2003+ Legacy GT WAGON: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Oct. 29, 2009 3:20 p.m. PHeller HalfDork

I was thinking about what kinda car I might want after college, and as much as I like the luxury of a 90's 7-Series, Mercedes, Audi or even Nissan Q, I'm not sure I'll want to have to pay to fix them. The Audi is appealing because something like an A6 or older A8 would be very spacious, kinda sporty (Volkswagen tuners galore) and offer AWD for driving during the winter. Since I will only want one car, driving year round would be advantageous.

So then I got to thinking about something like a WRX or STI. Both of which I love, but they lack the upscale interior of the previous cars I listed.

Then I remember the Legacy GT Wagons. Turbocharged, AWD, tons of a space and a really nice interior.

What else do I need to consider in this day dream? I'll probably just end up driving my 240SX until it blows up, or getting something good on gas for the commute, but a day-dream is a day-dream.
Oct. 29, 2009 3:32 p.m. mtn SuperDork

Its one of my dream practical cars as well.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/finally-found-and-bought-the-car-ive-be...
Oct. 29, 2009 3:43 p.m. Nashco SuperDork

They're great cars, we've considered upgrading from the Saabaru Aero (kind of like an '05 WRX wagon with a few nicer bits) to a Legacy GT Wagon. Keep the turbo, AWD, 5 speed Subaru wagon and upgrade to a slightly nicer car with a little more room. However, we really like the size of the Impreza/Saabaru, we don't have enough reason to justify the bigger car in exchange for selling our unicorn to hunt for another unicorn. The 5 speeds are really tough to come by, especially with all the options the way we'd want them.

Bryce
Oct. 29, 2009 3:48 p.m. Strizzo SuperDork

the only year for the LGT wagon with a stick was 05. i believe the sedans got the turbo/5speed one or two more years, but they didn't get the folding rear seat until 07, and no aux input till 08, iirc.

i found ONE LGT 5spd wagon in all of the south, the other two were in nebraska and colorado.
Oct. 29, 2009 4:09 p.m. PeterAK Dork

So far I'm totally loving my car that the link above is about. There are a few design things that I preferred in the E36 that it replaced, but overall, very happy with the move.

Up 'till 2005 they got the NA 2.5 liter. 2005 got the turbo 2.5 with manual option, 2006, all wagons are auto but the sedans still got the five speed.

True, no MP3 input from the factory and the head unit and climate control are all on one panel. There is a JDM part that has a double din opening instead of a head unit but it's a bit pricey. With the factory option sub I'm happy with the sound though. There are two options for tapping into the head unit to add an aux in and they are pretty inexpensive. They require opening the head unit but only soldering one wire to the board. Would be great to use one of those with the Harmon Kardon Drive and Play or whatever it's called. Put the iPod in the glove box, mount the HK display in the little cubby in the dash, and have all your music at your fingertips.

My only real complaint about the car is that if I launch it from a start the sun shade slides open. Gotta find a way to add some friction to the slider.

I like this car more than I liked my 2003 WRX. Maybe it's because I'm a little older now. I do think it handles better than the WRX did, but I never got around to replacing the RE92's that came on the WRX. A little bigger. A little more refined. Interior quality is quite a bit better than the WRX was.

I give it a thumbs up as an all purpose car for daily driving by an enthusiast.