Do you guys think this will be a good replacement car for skiing?

[Highway Star]

I'm picking up a new car either this or next weekend depending when my loan check comes in (at 2.8% APR )

Many of you by now have probably seen my crashed Impreza. So I pulled the trigger and have another car lined up. I don't know if it's good though..

2008 Subaru Legacy GT Limited
5 speed manual, turbocharged
Obsidian Black Pearl
Clean title - no accidents
100k miles

It's got a few upgrades that Idk if they are good either..

Cobb Catted Downpipe
Cobb Accessport v3 stage 2 93
Blacked out headlights w/ halos and HID kit
17 inch Drag DR-66 rims w/ Hankook Ventus V2 all season tires (~1k miles)

I'm worried it only goes 165mph and will do a 0-60 sprint in 3.2 seconds. Concerned about the lack of horsepower too, being only 3x what my Impreza had.

The other problem I'm thinking is that with the mods I'll probably get 45 mpg coming downhill from VT because I'll almost not have to touch the gas since the turbo will always be engaged through a smooth band of RPMs and all the extra cold air available to the motor.

Good thing gas is cheap, I guess, it takes 93.

Also not sure if it's a looker :lol:

No.


No.


No!


As a prior owner(and DIYer) of several turbo subarus, all of them nicer or more highly modified than this one....DON'T DO IT.

100k is a major turning point for subarus. They become a money pit. Straight up at 105K you have a $1000+ timing belt job coming. Control arm bushings at $300-$500. Then wheel bearings. Clutch. Not to mention plenty of other known issues large and small - head gasket, glass tranny, turbo failure, compression/ring failure. For cheap cars, they cost a boatload of money to keep running.


Not to mention, its a 8 year old car (very basic looking) that looks like it was modified by an 18 year boy. Buy a nice, newer car that your wife won't be pissed off or embarrassed by.

Run. Away.

 

[goldsbar]

I always find that after you crash a car where you're entirely at fault (weather related or not), the best thing to do is go for MOAR POWR.

Mods don't increase the value of the car, they decrease it for the reasons everyone is saying. But, I agree with Sneak, it's much better gamble than a used S4!

 

[deadheadskier]

No.


No.


No!


As a prior owner(and DIYer) of several turbo subarus, all of them nicer or more highly modified than this one....DON'T DO IT.

100k is a major turning point for subarus. They become a money pit. Straight up at 105K you have a $1000+ timing belt job coming. Control arm bushings at $300-$500. Then wheel bearings. Clutch. Not to mention plenty of other known issues large and small - head gasket, glass tranny, turbo failure, compression/ring failure. For cheap cars, they cost a boatload of money to keep running.

Run. Away.

My 1 Subaru was a 2005 Legacy Wagon. It was a company car. Previous rep was from NYC. He maintained it perfectly and wasn't someone to beat on it. I took it over at 65K miles, drove it to 93K miles and literally everything you mention above happened. $5k in repairs. My company decided no thanks and traded it in for something new.

Why someone making $105K a year would want to not only vastly overpay for this particular vehicle, but also take on such a likely headache makes no sense. None

 

[Smellytele]

My 1 Subaru was a 2005 Legacy Wagon. It was a company car. Previous rep was from NYC. He maintained it perfectly and wasn't someone to beat on it. I took it over at 65K miles, drove it to 93K miles and literally everything you mention above happened. $5k in repairs. My company decided no thanks and traded it in for something new.

Why someone making $105K a year would want to not only vastly overpay for this particular vehicle, but also take on such a likely headache makes no sense. None

It makes tunasense!

 

[Highway Star]

This is a $38,000 car with 108k and a Subaru.

I was looking for a 08/09 Legacy GT but found a Limited (maximum specs) with awesome upgrades and in perfect driving condition.

And yes the car checks out, the owner has told me the truth about the vehicle and gone above and beyond in terms of speaking with me and giving me advice about the car (he says don't mod it anymore, for example, this is perfect as-is).

And yes my mind is made up :lol: this thread was kind of a joke but interesting to see what others think as well.

He was asking 12,500 I got him down 12,000. With the upgrades he's put in it's worth more than the Clearbook. At least to me.

Keep in mind this car would cost way more from a dealer. I've looked around quite a bit. This is a rare ride.

No. A 2008 spec.b was about $32k at invoice. I'll give you one guess about why I know that. $12k is WAY too much for this car.

 

[Highway Star]

17 inch Drag DR-66 rims w/ Hankook Ventus V2 all season tires (~1k miles)

This is a bad sign. Basically crap wheels and tires, the entire setup is under $1k at discount tire direct.

 

[skibumski]

20,000 fewer miles for $1,000 more asking price, and the guy is willing to dicker:
http://legacygt.com/forums/showthre...subaru-legacy-gt-5eat-nav-stage-2-245250.html

Flushing, New York seems to have a lot of these cars.

Looking at the ads on the internet, I see a pattern here. Young men buy this car thinking it's cool. They reach age 30, get married, and decide that it is time to grow up and to reassess what life's most important priorities are. They list the car for sale. Presumably for an unmarried 20-something to purchase.

There are also sellers trying to unload junk on unsuspecting buyers.

You need to REALLY do your homework on a used car from Flushing. I grew up there. There are tons of low-quality chop shops in the area and you need to make sure everything with the vehicle is on the up and up. Don't buy without taking it to a trusted mechanic. Just look up the movie "Chop Shop" for reference.

 

[Highway Star]

Never have I seen so much win and fail in a single thread.

 

[frapcap]

100k is a major turning point for subarus. They become a money pit. Straight up at 105K you have a $1000+ timing belt job coming. Control arm bushings at $300-$500. Then wheel bearings. Clutch. Not to mention plenty of other known issues large and small - head gasket, glass tranny, turbo failure, compression/ring failure. For cheap cars, they cost a boatload of money to keep running.

Truth. The old cars may have been better and more reliable, but the modern Subarus deteriorate quickly and they're really resting on the laurels of the old vehicles in regards to reliability. My engine burned oil since the day I got it at 88k miles, but that didn't bother me much. Besides, I'm pretty damned capable in the garage and can handle damn near anything that could go wrong with most vehicles.

Those "stronger metal head gaskets" failed around 103k. I did them myself (along with the timing belt and water pump as preventative measures) thinking "alright, that should do it for a while." Then the ecu shit itself later in the summer. That was fun- and expensive. Next was the passenger side control arm and drivers tie rod shortly after. Then the passenger rear wheel bearing failed (~108k), followed shortly after by the passenger front. After two years and 18k miles of ownership, the transmission started making noise that sounded like engine knock (it wasn't knock). Fearing that the transmission or differential was about to fail and cost me even more money, I traded that fucker in on a lease and never looked back- and it was only $20 more a month than my loan, I didn't have a rapidly depreciating asset, and it won't inflate my average monthly payment with broken parts all of the time. If I owned the car flat out, I probably wouldn't have cared about the repair expense, but having it require injections of money while making payments was stupid.

Assuming your new lien is for 12k over 60 months, you're going to be paying approximately $200-220/month. My lease is $209/mo on a car that I don't ever have to worry about or repair. That was with $0 down. If your term is shorter and payment is higher, congratulations- you can lease a wrx!

 

[Domeskier]

If Tuna were looking for a safe, reliable car to get him from point A to B in the most economic manner, all of these criticisms would be spot on. But it appears that he's a Subarau enthusiast who especially likes this model and has sufficient income to keep it running. If he's like the other enthusiasts I know, he probably realizes he's going to be dumping more money into it than would seem reasonable to a non-enthusiast. I don't think this necessarily represents a lapse in judgment on his part, however (unlike, say, driving to K in a ice storm for a 0.001% chance of powder day).

 

[yeggous]

This is a bad sign. Basically crap wheels and tires, the entire setup is under $1k at discount tire direct.

Believe it or not, steel wheels are a red flag for purchasing a used cars. I've crunched through a huge used car sale dataset, and by far the strongest indication of whether a used car is a good purchase is whether it had alloy rims. By far.

 

[VTKilarney]

But it appears that he's a Subarau enthusiast who especially likes this model and has sufficient income to keep it running.

Hmm... I agree with one out of two of your assertions.



.

 

[Hawkshot99]

I'll give you one guess about why I know that.

Because you know everything about everyrhing...

 

[cdskier]

Hmm... I agree with one out of two of your assertions.

.

Maybe the reason he's taking out a loan for a $12K car is so he can afford all the repairs he will need to make! :lol: Otherwise, needing to take out a 5 year loan for a $12K purchase when you claim to make over 100K a year (and get free gas on top of that) really boggles my mind.

 

[Jcb890]

If Tuna were looking for a safe, reliable car to get him from point A to B in the most economic manner, all of these criticisms would be spot on. But it appears that he's a Subarau enthusiast who especially likes this model and has sufficient income to keep it running. If he's like the other enthusiasts I know, he probably realizes he's going to be dumping more money into it than would seem reasonable to a non-enthusiast. I don't think this necessarily represents a lapse in judgment on his part, however (unlike, say, driving to K in a ice storm for a 0.001% chance of powder day).

Good post.

He said he wasn't looking for new, reliable or best gas mileage to get him to work and back. So, I automatically assumed he was a Subaru enthusiast and this is the car he wanted, no matter the suggestion. A few years back I owned a Legacy GT-Limited and it was the car I wanted. Now I drive a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid because I want gas mileage, reliability and space for my traveling. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Jcb890]

Is tuna not liked here on AZ or are people just really upset that he's not taking their advice?

 

[rocks860]

As tuna made pretty clear this thread wasn't for advice, it was just to brag about his sweet new rode

 

[deadheadskier]

You obviously haven't spent much time in the weather forum lately. :grin:

 

[VTKilarney]

Is tuna not liked here on AZ or are people just really upset that he's not taking their advice?

I think that people get frustrated when he makes wholly unsupported declarations and won't acknowledge the overwhelming evidence against him. I don't see it as anything more than frustration, though.

 

[gmcunni]

tuna = gss without the personal attacks.

i find him, tuna, funny and entertaining.