Subaru Legacy GT Tuned by STI
Discussion
I sold this a couple of years back and regretted it the very minute it was driven away. More so, now values have risen along with the fact that "they don't make them like they used to" and my opinion that cars are becoming increasingly boring.
I said I would get another, but, to get in to something comparable, I would be looking at spending the best part of £20k and if I am honest, while it would hold its value, to me, it wouldn't feel good value given what they have sold for in the past and what else can be purchased that is considerably better in terms of performance, for that price.
Anyhow, I always check Autotrader a couple of times a day, for cars within a 30 mile radius to see if anything stands out and this popped up on Monday night and by Tuesday evening the car was on my drive.
Car is in exceptional condition.
It was a grade 4.5, imported in 2019 by Torque GT and undersealed on arrival and has held up very well. It has been very well looked after, in terms of servicing.
It has some ridiculously expensive Ohlins coilovers on it, as well as a Fujitsubo Legalis exhaust.
Plans are an oil change, before a cambelt service next year and to Lanoguard the underneath.
Overall, really pleased with the car.
I said I would get another, but, to get in to something comparable, I would be looking at spending the best part of £20k and if I am honest, while it would hold its value, to me, it wouldn't feel good value given what they have sold for in the past and what else can be purchased that is considerably better in terms of performance, for that price.
Anyhow, I always check Autotrader a couple of times a day, for cars within a 30 mile radius to see if anything stands out and this popped up on Monday night and by Tuesday evening the car was on my drive.
Car is in exceptional condition.
It was a grade 4.5, imported in 2019 by Torque GT and undersealed on arrival and has held up very well. It has been very well looked after, in terms of servicing.
It has some ridiculously expensive Ohlins coilovers on it, as well as a Fujitsubo Legalis exhaust.
Plans are an oil change, before a cambelt service next year and to Lanoguard the underneath.
Overall, really pleased with the car.
Edited by MattsCar on Thursday 16th March 20:54
Thanks for the comments.
To be honest, I am not overly clued up about it. From what I have gathered, it has various tweaks by STI to improve the handling along with huge uprated Brembo calipers.
It is a rare thing and that, I am aware of. Don't quite know numbers but a manual estate with the STI upgrades is apparently what people want and is the least common.
The Ohlins are great, very compliant, refined but also tight when pressing on.
MDMA, I read your readers car prior to purchasing, which was useful/inspiring.
The colour is pearl blue and looks fantastic in the light.
Cambs stu...the 3.0 did appeal and I would have one as the sound is great, but, I really wanted a turbo.
This has been remapped to 290 bhp which is within the limits of the gearbox and goes like a scalded cat. Very little lag as well and a very linear power delivery.
To be honest, I am not overly clued up about it. From what I have gathered, it has various tweaks by STI to improve the handling along with huge uprated Brembo calipers.
It is a rare thing and that, I am aware of. Don't quite know numbers but a manual estate with the STI upgrades is apparently what people want and is the least common.
The Ohlins are great, very compliant, refined but also tight when pressing on.
MDMA, I read your readers car prior to purchasing, which was useful/inspiring.
The colour is pearl blue and looks fantastic in the light.
Cambs stu...the 3.0 did appeal and I would have one as the sound is great, but, I really wanted a turbo.
This has been remapped to 290 bhp which is within the limits of the gearbox and goes like a scalded cat. Very little lag as well and a very linear power delivery.
simonjj67 said:
My stepson nearly bought this ( and really should have) and whilst looking into it found a couple of links giving a bit more information. - all good by the way.
May be of interest to you..
https://www.torque-gt.co.uk/blog/post/modified-leg...
https://www.type-ra.com/subaru-forum/threads/subar...
Impressive digging, i spent the night before buying trying to find information on the car by searching the number plate and only managed to find the sale post by the original owner which you have included.May be of interest to you..
https://www.torque-gt.co.uk/blog/post/modified-leg...
https://www.type-ra.com/subaru-forum/threads/subar...
It's nice to have the original blog of when it came to this country, I will print it off and add it to the service history.
Those Ohlins are not cheap! I am guessing £2,500+ worth. On a side note, the previous owner said that when he first got the car, the suspension was not setup to his satisfaction, so this was done at a cost of £800.
They are indeed very good value.
And the standard GT model even more so, which I can't imagine being THAT different to the Tuned by STI I have, in most circumstances.
From what I have seen, you will get into a decent standard car with an auto box for £6k ish and manuals typically command £1-2k more.
I haven't driven the Auto, so can't comment on it. But...for me I wasn't going to take a risk on how good it would be or whether "it suited the car" or my driving. I know the 5 speed that I had in my Impreza and really liked the way it felt and it feels even better in the legacy. A really nice feeling gear shift, nice and precise, although basically limited to 300bhp.
The Ohlins are superb and it is nice to know that they can be refurbished. Like mentioned, it the dampening characteristics that really shine. I have brand new BC coilovers on my MX5 and they are fantastic, however they don't quite have the same smoothness over roads.
One thing I am going to look into is a White line uprated front and rear anti roll bar kit along with shortened drop links. Having installed them on my MX5 I know it will sharpen up the ride. But...not just yet.
Bar the "ok" fuel consumption...it really is the perfect everyday car. Driving through the rain tonight on country roads, the car felt absolutely nailed to the road and it is a really comfy place to be.
And the standard GT model even more so, which I can't imagine being THAT different to the Tuned by STI I have, in most circumstances.
From what I have seen, you will get into a decent standard car with an auto box for £6k ish and manuals typically command £1-2k more.
I haven't driven the Auto, so can't comment on it. But...for me I wasn't going to take a risk on how good it would be or whether "it suited the car" or my driving. I know the 5 speed that I had in my Impreza and really liked the way it felt and it feels even better in the legacy. A really nice feeling gear shift, nice and precise, although basically limited to 300bhp.
The Ohlins are superb and it is nice to know that they can be refurbished. Like mentioned, it the dampening characteristics that really shine. I have brand new BC coilovers on my MX5 and they are fantastic, however they don't quite have the same smoothness over roads.
One thing I am going to look into is a White line uprated front and rear anti roll bar kit along with shortened drop links. Having installed them on my MX5 I know it will sharpen up the ride. But...not just yet.
Bar the "ok" fuel consumption...it really is the perfect everyday car. Driving through the rain tonight on country roads, the car felt absolutely nailed to the road and it is a really comfy place to be.
T2GF, sorry, I missed your reply and thanks for the information.
They were definitely available in manual though!
"It's also quite fun to stomp on the loud pedal at lights and blow off some of our European friends in their VAGs and the local McDonalds crew in their Fiesta ST's."
Yes, it suprises a few people for sure. However, I don't WOT it in first and by the time you shift to 3rd, you are doing licence losing speeds, not really suited to the roads around my local McDonalds.
The impreza I had before, while roughly the same sort of overall speed, was more of a point and squirt machine, with the turbo coming in at less RPM.
They were definitely available in manual though!
"It's also quite fun to stomp on the loud pedal at lights and blow off some of our European friends in their VAGs and the local McDonalds crew in their Fiesta ST's."
Yes, it suprises a few people for sure. However, I don't WOT it in first and by the time you shift to 3rd, you are doing licence losing speeds, not really suited to the roads around my local McDonalds.
The impreza I had before, while roughly the same sort of overall speed, was more of a point and squirt machine, with the turbo coming in at less RPM.
Edited by MattsCar on Friday 24th March 11:27
trails said:
MattsCar said:
Cambs_Stuart said:
Wishbone bushes don't last that long, arb bushes also go fairly quickly. All fairly easy to replace and parts are available from ICP.
Will have a look once on a ramp. I am guessing the coilovers will have reduced the life of a few perishables after 20k miles.Drop links are noisy buggers on crappy roads if they are shot.
Anyhow, i have kind of warned my chap that it will be with him at some point in the next few months. He mentioned that he is good friends with...
https://mickgardnerracing.com/
...who can rebuild the shocks.
They are 4 years old, with 20k miles on them, so are probably ok, however, if the suspension components are being dismantled, it is probably worth doing for the sake of whatever it costs.
One other thing. I do not like the exhausts. Yes, they are very high quality etc and they introduce absolutely no sound whatsoever in to the cabin (how they do that is unbelievable). But they look terrible.
I am thinking of selling and switching back to stock. Which I reckon if done wisely, might net me a bit of profit.
Edited by MattsCar on Monday 27th March 20:51
Had the car a good few months now and all is well.
The knocking noise from the front turned out to be anti roll bar bushings...£20 later all sorted and 0 noises. I also replaced the drop links as well.
Car was also treated to a coolant flush along with new engine oil, gearbox oil and diff oil using Millers stuff.
All brake pads have been replaced with Godspeed Kevlar pads, replacing the YellowStuff that were on there. They are great pads and produce a fraction of the dust of the EBC's, which turned the wheels black after just a few miles.
Now, I do love my music and appreciate a good sound. The owner had spend what I gather over £1k having a nice Kenwood Double Din android and some speakers fitted by "professionals". However, it sounded shockingly bad. This weekend i decided to have a look, behind the door panels, see if there was anything glaringly obvious and maybe make some tweaks. Obviously, I had no intention of removing anything...
we are not going down the road of a full install again.
So...rear doors off....
This is quite honestly the worst speaker install I have ever seen and I am amazed that a company like this operates.
Firstly, the speakers are running from a headunit...so there is no need for £250 worth of Focal Flax speakers. Good up sell to the previous owner no doubt.
Secondly, when you install them, make sure the door card isn't resting on the front of them, stopping the cone moving. Luckily, the speakers are fine and have not been damaged, I put them in the hot sun yesterday and luckily the rubber surround has reformed back to normal.
See below of when they came out the car.
Finally, the sound deadening was laughable. It literally peeled off in one go. I think they had used roof flashing ffs. The speaker connection was just as laughable, a few spade terminals loosely stuck in to the factory plug.
The front doors were essentially the same in terms of terrible installation, however, behind them lurked a rather nice pair of Alpine component speakers.
So, I am now left with a Legacy with no speakers installed. But, i have a Headunit that can run a 2 way active system and some very good Focal component speakers. I also have a subwoofer in the garage, but not a 6 channel amplifier, which would allow for a very simple system, with 2 channels running the tweeters, 2 channels running the midrange and the remaining 2 channels running the subwoofer.
Anything "new", i.e the latest/current range, in terms of 6 channel amplifiers, costs a pretty penny. I did get lucky though, very lucky, thanks to Facebook Marketplace.
I managed to find a very high quality ADS 6 channel Powerplate amplifier, brand new old stock for a stupidly cheap price. While I was there, i also picked up an 8 channel version and then 2x 4 channel versions. You can never have too many amplifiers.
They really are superbly made bits of kit. Old School, high end stuff, they don't make them like they used to!
The plan is pretty simple, a very good quality install, using decent speaker wiring and terminals, along with some proper sound deadening in the front doors and MDF speaker rings to ensure the speakers are mounted correctly. I will also try my best to hide everything, so if you looked at the car, you couldn't tell what was in it.
The amplifier is only 6x 50wrms. It is not going to be earth shatteringly loud, however, i don't want it to be as the Legacy is not a good starting point for a loud stereo. What is will be, is an excellent sounding, well balanced system that will be a joy to listen to.
The knocking noise from the front turned out to be anti roll bar bushings...£20 later all sorted and 0 noises. I also replaced the drop links as well.
Car was also treated to a coolant flush along with new engine oil, gearbox oil and diff oil using Millers stuff.
All brake pads have been replaced with Godspeed Kevlar pads, replacing the YellowStuff that were on there. They are great pads and produce a fraction of the dust of the EBC's, which turned the wheels black after just a few miles.
Now, I do love my music and appreciate a good sound. The owner had spend what I gather over £1k having a nice Kenwood Double Din android and some speakers fitted by "professionals". However, it sounded shockingly bad. This weekend i decided to have a look, behind the door panels, see if there was anything glaringly obvious and maybe make some tweaks. Obviously, I had no intention of removing anything...
we are not going down the road of a full install again.So...rear doors off....
This is quite honestly the worst speaker install I have ever seen and I am amazed that a company like this operates.
Firstly, the speakers are running from a headunit...so there is no need for £250 worth of Focal Flax speakers. Good up sell to the previous owner no doubt.
Secondly, when you install them, make sure the door card isn't resting on the front of them, stopping the cone moving. Luckily, the speakers are fine and have not been damaged, I put them in the hot sun yesterday and luckily the rubber surround has reformed back to normal.
See below of when they came out the car.
Finally, the sound deadening was laughable. It literally peeled off in one go. I think they had used roof flashing ffs. The speaker connection was just as laughable, a few spade terminals loosely stuck in to the factory plug.
The front doors were essentially the same in terms of terrible installation, however, behind them lurked a rather nice pair of Alpine component speakers.
So, I am now left with a Legacy with no speakers installed. But, i have a Headunit that can run a 2 way active system and some very good Focal component speakers. I also have a subwoofer in the garage, but not a 6 channel amplifier, which would allow for a very simple system, with 2 channels running the tweeters, 2 channels running the midrange and the remaining 2 channels running the subwoofer.
Anything "new", i.e the latest/current range, in terms of 6 channel amplifiers, costs a pretty penny. I did get lucky though, very lucky, thanks to Facebook Marketplace.
I managed to find a very high quality ADS 6 channel Powerplate amplifier, brand new old stock for a stupidly cheap price. While I was there, i also picked up an 8 channel version and then 2x 4 channel versions. You can never have too many amplifiers.
They really are superbly made bits of kit. Old School, high end stuff, they don't make them like they used to!
The plan is pretty simple, a very good quality install, using decent speaker wiring and terminals, along with some proper sound deadening in the front doors and MDF speaker rings to ensure the speakers are mounted correctly. I will also try my best to hide everything, so if you looked at the car, you couldn't tell what was in it.
The amplifier is only 6x 50wrms. It is not going to be earth shatteringly loud, however, i don't want it to be as the Legacy is not a good starting point for a loud stereo. What is will be, is an excellent sounding, well balanced system that will be a joy to listen to.
Having now sorted the front speakers, replacing with some new ones, the improvement has been huge.
However, I have decided to put the car up for sale.
It is a great car, but, it does not fit in on my current driveway.
I already have an estate car that i use for work and the plan was to replace the Volvo with the Legacy. However, the Volvo has just had the best part of £1k spent on it and it continues to be a very dependable workhorse that does fantastic MPG and is in a condition where I would not fret about leaving it anywhere, chucking any work related items in the back or driving in the winter on salted roads, none of which would apply to the Legacy. It is far too nice for that.
I also have a Mazda MX5 used for fun and to have a second estate as a 2nd fun car, does not really make sense, especially when I would not drive it in the winter and have no storage.
Anyhow, a few pics of it before I listed for sale.
I have listed it on PH (am i allowed to share a link?). Price is negotiable.
However, I have decided to put the car up for sale.
It is a great car, but, it does not fit in on my current driveway.
I already have an estate car that i use for work and the plan was to replace the Volvo with the Legacy. However, the Volvo has just had the best part of £1k spent on it and it continues to be a very dependable workhorse that does fantastic MPG and is in a condition where I would not fret about leaving it anywhere, chucking any work related items in the back or driving in the winter on salted roads, none of which would apply to the Legacy. It is far too nice for that.
I also have a Mazda MX5 used for fun and to have a second estate as a 2nd fun car, does not really make sense, especially when I would not drive it in the winter and have no storage.
Anyhow, a few pics of it before I listed for sale.
I have listed it on PH (am i allowed to share a link?). Price is negotiable.
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