legacy gtb or rsk b4
Discussion
Ok guys, made a massive mistake earlier this year by breaking my impreza and now im missing it like crazy so im in the market for another subaru. Im considering moving up sizewise and going for a legacy. Is there anything major to look out for, is the VOD as bad as ive read about and how easy is it to get around?
What are the differences between a gtb or the b4 variant.
Are they serviceable by impreza specialists or would they be a bit more involved and therefore something more specialist?
Any advice appreciated.
What are the differences between a gtb or the b4 variant.
Are they serviceable by impreza specialists or would they be a bit more involved and therefore something more specialist?
Any advice appreciated.
I have a 2000 B4. It has a VOD but you get used to it and it's one of those "relative" things. You get boost that drops off and then boooooost. It's not really that dead in the valley it's more like a brief pause as it gathers itself for the next stage. It can be helped with mapping and some are worse than others. The saloon isn't really much bigger than an Impreza, more rear leg room from a slightly longer wheelbase same width.
ok, so estate/saloon difference aside, there isnt any other differences between the 2??
im assuming that most impreza parts are a straight swap over to a legacy?? as ive still got loads of parts left that are more than serviceable and could be used as spares if they fit.
im assuming the power delivery is going to be somewhat different to an impreza, not so much a shove in the back, but a gradual gathering of pace, similar to a nissan skyline?? is that right or are they genuinely a good shove like an impreza, im worried im going to be disappointed by the pace of one, or more the way its delivered, but saying that i fell in love with the way the skyline delivered it's power so might be alright with it.
im assuming that most impreza parts are a straight swap over to a legacy?? as ive still got loads of parts left that are more than serviceable and could be used as spares if they fit.
im assuming the power delivery is going to be somewhat different to an impreza, not so much a shove in the back, but a gradual gathering of pace, similar to a nissan skyline?? is that right or are they genuinely a good shove like an impreza, im worried im going to be disappointed by the pace of one, or more the way its delivered, but saying that i fell in love with the way the skyline delivered it's power so might be alright with it.
They are a much wider, smoother power delivery than most single turbos - mine is on boost below 2000rpm and feels pretty good until the secondary turbo warp mode chimes in after 4000 and feels reallly good, happily revs out to 7500 but peak power is at 6500 so not too much point revving past there. I remember the factory claim was over 80% of torque available from 2000-6500rpm.
I really like the twin setup for a sensible road car, you can potter around town with plenty of low-down torque from the primary turbo and then use the secondary as well for playtime and/or rapid overtaking. I guess the only way to find out if you like it is to drive one yourself though. Very competent chassis (multilink rear suspension cf mac strut for Imprezas and older Legacies) but the steering rack is a bit light and slow geared compared to some.
The different power delivery and taller gearing means they don't always feel as perky as an Impreza at low speed, but they repay that at the top end - the '98 model held a world record at 170mph for a while.
Here is an old video of, uh, one like mine
. Try to ignore the overexcited passenger giving a Steve Irwin impression. http://vimeo.com/2481437
I really like the twin setup for a sensible road car, you can potter around town with plenty of low-down torque from the primary turbo and then use the secondary as well for playtime and/or rapid overtaking. I guess the only way to find out if you like it is to drive one yourself though. Very competent chassis (multilink rear suspension cf mac strut for Imprezas and older Legacies) but the steering rack is a bit light and slow geared compared to some.
The different power delivery and taller gearing means they don't always feel as perky as an Impreza at low speed, but they repay that at the top end - the '98 model held a world record at 170mph for a while.
Here is an old video of, uh, one like mine
. Try to ignore the overexcited passenger giving a Steve Irwin impression. http://vimeo.com/2481437Edited by GravelBen on Friday 16th November 11:53
nice vid, couldnt have the sound on as im at work, but looks interesting, is that a bg or bh??
gonna have to go looking for one to have a drive of and see what they are like and if i could get on with one, but from what ive read and what you guys are saying i reckon it could be a goer.
gonna have to go looking for one to have a drive of and see what they are like and if i could get on with one, but from what ive read and what you guys are saying i reckon it could be a goer.
considering going to look at this, love the colour, and it's local from a guy who deals primarily in american stuff, but my old man knows him just need to find out if he still has it as the advert was placed in september.
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C307918
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C307918
I went for a B4, mainly because the wife prefered it.
The VOD is noticable on my 99 car, which is a manual with just 65k miles on.
It picks up lower down than an Impreza, but dies at about 3700 revs then shoves at about 4200.
Handling is better than the classic, and bug eye Imprezas I have had. I thought they were wallowy.
A big drawback with the B4 is the over assisted steering, its far too light. Never driven a GTB, but expect its the same.
I have a friend badgering me to sell it to him for £2400 at the moment so may pass it on and try something else.
They are mostly Impreza parts so servicing is a doddle, brakes are the same as I had discs/ pads/ calipers on mine.
They need higher octane fuel as in Japan they use 103 octane. Mine used V power or Tesco 99 with no problems, and I have averaged 24mpg.
The VOD is noticable on my 99 car, which is a manual with just 65k miles on.
It picks up lower down than an Impreza, but dies at about 3700 revs then shoves at about 4200.
Handling is better than the classic, and bug eye Imprezas I have had. I thought they were wallowy.
A big drawback with the B4 is the over assisted steering, its far too light. Never driven a GTB, but expect its the same.
I have a friend badgering me to sell it to him for £2400 at the moment so may pass it on and try something else.
They are mostly Impreza parts so servicing is a doddle, brakes are the same as I had discs/ pads/ calipers on mine.
They need higher octane fuel as in Japan they use 103 octane. Mine used V power or Tesco 99 with no problems, and I have averaged 24mpg.
Edited by nottyash on Sunday 18th November 20:52
Edited by nottyash on Sunday 18th November 20:54
thanks for the replies peeps, thats a nice looking b4 youve got there, are they 5 or 6 speed boxes?? and will impreza drivetrain and gearbox swap straight over??
will prob end up having it remapped to sort the fuel issue out, my impreza was an import and ran on 99 just fine once this was done, also got rid of the maf as was on simtek ecu, are the legacies prone to maf failure??
will prob end up having it remapped to sort the fuel issue out, my impreza was an import and ran on 99 just fine once this was done, also got rid of the maf as was on simtek ecu, are the legacies prone to maf failure??
Fried of mine selling a nice spec Legacy Gt (Wagon) newer shape think its a year 2000.
IMHO best combo wagon in white and its a manual..
Sensible mods and just had a clutch
Located Cornwall Truro/Newquay area
Low miles etc
I have it advertised as favour on my website , cannot link as adverstising thread will get vaped..but if of interest ...
Anyone else as well just broke a B4 rsk so I have few bits n pieces shoudl you need anything
Happy hunting, owned a b4 myself for a while few years back, enjoyed it surprised lot of people..really unknown to the masses easy car to live with rapid as...IMHO wagon/Estate better car and avoid the autos..big probs when they go wrong !
JASE
IMHO best combo wagon in white and its a manual..
Sensible mods and just had a clutch
Located Cornwall Truro/Newquay area
Low miles etc
I have it advertised as favour on my website , cannot link as adverstising thread will get vaped..but if of interest ...
Anyone else as well just broke a B4 rsk so I have few bits n pieces shoudl you need anything
Happy hunting, owned a b4 myself for a while few years back, enjoyed it surprised lot of people..really unknown to the masses easy car to live with rapid as...IMHO wagon/Estate better car and avoid the autos..big probs when they go wrong !
JASE
I have a 2000 BH5, it's currently up for sale but I've almost convinced myself I'm keeping it now instead.
It's a thirsty old thing (which is why I put it up for sale, new house and all that) but I'm going to try to sacrifice in other areas to keep it. It's a great all-rounder; doesn't feel that quick IMHO, but it's deceptive.
The steering is light, but you can disconnect a plug under the steering wheel which removes the extra assistance. A few owners have done this, and it makes the steering much weightier - I did it myself for a while but have recently just plugged it back in and I'm quite enjoying the extra manoeuvrability.
I'm considering a Bob Rawle remap at some point, which should hopefully iron-out the VOD somewhat and make it a little bit quicker and more responsive.
Overall, they're great cars.
It's a thirsty old thing (which is why I put it up for sale, new house and all that) but I'm going to try to sacrifice in other areas to keep it. It's a great all-rounder; doesn't feel that quick IMHO, but it's deceptive.
The steering is light, but you can disconnect a plug under the steering wheel which removes the extra assistance. A few owners have done this, and it makes the steering much weightier - I did it myself for a while but have recently just plugged it back in and I'm quite enjoying the extra manoeuvrability.
I'm considering a Bob Rawle remap at some point, which should hopefully iron-out the VOD somewhat and make it a little bit quicker and more responsive.
Overall, they're great cars.
Xpander said:
It's a thirsty old thing
I always thought the fuel economy was pretty good for what it is - I average around 26mpg and get 30-32 on a run. I had my dad's auto Outback of the same age for a month recently and got worse economy from that!Xpander said:
The steering is light, but you can disconnect a plug under the steering wheel which removes the extra assistance. A few owners have done this, and it makes the steering much weightier - I did it myself for a while but have recently just plugged it back in and I'm quite enjoying the extra manoeuvrability.
Interesting, tell me more - which plug? Haven't heard about that before.GravelBen said:
I always thought the fuel economy was pretty good for what it is - I average around 26mpg and get 30-32 on a run. I had my dad's auto Outback of the same age for a month recently and got worse economy from that!
Really? I don't get that much. It seems at least as thirsty as my E39 V8 540i that I had before it, which averaged about 20/22mpg.GravelBen said:
Interesting, tell me more - which plug? Haven't heard about that before.
Imagine where your left knee would be when sat in the drivers seat. On the other side of the lower dash trim in that area, if you look upwards with your head in the footwell you'll see a small control unit shrouded in a metal protective casing. There's a small electrical plug that fits into it from the direction of the passenger side, on the near side of the unit (white plug, yellow wiring IIRC).Unplug it with the ignition off, and bob's your uncle - much weighier steering with much more feel, an no warning lights. There's a thread about it on UK-Legacy.
Xpander said:
I have a 2000 BH5, it's currently up for sale but I've almost convinced myself I'm keeping it now instead.
It's a thirsty old thing (which is why I put it up for sale, new house and all that) but I'm going to try to sacrifice in other areas to keep it. It's a great all-rounder; doesn't feel that quick IMHO, but it's deceptive.
The steering is light, but you can disconnect a plug under the steering wheel which removes the extra assistance. A few owners have done this, and it makes the steering much weightier - I did it myself for a while but have recently just plugged it back in and I'm quite enjoying the extra manoeuvrability.
I'm considering a Bob Rawle remap at some point, which should hopefully iron-out the VOD somewhat and make it a little bit quicker and more responsive.
Overall, they're great cars.
It's a thirsty old thing (which is why I put it up for sale, new house and all that) but I'm going to try to sacrifice in other areas to keep it. It's a great all-rounder; doesn't feel that quick IMHO, but it's deceptive.
The steering is light, but you can disconnect a plug under the steering wheel which removes the extra assistance. A few owners have done this, and it makes the steering much weightier - I did it myself for a while but have recently just plugged it back in and I'm quite enjoying the extra manoeuvrability.
I'm considering a Bob Rawle remap at some point, which should hopefully iron-out the VOD somewhat and make it a little bit quicker and more responsive.
Overall, they're great cars.
How spooky, I only came to this section of the forum as I was looking at your car on Ebay and wanted to do some reading round on GTB's as I'm getting itchy feet. After replacing my 260bhp MX5 with a Civic 1.6 Auto 
for family reasons I've started looking at fast 4 seaters. Great looking car. Gassing Station | Subaru | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff