TovarishGruzin Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Hey everyone. I want to buy an 05 Legacy Sedan GT, but I am afraid of turbo problems. I read the earlier post regarding the turbo failure due to improper oil changes, but can anyone add anything more on top of it? From what I hear people say Subarus easily reach 200k miles and beyond, but what about turbos? Are they really only for enthusiasts who can afford to invest extra $$$ into repairs, or are they pretty reliable as well. To be specific I am a looking to buy an 05 GT with 83k miles on it for 9,5 grand. 10 Grand is the my absolute limit, and it ABSOLUTELY has to be a stick. So it's either this GT with that many miles on it, or a Legacy I, which I'm not thrilled about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onesillyracer Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Funny you mention it, because my LGT has almost 83k miles and its going for sale in the next few months. Ive owned the car since 20k miles, changed the oil every 3000-3500 and have been one of the lucky ones without a turbo issue though. Other than that, car has been really reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TovarishGruzin Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 Funny you mention it, because my LGT has almost 83k miles and its going for sale in the next few months. Ive owned the car since 20k miles, changed the oil every 3000-3500 and have been one of the lucky ones without a turbo issue though. Other than that, car has been really reliable. How much are looking to sell it for? "one of the lucky ones" makes it sounds like Turbo issue is a common thing o.O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onesillyracer Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 ahhh, id like to get around 11k for it. well there are so many legacys out there on the road, that arent even registered on this site, so its a bit difficult to get a read on how many actually have had this issue. as long as the car you are buying doesnt get its oil changed every 6k miles, u should be okay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TovarishGruzin Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 Hmmm... Well, I just called that dealership, and they sold that GT already Why are friggen manuals so hard to find. Is yours a stickshift? If it is, when exactly are you planning to sell it? Do you have any aftermarket mods besides tints? I might get a forester just to get through the upstate winter, and buy a legacy later. \Right now I have Maxima with a blown tranny, so need a car ASAP as Im moving upstate to college. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underpowerd Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 ^ OSRs car is a 5spd manual -- and he babies it like a nun, lol. turbo failures are far from epidemic, and not something to expect given reasonable preventative/regular maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TovarishGruzin Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 I've never owned a turbo vehicle before. In fact my Maxima is my first and only car. Is there any easy, quick way to check how healthy engine/turbos are on a Legacy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onesillyracer Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 ^ OSRs car is a 5spd manual -- and he babies it like a nun, lol. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
what Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I have an 05 LGT bought brand new, now have 98,000 miles on stock turbo, used Mobil 1 since 6,000 miles and I have had absolutely no problems. I had my car at the drag strip this past summer and its pulling as strong as it ever has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubLo Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Funny you mention it, because my LGT has almost 83k miles and its going for sale in the next few months. Ive owned the car since 20k miles, changed the oil every 3000-3500 and have been one of the lucky ones without a turbo issue though. Other than that, car has been really reliable. This is an extremely misleading comment to a prospective purchaser and the implication is wholly wrong. The turbo failures are the exception not the norm. The overwhelming majority of LGT owners, even those with "high" miles, do not have turbo failures. The failures are a very small percentage. I would go even further and guess that the few failures that have happened are no more or less frequent than other turbo cars. If the car appears to be properly serviced, or better yet - has had a documented service history, has been checked out by a mechanic, and you've done some due diligence, be confident in your purchase. ________________________________________________ [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/vbpicgallery.php?do=view&g=1980"]'05 BSM OBXT Row-your-own, W.I.P. :rolleyes:[/URL] [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/vbpicgallery.php?do=view&g=1242"]'06 Shrek B # 64 - The car the wife loved to hate :( Sold...[/URL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Yeah, good maintenance means everything when buying a used car in general. Bought my LGT with 55k miles, 97k miles now on the stock turbo, but I know for a fact the previous owner had 3k-4k mile oil changes. How did you blow the tranny on your Nissan? EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Tank Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Even if you're one of the unlucky few that experiences turbo falure there are many upgrade options. The VF40 runs out of breath fast. The car begs for something bigger. If my turbo blew it would finally justify stage 3. All forced induction engines run the risk of these falures. Gotta pay to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
300zx2lgt Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I've had my 05 for about 50k miles (77k on it right now) with no problems at stage 2 for most of those 50k miles. If my turbo goes, then I have a good excuse to upgrade to a larger turbo. If I don't upgrade then a used one can be had for 250-300. I change my oil about every 6k miles with amsoil (during the 4 years 've owned the car) and still have the banjo filter on the car.(let the flaming begin) So I must be really really lucky In all honesty I am planning to have the filter removed next month. To the OP, these cars are very reliable and if something does break most of us have the mentality that its an opportunity to upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtrdlncN281 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I'm at 112k right now, albeit I bought the car with 108k, it hasn't had the turbo go yet (have maintenance records from 27 mi. on)........and if it does, upgrade time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeytl Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Just make sure you change your oil every 3k miles and you'll be fine. Many people wonder why their turbo fail when they never abuse it, but it's because they wait until 4-6k miles before getting an oil change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkl303 Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 117K right now and no issues so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithk831 Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 It should be noted that finding an 05+ LGT for under 10k is going to be very difficult...unless it has a salvage title. The used car market in Utah tends to be slightly pricier than in other areas. My buddy is buying one tomorrow just like mine (only its an auto with 40k miles) for 14k, and that's a great deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05lgt5spd Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 ^^ I agree. You will probably only find the 2.5i for that price. I might just wait until you can get what you want for a little more. My 05 with 62k was 14,000. And I got a good deal from a buddy who bought it brand new. STG2 and immaculate. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TovarishGruzin Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 How did you blow the tranny on your Nissan? First of all, thanks for all the replies, gives me a bit of confidence in buying a GT, and to ask for service records etc. To answer that question... ehhh lol, well first let me start by saying that this was my first car that I bought 4 years ago, that was already trashed, I bought it at 66k miles, but everyone said that car had at least 166k miles on it. Couple of weeks after I bought it clutch went (and no, it wasn't me) and half ayear later I had to replace my throwout bearing, and the mechanic told me that my differential is screwed, and if I didnt slow down the tranny would blow in half a year. Well, it lasted me 3 years because I did slow down lol. It's a NYC car that has been used and abused, I just finished the job with my suicidal driving style. Slamming it into gears, clutchless shifting, constant drags, keeping it at 4,5-6k RPMs while zoomin through traffic, engine braking and gunning it again, and the 150mph run broke it I think lol. I know I sound like retard who's proud of being one, but thats how I used to drive lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TovarishGruzin Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 It should be noted that finding an 05+ LGT for under 10k is going to be very difficult...unless it has a salvage title. The used car market in Utah tends to be slightly pricier than in other areas, but I got a steal of a deal buying my 05 LGT Ltd 5MT for 12,400 with 66k miles. My buddy is buying one tomorrow just like mine (only its an auto with 40k miles) for 14k, and that's a great deal. Yeah I know... in all this time I only found 2 that were below 10, one got sold before I could get to it, the other had a salvage title. I will probably go with 2.5i, and maybe add a turbo much later? I don't know. I don't really care for options though, all I need is an aux audio jack, a clutch, and a full tank of gas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidWombat Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I will probably go with 2.5i, and maybe add a turbo much later? There is no good way to turbo a 2.5i. Doing all the work to install a turbo in 2.5i would cost much more than the price difference between the 2.5i and gt. Not to mention reliability associated with adding a turbo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustangendsley Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 80K on my 05 gt mt. i auto cross 2 times a month and it runs great and no problems with the turbo. i had my gt from 000000k, brand new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithk831 Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 There is no good way to turbo a 2.5i. Doing all the work to install a turbo in 2.5i would cost much more than the price difference between the 2.5i and gt. Not to mention reliability associated with adding a turbo. Agreed. The engines in the 2.5i and the GT are very different. First, the 2.5i is a SOHC engine; the GT is DOHC with variable valve timing. Then you have different intake and exhaust manifolds, turbos, blah blah blah...if you're going to go turbo eventually, buy a GT now. I bought my LGT in July and considered the same thing as you...but couldn't justify it. I thought the 2.5i was way too sluggish for me (no offense anyone). I don't think you can compare the 2.5i with the GT...too different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithk831 Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 One more thing: from what I understand, the alleged turbo problems with the 05's are primarily related to the cat in the uppipe and/or the EGT sensor failing and breaking apart. Solution: catless uppipe. I'm looking to buy/install an OEM one pretty soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteyjr Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I've had NA Leggies and 2 turbo models . Def go with Legacy GT. You will never look back. BTW since Subaru is not a popular make in South fla (Well except for WRX and STI's) you can get Leggies down here for under 10,000 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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