CruzCat Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Hi, We are thinking of starting a family soon and wanted to get a 4 door sedan to replace my old & trustworthy Mazda Protege. My other car is a 325ci so we definitely need a 4 door. I have been looking around at 328i/330i CPOs, c300s and volvo S80s which are very attractively priced now given the state of the economy. A subaru legacy was not even in my radar until I saw one at a local dealer. This is a 2008 3.0R with Navigation and has 6300 Miles on it (Carfax reports 2 prior owners). The dealer was asking for $23999 and with just basic negotiation I have the price down to $22000 + TTL. Is this a decent deal or should I negotiate a little more ? Although this seems like a good deal on a well optioned car the styling and looks hasnt blown me over and my wife seems quite prejudiced over the exterior. I have asked her to go on a test drive before she makes up her mind. I know the other cars on my list do not really compete with the legacy esp given the AWD but I am in Norcal and the AWD is not that useful to us. I am going to go and TD the car again but is there anything I need to know that may tilt the balance one way or the other and also help convince my wife. Tks. CruzCat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rice_rocket Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Seems like a nice deal to me. If you're looking for more power in the long run, you might as well look at a GT turbo model. Otherwise, the torque in the 3.0R is quite nice. I have no gripes with the newer models other than the location of the seat warmers are in a stupid place. If the prices of the bimmer's are dropping I'd cosider it for looks. In MA there are more Bimmer's than you can shake a stick at, so it's not really unique. Likewise, the size of the 4 door isn't really "big" so if you're looking for a slightly larger car for transport of kids, you might look at a car a little larger... say a maxima. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05GT Guru Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 They dont even have 1 kid yet, the legacy is more then enough to cart around 1 child, i know from experience. Personally i havent thought BMWs looked good since the pre 05 models Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruzCat Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 We only plan to have one kid (for now :-) ) so the legacy should be large enough for us. We may only run into problems when our parents start visiting us but that will be for a couple of weeks at a time at the most. I am going from my protege 135Hp to the 3.0R 245HP which should be enough of a boost in HP as well I am in NorCal and every third car is prolly a Bimmer or an Audi and they are more common than civics. Ever since I saw the legacy at the dealer I have my eyes peeled out for other legacys on the road and have seen just one so far in the past week and I really like that it is unique. Low mileage 328i/330i (< 30k) are in the $22-$25k range but I agree with GT guru IMOthe E90's dont look that good compared to the prev generation E46. But the badge factor is still high and based on the exp with our 325ci my wife is really inclined to go with another BMW. I plan to TD the Legacy again this week and see how it goes. As fas as the interior goes I found it pretty much on par with any other entry level luxo sedan. Tks for your responses. I will definitely know what to look for during the next TD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05GT Guru Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I had never noticed the legacy before i found this one aswell. I was actually at a dealer looking at WRX when i saw a legacy with the hood open. So i went over by it and saw a turbo, asked to test drive and it was snowing bad out, probably 6 inches on the ground already and it was falling about 1-2inches per hour. I had soo much fun in the test drive even with the stock re92s i came back after about a month or 2 or more test drives. I get alot of snow where i live and i too had just started my family about 1 month before i bought the legacy. Its got a great safety rating, AWD(which i love), handles good, rides good, its pretty quiet inside, good power(made better by me) and you almost never see legacys. Since i have bought mine i look for legacys and i see maybe 2 turbo legacys a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 i just got a 08 r limited barely a month ago and love it. i paid not too much more then you but it was brand new. the price seems pretty good but depending on where you are the dealer has one left same car/color/style for 25400 i believe... but 2 owners and not even 7000 miles.. seems wierd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLiu Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 get the legacy. subies are about the bling bling. they're just smart handsome cars. a subtle gem. and it grows on you more and more. if you check out user reviews on msn auto, you'll find that subaru owners (no matter what model) are very loyal. i'm ONLY on my second one and i think i'm hooked for life. let us know how you feel after the test drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 For a potential family, I would think the biggest drawback would be interior room, they really aren't huge inside, there isn't much backseat room with the seats back. If I were in the market today, I would consider a 2009 WRX 5 door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shik Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 The last three cars we had/have was an 02 WRX Wagon, an 07 Legacy 2.5i wagon, and now an 06 GT Ltd sedan. We have a 6 year old and a 3 year old and there is absolutely no shortage of room, for us. I'm 6'2" so I drive with the seat all the way back and my boys still have room. We absolutely do not miss the wagon at all, which was a bit of a surprise. Both of us like the trunk much better then the wagon. Now when the boys get older(taller), room might be more of an issue, but for now, zero regrets. With starting a family, really check the saftey features of the other cars and compare them to the Legacy. Little things that you don't always look at like the actual amount of airbag sensors throughout the car. I think the Legacy sedan has like 24! Maybe other cars have that many or more, but it just surprised me. Front seatbelts that actually instantly reel in the slack of the seatbelt should you get in a front end accident, to keep the driver and passenger as tight to the back of the seat as possible...stuff like that. Subaru has always been a leader in safety, but hasn't really been noted for it's safety until recent years. Good luck with your choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLiu Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 get the legacy. subies are about the bling bling. they're just smart handsome cars. a subtle gem. and it grows on you more and more. if you check out user reviews on msn auto, you'll find that subaru owners (no matter what model) are very loyal. i'm ONLY on my second one and i think i'm hooked for life. let us know how you feel after the test drive. typo....i meant, "subies are not about the bling bling..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ur a bus Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 If you and the Mrs are tall, a rear-facing baby seat may or may not fit well in the Legacy (or some of the other cars you are considering). Once the kid is riding facing forward, there should be no problem. If you are serious about the Legacy, you might search the site for infant carrier info. I know there have been posts regarding what fits and what doesn't. -- Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violhence Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Just understand that if you buy the 3.0R you won't find a lot of performance parts for it. You will if u get the turbo GT or Spec B...I am not sure if you plan on modifying your car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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