subaru legacy buying advice
Discussion
Hello all,
I'm thinking of changing my car to a legacy outback, I don't know a great deal about them so i would appreciate any snippet of advise that you have.
What I will be looking for will need to be around the £7.5k mark (a 2002/2003 model?)
I am also thinking about the 2.5 engine, over the 3.0 one as I do a fair amount of miles.
so, any advice/experiences/what to look out for etc, would be hugely appreciated
many thanks
scott.
I'm thinking of changing my car to a legacy outback, I don't know a great deal about them so i would appreciate any snippet of advise that you have.
What I will be looking for will need to be around the £7.5k mark (a 2002/2003 model?)
I am also thinking about the 2.5 engine, over the 3.0 one as I do a fair amount of miles.
so, any advice/experiences/what to look out for etc, would be hugely appreciated
many thanks
scott.
Great cars, not much around to compete with them really. The 2.5 has a bit less grunt than the 3.0 but also uses a good bit less fuel and apparently has a nicer handling balance with less weight up front. Not a huge difference between Legacy and Outback to decide between them, Outback has the extra clearance while a Legacy wagon will have a bit less roll. The magazines actually often found the Outback more fun to drive because you could slide it round a bit more.
edit for apparent dyslexia
Edited by GravelBen on Monday 10th December 22:53
Ben....It must be good to have all that extra clearance when negotiating mountains of sheep sh1t 
Scooters.... Outback is a nice looking car though and has a mighty boot. Great choice if you have some rough tracks and the odd muddy/rutted greenlane or fields to contend with. Did you not think about the Forester maybe. It looks to be even higher off the ground than the outback or maybe it's just an optical illusion however, the 2.5XT Forester is as quick as the Impreza WRX, and to me it looks a bit more rugged than the outback.
Scooters.... Outback is a nice looking car though and has a mighty boot. Great choice if you have some rough tracks and the odd muddy/rutted greenlane or fields to contend with. Did you not think about the Forester maybe. It looks to be even higher off the ground than the outback or maybe it's just an optical illusion however, the 2.5XT Forester is as quick as the Impreza WRX, and to me it looks a bit more rugged than the outback.
Naaah I use the work Hilux for that! 
Outback is a top motor. We have a 2.5SE (54) as a family wagon, and I can't fault it. the 3 litre likes a drink apparently but we get mid 30's mpg on long runs fully loaded up, which I don't think is too bad. The whole pony club raised suspension (self leveling) has it's advantages sometimes due to the ground clearance. Only problem has been a hot spot on the fly wheel (judders a bit when cold). Subaru replaced it and the clutch even though it had done 50K all on waranty!
Phil.
Phil.
I have a 53 2.5 and get between 31-34mpg.
Nice car, it has some poke but not masses, lovely car for powering down the motorway and I thoroughly enjoy it through the twisty stuff especially in the wet when it still feels planted.
I've not had any problems yet over my first years motoring with the exception of some incredibly occasional cold start juddering at low speed which the dealers have failed to fix and now its gone away of its own accord.
However my last car was a mk3 MR2 and I'm starting to pine for an Elise!
Nice car, it has some poke but not masses, lovely car for powering down the motorway and I thoroughly enjoy it through the twisty stuff especially in the wet when it still feels planted.
I've not had any problems yet over my first years motoring with the exception of some incredibly occasional cold start juddering at low speed which the dealers have failed to fix and now its gone away of its own accord.
However my last car was a mk3 MR2 and I'm starting to pine for an Elise!
I had a 2-litre Legacy last. It was 2 models older than the one I've got now. I think they call them ->99. Anyway, that managed 28mpg at abslute best. Most often it was little more than 25mpg.
The 3-litre one managed 25mpg on a long trip from home (Redditch) to Hook in Hampshire but I was actually trying to get 25mpg so was driving "Miss Daisy" style.
Normally I get between 19mpg and 23mpg.
Still, I'm doing my bit for warm Summers and watersports.
Edited because I'm still learning my way round a keyboard.
The 3-litre one managed 25mpg on a long trip from home (Redditch) to Hook in Hampshire but I was actually trying to get 25mpg so was driving "Miss Daisy" style.
Normally I get between 19mpg and 23mpg.
Still, I'm doing my bit for warm Summers and watersports.
Edited because I'm still learning my way round a keyboard.
Edited by Mars on Sunday 3rd February 20:07
Mars said:
I had a 2-litre Legacy last. It was 2 models older than the one I've got now. I think they call them ->99. Anyway, that managed 28mpg at abslute best. Most often it was little more than 25mpg.
Best I've had out of my 1997 2.0 Legacy wagon is ~37 mpg average over a 230 mile or so trip. Usually 25-30 is more common from mixed driving (round town, open road, playing).GravelBen said:
Mars said:
I had a 2-litre Legacy last. It was 2 models older than the one I've got now. I think they call them ->99. Anyway, that managed 28mpg at abslute best. Most often it was little more than 25mpg.
Best I've had out of my 1997 2.0 Legacy wagon is ~37 mpg average over a 230 mile or so trip. Usually 25-30 is more common from mixed driving (round town, open road, playing).
ing car back yet.Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I'm hoping for a little advice.
I'm also looking at an Outback - 54(04), manual, SE spec, and this one has 70k miles on the clock.
Is there anything particular to look out for or to be aware of? Any common weak-spots? And given the higher than average mileage, any likely expensive service items around the corner?
Apologies for some numpty questions, but I'm rather new to all things Subaru and would be very grateful for any advice.
Many thanks
Wrighty.
I'm also looking at an Outback - 54(04), manual, SE spec, and this one has 70k miles on the clock.
Is there anything particular to look out for or to be aware of? Any common weak-spots? And given the higher than average mileage, any likely expensive service items around the corner?
Apologies for some numpty questions, but I'm rather new to all things Subaru and would be very grateful for any advice.
Many thanks
Wrighty.
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