I like subaru wagons. But i have zero experience with them.
Dad is looking at a first car for my youngest brother. Currently comparing an 08 Legacy Outback, and an 08 Impreza 2.5i hatchback. Both around 80k miles on them. Wikipedia tells me these still had standard automatic transmissions, which to me is a plus vs. a CVT. for simplicitys sake.
Thats about all I know. What should we look out for with this generation Legacy and Impreza models?
Make sure the timing belts have been kept up on, that's for sure.
'05 and up are drive-by-wire. Very laggy as is from the factory, but they can be tuned for better sensitivity and reaction times.
Spark plugs are a major P.I.T.A with the 3.0.
In reply to SlickDizzy:
and coolant service.
80k is about the time both the belt and a full coolant service are due, so dont expect them to have been done by the seller in that range and use that to lever the price a bit.
I think the rear hub/bearings are a common problem. Needed mine at ~100K on my 2005 Legacy sedan. For whatever reason it seams to each lightbulbs like popcorn. But other than that it is a very trusty steed.
Timing belts at 105K intervals are necessary.
Legacy/Outback vs Impreza: I like the seating position in my car over an Impreza, the seats are sort of low in the Impreza, but I am getting old so take that with a grain of salt. But the Impreza hatchback falls into my just right size category.
Threadjack question for The_Jed - what is involved in changing the lagginess (which is one of the few things I dislike on this car.) Do you need one of those booster devices for the DBW or can a tuner adjust the sensitivity of the pedal.
In reply to GTwannaB:
I've researched a bit and found a lot of positive chatter about romraider. More power, better responsiveness and increased mpgs. But that's as far as I've gone with it. My money keeps getting syphoned off by medical bills, so I can't buy E36 M3 right now, but that's another story.
My '05 OBXT hasn't needed anything major that wasn't a scheduled/wear item like brakes or a timing belt. I have noticed a need to buy low beam bulbs more often than other cars I've had, but nothing crazy. If I had to do over, I'd skip the outback and go for a legacy gt for the improved handling. With my driveway during winter however, the extra ground clearance is nice sometimes.
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