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What is a good model Legacy to buy 2005-2009?


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Hey how's it going all you soobie lovers?

Hey I'm new to the forum and forums in general and don't know my a#$hole from my earhole about forums or Subaru's.

All I can say is I've always wanted one ever since I first heard a Legacy GT manual  but have never been a able to afford one (My brother has a 94 Rex he's had over 25 years)

I've been looking online and going through forums for a month and a half now to decide which model Legacy to buy and the more I look only leads to way more questions.

I'm learning a lot in forums but still having trouble making a decision.

So!! I don't really like the later models and would prefer a manual over a CVT (Are they as bad as they are made out to be?)

Annnd... I Also don't want one that's too old... somewhere in the middle.

I test drove a 2.5 2009 non turbo and thought it was a bit weak not much in the way of pickup from a stopped start.

I'm looking at Legacy's both wagon and sedan as close to 100,000 k's as poss and come to find that's around when they do a head gasket.

I also start looking at turbo's and start learning about the minefield of a second hand turbo with high k's and it's scaring me off.

Then onto the 6's, as I seem to keep hearing the non turbo, 3.Or uses about the same gas a 2, 2.5 turbo but there are two motor's BP (drinks oil) and BH from what can gather the better of the two.

So I guess I'm trying to decide on a 2.0 or 2.5 Turbo or 3 0r

Bonuses if I can get manual, leather trim, and a nice Soobie sound.

This will be my daily driver, not to thrash but power when I need it.

If any of you out there have any input or advice to help me make the right decision and also become a Subaru owner I'd be very great full.

Now i'll just sit back and wait to be told that I'm a noob and how stupid I am 😄

 

 

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I think you've drunk the kool-ade of "Subarus are unreliable blah blah blah" - 100k being around when they do head gaskets? What a bunch of s***e, nobody told the last 3 I've owned, guess I got lucky?

 

2.5 NAs are slugs. 2.0 NA is worse.

 

I don't know how someone could conclude the BH 3.0 is better than the BP. Single exhaust port heads, enough said really, not to mention they make like 30kw less. The BP 3.0 doesn't drink oil, but has plenty of places it likes to leak it from when they get a bit older. Rocker cover gaskets being the obvious one, and mine sprung a doozy of a leak from behind the timing cover which was a bit of a bastard to fix.

 

3.0s sound extremely boring unless you spend $$$ on an exhaust. The only interesting-sounding Legacy is a turbo BH or earlier, but they're all twin-turbos (unless you're going way back to a BC) so their performance is average and reliability of the turbo system not super awesome either. Anything modern is going to be twin-scroll/equal length so will sound kinda not-Subaru, although I don't mind the sound personally.

 

Buy a manual BP 2.0 Turbo or 3.0.

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13 minutes ago, boon said:

I think you've drunk the kool-ade of "Subarus are unreliable blah blah blah" - 100k being around when they do head gaskets? What a bunch of s***e, nobody told the last 3 I've owned, guess I got lucky?

 

2.5 NAs are slugs. 2.0 NA is worse.

 

I don't know how someone could conclude the BH 3.0 is better than the BP. Single exhaust port heads, enough said really, not to mention they make like 30kw less. The BP 3.0 doesn't drink oil, but has plenty of places it likes to leak it from when they get a bit older. Rocker cover gaskets being the obvious one, and mine sprung a doozy of a leak from behind the timing cover which was a bit of a bastard to fix.

 

3.0s sound extremely boring unless you spend $$$ on an exhaust. The only interesting-sounding Legacy is a turbo BH or earlier, but they're all twin-turbos (unless you're going way back to a BC) so their performance is average and reliability of the turbo system not super awesome either. Anything modern is going to be twin-scroll/equal length so will sound kinda not-Subaru, although I don't mind the sound personally.

 

Buy a manual BP 2.0 Turbo or 3.0.

Thanks for the feedback... Much appreciated Boon 👍

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1 hour ago, boon said:

I think you've drunk the kool-ade of "Subarus are unreliable blah blah blah" - 100k being around when they do head gaskets? What a bunch of s***e, nobody told the last 3 I've owned, guess I got lucky?

 

2.5 NAs are slugs. 2.0 NA is worse.

 

I don't know how someone could conclude the BH 3.0 is better than the BP. Single exhaust port heads, enough said really, not to mention they make like 30kw less. The BP 3.0 doesn't drink oil, but has plenty of places it likes to leak it from when they get a bit older. Rocker cover gaskets being the obvious one, and mine sprung a doozy of a leak from behind the timing cover which was a bit of a bastard to fix.

 

3.0s sound extremely boring unless you spend $$$ on an exhaust. The only interesting-sounding Legacy is a turbo BH or earlier, but they're all twin-turbos (unless you're going way back to a BC) so their performance is average and reliability of the turbo system not super awesome either. Anything modern is going to be twin-scroll/equal length so will sound kinda not-Subaru, although I don't mind the sound personally.

 

Buy a manual BP 2.0 Turbo or 3.0.

Here's where I got that idea from about the bh being better, it was in one of the threads on Clubsub.🙃

 

Edited by sumlameusername
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  • 1 month later...

I was also a bit worried about buying a turbo Subaru but I have found my 2008 manual Legacy to be quite reliable. I have found that it is quite fussy about the fluids I put in though.

I am quite fastidious about performing the scheduled maintenance (generally done by myself). At 100,000km I wouldn't be worried about head gaskets (turbos have meaty ones) but whether the timing belt (+ idlers + waterpump) service has been done. One of my idlers was very dry and would undoubtedly have failed if I had just replaced the belt. 

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Hey guys new to the site,I have a 06 bl5 6 speed manual goes really really well....but before I got this I sold my 96 ej20r gtb 5 speed manual with a few upgrades eg bigger turbos,full exhaust system,couple other things.. I would rate the 96 a better car 

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