Because some of you need closure....

[racerdave]

[img]http://forum.e46fanatics.com/images/smilies/whacky10.gif[/img] :D

[Dr. Zevil]

[quote name='Th3Franz']So what prices were you guys able to work out, including destination charge? I'm just curious. :D[/quote] Ah that's right! You alreagy ordered didn't you?! Yeah, I will have at least a quarter of the breakin done by the time I park in my garage. :lol:

[dimil]

[quote name='Dr. Zevil']I went ahead and ordered My GT LTD wagon today. As some of you are more than well aware of, I was faced with a conundrum. The color was the only thing that I just wasn't sure about. Let the record show that Ross (dr. z) ordered a REGAL BLUE PEARL wagon today.. yes, some of you thought that I would wuss out and opt for the silver, and while the silver is a beautiful color, I knew that I might regret not getting that shimmery, deep, bold, beautiful and sometimes dull ;) color blue. I also thought that perhaps the board needed a mule and that's me. Sube is getting the atlantic (if his poonany doesn't act up) so I figure that I need to represent with some flavor. I also figure that if Paul Hansen (apexjapan) liked the color enough to get it.. then I sure as hell will like it to. He has been known to be right in the past, on occasion. I also know that this is another "Placed my order thread" so if the moderating nazi wants to add this post to another thread then he can kiss my arse, and then add it. :lol::lol::lol:[/quote] Nice color, I saw 2.5i in RBP bit more than a week ago and in person it looked great. As a result I ordered last monday GT sedan in Regal Blue Pearl with taupe interior and 5EAT (I know I did wuss out on 5MT, but I get stuck in traffic on regular bases). So you can have so much desired silver and I can be the mule :wink:.

[Dr. Zevil]

NO WAY! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND! :lol::lol::lol: I am actually pretty pumped about the regal blue now. I was hearing some scathing reviews from people who saw it in some less than flattering pictures. But people who see it in person rave about it. Silver is a safe bet for sure.. but it's no fun being safe.

[racerdave]

I think I'm going to give RBP a shot too. My wife really likes it better than silver, so if I have to compromise on color, then I can do that. :)

[brady_bunch]

:!: HELP! :!: My bride and I have been infected by indecisiveness of epidemic proportions. </exaggeration> OK, seriously... We test drove a red GT Limited sedan today and [i]really[/i] liked it. We have been considering an Infiniti G35 sedan but after driving the Subaru and then stopping by the Infiniti dealership to look at the G35 again, we realized just how much we were less than happy with both the front and rear styling on the G35. In addition to the the external styling issues, I like the AC and stereo controls, seats, steering wheel, and gauges on the GT over the G35. So... now that we have made one decision (to go with the GT), we're stuck on color. We have both agreed on the Taupe leather interior of the Limited (black/charcoal is just TOO dark/hot for south Texas summers). Unfortunately, that takes away my first paint choice of silver. Red and white: we both agree: no. So we're down to 3 options for color: black, Atlantic blue or regal blue. Black looks very classy but is difficult to keep clean and chips and scratches are very obvious. We haven't seen regal blue yet but it seems like it would have the same issues as black since it is so dark. Atlantic blue is better for hiding dirt and scratches and would probably go better with the taupe interior but we're not drawn to it (although we're not opposed to it, either). Thoughts/ suggestions from owners of black and/or dark blue cars? Second issue: auto or manual? I like the sporty driving accompanied by a manual transmission (I've been driving a Miata 5MT for the past 10 years) but now that I'm "moving up" to a classier, more luxurious sedan to haul the family around, I will be driving this car more often than the Miata and on longer trips. This will be my car (my bride has a minivan that she is happy with) so I get to choose but I find myself seized by indicisiveness on this point, too. I'm leaning more towards the MT but can see the upside of an AT, too. Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.

[apexjapan2]

IMHO of course, but unless old age has removed the flexibility from your left foot, the MT will be your best friend. Fuel economy should be better, more fun when you want it, and more FUN when you need it :wink: Having said which, if "luxury" is your target, an auto generally has the "image" edge, but I am a sucker for "luxury sports" so the manual would still get my vote :) IMHO AB is the colour to go for. Hope you enjoy the car whichever route you take.

[gtguy]

Atlantic Blue is your choice. I am a car maintenance freak, who washes his car at least once a week, even if it never leaves the shelter. And I would never, EVER get a black car again. Period. The end. Regal Blue, you're right, is beautifu, but has the same problems as black. Atlantic Blue is almost close to silver at any rate, and should be almost as good, maintenance-wise. Congrats on making the call, though the people who say that the G35 is better than the Legacy will be disappointed to hear your ultimate decision. :lol: Kevin

[brady_bunch]

One of the things that would play a major part in the color selection is if I can get in contact of any of the folks at Gialla. If I can get their Corsa mod for the Legacy (assuming it will fit a USDM GT), I would probably opt for black. Apex, old age hasn't set in... I've just been hearing good things about the sport mode auto. Thanks for the encouragement. I think that simple post pushed me off the fence for the MT (I was leaning heavily that way, anyway). :D

[apexjapan2]

[quote name='brady_bunch']... (I was leaning heavily that way, anyway). :D[/quote] I am heavy too - pushing is easy :wink: Cheers :)

[PPower]

MT and AB from me as well. Good job in choosing over the G35. :D

[Th3Franz]

You didn't happen to get any pictures of the red you test drove, did you? Also, go with the MT. After driving the 5EAT today, I think the MT will be more fun. :D Unless you live in a big city with horrendous traffic, of course.

[brady_bunch]

No... no pics from the test drive. I remembered the tape measure and forgot the camera. :oops:

[SUBE555]

I agree with Franz, if you deal with a lot of traffic, go with the auto, it should be rather fun, but if not and if you choose to AutoX like I am planning to (and waking some people up :mrgreen: ), the 5MT should fit nicely.

[Dr. Zevil]

I would like to add my utterly useless opinion to the matter ;) I think that you have heard correctly that atlantic blue is your color if the black doesn't work for you. I think it will be easy to mainitain especially if you lack certain dedications to car luster "anal-ity" I would also go with the 5MT if you are on the fence. I know that I would constantly be asking myself how much faster the MT would be if I picked the AT. Although from all the posts and such, it seems like a quality system. I think you are going to be happy with watever you get. I don't see Atlantic Blue being a racey color for a car that looks like the one in your avatar though.

[brady_bunch]

[quote name='Dr. Zevil']I don't see Atlantic Blue being a racey color for a car that looks like the one in your avatar though.[/quote] Ah... there-in lies the problem. Practical or fanatical? Safety or speed? Reliability or mod-ability? Sometimes I feel like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hide. :lol: Case in point: I took my family with me for the test drive this weekend. Being a brand new Legacy with < 12 miles on it, I was gentle with the car and accelerated quickly but modestly. When we test drove the G35 a little while later (a dealer's demo model with around 500 miles on it), I accelerated hard enough to (unfortunately) scare my wife and kids. I want to be [i]able to [/i]go 0-60 in < 6 seconds and corner like the STI even though I won't want to with the family present. Most of the time it will be just me in the car. Any thoughts on how the Regal Blue might look with dark tinted windows and a few mods ala my avatar?

[SUBE555]

How about fanatical practicality? Or is that an oxymoron? :lol: I'd say go with the color you want, it's still halfways practical, especially if when you don't need to put your foot down, mileage should be respectable, and the difference in gas and insurance shouldn't be too much to worry about. It's still more of a sleeper than an STi, but rather capable in it's own right. So if you like the black, GET IT! I'll be perfectly happy with my AB, even though I'd still love another black model (just the cleaning part is what rubs me the wrong way concerning time), and silver as just a hair less character even though it looks great still, the AB is just a bit richer and more elegant to me. I'm still torn, would love either of the 3, but since I needed to choose, I will have AB and be happy with it. Hey, at least they have some decent colors to fret over now. :lol:

[Drift Monkey]

I, for one, am proud of the Dr. for taking my advice. 8) Just say no to "the color of the new millenium."

[Dr. Zevil]

Personally I think that the Regal Blue and some tint would look great. As a matter of fact it's exactly what I am going to do with my wagon when I get it. As far as all the body kit's and colors are concerned, I think that there are only two, maybe three choices you have.. either Black, White, or possibly silver. If you are going to make your car look more racey, then you need a color to accent that. The black is going to be your best bet since the white is more of a pearl color and not the Aspen White that is available or was available in the JDM version. Was this legacy that you test drove the GT or the 2.5i? I wouldn't imagine that the GT is going to be slower than the G35, as a matter of fact I would expect quite the contrary. Bottom line is that I think you should probably get the black. You will be happy with it I am sure. This way you could keep the car classy as a stock looker, or you could mod the looks and make it look like a nasty burly road eating machine. Oh, and with the manual, you WILL be able to do 0-60 in under 6 sec. and handle respectably when compared to an STi.. everyone wins! :D

[SUBE555]

Cobb Stage II and you shouldn't have any problem ripping off 12-sec at the strip for kicks (provided a good smooth launch.) That should easily put you in the 4-sec 0-60 category and hunting STi's. ;) I'll be doing a few handling things as well when money and need present themselves. We all know desire will make it happen. :mrgreen:

[brady_bunch]

You guys seem really knowledgeable about Subarus. Anyone have thoughts or recollections on about how long after the WRX was introduced in the US that body mods and aftermarket goodies started showing up? Were they mostly imports of existing mods from overseas or new production here in the US? Can you tell I'm getting itchy to mod? :)

[SUBE555]

You're itchy to mod? I thought that was just the skeeters biting at you, or maybe Drift Monkey getting a little too close. :lol: Um, best I can remember, it didn't take too long for that to happen, within a matter of a few months. You order your car already? I know anyone ordering now is likely to be into the August delivery timeframe, that's if your order wasn't in before last week. Hang around the community for a while and you'll learn a lot about Subaru's, the things recommended to and not to do. Things like Manual Boost Controllers (MBCs), CAI's from AEM and a few others, some Short Ram intakes, and a few other things are taboo for the most part with USDM turbo models because many don't know how to properly tune for them. Turbo timers, are useless in essence. Those big gauge pods and such, are just bling, properly tuning the car with someone who really knows how to tune should make most of those gauges an unnecessary sticky for ricers. Then again, many of the Legacy guys are here because they want the all-go and no show (a.k.a. the family car. :devil: ) If you want a direction to look at for tuning, I'm glad to help. As for aesthetic stuff, you're on your own. :cool:

[brady_bunch]

Well... I've already heard about the up-pipe (or is it down-pipe?) replacement mod for the WRX but I thought I had read somewhere in one of the (many) forums I have been visiting that there is no cat on the Legacy pipe so that may not be necessary. What kinds of tuning did you have in mind? The first thing I am thinking of doing is replacing the shoes. All-season rubber does not strike me as "high performance" as the rest of the vehicle. Any recommendations?

[coolbluelb]

Suggestions regarding mods or rubber? Yes, the up pipe is part of most stage 0 upgrades for the WRX. I would like to see Vishnu do an upgrade path for the Leg. I personally agree with Sube on the bling bling vs. do it yourself vs. professional tuner comments. I know enough to know that I don't know enough about modern engines to tinker around too much myself. A nice, proven Stage I kit would be the most I would ever consider. Need to balance any mods against the overall dependability of the car. Regarding tires, I guess it depends on where you live. As I am in FL, I have no need or interest in a snow tire (although rain is important). I had Kumho Ecsta's and thought very highly of them for the price. I have similarly heard nothing but good reviews on the Falken Azenis.

[Dr. Zevil]

The only mods that I am considering is a plus size on the wheels and tires perhaps (if I feel like it since it will probably slow the car a little), some tasteful and moderate tint for the wagon, turboback with high flow cat (again modest sounding), and an ECU reflash.. but I don't think I will do anything to the engine before the warranty period is up.