RE: Subaru Legacy Estate | Shed Buying Guide

[PomBstard]

big_rob_sydney said:

I've just been given a chance to get a company car, but they've put a few rules in place for me. One of them is that it has to be < 7 years old.

I can worry about the rest of it later, but which variant would be the most fun in the 2012 + versions? I had a quick look, and they all look "nice", but none really look very...raw.

I don't want to look at other brands either, but am basically after something that has plenty of luggage space, so a wagon of some sort, but ideally it has to be fun. Foz STI?

Suggestions?

I’ve got a 2012MY13 Liberty GT wagon with the 6-sp manual. Not as much fun or as nice to sit in as the 2005 GT I had previously but has so far proved utterly reliable in 2.5 years and is probably quicker in real world driving - torquier 2.5 v peaky 2.0 engine. Also comes with Bilsteins as standard.

The 2.5 can be enhanced without blowing it up, so have a drive in one and see whether it works for you.

I really don’t know what I’ll replace it with - just feels great to drive everywhere, and plenty big enough for a family of five, for now...

My experiences here...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Edited by PomBstard on Monday 24th June 06:22

[big_rob_sydney]

Thanks for that. I just read your linked post (was that a photo near Manly beach or similar?).

I've been looking on Autotrader for 2012 + cars, and I cant seem to find a turbo version here in the UK. I get it you're in Aus and they're Legacies, and some slight differences in available variants might exist, but I'm a bit surprised I cant get even a JDM import here. Maybe I need to wait a few weeks and look again.

[rastapasta]

In 2015. I hadnt a clue what to buy but knew I needed 4wd and an estate living in alpine Switzerland. I looked around me and every other car here is a subaru. Then it clicked with me about the Legacy (I also remembered watching Niall Maguire and Richard Burns rallying them). I bought a 2014 model with 17,000km on the clock. Its the 2.5i model with about 180bhp. I wasnt gone on the looks but when was there ever a nice looking subaru. I wanted a white one but there was none available matching all the other criteria. Thats the only thing i would change.

When I was looking for one our garage man warned us off the diesel version. He said that quite a few had been sold in Switzerland and they have a poor reputation for reliability relative to the petrol model which is 'tried and tested' with the same engine going into the Impreza Forrester XV for the Swiss market. I do about 30,000km a year and the car has not missed a beat since i bought it at one year old in August 2015. Its now a 112,000km having been put into semi retirement with my wife now driving it with the kids in tow. The comfort and standard equipment levels are very very high. I can highly recommend it in this regard. The Bluetooth is a bit fiddly to set up and there are some build quality issues such as the boot cargo cover having a clip that falls off every time you use it and the cup holders having a partition piece that comes out whenever you but a large water bottle in it. In terms of petrol use, the tank has a range of 800km and I would do about 650km per week. So I fill it every week and it costs with todays prices 80chf per week or a little less. Thats about 80e give or take. But all that is only minor in the overall context. Service is every 15000km. Do not neglect this and make sure the previous Owner has not either., especially if you do plump for the diesel. Cabin noise is quite low but then you miss a little of the boxer burble. I miss it in the winter anyway as I have to run winter tyres which are super hard super noisy but work well on the snow and Ice. Also I would go for 16" alloys. The arches may look a bit starved but your back will be glad of it as the suspension is a touch on the hard side. Handling is quite good but the steering can lack a little bit of 'feel'. The Awd system lets you really push it into the corners and it grips forever. Torque isnt particularly great but they have a good top end. The Manual gearbox is notchy at first and takes some getting used to. But honestly they are beasts on the road and will conceivably allow you in poor road conditions to leave the posse behind. In normal conditions they are not the fastest on the road but certainly not the slowest. They are quite hard to drive with the Awd in traffic as its a permanent system and so the car can be quite jumpy at low speeds. But otherwise the system is simpler and yet far far superior than the Haldex systems on for example VW group cars. Oh and by the way, the cops in the alps drive them (see below):

[rastapasta]

InfamousK said:

I presume I'm correct in my thinking that these don't come with isofix?

New ones do. I have a 2014 model one with ISOFIX

[RowntreesCabana]

BuzzBravado said:

On a side note, i have just looked at Forster STI prices on Ebay and its completely nuts.

Edited by BuzzBravado on Friday 21st June 09:51

Compared to a lot of things at the moment, they're not too badly priced. £7-10k for a fresh import doesn't seem too bad when you look at the classic car market, there's a thread on here with a Celica GT Four for £17k,an old CRX's are now pushing north of £10k. Just look at the price of 944 Turbo's over the last 5 years. The worlds gone mad, but I don't think Forester STi's prices are that nuts.

[PomBstard]

big_rob_sydney said:

Thanks for that. I just read your linked post (was that a photo near Manly beach or similar?).

I've been looking on Autotrader for 2012 + cars, and I cant seem to find a turbo version here in the UK. I get it you're in Aus and they're Legacies, and some slight differences in available variants might exist, but I'm a bit surprised I cant get even a JDM import here. Maybe I need to wait a few weeks and look again.

Picture of four Subarus parked in a row? Yep, Manly sea front

There was a Spotted thread on here a while ago (12-18 months ago?) which might shed some light on availability, otherwise perhaps try the legacyuk forum.

Its worth noting that its not anything like as raw as the older versions - as well as the Gen4 GT wagon I've also had a Gen3 2.5RX wagon - and its a much larger, softer, more accommodating car than the Impreza so any comparisons to a WRX aren't really what this car is about. However its still only about 1550kg, so is probably lighter than others in its class too.

Its probably worth having a look again for one. Even the basic 2.0i is worth a quick spin to check it fits as it still rides and handles well, even if the engine is gutless and the CVT gearbox awful - we had one as a hire car in NZ and the family really enjoyed Daddy's driving from Queenstown to Wanaka and back...

[big_rob_sydney]

PomBstard said:

Picture of four Subarus parked in a row? Yep, Manly sea front

There was a Spotted thread on here a while ago (12-18 months ago?) which might shed some light on availability, otherwise perhaps try the legacyuk forum.

Its worth noting that its not anything like as raw as the older versions - as well as the Gen4 GT wagon I've also had a Gen3 2.5RX wagon - and its a much larger, softer, more accommodating car than the Impreza so any comparisons to a WRX aren't really what this car is about. However its still only about 1550kg, so is probably lighter than others in its class too.

Its probably worth having a look again for one. Even the basic 2.0i is worth a quick spin to check it fits as it still rides and handles well, even if the engine is gutless and the CVT gearbox awful - we had one as a hire car in NZ and the family really enjoyed Daddy's driving from Queenstown to Wanaka and back...

Ha! I thought that was Manly or Queenscliff, just from the facade of the properties. We normally live in Dee Why, and miss the old place terribly.

Yes, the weight is much less than rivals, and theres also a thriving tuner community if that tickles anyone's fancy. I do like the idea of a JDM Legacy.