Is the Spec.B worth saving for?

[B-Power-B]

Also consider if you plan to modify the car or not. I spent more not only to get a 6 speed, but also for the warranty. I wont be tuning my car for a little while

 

(Please note: I am not saying modifying the car will guarantee your loss of warranty. I am not trying to open that can of worms

[stocklgt]

i'm new to this whole awd thing too, coming from a bolt-on vafc tuned 5 speed maxima. I have to say the maxima could not hold a candle to this car in ANY respect, except weight (GXE) and suprisingly gas mileage. A few friends of mine have SE-R's, they are nice cars from the outside...

 

To be honest they are nice cars but not anything special, better off buying a 5.5 6 speed for less $, same exact engine, more comfortable and if you find a TE you get yourself an HLSD to boot. I'm extremely happy with my GT, stock for stock the GT is quite a bit faster than a VQ35. The one complaint i have is the car seems to fall off up top, where it just seemed like the DE-K wanted to go way past the limiter.

 

Whatever you choose take new Nissans (with exception of the 370) off the list. besides being eye sores, they are really becoming a CVT company. You couldn't even get a 6 speed maxima past 06', they really ruined the whole concept of 4DSC.

 

Now once you boost a VQ35, then you have traction problems so you are back to square one. that was the biggest issue with my car, you can't launch fwd for nada. AFAIK you can supercharge a 3.5 but you need the 3.0 timing. I hope you make the right decision man, drop the fwd and get into something that can support your modding habit!

[Mr. Sinister]

It's not basically the same it is exactly the same

 

Blasphemy!

[SasquachGT]

After driving a Subaru 6mt and comparing it to the 5mt, I wish I had gone Spec.B.

 

The transmission is phenomenal in the Spec.B, and shifting is alot more satisfying experience. As far as I know, it's also a physically tougher transmission in terms of gear-set, clutch, and throwout bearing...the latter two of which are considered of questionable reliability on the stock 5mt LGT.

 

How is the shifting more satisfying? Is it more notchy and direct, like a short throw shifter? I always wonder if I made a mistake with my '09 LGT, if the 6 speed is that much better.

[SentientByDesign]

i'm new to this whole awd thing too, coming from a bolt-on vafc tuned 5 speed maxima. I have to say the maxima could not hold a candle to this car in ANY respect, except weight (GXE) and suprisingly gas mileage. A few friends of mine have SE-R's, they are nice cars from the outside...

 

To be honest they are nice cars but not anything special, better off buying a 5.5 6 speed for less $, same exact engine, more comfortable and if you find a TE you get yourself an HLSD to boot. I'm extremely happy with my GT, stock for stock the GT is quite a bit faster than a VQ35. The one complaint i have is the car seems to fall off up top, where it just seemed like the DE-K wanted to go way past the limiter.

 

Whatever you choose take new Nissans (with exception of the 370) off the list. besides being eye sores, they are really becoming a CVT company. You couldn't even get a 6 speed maxima past 06', they really ruined the whole concept of 4DSC.

 

Now once you boost a VQ35, then you have traction problems so you are back to square one. that was the biggest issue with my car, you can't launch fwd for nada. AFAIK you can supercharge a 3.5 but you need the 3.0 timing. I hope you make the right decision man, drop the fwd and get into something that can support your modding habit!

 

Drive an Infiniti with a HR and you'll see the engine rev forever (7500 redline). My guess with regards to the LGT no wanting to rev forever has to do with the 2.5 boxer and the stock turbo. Speculating, I'd think that some internals and a larger turbo would make the leggy happy up top.

 

The Altima SE-R and the Sentra SE-R Spec V are jokes IMO. Modding them is like pulling alligator teeth. This was the same problem I had on my G35 coupe. Any decent mods would set me back a few grand and I'd still be in an overweight coupe with barely 300whp. No offense to the OP, just my opinion (and I'm in a pissy mood today, so I'm probably more harsh than usual).

 

Back to the original question. From the limited info I've obtained, a full STi swap is a little bit of an issue. Something about DCCD and where the speed sensor sits. If was me, with a great budget...I'd go for an LGT with a blown engine and/or tranny. Swap in a built engine (that could reliably hold 400+ hp and similar torque), swap in a brand new spec b 6 speed (I heard an estimate of around $4k. Check for actual pricing), coil overs or other favorite suspension and be happy.

 

The spec b is great if you don't plan on modding the upgraded parts, but if you eventually swap out suspension, it seems pointless to care about the suspension. In which case you'd be looking at the rear diff and the tranny?

[rao]

How is the shifting more satisfying? Is it more notchy and direct, like a short throw shifter? I always wonder if I made a mistake with my '09 LGT, if the 6 speed is that much better.

 

The 6 speed shifts one better than the 5 speed, that's 20%

[dr_sharp]

The 5 speed will do what you want. If you need the 6 speed or the magic rear diff, those are fairly easily swapped into the car.

:lol:

[JoeFromPA]

Sasquatch - Drive it and you'll understand (probably). More notchy - no. More direct - yes. Smoother shifting experience - yes. Better clutch take-up - yes. Less gear whine - I think so, but I have limited experience. Less drivetrain slop - Again, feels like it.

 

Just my .02

[BoozeRS05]

The 6 speed shifts one better than the 5 speed, that's 20%

 

No, its the average of each gear in both gearsets, 18.5% more good.

[Noeladams]

Yes

[swamper8]

The Altima SE-R and the Sentra SE-R Spec V are jokes IMO. Modding them is like pulling alligator teeth. This was the same problem I had on my G35 coupe. Any decent mods would set me back a few grand and I'd still be in an overweight coupe with barely 300whp. No offense to the OP, just my opinion (and I'm in a pissy mood today, so I'm probably more harsh than usual).

 

 

No offense taken. I wouldn't quite call the cars a joke, however that is my biggest complaint is super expensive mods for little gain. For people who aren't HP/acceleration freaks and are perfectly happy with 250-280HP, the VQ is a ok choice. but one you get the modding bug in you Nissan is off the list. I understand what you're saying with your G35 coupe. The 3.5L VQ can only produce so much power N/A. I think they've about squeezed everything out of it that they can with the 350Z.

 

I'm about 90% leaning toward a "older" (05-06) LGT instead of the spec.B so i can free up a little more money monthly for modifications. i'm sure i would be plenty happy with the spec.B, just not the payment. I don't care about warranty because i like to do all the work myself.

 

Nice to see a few Nissan folk that are/were in the same boat as myself and have decided to switch over to Subaru!

[SentientByDesign]

The Altima SE-R and the Sentra SE-R Spec V are jokes IMO. Modding them is like pulling alligator teeth. This was the same problem I had on my G35 coupe. Any decent mods would set me back a few grand and I'd still be in an overweight coupe with barely 300whp. No offense to the OP, just my opinion (and I'm in a pissy mood today, so I'm probably more harsh than usual).

 

 

No offense taken. I wouldn't quite call the cars a joke, however that is my biggest complaint is super expensive mods for little gain. For people who aren't HP/acceleration freaks and are perfectly happy with 250-280HP, the VQ is a ok choice. but one you get the modding bug in you Nissan is off the list. I understand what you're saying with your G35 coupe. The 3.5L VQ can only produce so much power N/A. I think they've about squeezed everything out of it that they can with the 350Z.

 

I'm about 90% leaning toward a "older" (05-06) LGT instead of the spec.B so i can free up a little more money monthly for modifications. i'm sure i would be plenty happy with the spec.B, just not the payment. I don't care about warranty because i like to do all the work myself.

 

Nice to see a few Nissan folk that are/were in the same boat as myself and have decided to switch over to Subaru!

 

I only say joke because they are high powered FWD cars with itty bitty engine bays (SE-R). Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na TORQUE STEER! (Batman theme song lol).

 

Yeah, there are a few subaru things that I really like:

 

Boxer rumble- (couldn't stand the pseudo-exotic sound out of my G35 or any of the aftermarket exhausts for it)

Safety- It's all in the headrests

AWD - nuff said

Factory turbo - COME ON NISSAN! (GTR doesn't count, $75k base-price and a less than capable tranny)

Community - Scooby owners seem to be more laid back and less dickwadish (new word) than the Nissan or Honda crowd (this is really funny since the biggest dicks are the ones in 20+ year old 80 hp cars)

Outdoorsy - It seems like the outdoors and mud go hand in hand with subies. I wouldn't dare take my wife's Evo out in the mud or camping.

[Rick]

I'd have to agree with the above post. My last car before getting another LGT was a 350z, and IMO the 350z croud acted like a bunch of up tight pricks compaired to the Subaru croud. It was a fun car though, and every once in a while I miss it.

[rao]

I can say that whenever I see a 250z on the street they ALWAYS want to race

[RJS5689]

I went from a 2005 LGT (Auto) to a 2008 Spec.B and couldn't be happier. For some reason, I have a big mental block in my head against having any car built within the last 6 years with a 5-speed manual. The 6-speed just seems like a better idea, especially with the extra gear for highway cruising. With a set of pink springs and upgraded sway bars, you are looking at a great handler and while I could live without the built-in satnav, the faux alcantra seat inserts really make the interior look special. I have had tons of complements on my car, specifically the interior, because of how nice it looks and feels.

The gearing of 5th in the 5MT is the same as the gearing in 6th in the 6MT;).

[dmanaenk]

The gearing of 5th in the 5MT is the same as the gearing in 6th in the 6MT;).

Nope.

5mt - 0.738

6mt - 0.707

[swamper8]

Well after spending some time searching/reading through threads it doesn't appear that moving from a 5-speed to 6-speed is just as simple has swapping the tranny. Looks like drive shafts / differentials may also have to be changed. That doesn't put it out of my mechanical abilities but probably really adds to the cost of the swap. So I guess I'm back to considering a spec.B again. I wish the STI wasn't so small inside I would just get one of those. There's not enough leg room in the back for a ant when the seats are pushed all the way back.....I'm 6' 2".

 

EDIT: not that I would be sitting in the back, but if I had the drivers seat all the way back because of my height I don't know who (if anyone) could sit behind me in a STI

[SentientByDesign]

Nope.

5mt - 0.738

6mt - 0.707

 

Are the final drives the same? If not, then the effective gearing might be the same???

[SentientByDesign]

Well after spending some time searching/reading through threads it doesn't appear that moving from a 5-speed to 6-speed is just as simple has swapping the tranny. Looks like drive shafts / differentials may also have to be changed. That doesn't put it out of my mechanical abilities but probably really adds to the cost of the swap. So I guess I'm back to considering a spec.B again. I wish the STI wasn't so small inside I would just get one of those. There's not enough leg room in the back for a ant when the seats are pushed all the way back.....I'm 6' 2".

 

EDIT: not that I would be sitting in the back, but if I had the drivers seat all the way back because of my height I don't know who (if anyone) could sit behind me in a STI

 

That was my problem with the STi/WRX too. Way too tiny inside. Great if you're single with no friends hehehe. I have a wife and a kid in a car seat. What's funny is that the Evo has more interior space

[swamper8]

Ok, I've been trying to be a good boy and search/read. I've visited the Legacy WIKI page, cars101.com and also some threads here. I'm going to list what I've learned, I would appreciate any corrections if necessary:

 

I've mainly been looking at 2003-2009 Legacy's

 

All 2.5/2.5i Legacy's are NOT turbo charged

All 2.5GT/2.5GT Limited/Spec.B's ARE turbo charged

 

2003-2005 there was a GT AND a GT LIMITED, both turbo

2006-2009 the regular GT was dropped and only the GT LIMITED remains (or is it GT Special Edition?)

2006 Spec.B only 500 made and they were 5 speeds?

2007+ Spec.B regular production and they were 6 speeds?

 

Not 100% sure if all spec.B's are 6 speeds or just the 2007+

 

I've been looking at cars.com/yahoo auto/autotrader.com etc to see if a GT is more in my price range. I have been going into each site under "Subaru" and "Legacy" but putting "GT" or "spec" into the optional keyword search to make sure I'm only getting hits for turbo charged legacy's.

Am I on the right track? Right now there's only 2 spec.B's within 500 miles of me ha ha. Not too many more GT's, at least not in the colors I like. ALOT OF LEGACY'S WITH HIGH MILES! 80k/90k/100k Prices seem to only really drop hard when you get up over 100K, at least on the GT's.

Regular 2.5i non turbo-charged models are very cheap with high mileage

[Irimis]

07+ specs are 6 speeds, 06 is 5 speed.

 

06's only had a 500 car run but they come with the brick red interior full leather. 07 is Black on blue alcantara, 08-09 are black on black alcantara.

 

2005 was first year of turbo Legacy in the states. 04 was the previous gen and the GT was not a turbo just 2.5i, again this is just the US models.

 

Edit:

06

http://www.autoweb.com/images/2006/Subaru/Legacy/25GTSpecB/400/06_Subaru_Legacy_25GTSpecB_indash.jpg

 

07

http://img2.netcarshow.com/Subaru-Legacy_2.5_GT_spec_B_2007_800x600_wallpaper_05.jpg

 

08/09

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/legacy/Leg08specbseat1.JPG

[burlock]

Get the spec.B you'll never regret it. ummmm goood

[F-WDC Spec B]

I didnt know my 07 was really a Corvette!

[BoozeRS05]

That's a slap in the face when you're comparing it to a specB..

[burlock]

here's is the 07

 

http://i39.tinypic.com/21caxr6.jpg