1999 audi 1.8t estate or subaru legacy 2l/2.5l 1999
Discussion
alright people i can afford a subaru legacy estate 1999/2000 or an 1999 audi 1.8t estate.i need a big estate for my tools and kids getting bigger.ive had an r reg 323 estate bmw but the head gasket went at 111k which has put me off bms for while.ive had an old audi a8 before as well but never a subaru and just fancied a change from german but also like the look of the a6 both cars have service history and are priced the same about 2k.just wondered what your thoughts were.i would prefer a diesel as ive got a 1.8d peugeot 205 to get me around at the moment but its just to small and i cant really afford a decent diesel as 2k is my limit really.let me know what you think.cheers.
Both have their pros and cons.
Is the Audi a quattro or fwd?
The Audi engine is easier to modify if that is your thing. The Subaru is pretty damn reliable, but they do like their clutch (up to 320 now on a 97 model with 3 clutch replacements).
Dual range on the Subaru estate is a bonus if you go onto muddy roads/fields etc
Is the Audi a quattro or fwd?
The Audi engine is easier to modify if that is your thing. The Subaru is pretty damn reliable, but they do like their clutch (up to 320 now on a 97 model with 3 clutch replacements).
Dual range on the Subaru estate is a bonus if you go onto muddy roads/fields etc
I'd go for the Legacy no question, but I might be one of those 'Subaru people';)
In all seriousness I would expect it to be a better drive and more reliable. I'm not sure what engines the UK got but the Jap-spec 2.0 is the 4CAM unit with 155bhp while the 2.5 has more like 180 from memory - the 2.5 is much torquier low down though.
The Audi may have a more 'prestigious' badge if you're the sort of person that cares about badges, depending on the spec of cars you look at it may have more luxury bits as well.
In all seriousness I would expect it to be a better drive and more reliable. I'm not sure what engines the UK got but the Jap-spec 2.0 is the 4CAM unit with 155bhp while the 2.5 has more like 180 from memory - the 2.5 is much torquier low down though.
The Audi may have a more 'prestigious' badge if you're the sort of person that cares about badges, depending on the spec of cars you look at it may have more luxury bits as well.
I had a 2.5L Legacy Estate and I think it's fair to say I will never buy another Subaru as a result. I may have just been very unlucky, but it's put me right off.
It turned into an absolute money pit. Numerous overheating problems, new radiator, temp gauage, thermostat, on board computer probs, new air flow meeter, never idled properly and was always hunting, power steering pump packing in and the final straw was when the head gasket went. All this on a family owned, late 90's car with about 80k miles on the clock and a decent service history.
It's also a boxer engine, so to change the head gasket, or in fact do pretty much any work on the engine, you have to take the thing out of the car, which means more workshop time and more $$'s.
On the plus side, they are all wheel drive which I absolutely love. That said, there are a lot of unsealed roads over here, so it does make a huge difference.
P.S. Apparently the Legacys are built in America, so don't expect the same build quality to be the same as the likes of the Imprezza. Haven't actually looked into this, so don't know for def, but been told by several people that's where they're built.
It turned into an absolute money pit. Numerous overheating problems, new radiator, temp gauage, thermostat, on board computer probs, new air flow meeter, never idled properly and was always hunting, power steering pump packing in and the final straw was when the head gasket went. All this on a family owned, late 90's car with about 80k miles on the clock and a decent service history.
It's also a boxer engine, so to change the head gasket, or in fact do pretty much any work on the engine, you have to take the thing out of the car, which means more workshop time and more $$'s.
On the plus side, they are all wheel drive which I absolutely love. That said, there are a lot of unsealed roads over here, so it does make a huge difference.
P.S. Apparently the Legacys are built in America, so don't expect the same build quality to be the same as the likes of the Imprezza. Haven't actually looked into this, so don't know for def, but been told by several people that's where they're built.
Edited by Forum Ninja on Tuesday 25th May 02:23
Sorry to hear about that experience, sounds like you had a lemon unfortunately.
I'm on my 4th Subaru (3 Legacies and a Leone) over the course of 9 years and the biggest thing to have gone wrong is an airflow meter, my experience is pretty consistent with other Subaru owners I know - the vast majority end up replacing them with another Subaru when the time comes to sell.
That said the early 2.5 (pre-1998) which you had does have a reputation for doing headgaskets.
Its possible they make USDM Legacies in the states but every one I've had has been made in Japan so I don't know where that story comes from - in fact Legacies are often considered to be built better than Imprezas.
I'm on my 4th Subaru (3 Legacies and a Leone) over the course of 9 years and the biggest thing to have gone wrong is an airflow meter, my experience is pretty consistent with other Subaru owners I know - the vast majority end up replacing them with another Subaru when the time comes to sell.
That said the early 2.5 (pre-1998) which you had does have a reputation for doing headgaskets.
Its possible they make USDM Legacies in the states but every one I've had has been made in Japan so I don't know where that story comes from - in fact Legacies are often considered to be built better than Imprezas.
Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 25th May 02:34
Forum Ninja said:
I had a 2.5L Legacy Estate and I think it's fair to say I will never buy another Subaru as a result. I may have just been very unlucky, but it's put me right off.
It turned into an absolute money pit. Numerous overheating problems, new radiator, temp gauage, thermostat, on board computer probs, new air flow meeter, never idled properly and was always hunting, power steering pump packing in and the final straw was when the head gasket went. All this on a family owned, late 90's car with about 80k miles on the clock and a decent service history.
It's also a boxer engine, so to change the head gasket, or in fact do pretty much any work on the engine, you have to take the thing out of the car, which means more workshop time and more $$'s.
On the plus side, they are all wheel drive which I absolutely love. That said, there are a lot of unsealed roads over here, so it does make a huge difference.
P.S. Apparently the Legacys are built in America, so don't expect the same build quality to be the same as the likes of the Imprezza. Haven't actually looked into this, so don't know for def, but been told by several people that's where they're built.
Unlucky, but hardly typical. It turned into an absolute money pit. Numerous overheating problems, new radiator, temp gauage, thermostat, on board computer probs, new air flow meeter, never idled properly and was always hunting, power steering pump packing in and the final straw was when the head gasket went. All this on a family owned, late 90's car with about 80k miles on the clock and a decent service history.
It's also a boxer engine, so to change the head gasket, or in fact do pretty much any work on the engine, you have to take the thing out of the car, which means more workshop time and more $$'s.
On the plus side, they are all wheel drive which I absolutely love. That said, there are a lot of unsealed roads over here, so it does make a huge difference.
P.S. Apparently the Legacys are built in America, so don't expect the same build quality to be the same as the likes of the Imprezza. Haven't actually looked into this, so don't know for def, but been told by several people that's where they're built.
Edited by Forum Ninja on Tuesday 25th May 02:23
Owned them for years in my family. As I said, 97 2.2 woth 320 on the clock, an 00 Outback 2.5 with 210 on the clock and an 04 Outback with 170 on the clock. None of them have had any issue at all. I don't own one now, but have the use of a 09 Forester as a work car. Great cars and very reliable for the majority of owners.
There was one version of the Legacy built in the US called the Legacy classic - built for the US postal service as a RHD. This was around 98/99 and was the Gen 2 shape. All others have and are built in Japan.
Neh mind, these things happen.
hmmm decisions decisions,id like to think id go for subaru but i feel like i should go audi for 2 reasons,one being the fuel economy ive heard the subs are a beast on fuel and surely the 1.8turbo would be less juicy and another being with ninja in the fact that the engine is on its side and would be an arse to work on.i do most of my own mechanics if i can but when the headgasket went on my 323 about a month ago i wasnt going to tackle that as you need some specialist tools on the double vanos engine and mechanics were qouting around a grand to do it. so i think a 1.8 engine would be probably easier to work on rather than a sidewards one or perhaps you know different.did you change all those things on you subaru ninja or pay someone?? other cars that i looked at before id wittled it down to these 2 was the jeep cherokee they are quite cheap now but what put me off was the fact they are a american b big and heavy c american hah ha,and of course the range rover 2.5 diesel but again ive heard about the air suspension on them being hugely expensive and the engine although bmw just doesnt power the heavy beast enough.
dont worry its manual i have experience with the audi or zf auto gearboxes i bought an 97 a8 and the gearbox went cost me 1800 to have the box rebuilt without the vat.i am still undecided about which large estate i want and was thinking again about subaru legacy theres a 2.5 manual 1999 111k on it.but ive also been reading about there unreliable headgaskets which has put me off.yet another car has come to my attention which is honda civic aerodeck but i dont think the boot is that big or the space behind drivers seat.anyone watching england? dont think we"ll win world cup if we have to rely on japan to score for us.hahha
My last car was a 98 A6 1.8T and lovely and smooth as it was it was incredibly gutless. So gutless in fact that I personally wouldn't want to own one again. It was nice in a waft along on the motorway way, but zero fun at all if you wanted to press on.
It just wouldn't pull in top gear and on steep hills with 4 people in the car you would often have to keep changing down gear.
It just wouldn't pull in top gear and on steep hills with 4 people in the car you would often have to keep changing down gear.
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff