arcsine Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 So, I'm about to place an order for a GT sedan, but I've run in to a brick wall picking options. I test drove the Limited sedan and reaffirmed that this is exactly the car I was looking for, but a few things bugged me. I'm 5'11", and it seemed like the seat was too high, my hair was brushing up against the sunroof. Honestly, I don't want the leather or the sunroof, but it looks like it's the only way to get the climate control I'm pretty sure I want. Anybody else have head clearance problems, and does the manually adjustable seat and no sunroof help at all? On the topic of the climate control, I'm pretty sure that the only way to get it is with the Limited package. I may just have to suck it down and take it to get rid of the irritating constant knob adjustment, but I don't know if it'd be worth it in the first place. How's the noise level when there's electronics controlling the fan speed? I imagine that it would also be irritating if the car turns up the fan when I'd rather hear some music. And on the topic of music, I like the 6-disc-in-dash thing, but the stereo seemed a little... Stock sounding. Has anyone looked in to replacing the head unit? It looked to me like it would get pricy since the faceplate for the whole console is one piece. If it can't be done, are there preamp outs available to hook in an external amp? If not, has anyone just gone in for new speakers, and did it make enough of a difference? Okay, I know I'm just nit-picking at this point, but I've got one last question. I'm used to my cushy, pedestrian car (98 Olds Intrigue, trading it in at 150K miles) and it's fancy-pants accoutrements. Anyone get the "center armrest extension" thing? I'm a lefty, so I'm used to resting my right elbow on something. My wife's car doesn't have a place to put it, and I'm wondering if it's worth it. All frills aside, god damn is this one fine vehicle! I was lusting after the Volvo S60R since I first heard about it (and since I work for Ford, that was about a month before it came out), but it's way out of my price range, and just seems too opulent. Yeah, 300 horses would be nice, but it's still probably going to handle like a Lincoln. This thing just squats down and says "hell yeah, let's do it!" when I throw it in to Michigan lefts (turnarounds). All the reviewers that claim turbo lag have got to be stuck on the displacement bus. I didn't get to try for some drift, but didn't find any "vehicle stability control" getting in my way like it did in the G35, either. Can't wait to get mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoldonSubie Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 Get the base GT. My base XT has the climate control (which I only use in manual mode anyway) and I'm pretty sure (99 and 44/100%) the base GT also has it also. I'm not a big fan of CC. I've tried it on several rental cars and, IMHO, it doesn't work very well. In all honesty I haven't even attempted to use it in the XT as I don't want to be dissapointed. I have oodles of head room in the XT (same as GT wagon) and was brushing the top of my head in a GT LTD sedan. I'm 6 feet. I've driven the Intrigue at length. You will not be dissapointed with the GT. I'm not big into stereos so I'll let somebody else answer that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 The headroom issue in the GT LTD. Sedan is not so good. I'm 6'2", and I want a moon roof and leather, when I get around to affording a new car. The leather seats are 8 way adjustable, right? does that mean they can go down further than that? If a 6-footer's head touches the headliner with the seat all the way down, that isn't so good. On the otherhand, I can squeeze myself into my wife's 99 miata with the roof up. I have to have the seat all the way back, and reclined to the bulkhead, but I can still reach the wheel, and the pedals are about 2-3" too close, but maybe a bit of recline in the legacy's seat will do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady_bunch Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 [quote name='arcsine']I'm 5'11", and it seemed like the seat was too high, my hair was brushing up against the sunroof. [/quote] You can lower the seat in the Limited. I'm 5'11" as well and have no problems unless the seat is cranked all the way up. [quote name='arcsine']Honestly, I don't want the leather or the sunroof, but it looks like it's the only way to get the climate control I'm pretty sure I want. [/quote] I believe climate control comes on the base GT. [quote name='arcsine']How's the noise level when there's electronics controlling the fan speed? I imagine that it would also be irritating if the car turns up the fan when I'd rather hear some music. [/quote] You can turn the "auto" part of the climate control off and still set the temp and fan speed yourself. [quote name='arcsine']And on the topic of music, I like the 6-disc-in-dash thing, but the stereo seemed a little... Stock sounding. Has anyone looked in to replacing the head unit? It looked to me like it would get pricy since the faceplate for the whole console is one piece.[/quote] Try a car with the Suby sub in it. It definitely improves the "stock" to an acceptible point for me. If you want more, you can always throw a custom sub in the trunk. I'm waiting to see about replacing the head unit if we can get a USDM version of this part: [img]http://www.legacysti.com/files/console.jpg[/img] It would allow you to put in a double DIN head unit. [quote name='arcsine']If it can't be done, are there preamp outs available to hook in an external amp? If not, has anyone just gone in for new speakers, and did it make enough of a difference?[/quote] Dunno yet. Haven't wanted to crack into the dash just yet... the car is so nice. [quote name='arcsine']Anyone get the "center armrest extension" thing? [/quote] As far as I know, it is not available yet. It was on my wish list, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 [quote name='arcsine']So, I'm about to place an order for a GT sedan, but I've run in to a brick wall picking options. I test drove the Limited sedan and reaffirmed that this is exactly the car I was looking for, but a few things bugged me. I'm 5'11", and it seemed like the seat was too high, my hair was brushing up against the sunroof. Honestly, I don't want the leather or the sunroof, but it looks like it's the only way to get the climate control I'm pretty sure I want.[/quote] My base GT has dual zone climate control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 I have to admit being 6'Ft I had no dramas with the seat height at all, I have mine all the way back with a fair rake towards the back. Have the seat positioned all the way to the floor, lower the oval and u should be good....... Happy Piloting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bond007 Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 Concerning the seat height question- I have a GT Limited wagon with the eight way power drivers seat. Only problem is that right now it's only a six way because the height switch doesn't work! It must be near all the way up because my hair brushes the headliner. It's going back Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bond007 Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 Concerning the seat height question- I have a GT Limited wagon with the eight way power drivers seat. Only problem is that right now it's only a six way because the height switch doesn't work! It must be near all the way up because my hair brushes the headliner. It's going back Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnSub Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 Arcsine, even if santa gave you a pot of money to buy the Volvo V70R, would you want a car dressed up like a sports car that has a 43 ft. turning radius? Foreget sport driving, do you know how much that effects every day driving, parking lots and safety? Wish I could have the Volvo R seats in the Leg GT granted, but the Leg GT has a much leaner feel without all the compu drive techno stuff between driver and road. Did I mention the Leg GT weighs 400 lbs less than the Volvo V70R? Enjoy your ne wLeg GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcsine Posted July 11, 2004 Author Share Posted July 11, 2004 [quote name='SoldonSubie']I've driven the Intrigue at length. You will not be dissapointed with the GT.[/quote] The ShortStar Intrigue, or the 3800 Intrigue? I wasn't impressed by the shortie, but the 3.8 did the trick, at least intially... The dissapointing thing with it was the plastic upper intaker manifold that warped after 50,000 miles. To this very day I have to run Midgrade fuel to keep from misfiring because of the warping of even the "re-engineered" manifold. Not to mention the contstant turn signal bulb blowouts, the repeated failure of the AC fan speed resistor board, &c &c &c. I thought I was going to drive the car until the engine mounts rusted off, since I bought it due to it's powertrain similarities with my ex's 1989 Olds 88. That thing literally had 240,000 miles on all original engine bay equipment except for the water pump. Mine didn't exactly follow suit. Point B is still happening, but I'm just so sick of fighting with all the pointless little problems with the car. I used to work in the office where all Ford V8s are calibrated, and the head engineer was left scratching his head at a few of my troubles. According to my research, it looks like Subaru takes 3rd place behind Toyota and Honda in brand-wide reliability, and I'd take this car over a Camry or an Accord any day of the week. Anyone been a long time Subaru owner that could vouch for the problem-free claims? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcsine Posted July 11, 2004 Author Share Posted July 11, 2004 [quote name='brady_bunch']You can lower the seat in the Limited. I'm 5'11" as well and have no problems unless the seat is cranked all the way up.[/quote] Figures... I was monkeying with the controls before I took it out, I think I just got sick of wating to stick my right foot in to it. [quote name='brady_bunch']I believe climate control comes on the base GT.[/quote] I thought so, too, but I was looking over the brochure, and there's only two choices of AC control. Then, when looking at the interior photos, there's a model with just a fan speed and temp knob. I've pretty much decided I'm going to do without after reading the forum's opinions on climate control. I'd rather be able to fit in to the thing. [quote name='brady_bunch']Try a car with the Suby sub in it. It definitely improves the "stock" to an acceptible point for me. If you want more, you can always throw a custom sub in the trunk.[/quote] I looked at that sub, it also looks like a piece of stock quality equipment. I'm going to bite the bullet and stick in a Nakamichi head unit and Dynaudio speakers. 25Hz-25KHz +/- 3dB. Now that I know there's a faceplate, it shouldn't be too expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcsine Posted July 11, 2004 Author Share Posted July 11, 2004 [quote name='MtnSub']Arcsine, even if santa gave you a pot of money to buy the Volvo V70R, would you want a car dressed up like a sports car that has a 43 ft. turning radius? Foreget sport driving, do you know how much that effects every day driving, parking lots and safety? Wish I could have the Volvo R seats in the Leg GT granted, but the Leg GT has a much leaner feel without all the compu drive techno stuff between driver and road. Did I mention the Leg GT weighs 400 lbs less than the Volvo V70R? Enjoy your new Leg GT.[/quote] That's what I meant when I said it probably handles like a Lincoln. Sure it's packing a lot of twisty power, but it's also going to chug gas, turn like it's got a kiddy pool on the roof (slosh, slosh!), stop like a school bus, and generally behave like a two ton, 71-inch-wide, 107in wheelbase car. No amount of active suspension damping is going to fix that. I'd probably be able to out-maneuver it in a fricking Tribute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 [quote name='arcsine'] I looked at that sub, it also looks like a piece of stock quality equipment. I'm going to bite the bullet and stick in a Nakamichi head unit and Dynaudio speakers. 25Hz-25KHz +/- 3dB. Now that I know there's a faceplate, it shouldn't be too expensive.[/quote] The thing about the faceplate. So far we have only seen the faceplate with the japanese version of the climate control (metric, and possibly other differences) We have not seen, yet, the US version climate control, or any version of the manual HVAC controls. Any possible manual HVAC panel might not be too terribly expensive, but a panel with the climate control in it might be expensive. Your stereo ideas sound like they'll sound good, though. On the stock stereo front, if the suby subwoofer is on the small side, I wonder if one could extend the wiring harness to the trunk, and put in an infinity BassLink, or one of those pioneer units that fits in the spare tire. It would be interesting to compare those to the factory option sub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th3Franz Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 I own a base GT sedan, and yes, dual digital climate control is standard on that. That console trim piece will only work with Japanese Legacys, unless you can move the hazard button somehow and know for a fact that the celsius temp controls will work with our US spec. I'm almost positive that the stock head unit does not have pre-outs, and I think I am going to just add my Pioneer head unit in the single DIN that is in the glove box, and then run a remote or something to have near the driver. I'll see if I feel like custom fabricating a new trim piece. I have not opened the dash up yet, but I will soon. In the mean time, I might get some CDT or Eclipse component speakers to put in the doors, along with some sound deadener. I imagine that will be a start to getting better sound. :D -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcsine Posted July 11, 2004 Author Share Posted July 11, 2004 [quote name='IwannaSportSedan']Your stereo ideas sound like they'll sound good, though. On the stock stereo front, if the suby subwoofer is on the small side, I wonder if one could extend the wiring harness to the trunk, and put in an infinity BassLink, or one of those pioneer units that fits in the spare tire. It would be interesting to compare those to the factory option sub.[/quote] I'm willing to stake my pride on it, I'm a die-hard audiophile. Probably going to re-wire the whole thing with Tributaries power cable, too. As for the sub, the BassLink is nice, but I'd build my own enclosure and mount it to the underside of the deck. Most likely use a Dynaudio MW190 12" and a Boston amp. The rears can either remain stock if they don't interfere, or just be disconnected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcsine Posted July 11, 2004 Author Share Posted July 11, 2004 [quote name='Th3Franz']I own a base GT sedan, and yes, dual digital climate control is standard on that. That console trim piece will only work with Japanese Legacys, unless you can move the hazard button somehow and know for a fact that the celsius temp controls will work with our US spec. I'm almost positive that the stock head unit does not have pre-outs, and I think I am going to just add my Pioneer head unit in the single DIN that is in the glove box, and then run a remote or something to have near the driver. I'll see if I feel like custom fabricating a new trim piece. I have not opened the dash up yet, but I will soon. In the mean time, I might get some CDT or Eclipse component speakers to put in the doors, along with some sound deadener. I imagine that will be a start to getting better sound. :D[/quote] Mmmm, custom fabs and Dynamat... Wish I could help you with the design process. Moving the hazard switch would be a snap, and getting the climate controls to work would be as easy as swapping the stock board on to the new faceplate, if it's even part of the assembly in the first place. Knobs are, 99 times out of 100, just potentiometers. They don't know Farenheit, they just know resistance. Besides, even if I had to stick with Celsius controls, I can just remember what Celsius temp I like and stick with it. It'd look a little ricey with the hirigana on the knobs, but I can live with that. Either way, as long as I don't get stuck with my head slamming in to the moonroof mount after every bump, I'll be more than happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubie02 Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 I'm 6'2", and one of the reasons I stuck w/ the GT was because w/ the moonroof headroom was a bit too tight for comfort--brushing the hair as others have said. This isn't just a subie thing--its tough to find a car w/ a moonroof that doesn't robt he headroom. Although the wrx has gobs of headroom for whatever reason--possibly to allow room for a helmet... And yes the GT has the climate control, not that I consider that gotta have feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcsine Posted July 11, 2004 Author Share Posted July 11, 2004 [quote name='scubie02']I'm 6'2", and one of the reasons I stuck w/ the GT was because w/ the moonroof headroom was a bit too tight for comfort--brushing the hair as others have said. This isn't just a subie thing--its tough to find a car w/ a moonroof that doesn't robt he headroom. Although the wrx has gobs of headroom for whatever reason--possibly to allow room for a helmet...[/quote] Unless you go to a fullsize car, which was never even an option in the first place. Honestly, I don't like sunroofs. The direct sun just makes the car too hot. It might be nice to get better ventilation without wind in my eyes, but it's not worth a knot on my dome. I'm guessing you're right on the WRX, plus the smaller overall cabin dimensions put you in a higher driving position anyway. [quote name='scubie02']And yes the GT has the climate control, not that I consider that gotta have feature.[/quote] I thought it'd be nice, but I've never had a car with it before. Now that I hear the almost unanimous vote against it, I've dropped it from my list of wanted options. I'll take it if I get it, but I don't really care either way. I almost never turn my fan on the high speed settings anyway, since it's just a drag on the serpentine belt anyway. Screw it, let the luxo-boats have their gagetry and give me the extra 5 HP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubie02 Posted July 12, 2004 Share Posted July 12, 2004 Its not that the auto climate control is [i]awful[/i], but there are times a nice straightforward manual setup would be nice. The auto works fine, but there are times I don't want to bother to have the A/C on, and it seems to be hard to not have it kicking on AC or doing something I'd just as soon not have. Of course, I can simply turn it off and use the windows... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc LeWinter Posted July 12, 2004 Share Posted July 12, 2004 I am 6'5" with a gt ltd. wagon- plenty of headroom- 2 inches til hair hits headliner. This car fits me like a glove - I am more comfortable than in my Range Rover which was my trade in. Mybe its just me but I am also very comfortable in all vw'S and even the Mini. Had to have the GT turbo after 3 minutes into the test drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubie02 Posted July 12, 2004 Share Posted July 12, 2004 yeah, vw's have lots of headroom too (had a jetta before the wrx) and I have heard that about the mini--haven't been able to sit in one yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady_bunch Posted July 12, 2004 Share Posted July 12, 2004 [quote name='scubie02']Its not that the auto climate control is [i]awful[/i], but there are times a nice straightforward manual setup would be nice. The auto works fine, but there are times I don't want to bother to have the A/C on, and it seems to be hard to not have it kicking on AC or doing something I'd just as soon not have. Of course, I can simply turn it off and use the windows...[/quote] I'm not sure if you guys have messed with the climate control system much but you can turn off the "automatic" part and just adjust the controls (fan speed, A/C on-off, recirulated air or not, etc) the same way you would adjust a "manual" system. It's just pushing buttons instead of sliding sliders or twisting fan speed knobs. At least so far. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgeracer Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 You know we could probably save the money on a new head unit and use a high quality line output converter on the speaker outputs of the stock head unit. "Gimme mines Balboa...Gimme mines".....Clubber Lang - Mr. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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