(Almost) First Car, First Day on Forum

[Eliminator]

Ok, I just passed my driving test today and now own 50% of a 2000 Subaru Legacy GL Estate/Wagon 2L AWD, which I share with my father. I'll pay it off fully over the next year or so. It's got 165,000 km and is in fantastic condition.

My father's owned this car for 5 years, and I've driven it for the last 12 months, but he has allowed me to buy it off him over the next year as long as he gets to use it while I'm at Uni.

I'm just happy I can start call it mine, and begin to do things to the car. The car is as stock (just with replaced clutch/flywheel etc...) and the only thing I've done is add a CD player (came with a cassette player!) and new floor mats :grin:


I'm happy atm with the car, however I know that as I get more experienced as a driver, I'll want to start modding to get more performance out of here. That's why I joined here, to research about upgrades/tuning, to look for ideas, gain some useful knowledge and to just generally hang out with


A few questions for the more knowledgeable of you first, how do I know if the engine is the SOHC or DOHC?

Any generally recommended mods for this car?

Who else here has one and what have you done with her?


Cheers guys

[rkrenicki]

Without explaining in detail the differences between the engines.. the easiest way for you to find out what it has is by telling us some of the numbers on the model plate. The "Applied Model" will give us just about everything, and the Engine Type will detail what the engine has.

The model plate is under the hood on the left side strut pillar. It looks like this:
http://i1340.photobucket.com/albums/o739/rkrenickisli/IMAG0076_zps88637b03.jpg

There are a lot of 3rd gen legacies on this forum with all sorts of things done to them. I would look at the Members Ride subforum and look at some of the threads there. Depending on where the person is, models from 1998-2002 (Japan) 1999-2003 (Europe, Australia) or 2000-2004 (United States) would be the same generation as yours.

And, Welcome to the SL-i family!

[Eliminator]

The "Applied Model" will give us just about everything, and the Engine Type will detail what the engine has.


Applied Model number is "BH5BK4J", Engine Type is "EJ201NWBVD"



And, Welcome to the SL-i family!

Thanks man

[rkrenicki]

BH5BK4J is Third gen Legacy Wagon, 2.0L, 2000 (Europe), Right Hand Drive, GL, SOHC Non-Turbo 5MT

[Eliminator]

Thanks, I thought it was a SOHC but I wasn't sure

What are the most common modifications and the biggest bang for buck mods to said model by guys on this forum?

[Dead91silvia]

Got pics of it? We can help ya a bit better if we know what you're starting with.

Also, are you wanting cosmetic, or performance upgrades?

[Yamazaki]

Got pics of it? We can help ya a bit better if we know what you're starting with.

Also, are you wanting cosmetic, or performance upgrades?
He has an EJ201. Think EJ251 (3rd Gen US motor), but with 0.5L less. So the same upgrades should work performance-wise. Cosmetic-wise, it's a Legacy. Anything goes!

[amgarrety]

Cosmetic-wise, it's a Legacy. Anything goes!

This. Just look through some of the members' rides, or do some googling and you'll see there are so many different directions you can go. You can go OEM (from your country or another), sporty, rally, functional, urban, racecar, family & pets.... any mix of those is also acceptable. It's amazing what you can do with a Legacy. They are sort of a secret of the car world. There is so much you can do to them, but they aren't as common as their turbo'd siblings.

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

Guess I'll be the first one to say "Welcome to the forums" and congrats on passing your drivers test. I'd like to see some pictures of your car as well. Depending on your budget, and what "theme" you would like to do as amgarrety has explained we could help you find the best options to accommodate your needs. If this is your only car, I'd suggest doing small mods before you go with a complete overhaul. I've been there and it only leads to frustration and disappointment. Good luck with your future endeavors, and hope to watch your build take shape.

- Chad

[98legwag]

Welcome. I would start with suspension mods. I think they make the car more fun and controllable.

[Eliminator]

Got pics of it?
On the way.


Are you wanting cosmetic, or performance upgrades?
Both, want the look to remain fairly stock, just a few minor enhancements on the exterior, a few more on the interior, and to be constantly improving the performance of the car as my driving experience grows.

I want this to be a sleeper, and to just blitz pass all the dumb-ass ricers at uni is this old 2000 Wagon


If this is your only car, I'd suggest doing small mods before you go with a complete overhaul. I've been there and it only leads to frustration and disappointment. Good luck with your future endeavors, and hope to watch your build take shape.

- Chad

Cheers man, and thanks for the advice. Yeah this is my only car and it will be my only car until either all uni fees are paid, or it dies. Whatever comes first.


Just look through some of the members' rides, or do some googling and you'll see there are so many different directions you can go.

I've been doing that, but I'll be honest, this forum isn't the easiest to look through for galleries when it comes to specific models and generations. There's loads on the GTs and Turbos, as well as saloons, but it's hard to find third gen NA 2l wagons

[rkrenicki]

The majority of users on this forum are in the United States, and they never released a 2.0 litre 3rd gen here. For 3rd gen, we only have 2.5 litre and 3.0 litre options (at least without swapping something in from another model or market).

That being said.. most of the mods on an EJ251 engine would still apply to your EJ201. So, I would not focus purely on the fact that most of the MR1 threads are not EJ20 engines. The rest of the car is essentially the same as yours with the exception of drivers position in many cases.

[Eliminator]

Not 100% sure if this is going to work, but here are some very quick snaps of my new baby.

Please excuse the crappy photography, I'm a much better driver I swear! :grin:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2013/07/9268984685_f411fca276_c-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2013/07/9268983535_8f44642837_c-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2013/07/9271768232_24a98a23dc_c-1.jpg

[Muse]

Oh, wow... Yeah, I can see why you only need a few exterior enhancements. That is one sharp-looking car...

[Yamazaki]

I adjusted your post so the click-lazy among us can enjoy the pictures too.

Nice car, by the way. I'm super jealous of your HVAC surround console. We never got anything like that in Japan or North America.

[foohfooh]

i hate subaru of america...

[Eliminator]

I adjusted your post so the click-lazy among us can enjoy the pictures too.

Nice car, by the way. I'm super jealous of your HVAC surround console. We never got anything like that in Japan or North America.

Thanks for that, here a better look [this time I hope I got the picture thing right]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2013/07/9273000274_9a705b2768_z-1.jpg


I'm super jealous of all the 2.5l and twin turbos all you guys seem to be running, taxing and insuring them here would be an absolute b*tch

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

Looks pretty good! Lots of potential.

[98legwag]

Looks like you have a really nice starting point.

[Eliminator]

Looks pretty good! Lots of potential.


Looks like you have a really nice starting point.


Thanks guys, not bad for a first car!


In terms of upgrades and modding, I've no experience and very little knowledge, although I've been trying to change that fact. I'm reading as much on this site and others as I possibly can, but I could still use a bit of help from those much more experienced. As the saying goes, a smart man learns from his mistakes, a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.


My end goal is to have a stealthy daily driver, suited to both start-stop journeys in and around the city, as well as letting rip on the country roads here in Donegal (rally country) and the odd track day.

I'm looking to improve acceleration, handling, responsiveness, top speed, ICE and exterior, in that order. However, I've got little funds, so I'll have to do this one step at a time.

Acceleration

Because of the weight of the car, it's quite poor off the line, so an increase in power should help this. Correct?

Handling

The handling isn't bad, however I'd like to improve it so that's it able to handle the planned power increases.

Strut Braces - are they worth it on the Legacy Wagon?
Brake Upgrades - The brakes are very good
Diffs - I don't know fully what a diff upgrade would do, could someone explain it to me?

Responsiveness & Top Speed

Engine Tuning should help with this, correct?

Intake - From what I understand/have seen on dynos, POD filters only give an increase of about 1.5%, CAI's again have an increase of about 2%, so are they worth it?

Throttle Body Spacer - a small hp gain, but appear to give a fuel economy increase.

Exhaust - I vaguely understand the difference between EL and UEL exhausts. UEL bolt on and exaggerate the boxer rumble, but EL will give better power gains, correct?

Cams - I have a SOHC, is it worth converting to a DOHC? What will this do in terms of performance?

Pistons - This would be a long way down the line in terms of mods, as they're not cheap.

ECU Tuning - Any plug and play ECU tuners?



Anything I'm missing/overlooking? What order should I go through the upgrades in? What gives me best bang for buck upgrades?

[Muse]

On a wagon, if you want good handling, a rear strut brace is a very good idea. Wagons aren't terribly stiff in the rear and the bars eliminate a lot of flex. I'm not sure if you'd see much difference on stock suspension, but there are many wagon owners here who swear by them.

[Eliminator]

On a wagon, if you want good handling, a rear strut brace is a very good idea. Wagons aren't terribly stiff in the rear and the bars eliminate a lot of flex. I'm not sure if you'd see much difference on stock suspension, but there are many wagon owners here who swear by them.

Thanks for your advice, what about suspension upgrades then? What's the road most traveled by wagon owners?

[rkrenicki]

Rear sway bar will likely be your biggest bang for the buck upgrade. White line makes a good one.

[Eliminator]

I think for my first set of upgrades, I'm going to install a

Tein S Tech performance spring kit (lower by approx 25mm)
Whiteline Rear Anti Roll bar and poly bushes
Whiteline Front Anti Roll bar and poly bushes
Whiteline Anti Lift Kit

[Dead91silvia]

If you havent got the springs yet, I would get another brand. Most people dont like the S tech's on the Legacy. I have H&R's and they are great.

[Eliminator]

If you havent got the springs yet, I would get another brand. Most people dont like the S tech's on the Legacy. I have H&R's and they are great.

Thanks man, no I haven't go anything yet. I've just heard good things about them on a few lads WRXs.

See, this is exactly the sort of stuff I joined for