Is Legacy Wagon History?

[Prod]

Wagons seem ghetto anyway. Alls well that ends well.

 

Wow. I've heard some pretty ignorant statements in my life, and yours is WAY up there.

[Garandman]

Wagons seem ghetto anyway. Alls well that ends well.

 

You live in Dunstable! WTF you know about ghettos? In Dunstable you probably don't see many Subaru wagons because they need Suburbans to tow their horse trailers!

[atouk]

Maybe they are waiting to bring back the MT wagon paired with a turbo diesel motor.

 

Wishful thinking.......

[Tommyh]

Maybe they are waiting to bring back the MT wagon paired with a turbo diesel motor.

 

Wishful thinking.......

 

I think I would be the first one in line for it...even trading in my '05 "TR" edition LGT wagon for it.

[skibum]

But they are produced in the same plant in Indiana! That would seem to imply they can't get any cost savings by eliminating a variation on the production line. If you have to produce it, why not sell it in the US as well?

 

Let the customer special-order a car that is not in stock! If I want a manual wagon, and Subaru makes that car in Indiana for sale in Canada, why not sell it to me if I'm willing to wait a few weeks for it?

 

Subaru keeps shooting themselves in the foot. Confused styling that changes every direction every year, restricting customer choice, bundling options that don't belong together. I don't understand their logic at all.

 

Exactly. I think TM is starting to meddle with Fuji's product line.

[Guest *Jedimaster*]

Wagons seem ghetto anyway. Alls well that ends well.

 

GTFO and troll somewhere else. Or better yet, let's berate each other and have some fun.

[coxx]

Wagons seem ghetto anyway. Alls well that ends well.

 

 

WTF??? Yeah, my wagon is mad ghetto yo! That's why I ditched the sedan for the wagon. So I could represent my hood

[The B4]

 

WTF??? Yeah, my wagon is mad ghetto yo! That's why I ditched the sedan for the wagon. So I could represent my hood

 

You know... he's right

[Guest *Jedimaster*]

You know... he's right

 

Go get some buttsecz

[The B4]

Go get some buttsecz

you have me confused with Mike

[aussiebrydon]

Dear Mr. ******:

 

Thank you for visiting the Subaru web site and for your message! There were several reason for the discontinuation of the Legacy GT Wagon w/ manual transmission, the most important being the insufficient sales numbers of the manual GT wagon models. At best, the 2005 Legacy GT Wagons sold at a rate of about 30 units, per month. While this was a difficult decision, since the Legacy GT is a performance car, we cannot disregard the demand, or lack thereof. We do not anticipate a manual GT wagon being offered again in the near future, nor an STI wagon.

 

If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to reply to this

email!

 

Best wishes,

***** *****

Subaru of America, Inc.

Customer/Dealer Services Department

-----------------------------------------------------------

YOUR ORIGINAL MAIL:

 

I purchased a 2005 Legacy GT LTD 5MT Wagon because the '06 didn't come

 

in stick. Manual Transmission, Navigation and power/handling are all

very important to me. Please please PLEASE bring back the manual

transmission on the Legacy GT LTD Wagons. Oh and the Legacy GT Wagon

tuned by STI in Japan?

 

You bring that here, and I'll buy it the same day!

[nedskin]

I guess we are lucky here in Japan. The legacy wagon is by far the most popular selling model I would guess maybe even outselling the Impreza WRX or STI. In general station wagons are popular here. There are a lot of A4 avants, V70 wagons, etc. I do not see that Subaru in Japan would be dropping the Legacy wagon anytime soon. If so they would be killing off their business. The release of the STI wagon limited to 600 units, certainly puts sales in Japan way higher than the GT with MT in the States. Pretty sure the STI legacy wagon will be a good seller here.

[MtnSub]

Regardless of the message, I think it was good SOA responded.

 

The message gave the bad news, without even a hint of hope or reason for Sportwagon fans to stay with Subaru. No indication of model line strategy change, no hint of a of something exciting for sportwagon fans comming from Outback, just NO, NO, NO.

 

Note to Subaru sportwagon lovers: Don't let the door hit you in the back of the head, as you exit the building.

[Tommyh]

Note to Subaru sportwagon lovers: Don't let the door hit you in the back of the head, as you exit the building.

 

No shit! Subaru of America has suddenly decided that it hates the fact that it has been known for wagons...you know, if SOA would have actually ADVERTISED THE FACT THAT THEY HAD A SPORTWAGON PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THEM.

 

Thanks Subaru! and thats a big F.U. back to you.

[Tommyh]

So since Subaru does not want me as a returning customer, who will be getting my buisness in '09? Volvo? BMW? M-B? Mazda? Audi? Dodge? Jaguar? SAAB? VW? Ford? Toyota? Who else is jumping into the Sportwagon game since SOA has decided that no other company makes a stationwagon, much less a Sportwagon, and that no-body-would-buy-them?

 

F.U. Subaru

[The B4]

The Wagons Subaru is none for are the Outbacks. That is their bread and butter, and they've shown no signs of abandoning Outbacks. I recommend everyone who is upset about the wagons going away... email or call Subaru. If they are going to be made for Canada (speculation)... they atleast need to allow special orders of legacy wagons. Someone should propose that idea.

 

I... on the other hand... will send SOA a letter congratulating them on finally getting rid of those ghetto Legacy wagons.

[Speedracerx]

Dear Mr. ******:

 

Thank you for visiting the Subaru web site and for your message! There were several reason for the discontinuation of the Legacy GT Wagon w/ manual transmission, the most important being the insufficient sales numbers of the manual GT wagon models. At best, the 2005 Legacy GT Wagons sold at a rate of about 30 units, per month. While this was a difficult decision, since the Legacy GT is a performance car, we cannot disregard the demand, or lack thereof. We do not anticipate a manual GT wagon being offered again in the near future, nor an STI wagon.

 

If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to reply to this

email!

 

Best wishes,

***** *****

Subaru of America, Inc.

Customer/Dealer Services Department

 

 

Being an Ex-Product Planner, let me add my 2 cents worth. Besides the above, you have to factor in the model proliferation. It is an inverted pyramid...start with the car at the base, then add the bodystyles, then add the transmissions, then add the option combos (that's why we try to group options together and not offer them individually), and finally add the colors of the interior and exterior. All told, there are hundreds (or more) of different combinations that could be ordered.

If the sales numbers are low, a dealer may never see a Red 5mt sedan with option group b on his allocation during the course of a model year.

 

The cost and time to certify different transmissions/bodystyles in the various inertia weight classes for EPA and crash, needs to be factored in too. Also add the cost of stocking replacement parts in the various colors, creating collateral materials showing all the colors/variations for showrooms/brochures, etc., and you can easily see a good business case for SoA to drop slow moving products.

 

An STi/MT wagon might be neat for us enthusiasts and for a halo effect, but not too good for the corporate bottom line if overall volume doesn't go up. You have to stay in business to be able to offer the products.

 

I should talk, in my other life, I was the push behind the Galant VR-4, 3000GT VR-4 and 3000GT Spyder, and the Eclipse GS-T and GSX, so I know all about low volume halo cars:icon_mrgr .

[ATB]

Very simple for me. No Legacy wagon (with manual), no more customer of Subaru. Audi/Volvo here we come!

[aussiebrydon]

I guess we are lucky here in Japan. The legacy wagon is by far the most popular selling model I would guess maybe even outselling the Impreza WRX or STI. Pretty sure the STI legacy wagon will be a good seller here.

 

I hate you, you lucky bastard, you live in a country where that delicious STI Wagon is arriving . . . WHY US LORD!! WHY MUST WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY OF MORONS WHO DON'T APPRECIATE THE GLORY OF THE SPORT WAGON!!! <SOB>

 

<sigh> OK I suppose that's a little melodramatic but don't you think it sucks that more people in the US don't appreciate the subtle mix of sport and utility without the awful pork of an SUV that the multi-talented Legacy Wagon has to offer? Explorer? Trailblazer? Sport Utility Vehicles? More like Fat Ugly Excuse for GM and Ford to Sell Crap. I guess FUEGFSC just doesn't make any sense lol

[Guest]

Dear Mr. ******:

 

Thank you for visiting the Subaru web site and for your message! There were several reason for the discontinuation of the Legacy GT Wagon w/ manual transmission, the most important being the insufficient sales numbers of the manual GT wagon models. At best, the 2005 Legacy GT Wagons sold at a rate of about 30 units, per month. While this was a difficult decision, since the Legacy GT is a performance car, we cannot disregard the demand, or lack thereof. We do not anticipate a manual GT wagon being offered again in the near future, nor an STI wagon.

 

If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to reply to this

email!

 

Best wishes,

***** *****

Subaru of America, Inc.

Customer/Dealer Services Department

 

That's quite a change. Before when me and others on this board e-mailed Subaru they were giving a canned response that at least would not kill hopes for future manual LGT wagon. In fact once on the phone, a Subaru drone would even hint that manuals wagons may come in 2008. Apparently, the Outback morons at SOA won.

 

Btw, could you post the name of the Subaru representative who responded? I wonder if this is the same guy whose responses are often quoted here (don't remember his name, but a search would reveal it).

 

How stupid. If they really advertised it, the LGT wagon in manual would certainly sell.

 

People in Mid Atlantic/North East area:

 

Would you go for a LGT wagon support rally? We could drive to Cherry Hill, NJ (Subaru HQ) and honk shit out of them with our LGT wagons!!! I would even take day off for the purpose of heling saving the American car market....

 

 

[Guest]

I also wonder what were the other reasons - he mentions several.

[BOY]

Very simple for me. No Legacy wagon (with manual), no more customer of Subaru. Audi/Volvo here we come!

 

more money for an inferior product... good luck with your decision.

 

The OB is a wagon, the Impreza has a wagon, the Forester (as it sits) is essentially a wagon... why is the decision to can the product that doesn't sell such a stretch for you guys?

[Guest]

more money for an inferior product... good luck with your decision.

 

The OB is a wagon, the Impreza has a wagon, the Forester (as it sits) is essentially a wagon... why is the decision to can the product that doesn't sell such a stretch for you guys?

 

This must be the line of thinking characteristic of a dimwit Subaru marketing/product planing person. Are you really that stupid that because I like LGT wagon manual, I would buy another Subaru product?

 

You're wrong. I am not buying Forester, Impreza wagon or Outback. Well, if I am desperate and manual Outback XT is still around and suspension conversion is viable, I could consider it, but it's highly unlikely.

 

Besides LGT wagon (manual) DID SELL. I and many other board members bought it.

 

You work at a dealership, right? I wonder how many LGT manual wagons did you stock? Or how many auto wagons do you stock right now? Did you advertise them at all? Did you try to offer it to an Outback buyer so he perhaps buys Legacy wagon instead?

 

No wonder that product that is not stocked and is hard/impossible to special order does not sell. If I was in charge of a car manufacturer and wanted to prove that my cars in white color do not sell, I can easily prove it buy not making any of them.

 

Bottom line is, everybody knows that sports wagon segment has been and is a niche in the US (now it has potential due to the upcoming SUV demise). How anyone can wonder that a totally new product in this segment (that is LGT wagon) does not sell without any advertising?

 

Why don't SOA advertise it and compare against "inferior" VW/Audi products then? Virtually ALL of my friends/coworkers did not realize that something like 250hp turbo AWD wagon manual exist until they saw mine!!!

[MilesA]

...why is the decision to can the product that doesn't sell such a stretch for you guys?

Because Subaru didn't really try to sell it.

 

I talked to my dealership salesperson about this topic. He said their traditional Subaru customer wanted the non-turbocharged, less expensive models "because the customers are cheap". They wanted a durable car with a low purchase price and low maintenance cost.

 

What that means is Subaru has to go after a different customer with this particular car. Unfortunately, they don't know how to do that. The people that bought the LGT 5-speed wagons are people who deliberately sought the cars out.

 

These cars are a minority taste, a niche. Audi can sell to that niche. BMW can sell to that niche. Volvo can sell to that niche. Somehow, Subaru can't figure out how to do it and make money at it.

[MilesA]

Oh, one other thing.

 

Subaru did get me interested in these cars by doing a Ride-&-Drive promotion. This was a good and effective promotion, oriented at enthusiasts. They held events all around the country where prospective buyers could test drive the Legacy GT, BMW 325 and Volvo V70. They even had a mixture of wagons and sedans. But, every car had an automatic transmission.

 

Even then, Subaru was showing its bias, the pre-determined notion that manual transmission cars would not sell well in the USA.

 

I liked the car, but wanted a manual transmission. Fortunately, Subaru made a few cars like that. I had to go out of state to find one! How many buyers are going to do that? Most people would not have considered it. I just happen to be slightly crazy.