It's almost time to buy!

[TurboMike04]

Well I am about to make my decision on which vehicle to purchase,I will be buying something by mid January.But I continue to remain leary of purchasing a first year redesign of a vehicle.Although I realize that it won Japanese car of the year honors and has been out longer there.I try to check out the forum's as much as time permit's and I am disturbed by the amount of problem's people seem to be experiencing with there new Legacy's.Battery Issue's,Idling Problem's,Numerous Rattle's,Catalyst Odor's,Studdering Problem's,Alignment Problem's,Cruise Control Problem's,Windshield and Glass Problem's,ACC Issue's.I am not to keen on spending 30K on a vehicle and basically dealing with alot of problem's where it will be at the dealer more than I will enjoy driving it.And yes I have test driven an 05 Legacy GT Limited Sedan with the 5Eat. I was impressed with the power delivery,AWD is a big safety and Handling advantage,Styling is attractive,Stereo So-So,Not a big fan of Automatic Climate Control System's,Interior Fit and Finish of Vehicle was good.Overall it apperaed to be a Nicely Rounded Vehicle but a 20 minute test drive is alot different then owning it for the next 5-7 year's or more.Also a little more insight to other vehicles I am looking at which I have covered before.They are,

05 M-B C230K 5-Speed Auto

05 Acura TSX 5-Speed Auto

05 Infinit G35 Sedan 5-Speed Auto

05 Mazda 6S 6-Speed Auto and of course the 05 Legacy 2.5GT Limited with 5EAT.Sorry about the long post but this will be a big decision for me and I do not take spending 30+K lightly.Also let me say for the money and bang for the buck I am leaning toward's the Legacy but am skeptical of the reliability and the ease of getting issues solved.I appreciate everyone's insight on this question-observation.Also if any of the dealers on the board want to chime in that also would be interesting to hear.

TurboMike04

[rao]

You've got to be kidding with the C-class, right?

 

The Subaru is a great car. I'm sure if you could find a McLaren F1 board people would be whining about how that car sucks too

 

To date, there has been no problem with the Legacy that has been documented as (i) an actual problem and (ii) that affects a meaningful number of cars. Drive them all and pick the one you like best.

 

From my perspective the Mercedes is a POS; the Acura is nice but small and slow (especially with an auto); the Infinity is a great choice and the Mazda is cheap compared to the others. Of course I would pick the Legacy - I already did.

[forestir]

05 M-B C230K 5-Speed Auto

05 Acura TSX 5-Speed Auto

05 Infinit G35 Sedan 5-Speed Auto

05 Mazda 6S 6-Speed Auto and of course the 05 Legacy 2.5GT Limited with 5EAT.

TurboMike04

I'm trying to make the same decisions, but have added some hard criteria to help eliminate some of the choices. For me, must have manual transmission, and not be FWD. Cargo flexibility is a plus, so wagons or at least fold-down rear seat is a plus.

 

Of your list, the Infiniti impressed me most. It would be the top pick against the Legacy GT. But the Legacy's better pricing (though not that much better), and its cargo flexibility (wagon!), make it a better pick for me. The Infiniti is very fun to drive.

 

The Mazda can be had for a lot less than the others, but my experience has been that Mazda makes terrible automatic transmissions (lots of "flare" when shifting).

 

If you don't mind FWD, the Acura TL and TSX are well finished and very refined and would compete well against the Infiniti.

 

Good luck on your choice. I'm choosing the Legacy GT.

[wunderkind]

the problems u read are nit-picks and are far in-between. Subaru makes very reliable cars. So far there's only been one limited recall for early production Legacys. That's something to do with the side airbags and it only affected a very small amount of cars. Check the Infinity TSB and recall! it reads like a bible geneology!