kevinkingofimports.com Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 We currently are serving the WRX STi market with parts from the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) and were interested to learn your opinions about whether you think we should offer parts for the new Legacy platform. Our site is still in development and several pages have yet to be added in addition to literally hundreds of parts, but feel free to check it out at: [url]www.kingofimports.com[/url] We pride ourselves on customer service and already have a small product lineup for the legacy, though not up on our site. We are seriously considering the creation of a Legacy and Forrester branch on our website. I, in particular, would like to know your thoughts on this and would be glad to hear from you directly if you feel like you have comments you would like to post: Kevin @ kingofimports.com I have contacted Chad to discuss this and the possibility of becoming a vendor on this forum, especially if you believe there will be interest in a lot of the JDM products offered both by Subaru and aftermarket companies out of Japan. Of course, we could supply any products that any maker in the US provides but it may be some time for US companies to get their hands on the Legacy and develop their own products. Thank you in advance for your input. Kevin Subie.tv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapel Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I think its a HUGE aftermarket candidate. It's a great chassis and has great potential for more power. Im hoping Tein gives us an EDFC compatible suspension kit for the wagon. I wouldnt mind a 400bhp Wagon that can hang with M3s on the track. Id love to carry my friend's track tires to the track in the wagon, then whip his ass too :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I am a fan of STi gear and starting next year I may be able to afford them too. Spec B wheels, STi Springs, Lateral Link Kit for JDM parts may be on my list if the price is competitive with other vendors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady_bunch Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I know I plan on (famous last words) doing more modifications to the new Legacy than I have on any other car I have owned. JDM front and rear bumpers would be very nice... some side sills and the trunk lip.... low key and stock looking but a little more aggressive. Slight suspension drop (new springs?), turbo back exhaust, strut tower brace, larger sway bars, maybe eventually a larger turbo/IC. This would be a daily driver for me... not a track car. FWIW, I think the site looks very professional thus far... not like some of the cheap looking sites I have seen some vendors throw out on the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiekid Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 [quote name='SUBE555']I am a fan of STi gear and starting next year I may be able to afford them too. Spec B wheels, STi Springs, Lateral Link Kit for JDM parts may be on my list if the price is competitive with other vendors.[/quote] That is a great idea, for the bd I have to have 3 special contacts in Japan. Even then its still hard to find parts, and certain things cant be shiped. :oops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexjapan Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Kevin, There is a rather large possiblity for such a market - it's going to be much, much, much larger than the USDM STi market, for instance, and likely will be larger than the WRX market as well in the states. With some proper R&D for fitment issues and such, it should go quite well - feel free to drop a line to me sometime, I work with a group that has a large amount of experience within Japan towards the automotive aftermarket. I have to say that the reason the current Legacy aftermarket is not too large in the states is for several reasons. One is the lack of turbo models until this date, but the other is a circular one. Because the tuners have not spent some effort on the Legacy aftermarket, the Legacy has not been viewed as a viable car to tune via the aftermarket. Japan is currently a very, very, very hot market to own a legacy in, and you probably wouldn't believe it's position in the aftermarket world in terms of sales... Cheers, Paul Hansen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godwhomismike Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Personally, I'd be more than happy with a 300hp automatic awd sleeper sedan. To me, it would be a mini S4 for a fraction of the cost. I believe that engine could easily put out 300hp without killing the life of the engine - heck the STi has the same engine and comes from the factory with 300hp/300lb ft of torque. I really like the stock wheels (on the GT limited). The interior, I'm thinking about having redone with blue/black leather on the seats and blue leather door inserts. Like I said, I'd love a S4, but $55K isn't going to happen with my salary, so the Legacy GT Limited reminds me a of mini-S4 in a way. I'd also might look later on into either retro fitting the navi that Subaru is eventually going to come out with here in the US market, or just have a custom one done, with the LCD installed where the empty slot is (the one meant for a navi screen). I want a fast (or at least pretty quick), awd, good handling car with some high end features and some uniqueness to it. - Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Subaru will sell lots of Legacies, no question. The question is, however, to whom? With the WRX, there is almost a presumption that you are already part of, or will be seduced by, the tuner crowd. You just don't see many family types buying WRXes anymore, now that they've "Fast and Furioused" the styling of the car. Those people will, however, buy Legacies. These are also the people who will be the least interested in doing anything to their Legacies except changing the oil and driving it like a family car. You also have Legacy people who have tired of their WRX, and will not mod the Legacy because they realize that the car is already better than they are. I have done everything under the sun to improve the braking and handling and feel of my WRX, from Subaru 4-pots to STi stainless clutch hose and Gp. N bushings. And I won't be touching my Legacy GT, except to change the oil. For that reason, for the first time (second, actually...those gold rims) I am going to disagree with Paul Hansen. I don't think the Legacy market will be as big as the WRX market. Will it be significant enough to support tuners? Sure. But the problem will be, as with the WRX market, the free and ugly market, where vendors cut each other's throats for $5. Is the consumer the winner? Dunno. Mike Shields at SPD Tuning knows more about Subarus and how to tune them than most people I know. People aren't buying from him because a) he isn't telling them what they want to hear "Sure Tein RAs will be great for that car. Visa or Mastercard?" and b) because he's small, he can't play the pricing wars, so he loses out to the other vendors. So rather than a budding modder getting sound advice and doing something once and they're done, weirdness transpires. Sorry to throw cold water around, but I just thought another perspective might be of value here. Kevin (resident spoilsport) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 [quote name='godwhomismike']Personally, I'd be more than happy with a 300hp automatic awd sleeper sedan. To me, it would be a mini S4 for a fraction of the cost. I believe that engine could easily put out 300hp without killing the life of the engine - heck the STi has the same engine and comes from the factory with 300hp/300lb ft of torque.- Mike[/quote] Mike, my understanding is that the Legacy GT has its own block, though many of the components are shared with the STi. I could be wrong, however. The STi, however, gets a different turbo, boost and ECU mapping. And gearbox. We know the Legacy's 5-speed is reinforced. We don't know if it's capable of handling STi power levels. (Okay, I'll stop being a grandma.) Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady_bunch Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Kevin... <whispery voice>build it and they will come</whispery voice>. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godwhomismike Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 [quote name='gtguy'][quote name='godwhomismike']Personally, I'd be more than happy with a 300hp automatic awd sleeper sedan. To me, it would be a mini S4 for a fraction of the cost. I believe that engine could easily put out 300hp without killing the life of the engine - heck the STi has the same engine and comes from the factory with 300hp/300lb ft of torque.- Mike[/quote] Mike, my understanding is that the Legacy GT has its own block, though many of the components are shared with the STi. I could be wrong, however. The STi, however, gets a different turbo, boost and ECU mapping. And gearbox. We know the Legacy's 5-speed is reinforced. We don't know if it's capable of handling STi power levels. (Okay, I'll stop being a grandma.) Kevin[/quote] I am under the assumption that the auto tranny can easily handle 300/300, being that car manufactures normally are very very conservative in the power levels they tax their cars with, usually they'll make things that can handle 50-100hp more - if the components on the car are very strong and are only handling a fraction of what they are capable of handling - then those components will never be under much strain making those parts last longer, thus the reliability of the car increases. On the topic of the engine, I thought I had read somewhere that the Legacy GT Limited got the same turbo charged 2.5L engine that the STi had. I could be wrong on both things I stated above, if I am please correct me. - Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexjapan Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 gtguy_kevin, I do understand your viewpoint - but that's exactly the reasoning that was used initially with the Legacy twin turbo when it came out. At some point it took over the Subaru tuning world in Japan despite that. It gets down to value. The Legacy GT, IMO, is a better value than the WRX turbo. You get more for your money. And the average customer of the Legacy has more to spend than the average customer of the WRX. For customers, I think there is a perception that the Legacy is a car that they can hold on to longer, one that they are not going to grow out of quickly, and thus they have an even larger desire to personalize their ride. Cheers, Paul Hansen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subey25rs777 Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 According to the new Legacy brochure, the block, turbo and IC are all unique to the vehicle. It may be true or it may be a ploy to stop the consumer from modding it. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Zevil Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Well, let me put my opinion on things that I will do to my legacy. Maybe it will help to see another consumer's perspective. The ONLY mods that I will do to the legacy would include tastefull and sporty mods. I know that I will not be changing any engine internals of removing any cats (warranty and evnironmental reasons) but there is some things that I would consider. Brake upgrades along with coilovers perhaps. Wheels and tires, and perhaps catbacks at first or perhaps a full turboback with highflow cat. There are a few body pieces that I want but they don't make the car "fast and furious". I was trying to find the deck spoiler for the wagon that goes on the back tailgate right below the rear window. I thought that was a cool piece. I think that you are going to find a wide variety of opinions when it comes to modding these cars. Some of us might be extreme, while others are going to do absolutely nothing at all. It's always good to have these parts available and barring the huge success of this car, you should be able to find a market! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolbluelb Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Mods for the Leg will need to be more focused. I agree that many who buy the car will have no interest in the aftermarket. It will probably not draw the same attention as the WRX as to tinkering. Personally, the only aftermarket parts I would be interested in placing on the car would be tested, reliable, reasonable staged kits. A stage I with ECU and exhaust, pushing near 300 HP, would likely be the extent of my interest in engine mods. As to exterior, I also agree that 'rice' will not sell well for this car. The aftermarket should look to BMW and Audi for inspiration here. If the aftermarket [b]really[/b] wants to make some money, bring over HID and Navi for the Leg. That way all whiners will only have the USDM bumper to complain about. :oops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Monkey Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 There will always be more than 1 type of consumer, so the supplier should tend to the needs of all of them. People have differn't aspirations, so that should be taken into consideration. I think Japan's route of aftermarket is good place to look where to start. As Paul said, the market in Japan is huge for the Legacy, and with the introduction of turbo models in the US, should be expected to expand here as well. While there will always be people, who don't mod and just change oil and enjoy the car as it is, this is so for any car, even the heavily aftermarket oriented WRX. I predict supplying the USDM market with JDM parts as you do with the WRX/STi will yield great results, pending the growing number of Turbo Legacy owners. I for one know of a couple a JDM pieces I already want my grubby hands on! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananaairsoft Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 [quote name='coolbluelb']Mods for the Leg will need to be more focused. I agree that many who buy the car will have no interest in the aftermarket. It will probably not draw the same attention as the WRX as to tinkering. Personally, the only aftermarket parts I would be interested in placing on the car would be tested, reliable, reasonable staged kits. A stage I with ECU and exhaust, pushing near 300 HP, would likely be the extent of my interest in engine mods. As to exterior, I also agree that 'rice' will not sell well for this car. The aftermarket should look to BMW and Audi for inspiration here. If the aftermarket [b]really[/b] wants to make some money, bring over HID and Navi for the Leg. That way all whiners will only have the USDM bumper to complain about. :oops:[/quote] Well said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godwhomismike Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 [quote name='coolbluelb']Mods for the Leg will need to be more focused. I agree that many who buy the car will have no interest in the aftermarket. It will probably not draw the same attention as the WRX as to tinkering. Personally, the only aftermarket parts I would be interested in placing on the car would be tested, reliable, reasonable staged kits. A stage I with ECU and exhaust, pushing near 300 HP, would likely be the extent of my interest in engine mods. As to exterior, I also agree that 'rice' will not sell well for this car. The aftermarket should look to BMW and Audi for inspiration here. If the aftermarket [b]really[/b] wants to make some money, bring over HID and Navi for the Leg. That way all whiners will only have the USDM bumper to complain about. :oops:[/quote] I agree with everything you said. A stage I kit would be about the extent of my interest in engine modding - if it were an exhaust and a ECU. I would not touch the exterior with any body kits. And if there were to be an aftermarket navi that fit right into the car and looked like it came from the factory - I would be all over it in a heartbeat - some nice features would be have it display some car stats, time, date, when the next scheduled oil change is, what temp it is outside... yadda yadda yadda and of course be a navi tool - like I said I would buy it immediately. I dunno about HID's, but I might think about thoses. What about aftermarket headlight washers - those might be cool. I guess you can see that the Legacy crowd is a lot different than the WRX crowd - we want fast yes, but we also want comfort, luxury, and style - we like luxury features that seem like a waste and unnecessary added weight - basically we're looking for a not too expensive quick luxury awd sedan. - Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC GT Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I think there is a lot of potential in the Leg aftermarket, especially if you are going to concentrate on JDM parts. If you do, I would recommend checking out Japanparts.com. If you can stay competitive with their prices, I'd give you my business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Zevil Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I want something like this for the dash area.. [url]http://www.quantum-racing.com/SECS.htm[/url] I almost bought one for my WRX. They are a nifty little unit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th3Franz Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 [quote name='Dr. Zevil']I want something like this for the dash area.. [url]http://www.quantum-racing.com/SECS.htm[/url] I almost bought one for my WRX. They are a nifty little unit![/quote] Interesting. As for Japan parts, I would probably be interested in HID and a front lip or something (like the B4 maybe) -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady_bunch Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 [quote name='Dr. Zevil']I want something like this for the dash area.. [/quote] Hmmm... if they were to create a unit that has radial gauges instead of flat ones, I might be interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinkingofimports.com Posted June 9, 2004 Author Share Posted June 9, 2004 New site is not even close to being finished, but you guys get the sneak peek!!! Still filling in product info and will be updating the legacy soon! This should go live very soon with STi, Legacy, and Forrester products. To everyone that has posted, thank you for your feedback and for those that still want to provide their zero zero two, throw it in! I hope to be providing all the parts for your legacies or other vehicles in the future. WIth a name like kingofimports.com I can't fail. As someone posted, build it and they will come. We are building just as fast as our fingers can type. Kevin Subie.tv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Monkey Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Zevil Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Yeah! I love the banner on your page! Incredible pic! You seem to be off to a good start, that is listening to the customers and finding out what they want. I can't wait to see you build your inventory. I am a sucker for car goodies :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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