sti_044 Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Hey guys, I am looking into buying a newer Subie. I have owned 5 first gen legacies so I'm not new to the Subaru game, but the newest car I've ever had was a 93. I REALLY have my mind set on an 07 Spec B. but I am hearing some horrible things that are going on with them. I have read that the turbos usually blow up causing engine failure, electrical problems, something about an oil tube breaking. I just want to know what I sshould be looking for when going to look at one ESPECIALLY considering I will have to travel to find one. I can't afford to buy a nice car and have the motor blow up or anything like that, so my questions are: What should I look out for on a car when I'm looking at it? What can I do to prevent these things from happening of they haven't happened yet? Any info/help/advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjpete04 Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Just get it inspected and get a compression test before you buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sti_044 Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 Where would you recommend taking it to get inspected? A dealership or any mechanic? Keep in mind there is a high chance I will be out of town so I will not be familiar with which mechanics and such are credible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No DRFT Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 That's the thing about buying a used car. It's going to break down unless you pour money into it. Check the service history on it. See what's been done or not. I have no control over drippie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sti_044 Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 well I realize that I need to keep up on maintenance as far as fluids/belts, plugs, brakes, etc. But what are things to look for specifically on these cars? Such as the turbo problem I mentioned and such.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halwith Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 yeah, i heard they were totally grenades. i dont know why anyone would want one tbh. that being said, this may help you figure things out. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/turbo-failure-wiki-173358.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sti_044 Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 wow thank you. I just read that whole thing and that was very informative. That makes me much more comforted. So as long as I get a bigger oil feed line, change oil 3k miles (to be safe, and thats my routine anyways), and make sure that the banjo fitting filter is clean then I should be fine from what I understand. Does that sound about right? The next task is finding one with decently low miles and not modded or showing signs of abuse :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halwith Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 5 spec.b on cars.com 13 on auto trader, i think i saw 2 for sale on the forum here though one guy is wacked out of his skull with asking price. good luck *this is funny though- http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?atCarId=12C77BD9&listingId=315063257 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sti_044 Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 yea just kinda sucks bcuz I'm pretty stuck on an 07.... and obviously the lower miles the better.... and I'd like one that isn't modded (hopefully meaning its been taken care of and not abused) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sti_044 Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 what's funny about it? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halwith Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 In the discription, "this is the unicorn of of all legacy's" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sti_044 Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 oh I didn't see that. I did think it was funny that "he is selling it because it is a rare car" though haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kodax Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Thats a white Spec B. From what I heard, it is like finding oil in your backyard - it is that rare. I would grab it while I still have the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapnJack Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Hey guys, I am looking into buying a newer Subie. I have owned 5 first gen legacies so I'm not new to the Subaru game, but the newest car I've ever had was a 93. I REALLY have my mind set on an 07 Spec B. but I am hearing some horrible things that are going on with them. I have read that the turbos usually blow up causing engine failure, electrical problems, something about an oil tube breaking. I just want to know what I sshould be looking for when going to look at one ESPECIALLY considering I will have to travel to find one. I can't afford to buy a nice car and have the motor blow up or anything like that, so my questions are: What should I look out for on a car when I'm looking at it? What can I do to prevent these things from happening of they haven't happened yet? Any info/help/advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Matt They are not as bad as you have been hearing. You have heard horror stories from other model years and are mixing them up to an extent. Turbo - This can fail on any turbo car. It seems more prevalent in the 05/06 models with the VF40 turbos. Knock on wood, the VF46 turbos they put in the 07-09 seem to be a bit more reliable. If you are to buy the car. I would pull the banjo bolt filter and make sure it's not plugged. There was a TSB to do this. Also ensure the car is up on it's oil changes. Keep your OCI at 3000-3500 miles and you will be fine. If the car has had a replacement turbo put on it already, WALK AWAY! As for the oil tube breaking, I'm not sure which one you mean... In 05/06 there was a problem with the oil pickup tube breaking in a very small amount of cars. I believe that problem was solved in 07 as well. If you are talking about the turbo supply line, there was a recall and a support brace was installed as part of that. Make sure that has been performed and you will be fine. As for the electrical problems... I've not heard of any? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sti_044 Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 Thanks for the info. I definitely plan on changing oil every 3000 miles. I'm not quite ready to get one or I would consider the white one, but I really like the 07. Why walk away if it has already had its turbo replaced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapnJack Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Long story short, if the person replacing the turbo does not know what they are doing or if the car was driven a long way after the turbo let go, chances are the engine will soon be toast. When turbo failures happen, the owner typically gets disgusted with the car and trades it or sells it. A factory turbo is about $1300 from the dealer plus install costs. For that much money for some, it's better to cut their losses and buy a new car. The dealer will then trade it in cheap, replace the turbo and put the car up for sale. HOWEVER - when the turbo fails on these cars, it typically send LOTS of pieces into the oil system. This can plug lines or start to float around in rod bearings, etc. If not purged correctly, you will soon have another junk turbo and a junk engine from all the crap floating around. If caught soon enough after the turbo lets go, you can save the engine easily by doing a couple of engine flushes and ensuring all the oil lines are purged of debris. There are a couple of people on the board here that have done it. However, for the normal person and even the dealer, they have not seen the quantity of failures that we have seen from all over the country/world on this board and how to do a "proper" replacement. I'm not saying these things fail all the time, but there have been enough members on here that have been through it and shared what has worked and what has not worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sti_044 Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 Hmmm what kinds of things should I look for to know I the turbo has been replaced and/or engine has debris floating around? Thanks again Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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