2006 LGT - 63k miles..

[evil03mustang]

So no compression in one of the cylinders... engine coming back out AGAIN.

 

I have a check from my credit union ready to hand over for the car once it's been reassembled.. the seller is gracious enough that he is allowing me a week-long test drive with a dealer plate just to be sure the car is as I expect it to be.

 

 

I'm salivating.

[evil03mustang]

I really wish my hearing didn't suck so bad.

 

The engine did come out again, but it was to dig into a LOW compression cylinder, not a NO compression cylinder.

 

 

Not sure what the reasoning is yet. It's so irritating not being able to do this myself. I understand the car is still technically the posession of the dealership and he wants it to be RIGHT before it leaves but I've already chewed off my fingernails, and now my toenails are starting to look palatable.

 

He says he's sending me some photos. I'll post them as I receive them... unless I get the car first, and then I'll be posting MY photos.

[evil03mustang]

4 new pistons on order and he's now telling me I'm the luckiest SOB he's ever met and he should be able to sell the car for way more than I'm paying if only I'd find something else.

 

Um, NO. I sold a perfectly good Impreza in anticipation of purchasing this car.

 

ETA: 4/22/2013. Here's hoping it's sooner... a whole month to install 4 pistons and put the engine back in the car? I've done that with a Chevy 350 in an afternoon.

 

 

And still no photos. At least I haven't given him any money yet. Jeez.

[evil03mustang]

The pistons are being installed at an actual machine shop, so that's good news. They should be in at the local Subaru dealership on Monday.. I guess nobody stocks LGT pistons?

 

Anyway, assuming he picks up the slugs on Tuesday 3/26... I should hear something from somebody by April.... 8th?

 

I rather like the idea of receiving a car whose bottom end was assembled by a real machine shop over some dude in his garage, no matter his qualifications... as long as they're at least somewhat familiar with the pancake 4 .

[a93x]

I would never buy a car that is giving you as much grief as this one is. I would not only walk away, I would RUN

[evil03mustang]

You're all going to think I'm nuts, but....

 

I'm waiting to see how this plays out. Once I have the car and my camera together, we're going to make some videos and take some photos.

 

I'll have to give the engine an owners'-manual-specified break-in procedure before I can do anything dumb, though.

 

I pray that the only noise it makes is exhaust and injectors. We shall see.

[evil03mustang]

The mechanic guy has the pistons and rings (and whatever else they ordered).

 

Now I go back to waiting. Hopefully the machine shop has it together and back to the mechanic by the weekend... which would mean that there's a distinct possibility the car will be running and ready to become my posession by the 13th of April.

 

That feels like it's such a long way off, but I've been waiting since December anyway.

 

I have a feeling they're going to ask me for more money. I'm not opposed if it's within reason. I've looked for alternatives and there are none. The only other car I would buy is a 2005 or newer BMW 330xi sedan with a manual transmission. Those cost twice the money and are still only half as good in the snow. OK, I'm gonna go back to now

[evil03mustang]

...still waiting.

 

OK, so the slugs were picked up last Monday.. Far as I can tell, that should mean the block is done and either in the car or should be shortly.

 

Dude's asking me where he should get a VF40 for a different car. I can't believe this guy.

 

 

..yeah, so I might have made a deal with him to drive out to Harrisburg and pick up a turbo for him if he'd sell me a warranty at cost.

 

I dove head-first into the crazy pool at a young age. You guys should know this by now. Besides all that, my Cousin sorta half lives out there and I've never seen his digs.

 

 

..and a $1600rtl b2b warranty goes for like $620@cost [or used to], so I'd spend $160 on fuel to save a grand on a warranty. (ok, $840... whatever.)

 

I'm getting paranoid. He realized he could get more... I'm wondering if he's using attrition on me... hoping I'll get bored and move on so he can rob somebody blind.

 

I can't rest for a half a second because it's entirely possible he bring the car back to his dealership and somebody else buys it. I'm scared to death. I don't want to start shopping all over again.

 

On the plus side, my credit score jumped up by 40 points this month so if need be I could re-apply for a new loan, but I REALLY REALLY hate to do that.

[Serb Legacy GT]

Think long and hard about this car. I would walk away form it. Even if the dealership does what they say and gets it 'right', it's still going to cost you and nickle and dime you. You'll get frustrated at times. How do I know.....

 

Last year in May I bought an '05 LGT right at 60k miles. It need what we figured were a few minor things, mainly a big fluid service, plugs, and new rear wheel bearings which were covered by Subaru, and bushings. Car ran fine, shifted fine (5spd manual), and felt good. I got a good deal for $11,700 and figured my brother has his shop and we'll fix it. I even bought a 3rd party warranty. Not even a month into it, reverse would pop out of gear. Result, new trans and clutch. Well I started to notice heavy oil consumption shortly there after, and even with good compression numbers, it needed a new short block due to broken ring lands. The turbo had slight shaft play. So while the warranty covered the trans, engine, and turbo, there were still other things like an o2 sensor, maf, injectors, fuel pump (even with a new short block, the car still shook at idle and tripped a lean bank one code). Other gremlins popped up.

 

The point here is I should have known better. I got 'too smart'. When you see a car has issues and was not properly cared for, RUN! Unless you don't mind a rehab project. The old 'oh it's not much I can get it squared up' is just a can of worms waiting to spring on you. Hey, I could have spent more (since I wound up doing it anyway) and bought a LGT with lower miles in better shape, or a Spec B! Don't get me wrong, I love my car...especially now that it runs beautifully and I pretty much have a new car now powertrain wise, but it has been frustrating with the 'nickle and dime' stuff that keeps popping up. I'm also lucky that my brother's shop is doing the work, because they really put in a lot of work to make sure everything was done right. That was really the big reason why I gambled with buying a car that had some issues, and even with them looking to cover all the bases, stuff still popped up. A dealer will just get it up and running to move it on, and then it will be your problem. When you have an owner that neglects a car, it takes it's toll, and it takes quite a bit of work to get it back in order.

[evil03mustang]

Think long and hard about this car. I would walk away form it. Even if the dealership does what they say and gets it 'right', it's still going to cost you and nickle and dime you. You'll get frustrated at times. How do I know.....

 

Every car I've ever owned has nickle and dimed me. :-)

 

Last year in May I bought an '05 LGT right at 60k miles. It need what we figured were a few minor things, mainly a big fluid service, plugs, and new rear wheel bearings which were covered by Subaru, and bushings. Car ran fine, shifted fine (5spd manual), and felt good.

 

I've never even seen this car yet lol... I did view its full service history though, and I'm thinking I shouldn't have any major issues for a while.

 

I got a good deal for $11,700

 

OUCH.

 

and figured my brother has his shop and we'll fix it. I even bought a 3rd party warranty. Not even a month into it, reverse would pop out of gear. Result, new trans and clutch.

 

This one had a clutch at 60k as part of the 60k service, and the owners were old people and lifelong Subaru owners..

 

Well I started to notice heavy oil consumption shortly there after, and even with good compression numbers, it needed a new short block due to broken ring lands.

 

This one is about to receive a freshly rebuilt shortblock. New crank and bearings, new pistons and rings, rods were still good.

 

The turbo had slight shaft play.

 

Turbo has been replaced under warranty here at 48k. When the oil pump pickup broke, the engine died quick enough that the turbo didn't suffer any damage (or so I have been told)... I have a spare anyway, so no big deal.

 

So while the warranty covered the trans, engine, and turbo, there were still other things like an o2 sensor, maf, injectors, fuel pump (even with a new short block, the car still shook at idle and tripped a lean bank one code). Other gremlins popped up.

 

None of these things are a problem for me.

 

The point here is I should have known better. I got 'too smart'. When you see a car has issues and was not properly cared for, RUN!

 

As I said, big stack of maintenance records. Properly cared for? I'd say obsessively cared for.

 

Unless you don't mind a rehab project. The old 'oh it's not much I can get it squared up' is just a can of worms waiting to spring on you.

 

My brand new 14 mile 2002 Dodge Neon was a can of worms, as was my 7 mile brand new 2003 Ford Mustang. I EXPECT problems at this point, lol.

 

 

Hey, I could have spent more (since I wound up doing it anyway) and bought a LGT with lower miles in better shape, or a Spec B! Don't get me wrong, I love my car...especially now that it runs beautifully and I pretty much have a new car now powertrain wise, but it has been frustrating with the 'nickle and dime' stuff that keeps popping up. I'm also lucky that my brother's shop is doing the work, because they really put in a lot of work to make sure everything was done right. That was really the big reason why I gambled with buying a car that had some issues, and even with them looking to cover all the bases, stuff still popped up.

 

This is true of any vehicle purchase, new or used. It comes with the territory.

 

A dealer will just get it up and running to move it on, and then it will be your problem. When you have an owner that neglects a car, it takes it's toll, and it takes quite a bit of work to get it back in order.

 

The dealer (in this case) has a reputation to uphold and I've got no reason to doubt him. I should have the car by 4/22, so we'll see what we've got at that point.

 

I appreciate your concern!!!

[Serb Legacy GT]

Big stack of maintenance records, obsessively cared for, yet a new engine, turbo, clutch, etc... starting at 48k miles. You're right, anything can nickle and dime you for sure. Hey, on the plus side you'll have most of the big stuff done with the dealer and then you'll take care of the other stuff as it goes. I guess the positive is with everything being new and the car running like new, it should be good for a long time, so in the long run it will be worth it. I definitely LOVE the way my car runs now, very smooth. It also sounds by your last post you are fully prepared to get the car right.

 

LOL, I thought $11,700 at the time was pretty good because there was nothing anywhere near that price last year with 60k miles. Best I saw was $13k and that was only 1 car on the east coast. Everything else was at least 25-40k more miles and in most cases listed for more than what I paid even with higher mileage. I wish I had known about the ring land, but everything checked good up until I noticed it was using oil.

[evil03mustang]

Big stack of maintenance records, obsessively cared for, yet a new engine, turbo, clutch, etc...

 

The old "deadly oil pump pickup tube" issue struck. You can't prepare for that.

 

starting at 48k miles.

Turbo was replaced under warranty due to a flaw in the casting that was causing an uncharacteristic whistling noise... the notes said something about an air bubble in the casting creating a pocket on the compressor side housing. :shrug: some people will complain about every dang noise lol.

 

You're right, anything can nickle and dime you for sure. Hey, on the plus side you'll have most of the big stuff done with the dealer and then you'll take care of the other stuff as it goes. I guess the positive is with everything being new and the car running like new, it should be good for a long time, so in the long run it will be worth it.

 

This is what I'm praying is the case.... And if it's not, I have an A4 lined up.

 

I definitely LOVE the way my car runs now, very smooth. It also sounds by your last post you are fully prepared to get the car right.

 

Lol that's the idea anyway. I'm hoping I get a real diamond in the rough out of this deal.

 

LOL, I thought $11,700 at the time was pretty good because there was nothing anywhere near that price last year with 60k miles. Best I saw was $13k and that was only 1 car on the east coast.

 

If I told you what I'm paying for this car, you would puke on your Nikes. I've been waiting almost 6 months... As the saying goes, you have 3 choices but only 2 simultaneously... Cheap, Good, Quick. Pick 2. I'm thinking I chose Cheap and Good... and that implies I'll be waiting FOREVER.

 

Everything else was at least 25-40k more miles and in most cases listed for more than what I paid even with higher mileage. I wish I had known about the ring land, but everything checked good up until I noticed it was using oil.

 

I try to keep good notes about my cars and their quirks... especially smells and fluid consumption. Some things you can pretty much ignore, others not so much.

[flygtfly]

If you want a bigger turbo and reliability why not go with the VF-52? Subaru will warranty the turbo for 12mo/12K mi if you have someone else install it. If you get the car the 1st think you must do is remove the oil filter in oil feed tube. I have an 06 that had the turbo blow a couple times before I stated researching. My car is listed on craigslist in Ventura, CA. Its makes plenty of power, 334HP, 370lb-ft of torque. The VF-52 is easily the best turbo to upgrade to. Importimageracing.com has great prices. If you call them the usually give you a lower price and the sales people are extremely knowledgeable. The VF-52 is $1,179 today.

When you upgrade the turbo the car will need to be tuned which could vary in cost depending on the tuner and if you decided to purchase a Cobb Accessport. I might be able to sell you my accessport but won't know until I sell my car.

You don't need to change anything else but it would almost be a crime not to put an aftermarket intake on it. If you want a quicker spool time you need to change the boost controller. I have one from Perrin that works great but I don't think they sell it anymore. You would probably also want to upgrade the BOV which vary in cost depending on quality. A recirculating BOV is the way to go as it doesn't hurt the turbo or engine. The stock BOV is a recirc. The VTA or vent to atmoshpere BOVs make a lot of noise and sound cool but they destroy turbos and engines.

When I first tuned my car with a VF-52, the only other parts on the car were a Perrin boost controller, Perrin intake, and a Perrin inlet tube (tube from intake to turbo). It made 251.4whp and 291.7wlb-ft of torque. A stock Legacy is 191whp and 190wbl-ft so that is about 310hp and 352lb-ft at the crank. The car could fly and would hang nose for nose with an M3 and an Audi RS4 so that would be about a mid 4 second 0-60 time. I don't know how much power you are looking for but that should give you an idea.

If you don't change the turbo, the 1st things to do for more power are a new downpipe and intake. That alone should give you about 20-25hp. If you do get an aftermarket intake with the foam filters I would recommend putting a K&N filter on the end of it as the foam filters let too much debris in and can damage your turbo.

If you upgrade the turbo it would help to upgrade the intercooler and fuel pump but isn't necessary. My fuel pump was maxed out but it still made 310hp. If you live where it gets real hot in the summer, like here in So California, using the stock intercooler with a bigger turbo will give you problems in the summer time.

Best bang for your buck: intake, downpipe, and tune.

[flygtfly]

The 1st thing you need to do with a Legacy GT is remove the oil filter in the oil feed line to the turbo. The filter gets clogged and kills the turbo. Subaru issued a service/tech bulletin #02-106-08R that you can Google. It says to replace the filter but you don't need it so just remove it.

You obviously want more power. Speed costs money. The cheapest way to increase power in a Legacy is an aftermarket intake and downpipe. You wouldn't need to tune the car but it would help a lot if you could find someone with a Cobb Accessport to use one of their standard maps.

The easiest turbo upgrade for the Legacy is a VF-52 which is standard on the new WRX. Subaru will warranty the turbo for 12mo/12K mi if you have a shop install it but it is not hard to install it just takes some time. You would have to have the car tuned but no other mods are necessary.

If you want it to spool faster you want a new intake, inlet tube and especially a new boost controller. If you get an aftermarket intake with a foam filter change it to one like a K&N. The foam filters let too much debris in and they can damage the turbo.

I have an 06 GT with a VF-52, Perrin intake, Perrin inlet tube, Perrin boost controller, and Perrin BOV. After a good tune it made 310hp and 352lb-ft which is a good jump over the stock 250. I did end up putting an intercooler on because in So Cal it just gets too hot in the summer and it was giving me problems. I didn't put a downpipe on because CA emissions are very strict but any tuner will tell you that is one of the 1st things to do to add more power. I also could use a better fuel pump as the stock one is maxed out but speed costs money. Importimageracing.com has good prices and stocks about everything. If you call them the sales people are very knowledgable and will help you find what you're looking for. Fred Bean Subaru, fredbeansparts.com is a Subaru dealer in Doylestown, PA that is one of the rare Subaru dealers that sells aftermarket parts and their prices are reasonable. Maybe there is an off-chance you could settle on the price and let the good hands of Fred Beans finish the job? Good Luck!

[evil03mustang]

The engine has been assembled with new pistons by a qualified machine shop. It has been taken back to the garage where the car is being worked on and will be put back together with the rest of its parts over the next few days.

 

I'm not in a hurry to modify the engine. I will be replacing the turbo oil feed with one from IPT and installing the Killer B oil pump pickup tube with the high-capacity oil pan. I prefer to modify for longevity rather than all-out power until I become familiar with what I'm driving. I was perfectly content with my old 120-HP Impreza. It's the Subaru's balance that makes them fun to drive, as far as I'm concerned. They're tossable.

 

I'd be likely to upgrade the up-pipe, downpipe, intercooler and air inlet parts. I'm not a fan of foam or K&N filters. Paper and cellulose media filters are more than capable of supporting 300-odd HP.

 

We have a subaru tuner local who knows the ins and outs of these engines.. I'll be having a tune done shortly after taking ownership, as I'm not cool with the factory exhaust-valve-killing calibration. That tune comes with a Cobb AccessPort, so any tunes that follow will naturally cost less. $700 for the first tune will make my wife very angry...

[evil03mustang]

It's been a week and a half and I'm starting to get antsy. The dealer says he's calling his shop guy on Thursday to get a status update.

 

In a perfect world, the shop guy has been driving the car around shaking it down a bit.... No way to know for sure, though. Yet.

 

Hoping I at least get to SEE the car by the end of the day on Friday. If it ends up being a spec.B I'm going to eat my hair.

 

:spin::spin:

[evil03mustang]

Still waiting... taking my little hd cam to my Chiropractor appointment today (across street from subaru hostage holder) in case he has it... I wanna get my reaction.

[evil03mustang]

Takin the HDcam was a complete waste of time. Still no car. No news about car, either.

 

[evil03mustang]

...aaaaand still nothing. Car is actually black though, not gray. At least that mystery has been solved?

 

Hoping to hear something... eventually.

[a93x]

Why are you even wasting your time. Any hassle and inconvenience should be a sign of sure trouble ahead. Only subscribed so I can come back later and say I told you so.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 6

[evil03mustang]

JUST TALKED TO GUY AND HEADS ARE ON CAMS ARE IN PLACE MOTOR IS READY TO GO BACK IN CAR SOON BUT HE IS ON CALL AT WORK SO THAT HAS SLOWED HIM DOWN AND HE NEEDS TO BORROW TOOLS FROM KERVEN BUT WE ARE VERY CLOSE

 

 

Well okey dokey then.

 

...soo... June?

 

 

Looks like I'm going to be driving one of his loaner cars to Carlisle next weekend. Fudge. Oh well, I'll drive an '08 Outback Wagon the 700 mile round trip. No problem.

[evil03mustang]

Hopefully I get the update to end all updates today. Fingers crossed.

[evil03mustang]

Still waiting for an update.

 

I'm still in at this point just out of morbid curiosity.

 

For some reason it seems like used '05/'06 LGT manual sedans have gotten real scarce and the prices appear to be increasing.

 

Dang it I'm not spending over $8500 on a car, and I want a Black turbo manual transmission AWD midsize sedan with a black leather interior.. In 2005, Subaru made... 517 of those? Not sure how many were made in '06.

 

I refuse to buy some KIA or Chevy just because I need a car.

[evil03mustang]

Latest update from dealer:

 

"The guy working on it says - It's not done yet, but I'm working on it."

 

Whatever that means.

 

Payment #2 comes out of bank automatically on Thursday.

[evil03mustang]

Cam holders have been borrowed from subaru dealer and returned.

 

Still have not heard from the mechanic, but at least it seems like he's getting somewhere.

 

Chances are he's out in Moore, OK and will be finishing up the car whenever he gets back? Must suck to be an emergency lineman.