Subaru Legacy, 2005 vs. 2010

I'm going to look at a pair of Subaru Legacys today. Both are non turbo automatics. I know that they are completely different cars.

Car 1- 2005 2.5i Limited, 80k miles, leather, sunroof, receipts, etc. Owned by a female doctor.

Car 2- 2010 2.5, 117k miles, cloth interior. Owned by a male college student who can no longer afford the loan.

GO!...

Well one of them is an ugly bloated mess and the other is a nice looking sedan. So theres that.

Pretend it's getting close to Last Call. Looks aren't terribly important with this car.

110k on 3 year old male college student car worries me. Even with last call beer goggles.

Both should have had timing belt already. I hate the cvt in the 2010s but that might just be a personal preference thing. Engines are basically the same.

Everything about the 2005 is better. Everything. It's even a better color.

Go with the 2005. Nicer looking car. Looks like it has more options. Also it was probably kept up a little better. College Student car always worries me.

There is absolutely nothing that would make me buy the 2010 over the 2005 in this case.

I agree. The 2005 is way better looking and the college student scares me. I had forgotten that the new ones have a CVT, which I despise with the white hot intensity of a thousand Suns. Thank you GRM.

2005 all the way. They ruined that car with the 2010 redesign. It went from one of the best looking sedans ever conceived to a bloated caricature with headlights for fenders. I've been in a couple of 05-09 cars, and they are nice, maybe even nicer than the newer ones.

Also, the 2005-09 cars are likely cheaper to insure and parts availability is better. One thing to consider: that 2005 at 80k is almost due for a timing belt. Factor that repair into the cost of the car.

Also factor in headgaskets, which start to leak around 110k to 130k. The symptoms are external oil and coolant leaks. When the gaskets first start to leak you'll only smell the coolant - no drips. That's the first sign..

Other than that they are great, reliable cars.

I would definitely check the build date on the 2005. Subaru timing belts are 105k miles or 105 months. Seeing as how that 2005 was most likely made in 2004 I would think a timing belt could be a good negotiating tool.

series8217 wrote: Also factor in headgaskets, which start to leak around 110k to 130k. The symptoms are external oil and coolant leaks. When the gaskets first start to leak you'll only smell the coolant - no drips. That's the first sign.. Other than that they are great, reliable cars.

Did the 2005-later cars still have this problem? I thought they re-designed the 2.5L by that point to mitigate that issue. If it was a turbo car, there are a whole other list of issues that I can rattle off, but I thought these were generally solid.

The 2005

SilverFleet wrote:

series8217 wrote: Also factor in headgaskets, which start to leak around 110k to 130k. The symptoms are external oil and coolant leaks. When the gaskets first start to leak you'll only smell the coolant - no drips. That's the first sign.. Other than that they are great, reliable cars.

Did the 2005-later cars still have this problem? I thought they re-designed the 2.5L by that point to mitigate that issue. If it was a turbo car, there are a whole other list of issues that I can rattle off, but I thought these were generally solid.

I don't think it's AS bad as the old ones, but head gaskets are still very common. We see them start letting go at 80-100k frequently.

110k mile, college student owned, can no longer afford the loan.... does not inspire confidence in the maintenance history...

my friend had a 2005 or 2006 legacy and it required some bushings up front at that time frame. That's about all I got. I'd make sure you are OK from a brake, suspension, and timing belt standpoint. Otherwise, the older one looks like a better deal.

SilverFleet wrote:

series8217 wrote: Also factor in headgaskets, which start to leak around 110k to 130k. The symptoms are external oil and coolant leaks. When the gaskets first start to leak you'll only smell the coolant - no drips. That's the first sign.. Other than that they are great, reliable cars.

Did the 2005-later cars still have this problem? I thought they re-designed the 2.5L by that point to mitigate that issue. If it was a turbo car, there are a whole other list of issues that I can rattle off, but I thought these were generally solid.

YES they very much still have head gasket problems. You must factor it into your decision to buy. The problem is so common and widespread that I would consider just doing the head gaskets along with the timing belt replacement as preventative maintenance. As the 05+ cars get older it's happening more and more.

In reply to SilverFleet

it can happen, it was the previous generation that has this problem

EDIT: don't forget this car has a thick layer of boring to protect the headgasket

UPDATE:

Drove the 2005. Bought the 2005.

It's not perfect, but it didn't stink inside, which has recently become major concern following several days of used car shopping. It has a spot of sloppy paint work on the hood, but aside from that the body is very nice. Interior is very nice. Seemed to drive perfectly. There is a small leak at the rear diff, but I can take care of that. It will need a mid-pipe in the exhaust before too long. Everything looked good under the hood.

I was negotiating with the seller's mother, which made it a little tricky. They were asking $9600. I offered $8000. We eventually found our way to $8800 and we drove it home.

I'm pleased with it and I am happy to be done with car shopping for cars that aren't any fun.

13 for the win!!!

Build Thread/General Refreshening pending...

Good looking car.

Thanks!