Shed Of The Week: Subaru Legacy Turbo

Familiar fast estate territory for Shed this Friday, but perhaps not the Subaru you expected

Two or three years back Shed was the recipient of a legacy. Unfortunately it was the sort with a small 'l'. Left to him by his great-aunt Edna, it consisted of a broken canoe, a part-worn Teasmade and a threadbare parrot.

Towbar already installed and ready for winter

Of these three bequests, only the parrot remains. Shed is working on that, but for the time being at least it continues to survive on the quality of its conversations relative to those of Mrs Shed.

The kind of legacy Shed would really like of course is a Subaru one. The £999 specimen that's up for grabs in the PH Classifieds this week would easily find a space in his yard of broken dreams.

This '95 example is from the second generation, produced from '93 to '99. This was a car that resonated well with European owners, scoring high marks in most of the major satisfaction surveys. Some of the Legacy's rear details give a clear nod to the SVX, Subaru's cryptic 3.3-litre flat-six coupe. The flat-four Legacy's ability to tote or tow big loads while offering a surprising turn of speed in solo mode was particularly admired by enthusiastic British fans. That deep, distinctive and usefully big-booted back end that succeeded in pulling the Legacy free from the usual black hole of '90s Japanese blandness also gave it a slippier body than the Impreza, so it didn't need much encouragement to burble along at silly speeds.

Who doesn't love a bit of boxer rumble?

In terms of outright performance, today's Shed is not as barking as the 280hp twin-turbo Lego GTB we had earlier this year, but with 200hp under its radar-dodging bonnet there's still a decent level of woo about it plus (you'd like to think) fuel bills on the right side of batty.

The tuning options are of course legion, but whether you'd want to throw several grand at a one-grand car is open to debate. With winter approaching, AWD in place and a towbar already bolted up, it may be better to concentrate on the Legacy's ability as a tool rather than a jewel. In this Shed spec it is a nice blend of utilitarian and purposeful.

The Legacy cabin is famously Lidl, but our Shed does have a splash of driver appeal in the Subaru-trademark Momo steering wheel and of course the option is always there for some subtle lowering and the attachment of nifty wheels and bodykit bits, should you be that way inclined.

Momo wheel and a redline at 7? Nice!

This one has a crusty driver's door. That shouldn't be an issue, but the sill areas generally are weak, along with the rear chassis legs above exhaust boxes. Experienced DIY owners will warn you that getting a spanner onto fasteners that have long since turned into iron oxide can be a properly sweary way to spend the day.

Despite that, and risky running costs in general, one thing to be aware of is that Legacy owners tend to be once bitten, never shy. The statement at the end of the ad says that your man is interested in a part-ex with a more recent Spec B Wagon. Cynics may therefore wonder if this one is being intelligently sold now to avoid upcoming costs.

You can't blame someone for doing that. We've said it before about the pokier models, but it bears repeating here: the Legacy is motoring's equivalent of Medusa's head, weirdly alluring and always with the dread potential to turn your bank account to stone.

That's the Subaru effect. Owners who sell nice ones almost always end up regretting it. At least this one will give you ten months to not regret it.

Plus, better a Medusa's head than a nest of vipers. Those V10s really do chomp through the non-renewables.

Here's the ad.

A very rare Subaru Legacy Turbo 4WD Wagon. Good condition for age and a very reliable workhorse. Still pulling well and sounding great with no smoke on startup or acceleration. Fully undersealed by a previous owner this car sailed through it's last MOT (July '15) and only showing one real rust spot on the driver's door. I have recently replaced the battery, but other than that it has been pretty much perfect for hauling stuff around. Sad to see it go but the wife hates looking at it in the garden and I only covered 800 miles in it last year.

I'm open to sensible offers, but won't give the car away.