Jcb890
Active member
Yeah, they're quite expensive. The Spec. B was comparable to say the WRX STi, which was even more money than the Legacy.
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Do you guys think this will be a good replacement car for skiing?
- Thread starter bdfreetuna
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Yeah, they're quite expensive. The Spec. B was comparable to say the WRX STi, which was even more money than the Legacy.
bdfreetuna
New member
I don't know what kind of cars you like but for Subaru drivers this is super high end and basically a mid-level luxury sedan on the interior and a hell of a fast and well handling car.
Learn a bit more about this car and it's capabilities and features and you might be a little less sticker-shocked.
It may not have the Audi name but it's certainly comparable to something like that (except faster than most Audis). Maybe it looks a little "plain / like a Subaru" on the exterior. Well, that's how I like em
Keep in mind regular Legacy GT is not quite as expensive but this is Limited so it's maxed out on accessories. And it's got at least a couple thousand in improvements with only 1k miles on them.
Jcb890
Active member
Yeah, the Spec. B had some other smaller changes and a little more HP, but the only noticeable difference were really the suspension and transmission. I believe the Spec. B had all of the same hardware, just a different tune to get a bit more power out of it. In theory, you're right, the car should be as powerful as the Spec. B, if not more.
With the Cobb accessport, you have the option to run different tunes and find what you like best for your driving as well as possibly get some better gas mileage than you would have without it.
bdfreetuna
New member
Jcb890 what are you driving now?
Good luck. Even though theres a better chance that car wasn't beat on as hard as a wrx or sti, I'd still avoid it like the plague, especially at that price. You should probably find out what, if any preventative maintenance has been done- timing belt, water pump, head gaskets, etc. This car is a hell of a lot nicer for the price and comes with a few months worth of warranty. http://nh.craigslist.org/ctd/5445176501.html
IMO, there are newer, better, more reliable cars out there for 12k.
Speaking form experience, my '07 was reasonably easy to fix, but fixing it every month got really old- and it was stock. Kept me from missing ski days fairly often.
JCB890 is correct- those tires aren't going to be very useful in the snow. Get some dedicated snow tires if you're going through with the purchase.
BenedictGomez
Well-known member
I'm cheap, so there's no way I'd buy a car that takes 93 octane. That $$$ adds up over time like you wouldnt believe.
$1.47 regular versus $2.11 premium here
So that's $10.24 on a sixteen gallon tank every time you fill up!
Figure most folks fill up every 7 or 8 days, and that's more than $500 clams every single year you own the car. That's Friday The 13th scary math for skinflints like me.
$1.47 regular versus $2.11 premium here
So that's $10.24 on a sixteen gallon tank every time you fill up!
Figure most folks fill up every 7 or 8 days, and that's more than $500 clams every single year you own the car. That's Friday The 13th scary math for skinflints like me.
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Jcb890
Active member
Nothing special and nothing fast.
A 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid. I drive pretty far for work, so I wanted something that got good gas mileage, always liked the styling of the Focus and hate the Toyota Prius. Overall, I really like it. I don't know if I'd buy a new car again or not though... I guess we'll see what happens when it comes time to trade this one in or sell it. Just broke the 30,000 mi. mark last week on it. In the summer/spring, I can get about 50-52 MPG if I'm cautious about my driving. Fall/winter when you gotta use heat and less hybrid mode I'll get 45-ish, which isn't bad.
It is a good sized car and has plenty of interior space. Plenty of room for 3 people, boards, etc. to go snowboarding as I can fold down the rear seat in 2 different sections which is nice. It also does surprisingly well in the snow for a car with all-season tires on it, however, I doubt I'll be able to afford to replaced these Michelin's when they wear out :lol:
My very first car, which I drove for 2 winters, was a '95 Camaro Z-28... I would not recommend something like that as a winter vehicle, man, what a nightmare.
bdfreetuna
New member
Head gaskets is how I ended up losing my 98 Forrester. At 170k on the first set.
Turbo GTs have metal headgaskets and thus a lower failure rate and longer life. I'll probably replace it early to prevent a break-down at some point.
Also the car you linked to has more miles, only 1 year newer (same design), and none of the upgrades I'm pretty psyched about.
I could really care less about warranty, not that I am trying to continue humble-bragging here, but money is not the limiting factor here. This is my dream car. I'd literally take this exact car over anything right now except maybe a brand new WRX STI.
In fact I think I'd rather own this car first and see what Subaru has to offer in 6-7 years.
It'll get snow tires next year. I've never installed snow tires on a Subaru in my entire life of only owning Subarus and only once had a bad accident hitting black ice on a bit of a curve in the road. This year I'll just drive it carefully if the roads aren't dry.
Turbo GTs have metal headgaskets and thus a lower failure rate and longer life. I'll probably replace it early to prevent a break-down at some point.
Also the car you linked to has more miles, only 1 year newer (same design), and none of the upgrades I'm pretty psyched about.
I could really care less about warranty, not that I am trying to continue humble-bragging here, but money is not the limiting factor here. This is my dream car. I'd literally take this exact car over anything right now except maybe a brand new WRX STI.
In fact I think I'd rather own this car first and see what Subaru has to offer in 6-7 years.
It'll get snow tires next year. I've never installed snow tires on a Subaru in my entire life of only owning Subarus and only once had a bad accident hitting black ice on a bit of a curve in the road. This year I'll just drive it carefully if the roads aren't dry.
Jcb890
Active member
Good luck. Even though theres a better chance that car wasn't beat on as hard as a wrx or sti, I'd still avoid it like the plague, especially at that price. You should probably find out what, if any preventative maintenance has been done- timing belt, water pump, head gaskets, etc. This car is a hell of a lot nicer for the price and comes with a few months worth of warranty. http://nh.craigslist.org/ctd/5445176501.html
IMO, there are newer, better, more reliable cars out there for 12k.
Speaking form experience, my '07 was reasonably easy to fix, but fixing it every month got really old- and it was stock. Kept me from missing ski days fairly often.
JCB890 is correct- those tires aren't going to be very useful in the snow. Get some dedicated snow tires if you're going through with the purchase.
Good idea about the maintenance. Price is tough because this one has been modded - wheels, exhaust, tuning, etc. It would cost him a good couple of grand do to those mods from stock if he wanted the same modifications.
gmcunni
Active member
does the rear seat have a pass thru?
i had a saab 93 hatchback, with snow tires it was a great ski car. i'd just keep skis in a bag and put them through the pass thru between rear seats. hatch was huge on that car, could take 4 people with gear for a weekend.
turbo makes for fun in the snow too.
good luck with new ride
i had a saab 93 hatchback, with snow tires it was a great ski car. i'd just keep skis in a bag and put them through the pass thru between rear seats. hatch was huge on that car, could take 4 people with gear for a weekend.
turbo makes for fun in the snow too.
good luck with new ride
Jcb890
Active member
If money is not an issue and you want a badass Subie, you should get something more reliable and AWD for a daily and ski vehicle and then get a more heavily modded WRX/STi/Legacy.
Otherwise, and this seems to be the case, you're probably looking at the right path if you want some reliability, good in the snow and some extra power than normal. In the end, its your money and your car, so you're gonna do what you want anyways. I liked my Legacy a lot, but sold it for some of the reasons mentioned in this thread - reliability, gas mileage, etc.
hammer
Active member
I'm cheap, so there's no way I'd buy a car that takes 93 octane. That $$$ adds up over time like you wouldnt believe.
$1.47 regular versus $2.11 premium here
So that's $10.24 on a sixteen gallon tank every time you fill up!
The price difference between regular and premium is outrageous nowadays...actually about the same delta as when gas was close to $4/gallon. Still can't complain about $2.11/gallon gas.
Jcb890
Active member
My 2005 did, so this should. Also, the whole back seat folded down on mine, so I think this one does also, but the 2005 and 2008's are 1 generation apart so there could be differences.
bdfreetuna
New member
Well I think you had me beat on the 1990 Subaru Loyale hand-me-down with like 200k miles that needed a fresh pint of oil every 100 miles :lol:
bdfreetuna
New member
I'm cheap, so there's no way I'd buy a car that takes 93 octane. That $$$ adds up over time like you wouldnt believe.
$1.47 regular versus $2.11 premium here
So that's $10.24 on a sixteen gallon tank every time you fill up!
Figure most folks fill up every 7 or 8 days, and that's more than $500 clams every single year you own the car. That's Friday The 13th scary math for skinflints like me.
I have an unlimited Cumberland Farms gas card provided to me as a bonus for work. I never pay for gas
JCB I just really like Legacys. I miss my 1995, it was an insanely reliable car and fun to drive even though not very fast.
When I say money is not the issue it doesn't mean I'm going to go from 12,000 to 40,000 hehe
steamboat1
New member
braciole
Member
The turbo in my 05 Forester blew in 2012, I opted not to replace it and move onto at 2011 Outback, biggest mistake ever. Subie without turbo is like watching paint dry....sometimes I dream when I am using my paddle shifters that I'm still staring at that hood scoop on the old forester turbo. 130k on the outback, a newer Forester XT looms in my future for sure.
steamboat1
New member
Funny how states with cheap regular gas really jack up the price on plus & super. Here in NYC it's not as dramatic. Plus is 20 cents more super 40 cents.
You didn't happen to measure this with AlpineReplay, did you?
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