Any other good changover stories besides the WRX changeover??

[Prod]

1992 Loyale wagon 3EAT (~150k mi) FWD, 90hp --> 2001 Outback wagon 4EAT (59k mi) AWD, 165hp --> 2005 Legacy GT wagon 5EAT 250hp

 

I guess I'm not much of a person for variety. I've been going up one gear and at least 75hp with each upgrade. Hmm... Subaru needs an STi wagon with 325hp and 6 gears if I'm going to stay at the same pace.

[Luminati]

I think i have the best upgrade story. Went from a 99 Mustang v6 to a OBP Legacy GT 5MT.

[unobtainium]

The original MSRP of my 1993 L wagon was 17.9k. Calculating the increase in CPI (the decrease in purchasing power of a dollar) the same MSRP would today be 24.1k. The LGT's MSRP is something like 27k and the 2.5i starts at 22k.

 

A lot has been printed about Subaru moving upmarket, but this calculation shows Subaru supplies more value per dollar now than in 1993. Just compare the two cars. (I drove the '93 today and really missed the silence, comfort and power of my LGT.)

 

There is a CPI calculator at http://woodrow.mpls.frb.fed.us/research/data/us/calc.

[jarrod]

00 mustang with 87k miles, big difference, still in the process of switching

[dbolen]

Traded in a 98 Ford Contour SVT with 90,000 miles(one of about 15,000) for a GT Limited. Love the GT for the increased power!

 

I *really* miss the fold down rear seats in the Ford, but not much else!

 

Cheers, dave

[Omen]

Traded in an 03 red SRT-4 for a Silver LGT 5MT!!

[2005garnetGT]

went from slow, power-nothing(cept mirrors) 97 talon esi(booo!) to 05 GRP LGT LTD

[RangerMan]

Traded in an 03 red SRT-4 for a Silver LGT 5MT!!

 

Why'd you trade in the SRT-4? I haven't heard of that switch much.

[rony]

I went from a 1998 Subaru Impreza L Coupe (2.2L) manual to my LGT MT!!!

[Prod]

Traded in an 03 red SRT-4 for a Silver LGT 5MT!!

 

Why did you do that? SRT-4 is f4st4r!1!!one!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Note that I think you definitely made the right decision.)

[Th3Franz]

I think Omen wanted cruise control.

[nKoan]

I think Omen wanted cruise control.

 

And rear windows you can roll down from the drivers seat

[RangerMan]

I think Omen made the right decision too...just curious.

[elGT]

I switched from a 2002 SVT Focus--a very sweet car, but a horrible dealer service experience and a lot of little problems--owned it less than 2 years and had only 14,000 miles on it, to my new 2005 LGT wagon.

 

The Subie does not handle like the SVT--really, not much does--but the power and comfort trump big time! 2,100 miles and 0 regrets.

[SkierX Racer]

I went from an 04 Volvo S60R with 50,000 miles to an 05 LGT Wagon. The warranty was up and cost over $2000 for an extended one. The price of "luxury" was just not worth it to me. I needed a reliable car to constantly take on 2000 mile plus road trips and i didn't feel comfortable taking the Volvo. Plus servicing and repairing the thing was a pain cause even the dealers themselves had no clue as to handling that.

[Gire]

My last car was a 1998 Acura EL (non-USA model, like a 4dr Civic Si with more options)

and I loved that little car until the day she was sold. A fun and reliable car that treated me well (typical Honda). The EL was bought new when I was 21 I had her until last week.

 

The GT Wagon is a huge step up in luxury and power, but the larger mass has taken some getting used to. The Acura felt like a go-cart compared to the GT, but some sway bars and better tires should fix some of the issues I have.

[Track Rebel]

I downgraded from an Evo to the Legacy GT Limited. My evo was modified and attracted too much attention from car thieves. It also sucked for city driving. I moved to Philadelphia from New Jersey and my Evo stopped collecting miles. I couldn't justify spending all the money on the car payment plus insurance on a car I barely drove, so I sold it for a Legacy.

 

The Legacy isn't too far off from a stock evo performance wise. It's not like you can reach the limits of each car on the street anyway. I did track the evo, and I might take the Legacy up to Lime Rock, Pocono, or Watkins Glen soon. The difference between both cars will be more obvious there. I'm sure with a few mods the Legacy will hold its own. It's also leagues ahead in terms of ride quality and interior. Overall, I have no regrets selling the Evo for a Legacy. If I was in a situation where I ould still drive an Evo everyday however, I never would have sold it.

[deneb]

I went from a basic (NO factory options) 99 Mazda 626 4cyl 5sp manual with 130K to my '05 LGT 5M. What a difference! Double the power and torque, WAY more refined inside and out. Only thing I really miss is the MPG (and burning reg. unleaded), but the fun factor of the Subie makes up for that, and I may never go back to FWD.

[GeneWeen]

I had, and still do, a 93 chevy conversion van. Need I say more?

[pacbreak gt]

I am also a member of Buick Regals Anonymous. We swapped out a '91 Regal for the Legacy.

[SVXWRX]

i've had a strange mix:

-1990 Chevy Lumina

-1987 Porsche 928 S4 + 1987 Buick Lesabre T-Type (winter beater)

-1997 SVX LSi (still own)

-2002 WRX (wife's)

- teh LGT

 

still miss the 928 , just not in the winter.

[sleepin gt]

'93 jeep grand cherokee. was pretty quick by the time i was done i do miss that v8 growl. if i had lowered it any more...you woulda thought i was in a forester! ha

[TSiWRX]

I'm coming in from a mildly modified '95 Eagle Talon TSi that put down about 270 hp at the front wheels on a Mustang dyno. Been told by various sources that it should be around 300 hp at the wheels on other dynos due to the Mustang's load setup.....

 

It's a blast - literally - to drive on the highway, especially when the boost kicks in, but she's definitely a beast in every sense of the word.

 

As the wifey likes to say, "it's loud" (even though it's running what's considered by the DSM crowd to be a very, very mellow older-model GReddy SP exhaust), "it smells" (a cat? isn't that a domestic animal?), it rips her head off when I shift (ACT 2600 -hope y'all like the leg press, that's a 42-pound push effort- plus B&M -50% short-throw = rifle-bolt upshifts; unfortunately, this also means that the passenger does a lot of head-nodding), and it's uncomfortable (an appx. 2-inch drop, even on Teins and Tokicos, makes the ride, well, less than sophisticated). Also, whenever my boost gauge gets above 15 PSI (she's tuned to run at 18) and the EvoIII 16G comes on full-song and starts to immitate a jet turbine, the wifey reaches for the OSB and visibly cringes - not the best ride for a smooth date.

 

It also seriously lacks any room for anything practical, especially considering that the trunk is stuffed with a false-floor in order to bear two thumpers and an amp.

 

And as if the rather unrefined ride wasn't bad enough, in any kind of sloppy weather, directional stability becomes a white-knuckle issue. Full-boost isn't something to be toyed with at stoplights or stopsigns - front wheel drive, despite only mild torque-steer, is no fun at take-off when anything more than 40% throttle will break loose the drive-wheels in the first two gears. Make the roads wet, and anything more than 30% in the first three gears gives no hope for traction despite decent all-weather performance radials and a slightly bigger than stock footprint (225s versus 205s).

 

Did I mention a lack of room?

 

Finally, like Track Rebel cited above, it just attracts too much unwanted attention. I'm always getting pinged by the local fuzz (despite my habit of usually obeying speed limits on surface streets and NEVER speeding in school zones), and just about every balding, middle-aged man or barely-old-enough-to-shave teenager tries to goad me in to losing my temper. I'm way too old and way too fat to street race, and having people constantly tailgate or pass rudely (with unkind hand gestures) because I'm "supposed to be driving faster" with a car that looks like it came out of "The Fast and the Furious" is just plain tiring.

 

After having driven the wifey's '05 4EAT Rex and experienced the stability and safety of Subaru's Symmetrical AWD first-hand in the latest freak-snow here in NE Ohio, I was rather easily talked out of my Talon by the same-said person, especially as our immediate plans include trying to start a family.

 

Actually, my first thought was for a 5MT '05 WRX wagon, in order to increase our cargo-carrying versatility.

 

However, I fell in-love with a 5MT (w/POEM short-throw) '05 LGT Limited as soon as I test drove it.

 

Sure, it may be a bit slower than the 5MT Rex wagon, but it is a whole different world of luxury and civility. The overall ride comfort in the LGT is just so much higher, and for once, the N/V/H levels reminds me more of my parents' Lexus rather than a tin can. The styling is aggressive but very, very muted - and keeps me well out of the crosshairs of the tuner crowd as well as keeps me low-to-radar to both enforcement as well as general traffic. And definitely, I can trade my highway speed-rush for increased overall safety and what actually feels like superior handling (but in actuality is probably lesser effort to achieve slightly lower handling as compared to the rough-riding Talon, thus giving me the perceived, but not validated, sense of increased handling).

 

And hey, for a "sedate family sedan," the 0-60 numbers it posts ain't too shabby.

 

-A

[rallispec]

Sure, it may be a bit slower than the 5MT Rex wagon,

 

is your wifes WRX modified? becuase in reality the LegacyGT is a bit faster than the WRX. Drop in a 600 dollar accessport from CobbTuning, and the WRX doesnt even come close.

[blkwag]

I had a 03Imprexa TS and Totaled it with only 34K on her. It either was a tree or a woman with a child and nowhere else to go. I had a caron fiber hood WRX style for future turbo, brakes, suspention, and guages were all done. Just wanted to do a STI drivetrain swap. Well now out of the box this LGT wag is far better and I did nothing really to the car yet. B4 the Subaru hadda 95 Chevy Berreta 5speed Quad 4 and the factory heli coil. It was fun for burnouts but with over 155K I no longer trusted it. Very happy with Subbys AWD and drive train lay out!