeed 6 or MPS over there but since you don't plan to buy a new car or a sedan I guess that's out of the question. How about an used Audi A4 avant quattro? I think they have a range of engine selections over there, including the 2.0T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandman Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Got to the 22:15 mark of [ame=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4486568282229035994&q=fifth+gear]Fifth Gear season8 episode9 12/5/2005[/ame] for a review of the Legacy 3.0R Spec B Sports Tourer versus a Volvo turbo. Who Dares Wins スバル Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotabroad Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 This is great stuff guys I don't feel so depressed moving back now. The 3.0R spec B fares very well on the 5th gear review, I will do some searches and see if there are many low milage ones around. The Jap import one looks seriously good as well, imports can sometimes be iffy for servicing and insurance in the UK but certainly worth investigation. I have considered the Audis having owned a couple of Audis before I moved to the US, this is a possibility but I have been very impressed with the AWD under power compared to front wheel drive. To reply to "Unclemat" you raise a good point and myself and a colleague did a lot of research into importing our cars back to the UK when we heard we had to move back. If it was only the shipping cost it would be a no-brainer and you are spot on with the cost. However there is costs of export in US then costs of import in the UK, you then need to convince the UK excise man that you do not need to pay import duty, then you need to transport it to a location to get it converted for the UK, which is mainly lights and electrical. It then needs a special exhastive test to confirm it is UK legal which costs. Then you register it there and you have a LHD car in a RHD country so it is worth about 1/3rd less than the UK cars of similar model. The total cost comes closer to $5K, oh and you dont get the use of your car for 3 months while all this goes on. I talked to two or three UK specialist importers, they had imported from the USA for customers. This was their business and they recommended (in the strongest terms) that I did not bother. They had done a few USA specialist cars like the Corvette and they said they would not do it again! So its for sale. I am looking forward to the UK country roads & their smooth tarmac surface though..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 As a last resort, you could always go for a WRX, just as much fun, just not as spacious. If you are moving back to Scotland, then I seriously envy you driving on the mountain roads up there. I used to go out every weekend onto Dartmoor in my Miata, just for the hell of it Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenc544 Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 but I have been very impressed with the AWD under power compared to front wheel drive. Not quite clear about what you were trying to say in that sentence... Are you saying that you like AWD because it puts down power better than FWD or that you feel the Audi AWD is under-powred when compared against the FWD model? Anyway, the "quattro" of course means that it's AWD version of the A4 Avant (read station wagon). By all accounts the 2.0T is a pretty good little engine. It puts out 200 hp and 204 ft-lb in the US spec car. There are simple ECU mods that bring that number up to around 240 hp. But it's heavier than the LGT so it will probably feel under power to you. Then again you can always go for the S4... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotabroad Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 Apologies I was forgetting about the Quattro, & if you are saying chipped it gets 240hp then that is a serious contender. The other advantage I would think is cost, I checked out the Spec B 3.0R subarus and they seem to be just under 20K GBP, the 2.0T Quattros (older) are coming in at a good bit less than that. PS one of the guys I am going to be working with just bought a new RS4 at 55K! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotabroad Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 PPS the spec B 3.0R's I was looking at were about 1 year old & selling at just under the 20K GBP from dealers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenc544 Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Apologies I was forgetting about the Quattro, & if you are saying chipped it gets 240hp then that is a serious contender. The other advantage I would think is cost, I checked out the Spec B 3.0R subarus and they seem to be just under 20K GBP, the 2.0T Quattros (older) are coming in at a good bit less than that. PS one of the guys I am going to be working with just bought a new RS4 at 55K! Check out this forum for info on Audi mods, http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeromain?id=61. And RS4 kicks serious a$$, but seriously expensive too. They do make the S4 Avant Quattro with a V8 that makes 340 hp. It's not as powerful as RS4's 420 hp V8 but either one of those will kill you in terms of gas money in UK. Eithery way the A4/S4 has been around for few years now so you should be able to find a decent priced used one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 you could always go for a WRX I'd probably second that motion, just based on size. A Legacy is going to feel HUGE over there, given the roads and other cars - you'll probably want something a little smaller and more nimble for ease of driving and parking. I don't think you really need a lot of power over there, either, with all the very curvy roads: I had an absolute blast driving an old 90hp Puegot 306 during the six months I was there in '98. And that 3-door hatch was still a little bigger than I'd have preferred. Think Elise... nimble FTW. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. In other words: SEARCH before you post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotabroad Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 Done some research, my thoughts are wait a couple of years for the spec B 3.0R's to come down in price - they are about 20K pounds, i.e. close to $38K for a one year old! There are plenty 130BHP turbo deisel Audi or VW wagons which would do nicely for the family wagon & they get 40+mpg, then the second car can be a cheaper "hot hatch", I had the 170bhp SVT focus here in the USA and it was a blast so this or similar would make a good second (or first) car. The plus will be going back to the UK and getting cheaper car insurance with my full UK no claims bonus. Here in the states I was paying $2K for six months! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewIles Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I live in the UK and drive a 3.0R Spec B sedan. The wagon (called Sports Tourer here) does cost a little more than the sedan second hand but you would easliy pick up a 2004 model for less than £20k. I have seen them for £15k at my local dealer. Believe me the Legacy is not too big for UK roads and it won't be any problem parking etc. If you log on to the UK Subaru site (www.subaru.co.uk) they have details of approved used cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotabroad Posted August 22, 2006 Author Share Posted August 22, 2006 Thanks for the advice I will doing some homework on this now & be buying something end of Sept. Cheers.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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