Legacy GT to Mustang

[RangerMan]

Sorry I don't get to the board as often these days. I own my own business and I work 12-14 hours 7 days a week.

 

It all depends on what your priority is. If you want faster, you can be much quicker in a Mustang for only $24k. A Hyundai Azera is just as quick (maybe even quicker up top),has twice the room, and feels twice as solidly built. A GTO is a pretty nice package too. Even a 3.5 liter Altima offers nav, leather, and all the other goodies along with plenty of power.

 

If you start considering 1-2 yo used cars, it gets more interesting. Corvettes start to be enticing.

 

And don't get started on the "but those cars aren't AWD" or "I gotta have a stick shift." If you do, there are still other choices out there. Even the Ford 500 offers 268hp and AWD. I'm sorry but a stock LGT is just "blah." Not bad, but not barn-burning either. For some people it's the fastest, sportiest car they've ever owned and what I'm saying souinds crazy.

 

I stand by what I said originally. The LGT is a good platform if you want to mod. If you want to stay stock, you may find a better alternative in another car.

 

QFT

[john_knoxville]

Sorry I don't get to the board as often these days. I own my own business and I work 12-14 hours 7 days a week.

 

It all depends on what your priority is. If you want faster, you can be much quicker in a Mustang for only $24k. A Hyundai Azera is just as quick (maybe even quicker up top),has twice the room, and feels twice as solidly built. A GTO is a pretty nice package too. Even a 3.5 liter Altima offers nav, leather, and all the other goodies along with plenty of power.

 

If you start considering 1-2 yo used cars, it gets more interesting. Corvettes start to be enticing.

 

And don't get started on the "but those cars aren't AWD" or "I gotta have a stick shift." If you do, there are still other choices out there. Even the Ford 500 offers 268hp and AWD. I'm sorry but a stock LGT is just "blah." Not bad, but not barn-burning either. For some people it's the fastest, sportiest car they've ever owned and what I'm saying souinds crazy.

 

I stand by what I said originally. The LGT is a good platform if you want to mod. If you want to stay stock, you may find a better alternative in another car.

although i have not driven a gto (which is not currently in production, btw), i have driven a mustang and i imagine the driving experience is similar. i have also test driven a tl, which i imagine is sportier than an altima, and much more so than an azera. and a ford 500, well, i won't even go there. i can tell you that a stock lgt is WAY more fun to drive than all of those. i can also tell you that it is much more pleasurable to ride in on a daily basis than a rock hard corvette suspension.

 

curious, where did you test drive a modded lgt before you bought one, cause i'm certain if you test drove a stock lgt, you would have said "blah" and went to purchase a ford 500 instead . sorry, john, but i think you've been working too hard lately. time for a road trip to get reconnected to your subie

[John M]

I didn't say I didn't prefer the LGT. After all, I bought one, and I still have it 2.5 years later.

 

I just said depending on your priorities, the LGT may not be the ideal car for some people. We know people buy cars for different reasons -- otherwise, how would the Accord sell in such numbers? Some people may want to sacrifice some nimbleness for more room, or give up AWD for a stronger top end pull. Some - just not me.

 

I never even rode in any modded Subaru before buying my LGT. I knew that the 2.5 liter had proven potential. I liked the car's combination of comfort and go-fast possiblity. I've had more than half a dozen turbo AWD cars so I knew that was my preference.

 

If a buyer's goal is performance, as soon as they ride in a Stage 2 car they'll order the parts. A 99-100 mph car is ho-hum average these days; a 105 mph car is a new ballgame. A stock LGT may be exciting if you came from a SUV or a Civic; it was the slowest car I'd owned in a decade! Ok, so my 01 Grand Marquis was the slowest, but even it had an intake, Superchips programmer, and could beat a WRX from a roll -- it got really ugly after 70.

[john_knoxville]

this is actually what you said:

There are better cars out there for the same price.

you didn't say "Based on your priorities", you just said "better".

 

here were my priorities:

 

1a. Fun to drive

1b. Reliable

2. Fast

3. Interior comfort & style

4. Safe

 

i did not limit my vehicle search to subarus, nor to turbo awd vehicles. yet, for the money, i could not find any vehicles that top the lgt with the above overall priorities in mind. if you're saying there are better cars out there, i am still anxious to hear.

 

btw, i'd be interested to learn the half dozen or more turbo awd cars you have owned (more so than the grand marquis)

[John M]

"Fun to drive" is so subjective. Drive my 92 GMC 4x4 for a week and anything will be "fun" when you first drive it. For some people the V6 Altima would be plenty fast and fun. The SE-R is a nice package, FWD or not. For other buyers, even the Azera's suspension is "too firm" and the steering "too quick." Both these cars run mid 14s - or what an average LGT driver will net, especially an automatic version. Even a Toyota Rav4 has similar acceleration.

 

Anyway, I've owned a 92 Eclipse GS n/a (bought new), two 92 Eclipse GSXs, a Talon AWD, an 89 Mirage turbo, a 91 Galant VR4 (#746), a 91 Stealth TT, and a 94 Stealth TT. Yeah, the Mirage wasn't AWD but it's still a lot of fun. I actually owned the GVR4 and the Mirage at the same time -- the two rarest Mitsus ever offered.

 

The Mirage lost the valvetrain after the t-belt broke and I couldn't afford to get it fixed. Last I heard it was in the St. Louis area with a 2.0 conversion and 120+ mph traps. Six months later the tranny in the GVR4 screwed up and again I couldn't afford the fix so it was sold. It was in the Beaufort, SC, area as of about 2002.

 

Link >> My cars - has some of 'em but not all.

 

The DSMs weren't anything spectacular. My finances weren't what they are today so they all ran in the 13s with a few bolt-ons. The 91 Stealth was my first 12-sec car (12.90s on a MBC and downpipe) and the 94 was my quickest. Even then it didn't have anything other than bolt-ons.

[08specB]

zmarko- Out the door was $33900, and sticker was ~$35 something. It had a couple of "extras" on it. If anyone is in the Socal (Orange Co.) area, you can't beat Irvine Subaru!