downside to legacy GT spec B?

[Jacks GT]

I want Vimy back!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lucas569]

dear God NO!!!!

[Guest heightsgtltd]

I heard he's back

[edkwon]

Vimy = definition of a human cancer

[Jacks GT]

[CTATV]

he is back on here...

[Jacks GT]

I've missed him

[Track]

When you're spending $30k ~ $35k on a brand new mid-size sedan, auto-crossing it is probably way down on your list of priorities. Or, at least, it *should* be.

 

Whoa whoa whoa! So you're saying that all those 3-series 4 doors that show up at my local auto-x are prioritizing wrong? Just teasing man. I know they're roughly 8-10k more expensive than our cars, but seriously, there are a lot of folks who drive their BMW sedans hard and I think that's great. Why shouldn't we want to do the same? I feel safe in stating that we do want our cars to do almost everything.

 

I want my DD to be (in no particular order):

1) A comfortable car that can hold my wife and baby around the town & on family driving vacations. A nice interior, seats & sunroof for "date night" with wife are a big plus.

2) A knife-edged corner-carver when I want to pretend I'm a race car driver.

3) An occasional track freak that takes a ruthless, open throttle beating for a day and handles it well, even if not topping the time sheets.

4) A pseudo "truck" that can haul my surfboard/mountain bike to & from the beach/trailhead.

 

Now by all accounts, with some decent suspension and StgII power, a LGT can be all of those things. It's perfectly ok to demand a lot from our car.

If we didn't, we'd be buying a separate vehicle for each task, and that is just wasteful.

[Miracle Worker]

I've been a spec.B owner for a month now and coming from the Impreza crowd where the 2.5 RS was the fastest subaru in the U.S. I am suprised how many Legacy owners sound like pissed off little teenagers.

 

I wasn't around when the '06 B came on the legacy scene but i'm sure alot of GT owners were pissed that they made a special edition GT with goodies and only built 500 of them. Oh the ridicule you must of felt.

 

So now it seems like the spec.B is a bad word, put in the same category as, dare I say it, BMW owners. I'm sure the mass production numbers and overall performance the Legacy and even the Impreza now has diluted most of the camaraderie. The casual waves I use to get as you pass another subaru have turned into, "do I know that guy" looks :icon_conf". But, who cares, a subaru is basically still a subaru regardless how the community has changed.

 

THE DOWNSIDE OF GETTING A SPEC B?

You won't freeze or burn your ass off with the Alcantara seats, the nav system is good and has extras but you may have it off most of the time. The 6 speed is nice but at times you may want longer gears to reduce all the shifting (damn hills). The suspension is a good compromise between performance and comfort, (lets be serious better suspension is out there but unless you want racing suspension and live around smooth roads aftermarket suspension is more of a headache).

 

The overall drive in a spec.B is better because the B is all about giving the driver a better ride. Of course this comes with the almost $6000 msrp increase over the GT. Focus on the MSRP part, nobody pays msrp and if you can get a spec.B for a price you feel is worth the add-ons then go for it.

[Jacks GT]

I love the way Spec owners think that they have a dream machine and that all are inferior to them. Yup your totally right, i was so jealose when the spec b came about , since 07 they have made far more than 500 but they will never build the LGT 5 speed MT Wagon again! << i have never seen another one of these on the road<<. The most ironic thing is that the spec is like the racing or sports version of the LGT and yet it is heavier and has larger diameter wheels (which has been failed to mention in this whole thread i might add), (larger diameter wheels slow initial accelertion), suspension upgrades that hardly make any difference and can be made far better with very little money. If i wanted a sports car, i would have bought a sports car. It's about time you Spec B owners got off your high horse and came back to the real world. If you can find a Spec C then i will be inferior to you:rolleyes:

[Garandman]

//

So let's look at a few figures that I pulled up:

2009 Legacy GT - curb weight 3428 lbs (manual trans)

2009 Legacy GT Spec B curb weight 3543 lbs

Wheelbase - 105.1 inches

Length - 185 inches (!!!)

Track F/R - 58.9 inches/58.5 inches

Height - 56.1 inches

Width - 68.1 inches

 

2006 STI - curb weight 3351 lbs

Wheelbase - 100 inches

Length - 175.8 inches

Track F/R - 58.7 inches/58.9 inches

Height - 56.3 inches

Width - 68.5 inches

//

Here are the 09 STi #'s from the brochure.

 

2009 STi - curb weight 3395 lbs

Wheelbase - 103.3 inches

Length - 173.8 inches

Track F/R - 60.2 inches/60.6 inches

Height - 58.1 inches

Width - 70.7 inches

You left out the 305hp....

 

The 09 WRX is 3,174 lbs, track 58.9/59.3, width 68.5. WRX Premium is 3,229.

 

Personally I think it's hilarious that when people here compare the stock H6 to the 2.5T, the lighter weight and 26 additional ft lbs of torque of the 2.5T are a performance mountain.

 

But when it is then compared to the lighter, more powerful WRX or STi, the difference is a performance molehill...And that's before the STi 330S has been released here.

[Mr. Sinister]

I love the way Spec owners think that they have a dream machine and that all are inferior to them. Yup your totally right, i was so jealose when the spec b came about , since 07 they have made far more than 500 but they will never build the LGT 5 speed MT Wagon again! << i have never seen another one of these on the road<<. The most ironic thing is that the spec is like the racing or sports version of the LGT and yet it is heavier and has larger diameter wheels (which has been failed to mention in this whole thread i might add), (larger diameter wheels slow initial accelertion), suspension upgrades that hardly make any difference and can be made far better with very little money. If i wanted a sports car, i would have bought a sports car. It's about time you Spec B owners got off your high horse and came back to the real world. If you can find a Spec C then i will be inferior to you:rolleyes:

 

Coming from the Supra world where the MKIII is the red-headed stepchild, I've learned to ignore the losers who think they're high and mighty because of the car they own. Personally, I think most of the Spec. B bashing/praise here is done all in fun.

 

I've been a spec.B owner for a month now and coming from the Impreza crowd where the 2.5 RS was the fastest subaru in the U.S. I am suprised how many Legacy owners sound like pissed off little teenagers.

 

I wasn't around when the '06 B came on the legacy scene but i'm sure alot of GT owners were pissed that they made a special edition GT with goodies and only built 500 of them. Oh the ridicule you must of felt.

 

So now it seems like the spec.B is a bad word, put in the same category as, dare I say it, BMW owners. I'm sure the mass production numbers and overall performance the Legacy and even the Impreza now has diluted most of the camaraderie. The casual waves I use to get as you pass another subaru have turned into, "do I know that guy" looks :icon_conf". But, who cares, a subaru is basically still a subaru regardless how the community has changed.

 

THE DOWNSIDE OF GETTING A SPEC B?

You won't freeze or burn your ass off with the Alcantara seats, the nav system is good and has extras but you may have it off most of the time. The 6 speed is nice but at times you may want longer gears to reduce all the shifting (damn hills). The suspension is a good compromise between performance and comfort, (lets be serious better suspension is out there but unless you want racing suspension and live around smooth roads aftermarket suspension is more of a headache).

 

The overall drive in a spec.B is better because the B is all about giving the driver a better ride. Of course this comes with the almost $6000 msrp increase over the GT. Focus on the MSRP part, nobody pays msrp and if you can get a spec.B for a price you feel is worth the add-ons then go for it.

 

Chuck Norris would approve of this post.

[CTATV]

you might loose your job cause your too busy sleeping with models, thats the downside of the spec.B

[Mr. Sinister]

you might loose your job cause your too busy sleeping with models, thats the downside of the spec.B

 

What do you mean? That *is* my job!

[Spec B]

Nm

[jtothe Spec B]

Nobody has mentioned the all aluminum control arms that further set the spec b apart from the GT. True that you can buy better shocks but when you consider the whole system was desinged to reduce unsprung weight and is tuned rather well right out of the box I think it's a winner. For about $1200 you can buy the control arms and another $1500 will get you some bilsteins. Now drop in the 6 speed for another $1500 and buy a garmin and you're rolling off the production lines with the spec b.

 

I'm hoping one day to have some fun in the twisties with a GT to really see what's up. Feels pretty good in the driver seat, I know that.

[CTATV]

the petals are cool

[Underdog]

Nobody has mentioned the all aluminum control arms that further set the spec b apart from the GT. True that you can buy better shocks but when you consider the whole system was desinged to reduce unsprung weight and is tuned rather well right out of the box I think it's a winner. For about $1200 you can buy the control arms and another $1500 will get you some bilsteins. Now drop in the 6 speed for another $1500 and buy a garmin and you're rolling off the production lines with the spec b.

 

I'm hoping one day to have some fun in the twisties with a GT to really see what's up. Feels pretty good in the driver seat, I know that.

 

You're right about the $1200 for the aluminum suspension, however it makes almost no difference in ride quality and unsprung weight (yes i have had both the steel and aluminum suspension on my car). The stock system certainly doesn't reduce unsprung weight when the stock 18" wheels more than account for the difference. Replace the wheels with lighter ones and now you're talking.

 

I would rate the aluminum arms (front and rear) as the least effective suspension mod for the dollar possible.

 

The true advantage of the aluminum components is the combination of being slightly stiffer, slightly stronger, and slightly lighter. However, in practical terms as a daily-driver, there is very little benefit.

[Denver133]

I went with the spec B due to many reasons. 1. I came from a sti and loved my 6 speed. I wanted a more "luxury" feel with some leather and a factory nav and I am highly pleased. I knew that down the road I would probably swap something in the suspension world and here I am looking at CO's or new springs. The price difference for a limited LGT or the spec was $2500. So I put that extra $$$ down when I bought the car and drove off happy.

 

Now I get comments all the time from the techs at my dealerships cause they know the rareity of these cars. I have yet to see another spec B on the road here in Cali and I love that. Three of my coworkers drive the same 328i black coupe and I laugh when I park next to them. It's exactly what I wanted.

[Jacks GT]

there is a rather large percentage of spec b owners posting in this thread

[rtbrjason]

I haven't seen another one on the road in my area either. The only other one I have seen at all in person was a new black one at the local dealer while waiting around for some work.

[Denver133]

I think that is because the spec B owner is an enthusiest. Not saying other legacy owners are not, but I would figure that most Suby people know what the car is. That is why I would think if someone would go to a Subaru dealership to buy this car, chances of them knowing about this kinda site would be pretty high.

 

there is a rather large percentage of spec b owners posting in this thread

[Underdog]

I went with the spec B due to many reasons. 1. I came from a sti and loved my 6 speed. I wanted a more "luxury" feel with some leather and a factory nav and I am highly pleased. I knew that down the road I would probably swap something in the suspension world and here I am looking at CO's or new springs. The price difference for a limited LGT or the spec was $2500. So I put that extra $$$ down when I bought the car and drove off happy.

 

Now I get comments all the time from the techs at my dealerships cause they know the rareity of these cars. I have yet to see another spec B on the road here in Cali and I love that. Three of my coworkers drive the same 328i black coupe and I laugh when I park next to them. It's exactly what I wanted.

 

At that price differential, it would be a no-brainer for me! Good deal.

 

When I was looking at a leftover '06 versus a new '07 spec.b the price differential was ~$7,000. I don't mind the 5-speed and I figured I could put the difference into a full suspension, stage 2+, body kit, and aftermarket wheels/tires, and be at the price of the stock spec.b. $2500 would have barely covered the wheels/tires and aluminum suspension components.

[jsaltis]

I really wish they would offer nav as an option not standard; take that money and put pinks on (or something similar), tune it so its equivalent to stg1 (don't know if this is possible but it should be), and put lighter 18X8's (not 7's) wheels on. I think they would sell more at the same price without the nav. I dont think the nav is a deal breaker for a specb; but the afformentioned upgrades are. If it is a deal breaker the whole package is still under $37K.

[GULLABLE0NE]

i didnt think the spec was worth the extra cash. it really didn't feel faster to where i needed it, i have my own portable navi that suits my need better than a stationary navi and I didn't think the 6th gear was very beneficial. the seats were comfier than the leather in my LGT because i like that stuck to the seat feeling and the suspension was a little softer.

 

my LGT does have a few things i don't like such as stiff suspension with some body roll i could live without, and a stiff shifter but for the money it was the car for me. the money that the upgrade to a spec b would've cost me is around 5-6k after financing. i figure a $700 AP, $600 catted DP, $500 perrin tmic, $500 F+R sways will make the ideal car for me. so for just under the 4k that the spec b should've cost me i will have the ideal car for me.