Subachouli
03-26-2011, 11:28 AM
Ok fellow legacy fanatics, I have a dilemma.
I have a 1998 Legacy GT wagon with 150k. I purchased it about a month ago. I love the car and the "GT" options. The car has moderate rust/rot in the rear quarter panels and rust on the bottoms of the doors. I paid $2000 for it.
Monday I have an appointment at a body shop to repair the rust (patch, not new OEM panels). The car is in need of a repaint, which would be done this summer. Color would also be changed.
Today I stumbled upon a local 1999 Legacy Brighton with around 120k. I can pick it up for a little more than the cost of the body work on my GT. I have yet to take a closer look, but the car appears to be rust free. I'm also happier with the color.
Plan A: Buy the clean Brighton. Swap over my GT exterior bits (bumpers, hood, side skirts, spoiler), leather interior, and alloy wheels. Swap Brighton parts onto my rusty GT, and sell it to recoup the cost.
Plan B: Forget the Brighton, fix my GT, paint it, and hope the rust doesn't come back.
I know that with the Brighton I'll be losing the 165hp 2.5 liter, but my plan with either car was to clean up the body and drive it til it died, and then swap in an EJ205.
What else would I be losing that couldn't be fixed with fun go fast aftermarket parts? What would you do?
My head is spinning a bit at the moment and I'm sort of wishing I never saw the Brighton.. but rust is the death of these cars.
thanks for any advice
I have a 1998 Legacy GT wagon with 150k. I purchased it about a month ago. I love the car and the "GT" options. The car has moderate rust/rot in the rear quarter panels and rust on the bottoms of the doors. I paid $2000 for it.
Monday I have an appointment at a body shop to repair the rust (patch, not new OEM panels). The car is in need of a repaint, which would be done this summer. Color would also be changed.
Today I stumbled upon a local 1999 Legacy Brighton with around 120k. I can pick it up for a little more than the cost of the body work on my GT. I have yet to take a closer look, but the car appears to be rust free. I'm also happier with the color.
Plan A: Buy the clean Brighton. Swap over my GT exterior bits (bumpers, hood, side skirts, spoiler), leather interior, and alloy wheels. Swap Brighton parts onto my rusty GT, and sell it to recoup the cost.
Plan B: Forget the Brighton, fix my GT, paint it, and hope the rust doesn't come back.
I know that with the Brighton I'll be losing the 165hp 2.5 liter, but my plan with either car was to clean up the body and drive it til it died, and then swap in an EJ205.
What else would I be losing that couldn't be fixed with fun go fast aftermarket parts? What would you do?
My head is spinning a bit at the moment and I'm sort of wishing I never saw the Brighton.. but rust is the death of these cars.
thanks for any advice