[Closed] Anyone got a Subaru Legacy?

They are all thirsty and taxed high.

The 4cyl JDM twinscroll turbo is the choice, manual fairly rare but low tax and perhaps less thirsty than the 6 but with performance.

Or the UK spec B 6 cylinder barely uses more fuel than the UK 4 cyl

I’ve got a 2010 outback legacy with the boxer diesel. Big end bearing failed at 120k, Subaru replaced the short block free of charge,  ~7k of work invoiced by my local dealer.

apart from that it’s been pretty good.only servicing and brake pads in 35k...

Any views on the 4-cyl 2.0R engine?

The courtesy cars I have had with that engine in have been slow and thirsty. Might be the auto box, it’s been awful in every one I’ve driven.

Strangely, I bought one today. 2004 2.5 SE manual. It's absolutely mint, with the original bill of sale, FSH and every single receipt for everything, ever.

I was looking for a bike/dog/camping gear lugger but I'm now gutted that it's in too good a condition. First world problems, I'll just have to be careful.

Bought it in Nottingham and took the back roads home to the Peak District.

First impressions:

It pulls well. It's not 'fast' but I find the gearing suits my style of driving and it certainly doesn't feel slow.

It's a firm ride. That's something I like, so a plus for me. Turn-in is sharp and grip is great. The steering is quite light as I'd read in reviews, but to me it's just 'different' as opposed to 'bad'. I hesitate to say that throwing it in to a corner is more satisfying than it is in my Mini, which is essentially a go-kart.

It sounds amazing. Boxer engine, twin exhausts. Loud and burbly enough without being boy racer. Road/wind noise is reasonably high, maybe just because it's not as modern and so the sound deadening isn't as good or as extensive. I suspect that some of the road noise on mine can be attributed to the low profile tyres.

I threw £30 of BP Ultimate in. The computer told me that was good for 140 miles. By the time I got home it had actually increased to 180 miles. And I've got quite a heavy right foot. I did 6000 miles last year so fuel economy wasn't really a factor for me.

Equipment - all good. A nicer place to be than I expected. It has all the usual stuff and the panoramic sunroof is - to me at least - a nice to have. Seats are comfortable and infinitely adjustable electronically.

Practicality - well, it's big. I'll be trying the bike tomorrow and I've just bought a boot liner from Titan Covers to protect everything.

Overall, I'm happy. Very happy. There's lots online about the 3.0 being the one to go for but I didn't want a turbo as a potential expense. As-is, it's a relatively rare sight and a damn sight larger than an A4 Avant. The Avant was the first car I looked at and there's no comparison whatsoever with regard to boot space.

Hope that helps, if you've got any questions then I'll try to use my very limited ownership experience to answer them.

Many thanks for your thorough review @eyestwice! Glad you're enjoying the car.

As for engine options, strangely, the 2.5 doesn't seem to ever come up in Switzerland (where I live). The most popular petrol versions here are the 2.0i and 2.0R. Given that I only drive ±5,000 miles per year, I think that the 3.0R would be my engine of choice.

There’s lots online about the 3.0 being the one to go for but I didn’t want a turbo as a potential expense.

As far as I know, the 3.0R is naturally aspirated - no turbo.

I had a Spec B 3.0 Auto until a year ago, the facelift model.

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Brilliant thing, not fast fast, but with AWD and 245bhp the ability for it to just grip and go even in the pouring rain, was smile inducing. Handled well too, with the flat 6 being low down in the car.

Ultimately, I sold due to fuel economy and that it was starting to get on a bit, I could feel it needing lots of money being spent on it soon. I was getting 23-25mpg, compared the car which replaced it which is getting 48-55mpg. My mileage plans had gone from working 2 miles away and cycling most days, with not much MTB travel, to working 10 miles away, driving every day, and many MTB trips (even with covid this year I managed to get away to the Peak district, lake district, exmoor, and Scotland) so from about 5000 miles a year, to 15000+.

I still have a Rhino boot liner for it that I need to get sold, problem is it weights about 2 tonnes...

I've got a 2.0ren petrol from 2007. Had it for five years and taken it from 62000 to 88000 and I love it. Not fast but quick enough and lots of fun. Especially in snow. Thirsty bugger around town 23-26mpg and of mixed around 30mpg. Long runs could see 35mpg. The main issues are constant bushes going due to shit roads and firm suspension and some issues with the secondary air pump recently but otherwise very very reliable. I won't be getting rid of mine any time soon.

Tax is high but given I've had mine five years the price has dropped about £700 or so depreciation is not a thing to worry about. The insurance is cheap. The inside is pretty good, many people comment on how nice it is and there are few on the road so it's not common. I had to replace the exhaust on mine after about a year but I knew it was going and got money off when I bought it. It's £1100 from Subaru but there are now standard steels on most euro websites now, but there wasn't at the time and I went custom stainless which sounds great and seemed to open the engine up a bit.

I really like mine. And in the snow it is absolutely brilliant. In the ball deep snow a few years back I was never stuck once and many many were in their faux by fauxs...

I would love a boot liner for mine Tall Paul.... Where you based?

As far as I know, the 3.0R is naturally aspirated – no turbo.

You're absolutely right. Information overload on my part added to the fact that I couldn't find any near me anyway 😀

A close friend has a rare 6sp manual 3.0R Spec B. I borrowed it for a week and oh my word it’s fantastic, looks like a normal jap estate car on the outside, then a full on sports car when you drive it. The engine noise (engine is same configuration as a Porsche flat 6) is fantastic.

The 2.0 and 2.5 engines aren’t as reliable as the 3.0r. The twin turbo jap 2.0l cars can be fragile like any turbo petrols of that era, a lot are modified.

If you go for the 3.0r then after a certain year the tax jumps up a lot. But they are very reliable and lots of help online fixings little niggly bits. My friend also has an electric 208 so the Legacy is used for load lugging and holidays, he went to the south of France in it last year with no issues. He also has winter tyres on it in winter and virtually nothing stops it in the snow and ice.

I have two at the moment, for reasons. The good is is an '04 GT JDM import with the twinscroll turbo, and has an LPG conversion so it makes an absolutely brilliant fast daily. Cheap to tax (as it as never homologated for the UK it gets taxed on engine size not emissions) and actually cheaper to insure than a UK spec litre, for some reason. Also, getting a recent import usually means better condition- mine has corroded more in its 4 years in the UK than it did in 12 years in Japan.

The big drawback is the autobox- it's not terrible, but it's not what I'd have chosen. But manuals are really too expensive to make much sense. (as I discovered, the 5EAT autobox is pretty solid and reliable but unfortunately can't deal with full power launches, it destroys the centre diff (and turns it into swarf which totally fills the rest of the box and ruins that). A real bummer, this- I mean, obviously full power launches are a boy racer thing to do but I didn't get a 245bhp turbo subaru in order to baby it. OTOH, the power and delivery is still excellent all the rest of the time.

The other one is an 06 UK Spec B, the 3 litre. It's a lovely engine, very responsive and eager and sounds amazing- and it has the 6 speed which is a very nice box and way better than either the 5 speed or the autobox. It has 2 big advantages, and 2 big disadvantages. First being the gearbox obviously. Second is that they're ridiculously cheap to buy, for what you get. Disadvantages being tax, they're high band (and after a certain year that gets punitive). And condition- any higher mile UK car is likely to be pretty rusty (I'm not going to bother with the work this one needs for a fair MOT next year, it's not that it's not doable, it's just not worth the hassle- it's a parts donor). Insurance is pretty decent considering the performance, I think mostly because if you're a maniac and want a subaru you get an impreza, so the Legacies largely go to old sensible people. It does offend me to pay more tax, for a slower car!

The other engines are imo not amazing. Perfectly adequate for moving a car around of course and the AWD is really good in bad conditions, but the economy isn't good- the 2.5 is decent enough but I couldn't help looking at competitors that absolutely outshine it on economy, or at the 2 better engines available from Subaru, I think it sits in an awkward place.

Don't buy the diesel. Earlier ones are badly unreliable and will effectively destroy the car if it goes, not economic to repair. Later ones aren't as bad. But even at best, it's still not a great motor- doesn't have the power or the economy of a VAG 1.9tdi. It's just a bit of an evolutionary dead end really.

Both of mine are basically the same estate chassis and the boot's pretty good- the AWD doesn't intrude in the same way as it does in say an A4, and the boot's got a flat entry unlike an Octavia, and a reasonable amount of height. To me, it feels a little restrictive, because I had a Mondeo and you could basically park an entire Mondeo in the boot of a Mondeo. But it's still very good for a car of its size. It bothers me to take a wheel off (my 29er Remedy is a pretty big bike, and it just barely squeezes in but it's so much easier to take off the front wheel so I usually do). But then, modern bikes are really big, every 26er I ever had would have fitted in no bother)

All in all I can't think of anything car-shaped that I'd rather have, the blend of good handling, grip, power and practicality is pretty awesome, not to mention the sheer quality of car you can get for £4000.

I would love a boot liner for mine Tall Paul…. Where you based?

Down in Kent, so probably the other end of the country!

It's the full size one, in camo - I'll dig it out tomorrow and make sure it's OK.

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Had a low mileage 2009 2.5 petrol manual outback.
It was slow/gutless, had to get it carefully aligned to be decent on compact snow/ice but that more an outback issue due to the suspension/body lift.
Sold after a couple of years it as the head gaskets were starting to weep coolant, wasn't far off needing a clutch and there was some piston slap when cold and I didn't really want to bare the cost of diy'ing those jobs after already doing the timing belt and all fluids... and it was really boring to drive. I actually missed my 2003 focus wagon. I subscribed to the Subaru fandom but was left wondering what all the fuss was about.
I'd get a Saab wagon over another Subaru of that vintage.

Oh yeah, the more enthusiastically it was driven, the more oil it needed. Typically 2 liters per 8k km OCI.

Typically 2 liters per 8k km OCI.

We had a pool car legacy years ago, got brought back one day "engines making a bit of noise" took it round the garage & topped it up with 4.5l of oil 😬 tappets were knackered but it still managed another 20k miles before dying*

*lacked the power to get up a ramp out of an underground car park

Depending where you are, OP, shopping outside Switzerland may get you want...

Autoscout and mobile.de

Don’t buy the diesel. Earlier ones are badly unreliable and will effectively destroy the car if it goes, not economic to repair. Later ones aren’t as bad. But even at best, it’s still not a great motor- doesn’t have the power or the economy of a VAG 1.9tdi. It’s just a bit of an evolutionary dead end really.

putting aside the catastrophic failure issue...

when its good, its as good as any of the PD engines I've had, all of which have had their own issues. power is good, mpg is good (45av, 55 motorway). With the replacement block I expect to take this one north of 200k as the rest of the car is put together far better than any VAG group car i've had.

as for size, if you want to fit a bike in the back, get the outback, I can fit my 29er in wheel on with probably room for another.

but back to the catastrophic failure issue, anything post 2010 should be fine. most failed by 60-70k. i think the reason I got a goodwill replacement was mine was well outside that window, it had a full service history and it was failing rather than failed so they wanted it back to take a look.

I had a 2004 legacy, 2.0 non turbo,
Great car, shit engine, gutless.
Issues included a porous sump, and rotten exhaust.
I sold it at 99k, but 5 years later it’s still on the road, with 135k on it at last mot.
If i was buying another legacy, the minimum spec you need is 2.0R (162bhp), or the 2.5 petrol,
The outback is probably preferable tbh, it only comes with the 2.5 or bigger engines.
The important thing to remember is these really are totally standard jap cars.
My overall lasting opinion of it is best summed up by telling you about my current car, which is a subaru forester diesel.

I had one - sold it a few months ago. A 3.0 Spec B manual. It was great. Fast but thirsty. Reliability was fine and cheap to keep on the road. It had very high road tax (nearly £600 per year). I loved it, but its headers were rusted out and that was going to be expensive.

The engine was what made it a great car though...

not enough subaru's in their natural enviroment pics here...

Thanks a lot for all of your comments!!!

Incidentally, I put the bike in the back today for the first time. I tried various ways - seats down, wheels on. Seats down, front wheel off. Seats up, both wheels off.

Turns out that despite the cavernous space I still have to take the front wheel off, as I do in my Mini Clubman. Of course, there's more room around it than in the Mini and to be fair I didn't quite expect to be able to leave both wheels on.

What I will say though it that it was a ball-cache getting it in, even with *both* wheels off. It seems to be down to the 820mm bars and knock-block as I think the roof is lower in the Legacy. It's genuinely easier to get the bike in the Mini than the Legacy.

So, having bought it with the express purpose of being able to throw a bike in the back (for security, to make the bike less obvious on drives home) I'm actually going to get a towbar-mounted rack. A quick-release job that I can just keep in the boot and fit in seconds for each trip. Because losing the whole rear of the car and still having to take at least one wheel off (two if I want to make it easy) is a faff when I often want the seats up to put the dogs in the boot.

I test drove a 2004 (ish) Legacy with the 3 litre engine last year when I was looking for a fast/cheap estate.

The engine was good, pulled very well and sounded nice. However the auto box was awful - so slow to react!
Was quite a nice car to sit in though.

Ended up with a Saab 9-5 Aero turbo that was too powerful for its FWD chassis. I liked that car though, and it was only £900.

Thanks for the update @eyestwice.

It’s genuinely easier to get the bike in the Mini than the Legacy.

Wow, that's a bit of a surprise!

Importantly, will a bike fit in the boot of the Legacy with both wheels off if the back seats stay up?

Depends on the size of the bike.

My XL 150mm bike (Vitus escarpe) needed the front wheel off to go in.

Like so:
[img] [/img]

Importantly, will a bike fit in the boot of the Legacy with both wheels off if the back seats stay up?

Nope, the roof is too low and the car isn't wide enough.

This is all with a 2021 Remedy 8.

29r fits in the outback.

I had a 2004 legacy GT wagon when I was in the states with the 250bhp 2.5lturbo petrol engine in it.  Brilliant car loved it.  Engine was awesome power and torque.  Decent handling but not at sports car level esp brakes could get hot.  Superb in the snow with mechanical viscous diffs. Was thirsty around town.  Had to be very careful with clutch to ensure it was fully engaged when booting it. Mate had the UK spec 2.0 litre non turbo at same time and it wasnt the same car at all.

Sorry to resurrect this thread. I test drove a Legacy yesterday. It was a 2006 2.0R with 75,000km on the clock.

One thing that really put me off is how heavy the clutch was - it felt like being at the gym. Is this normal, or was I dealing with a lemon? I don't think the car was driven for the best part of a year - could that play a role?

The other thing I was a bit unimpressed about was how extremely light the steering felt. It's as if there was no resistance at all.

Clutch could be a fault, the clutch on my legacy was noticeably heavier than my mates outback. It had been sitting a while when i bought it. It didn’t fail though, was just heavy.
Light steering is normal though.

I guess I'll just need to test drive one or two more to see whether this one was dodgy or not. The last time I felt a clutch so heavy was on my late gran's Lada Samara!

Non of the engines are that efficient. I would prefer the 3.0B spec but the tax is punitive. For that reason if you must have one an imported legacy 2.0 turbo with a manual box if you can find one would be my choice with a contingency fund to keep it running. An imported Forester may be a better choice.

Clutch may be worn out.

They can get heavier and heavier before they start slipping.

My 911 was like this, changed the clutch and it was a different car.

Your nan's Lada would have had a cable operated clutch, probably a rusted up cable.

My UK one has the 6-speed and it's not heavy at all.

I'd check the simple stuff though- carpets can get jammed into pedals, and some (maybe all?) Subaru clutch pedals have height adjustment which can sometimes have the option of adjusting them in really horrible ways.

Otherwise just walk away- it'd definitely not be a massive thing to fix, easier than on most fwd cars where the clutch mech, slave cylinder etc isn't easily accessible but not something to accept when buying.

I'm on my third one.
Started with an 04 2L legacy estate, which was a bit slow, but bombproof and perfect went renovating a house in a snowy village.
Then an 09 diesel outback which did the knocking thing at 97k miles & went back to the dealer to be replaced by a 13 diesel outback, which is now on 140k miles.

As a family car, I haven't seen anything I'd rather have (except perhaps an XC90 but they are a slightly higher budget).
The diesel isn't the quietest but just does its thing. I really like the CVT gearbox as it's so smooth. In the 120k miles I've done in it, it's had tyres, brakes & 2 wheel bearings. I know it's going to need front wishbones (for the bushes) soon, but I think the price of OE parts is acceptable from ICP (alot less than the dealer).
It'll get 45-50mpg on the motorway, tows our caravan with ease (albeit 25mpg) & hasn't been stuck in snow or a muddy field yet. It's just low enough I can get 4 bikes go on the roof without ladders.

If I'm working away, I can get a 29er hardtail in the boot, both wheels off & the load cover over the top of it, so it's hidden & as secure as realistically possible.

I keep looking at replacements & always end up back at newer ones the same.