Im about to go back on my word and get a legacy, ive never realy rated subarus but all my mates have them and have had no problems. i am looking at a 98 and a 99 twin turbo wagons at the moment both auto and around 150km and look well looked after. Is there any common problems to look out for! Im not to sure about the trans on them and hear of people having problems.
shinra,
Jan 26, 7:49am
they needed factory coolant or the heads gone at 200k odd, the biggest problem would be how many of them get thrashed, peace
monaro17,
Jan 26, 7:51am
Yes the old autos have had bad raps over the years I hate to say it but especially the ones in that model. The larger secondary turbo has caused problems too. I would want to get one with some sort of service history and one that has not been thrashed (as most usually have). Look out for pro-longed white smoke coming from the exhaust as this is a sign of a stuffed turbo
noswalg,
Jan 26, 7:54am
IMO no subaru legacy's aren't really that bad (provided they have had the courtesy of regular maintenance) I am more of a fan of the 3.0 H6 subaru's now though and will be replacing mine with a later model which will make the fourth legacy in a row, all trouble free motoring.
wako789,
Jan 26, 7:59am
Yeah theres not meany that havnt been raped. the 99 is a tiptronic, are they any better! i noticed it took one or two seconds to engauge into drive i dont know if thats normal.it does come with a service history which is a bonus i geus. thanks for your replys
noswalg,
Jan 26, 8:04am
How much are you looking at spending
wako789,
Jan 26, 8:08am
not much over $4500
noswalg,
Jan 26, 8:17am
You probably won't get anything too reliable for that amount, if you do find a tidy one with reasonably low K's spend the extra to get it well checked over by a Subaru experienced mechanic before parting with your hard earned
monaro17,
Jan 26, 8:20am
I see you are in chch. Ask 'submarine spares' they know all about subarus- they will be able to steer you in the right direction as to what to look out for etc
splinter67,
Jan 26, 8:21am
No its not normal it should go into gear straight away
wako789,
Jan 26, 8:27am
hey thanks guys great help!
franc123,
Jan 26, 8:50am
150k is when you should be selling one of those timebombs, not buying, and especially not for that cheap. TT Subarus are made to go very fast but not for very long, they're a highly stressed piece of disposable machinery that should be avoided after 10 years.Look at something else.
franc123,
Jan 26, 8:55am
You found the reason its for sale, delayed selection of Drive is a sign that some internal seals are failing causing slow pressure buildup in the hydraulics , its fixable but not for small change.
tazcsv,
Jan 26, 9:03am
Try for a manual one they are known to be better,i brought my 2002 gtb manual with 100 thou ks 4 years ago and it now has 190 thou ks and has never missed a beat, it gets lots of servicing and not boy racer thrashed.
brokebloke1,
Jan 26, 9:16am
the transmissions go and sometimes they will lock up the front diff , happen on two wagons I know of cost was $1500 to fix , theres a part that has to be placed and can only be done when transmission is out of car. Also they love petrol can only run they esp turbos on 95 or higher, ( cheaper to run a V8 )
arrithedog,
Jan 26, 9:44am
WORST car I've EVER had, and thats 38 years of driving !
wako789,
Jan 26, 10:05am
yeah i would go manual but my partner only drives auto. Id rather a v8 any day! this has been awsome help guys i might spend abit more and go for somerthing like a caldina or altezza
ian86,
Jan 26, 6:39pm
I recently bought my first Subaru., I didn't think I would ever get one because of all the stories I had heard of them. The thing that drew me to one was the styling/look of it. I am in my late 40s and got an 05 3.0 H6 legacy.,,, and its a great car, I can see why the young ones like them. So, I am a bit if a Subaru fan now., to me it is a great product.
kcf,
Jan 26, 7:12pm
tt's are pretty horrid to drive (boost . pause pause pause . boost as second turbo kicks in).I've driven a couple, and I enjoyed the experience not much.
richard112,
Jan 26, 7:21pm
Had two. non-turbo. one auto, one manual. Luved the handling here where there were then mostly metal roads. Both died for the same reason. split in the (plastic) radiator tank.= Head gasket. Probably + & not worth the repair. Exact same place. IF I bought another I would fit an after market radiator.
brokebloke1,
Jan 26, 8:14pm
spend the extra and get a Toyotaor a Mazda ( better resell value )
bwg11,
Jan 26, 8:22pm
I don't believe they are as unreliable as some say. Thirsty Yes, but in my experience quite reliable. Never owned one, but friends have, daughter has had a WRX from new (now 90,000) and have driven quite a few. Possibly not as reliable as say aToyota or Nissan, but better than most Euros.
mechnificent,
Jan 26, 8:40pm
They are as reliable as any other make of car. They get bad press because the young fellahs like to modify and thrash them, then when they have trouble they whinge long and loud. If toyotas or nissans attracted the same sort of owner, they would end up being heard about as problematic.
I've had six subarus and have had great runs out of them all. They do use a lot of petrol, but that's the all wheel drive. If you need all-wheel drive, like on country roads or ice, then you are happy to pay the little extra in running costs to have a car that drives as though it's on rails.
tazcsv,
Jan 27, 8:34pm
I dont call 100k per 10L alot of fuel tho and thats in my 2002 gtb, that can be stretched out to 12L of driven super nice. Im more than happy to pay that for the handling and performance you get back.
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