08 Special Edition Questions

[Albert C]

I am completely new to this forum and everything else however I had a few questions regarding the 08 special edition any help is appreciated

 

My main concern is regarding the reliability of the car.

If there are any issues that stick out any help would be helpful and welcomed

 

My second concern is the performance of the car.

I really want my first car to be one that is fun to drive and having never driven this one I am unsure if it is what I am looking for. I want something with decent pick up but also that corners pretty well. Now granted I am used to my brothers 04' Jetta 1.8 turbo putting out 180 horses. I am not an avid car guy... YET. but I was wondering if this sort of pick up would be sufficient to not necessarily go really fast but be able to enjoy the perks of speed if I wanted to.

 

Other than that if you have any other suggestions for upgrading HP or stereo or rims or anything along those lines it would be much appreciated.

Thanks a bunch ahead of time!

 

This is the link:

http://edmunds.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=274843380&dealer_id=65024763&car_year=2008&rdm=1266965557250&lastStartYear=1981&model=LEGACY&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=2007&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=used&distance=200&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=n&make=SUB&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar::ispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=30000&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceASC&address=15017&advanced=y&end_year=2011&doors=&transmission=Manual&max_price=&cardist=194&standard=false

[joeblow]

If you want some pep and pick up, you'll probably want the 2.5GT over the 2.5i. The i is not turbo charged so you won't get that extra little zip when you stomp on the gas. 2.5 is a pretty big 4 cylinder though, so it still has some get up in comparison to a 4 cyl. Camry.

 

Cornering and handling is pretty good stock, but with about $300-400 or so in aftermarket suspension upgrades (larger sway bars and upgraded endlinks) it'll handle even better.

 

My best suggestion would be to read the sticky at the top of the "new member introduction" forum. It will answer a lot of your basic questions and give you an idea of where to start for performance and exterior mods.

 

Good luck and we hope to see you around if you find yourself behind the wheel of a subaru.

[aigochamaloh]

I have the 09 2.5i SE and I love it. Granted, I do have a 1987 MR2 to drive for fun, but I have autocrossed and road raced my Legacy. Definitely not the quickest of cars, but in manual transmission form, still fun to drive. It is very planted in the corners with just a little bit of upgrades. I went to spec.B Bilstein struts and Rallitek springs, with an AVO 20mm RSB and it livened up the car in a big way. I am able to keep up with M3's and have been faster than some STI's on a tight autocross track, which surprised the hell out of me. I get destroyed on any road course with any kind of a straightaway.

 

That's a pretty good price on the car too. If you really are nice with it, the car will return 30+ mpg, which I've gotten on a regular basis.

 

If you want to do any kind of power upgrades or want to go faster, 2.5GT is the way to go though.

[dmanaenk]

2.5i with a stick would be fairly lively.

[Albert C]

Ok I see what you all are saying thanks a bunch I think either way they will be fun to drive its just a matter of whether I could embarrass a Mazda or two at a stoplight thanks a ton!

[longislander1]

If I remember right, all '08 Legacy suspensions were the same, except for Spec B. That means you could buy an SE or Ltd and still get LGT suspension (although brakes and other things were different, of course). Handling is fine for a car at this price. Acceleration, even with the automatic, isn't as bad as some would make it out to be. As someone else posted, the stick will help.