BruceBruce Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Hi All, Im looking into buying a 05+ Legacy sedan. I was going to get a truck but i figured since i would only need 4wd for the snow i could just get an awd car and get better gas mileage. I was wondering if there are any common issues with this generation that i should worry about/look for. What likes to break on these? Two of my friends are into there wrx(i wanna be diff and get a legacy) so they tell me a little but i would rather get info from people who own and drive the car im looking into buying. Im interested in what likes to break, common issues, whats the weak spots and if they are expensive lol, how longs these guys last, and hows the maintenance on these. I dont really need info about mods. I can do that by myself once i pick up a car and start researching parts. Any help is greatly appreciated. Bruce hopeful Legacy owner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Tank Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 If the car has been properly maintained you should be in pretty good shape. Some have had bad luck with the stock turbo, though if it blows there are many wonderful upgrade options (you could search "banjo bolt" for info). There are also issues with wheel bearings which are covered under extended warranty. My main complaint is rattles. Subaru loves to over-tighten nuts and bolts form the factory, which is a contributer. Overall they are great cars and best of all, just like you said, it's not a WRX. They are rare and infinitely classier than an Impreza. GL finding the right one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceBruce Posted December 25, 2009 Author Share Posted December 25, 2009 Ah great! rattles. Eh no biggie. Ill just have to "learn" the car by taking them apart and putting back together lol. Thanks for the input. Pretty sure i narrowed it down to 05+ legacy with 5spds or 06-07 wrx. Mostly depends on what i find and how much. I know the 05 is the remodel of the legacy so is there anything wrong with that year that they fixed later in the earlier years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Ah great! rattles. Eh no biggie. Ill just have to "learn" the car by taking them apart and putting back together lol. Thanks for the input. Pretty sure i narrowed it down to 05+ legacy with 5spds or 06-07 wrx. Mostly depends on what i find and how much. I know the 05 is the remodel of the legacy so is there anything wrong with that year that they fixed later in the earlier years? Some things to look at if you are getting it from a dealer: Make sure the drivers side window controls are smooth and not sticky - the controls are notoriously problematic on the 05, I replaced mine once in 50k. The stock re92 tires are terrible (probably not an issue at this point, but who knows). The stock brake pads are so-so but a upgrade to Hawk HPS pads is a easy fix. Make sure the drivers side floor mat hook is secure. Make sure the trunk floor handle is well attached. Replace the catted uppipe with a catless UPPIPE for reliability (the cat can disintegrate and demolish your turbo on the way into your motor)... THANK YOU ETANK for the above correction. Hmmm, thats about all I can think of. If you live in the snow/salted roads, the wheels can corrode (not rust) but subaru will replace it... All small stuff and no car is perfect but the switches are an easy fix before you drive away if it is a dealer purchase. x2 for banjo bolt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Tank Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Some things to look at if you are getting it from a dealer: Make sure the drivers side window controls are smooth and not sticky - the controls are notoriously problematic on the 05, I replaced mine once in 50k. The stock re92 tires are terrible (probably not an issue at this point, but who knows). The stock brake pads are so-so but a upgrade to Hawk HPS pads is a easy fix. Make sure the drivers side floor mat hook is secure. Make sure the trunk floor handle is well attached. Replace the catted uppipe with a catless downpipe for reliability (the cat can disintegrate and demolish your turbo on the way into your motor)... Hmmm, thats about all I can think of. If you live in the snow/salted roads, the wheels can corrode (not rust) but subaru will replace it... All small stuff and no car is perfect but the switches are an easy fix before you drive away if it is a dealer purchase. x2 for banjo bolt Up pipe is preturbo and downpipe goes from the turbo to the catback. They are different pipes. Considering the up pipe is a part of the exhaust and comes after the engine if the cat crumbles it will grenade the turbo and not the motor. Cattless up is a good idea, but while your installing it you might as well replace the down pipe with a cattless or high flow catted one. It's going to be off anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceBruce Posted December 25, 2009 Author Share Posted December 25, 2009 Thanks Man! good stuff to look for. Like you said they are small fixes so not to big of a deal. On the up pipe part though. If i replace that with something without the cats will that make it so i cant smog in cali? I live on the central coast of california so i dont have to worry about anything but rain. Whenever it does rain lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Up pipe is preturbo and downpipe goes from the turbo to the catback. They are different pipes. Considering the up pipe is a part of the exhaust and comes after the engine if the cat crumbles it will grenade the turbo and not the motor. Cattless up is a good idea, but while your installing it you might as well replace the down pipe with a cattless or high flow catted one. It's going to be off anyway. I had a bit too much nog apprently Etank... I meant replace the stock catted up with a up w/o a cat... Corrected! As for smogging it - the later LGT do not have cats in their uppipe (probably because of disintegration/turbo destruction issues). The cat in the uppipe only makes a difference on cold startup. Simple - just go to the smog check warmed up. As for a downpipe with high flow - if you want to put a little into your car to get a lot out of it, go for it. Otherwise, the up is a $30 quick fix from ebay (but once you are replacing the up, it is not really any more labor to do the down) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Tank Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 I had a bit too much nog apprently Etank... I meant replace the stock catted up with a up w/o a cat... Corrected! As for smogging it - the later LGT do not have cats in their uppipe (probably because of disintegration/turbo destruction issues). The cat in the uppipe only makes a difference on cold startup. Simple - just go to the smog check warmed up. As for a downpipe with high flow - if you want to put a little into your car to get a lot out of it, go for it. Otherwise, the up is a $30 quick fix from ebay (but once you are replacing the up, it is not really any more labor to do the down) Tis the drunk post season... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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