Are LGT's problem prone?

[bluesuby]

Rear wheel bearings are a problem. Both replaced under warranty at 62,000 miles. Left rear replaced again at 100 k under goodwill warranty. CV joint boots both replaced at 102,000 but at 8 years old, I expect some wear and tear. LCA bushings replaced at 78,000 and fitted with Whitelines (pillow ball is not a good design).

[SSpeed]

^^ What he said, those are the only problems I've had as well.... I'm at 106k on an evo3/vf40 turbo at 19.5psi. Take care of the car and you won't have many problems.

[jksnyder_11]

I tend to baby the things I have, It just worries me buying from a 2nd possibly 3rd owner with 70-90k miles on it... Who knows what that car has been put through and I wouldn't start finding out until I was miles down the road. I guess I just need to look for an unmodified car and hope that it has been treated decent.

[nwsurfwakeskate]

123k Miles.

 

clutch once at 58k (looking at doing it again because I did a lightweight flywheel upgrade that I want to undo now)

 

all small belts at 58k and one idler pulley that was a warranty item.

 

installed a catless uppipe at 58k to prolong the life of the turbo.

 

rear brake pads at 85k

 

timing belt, water pump and all small rollers at 105K

 

right rear wheel bearing at 105k (starting making a little noise)

 

stock turbo has a small oil leak, planning on replacing it this month just for good piece of mind.

 

planning on doing new struts next month to make my car handle like new again.

 

crawled underneath it yesterday and was looking at all the control arms and sway bars. Everything looks really good and I can't find any signs of bad bushings.

 

My car is a daily driver. I haven't beat on it but I do drive spiritedly.

 

I think if you stick to the maintenance schedule. Drive it like a normal car (not a race car) it will hold up really well.

 

I do think an H6 is a cheaper car to maintain but they don't make them in a manual. My advice, if you want an automatic get an H6 if you want a manual get a GT. I test drove a few automatic GT's and thought they sucked. The shifts were all in the wrong spots and it just didn't work well with a turbo power band. The H6 however seemed much better (my mom owned a 2009 Outback H6 so I drove it quite a few times) The nice thing about both of these cars is that they are much easier to find 2nd hand unmodified compared to an STI or a WRX

[Max Capacity]

I tend to baby the things I have, It just worries me buying from a 2nd possibly 3rd owner with 70-90k miles on it... Who knows what that car has been put through and I wouldn't start finding out until I was miles down the road. I guess I just need to look for an unmodified car and hope that it has been treated decent.

 

 

Hey don't worry, Mine has only been at 21 psi for the 10,000 miles. Before that it was it 19psi since about 128,000 miles. It went on Cobb AP stage 1 at 8000 miles, Dec 04. THe engine runs great, for all the abruse I've put it through. It does use oil but some of that's because of the abruse early on.

 

If you find one you like, put extra money aside just in case. Hey I have two of these cars...they can't be all bad...or am I just...insane ?

 

If you look at like most of us, it gives great bang for the buck !

 

They ride nice, the wagons can carry lot stuff, they are quiet, they are fast, they have one of the best AWD systems, the seats are nice, they get fair mpg. There is a lot to loke about these cars.

[RabidWombat]

Thanks for the opinions guys. Do any of you drive automatic LGTs, they are way easier to find in my area. Are they worth looking at or should I stick to manuals?

 

That's really more of a personal decision. The 5EAT is a good automatic, especially in 08-09 with rev-matched downshifts, they are incredibly smooth. There's some lag on the up-shifts, which is annoying.

 

In stock form, an automatic will be cheaper to maintain because clutch replacement is expensive. Manual transmissions currently have better mod potential, but autos are improving. An automatic typically needs a HexMods F1 valve body for Stage 2 and beyond. This mod is currently unavailable for 08-09.

[seabass07]

Mine is another one on the stock turbo, banjo filter removed/up pipe gutted. My cars problems:

 

Front pass axle boot cracked at 90k miles.

 

Intercooler end tank decided to start separating and is now a boost/vacuum leak. (could have something to do with excessive over the limit towing up mountain passes).

 

Stock struts blown. (outback issues, not LGT)

 

Rear wheel bearing replaced under warranty at around 60k miles.

 

Very small oil leak from passenger side valve cover gasket.

 

All in all, not bad for almost 120k miles. I also prefer manual cars, but I really enjoy the 5eat. I prefer it in traffic and also enjoy not having to worry about the wife burning up the clutch.

[whitelightning]

Oh god that is half the reason I replaced my clutch. Snowy day she calls me from the driveway. Says my car smells like sauerkraut. I almost cried but I was laughing too hard. The are just an overall great car. I put my kids in the back and I can still smoke half the cars out my way, and they look good. Just buy one dude. You'll be happy. I got mine used and it was very well taken care of. Most people I see driving em are more mature. Not like an 18 year old with an sti lol

[pillboy]

Haven't we confirmed yet that all of these cars are all a piece of shit?

[LosAngelesLGT]

LGT's are prone to owners with problems, so LGT's are prone to problems.

[TheOneDoubleN]

I tend to baby the things I have, It just worries me buying from a 2nd possibly 3rd owner with 70-90k miles on it... Who knows what that car has been put through and I wouldn't start finding out until I was miles down the road. I guess I just need to look for an unmodified car and hope that it has been treated decent.

 

FWIW, if you know what to look/listen for on a lengthy test drive, buying a modded car isn't a bad idea. I recently picked up on '05 LGT from bsax14 on these forums, and it has the whole STI transmission/turbo/intercooler swap, and also has 115,000mi on it and is running like a bull. I drove it 700mi home without a single hiccup, and have since taken it up into the canyons on the weekends without incident, pushing it pretty hard too.

 

Spend some time on the test drive (i.e. 10-20 miles of mixed street and highway driving) and a lot of time checking out the car. Get to know the seller and make an informed decision as to how the car was maintained. Sometimes the best finds are those where the previous owner has made all the RIGHT mods .