Thinkin of buying a 05+ LGT

[haunt]

Hey everyone, i just joined this forum awhile back when my gf picked up a 97 legacy since i persuaded her to the subie side :D but anyway, ive got a 2000 RS and a 88 Gl Hatch as my beater...but ive always wanted to pick up a LGT ever since the new ones came out...anyway, im wondering where i would be able to find good deals and whether or not this is something i should look into rather than swapping the RS for now...i recently graduated college and am going to be looking at higher income, so i thought i might get something with a bit more class then my heavily modified RS...

tell me what you guys think since i've never actually got the chance to ride in one of these bad boys yet...

and here is my RS for the record:
http://ghostgrafik.com/hosted/hatcha04.jpg

[Superu264]

As much as I want everyone to experience Legacy greatness, your RS is too damn good looking.

I went over to the dark side on this one.. swap it. :twisted:

[Wiscon_Mark]

My reasoning has nothing to do with looks.

That car is light and is an excellent handling platform. You won't need to put nearly as much power into that thing to make it go fast :smile:

Plus it's got teh hawtness.

My dream as always been a 1st gen Impreza...as much as I love my Legacy.

[sansMYSTi]

No matter how much I love your RS, I would go with the LGT - you will not regret it as you get older. Comfort becomes more important as you hit your thirties (especially if you have a family).

[haunt]

man, this poll isn't getting me anywhere yet! haha...guess it all does come down to a matter of opinion. my opinion is, do both :grin:

[Wiscon_Mark]

Well, what exactly are you looking for?

If performance is it, go with the RS for weight savings.

[Reason]

I have the same problem, I don't know what I want.

What do you have done to your RS?

[Huffer]

Didn't even bother looking at the thread. The RS swap wins because with the right mods, you still get all the comfort of the LGT with the power of boost.

Do it right, you'll have factory reliability in a custom-car.

The LGT is nice, if you want to be more under the radar, have a heavier aRSe etc. Dual zone aircon is a nice feature. The interior is nicer too.

The RS is prime for swappability, without impinging on overall value. Insurance costs are likely to be higher, and given that you're just out of college you're probably not really ready to be couched in the relative luxury of a boosted Camry.

Everything that is nice about the LGT (besides the bigger internal cabin) can be traded over to the RS shell.

[badbasser98]

Sell the RS to me and buy the LGT!! :wink:

[sheepdog]

I swapped my GC with the dash and everything, from an 05 wrx. Same fancy creature comforts (auto climate control, etc) plus the coolness of the GC. My vote would be to swap the RS.

And yea, what all do you have done right now?

[hutru01]

DO IT. You will never regret buying a newer LGT. I LOVE MINE

[haunt]

sorry guys, didn't see that i got replies...
since a lot of you asked about the mods list here is what i got so far:

Cobb CAI
Paranoid Fabrications Grounding Kit
Perrin Lightweight Pulley
STI Carbon Fiber Front Strut Tower Brace
Whiteline 22mm FSB w/ Anodized Endlinks(waiting for the rear, yes i know its backwards)
Whiteline Rear Strut Tower Brace
STI Grp N Tranny Mount
Exedy Stage 1 Organic Clutch
Exedy Lightweight Flywheel
Kartboy SS w/ Bushings
KYB AGX struts
Prodive P1 Springs(RED)
STI Grp N Top Hats/Spring Perches
Borla v.4 Header
Stromung Highflow cat
Stromung Dual Tip
Cell Kill

Version 3/4 Front Bumper
Crystal Front Indicators
Orciari Front Lip
Version 5/6 Grill
STI Lightweight Aluminum Hood
22b Replica Hood Vents
Front Aero Guards
Rear Aero Guards/Rear Spats
Version 3/4 Rear Bumper
JDM Tail Lights
05 LGT wheels

03 WRX Seats
WRX Pedals
MY01 Carbon Fiber Trim/Gauge Cluster
MY01 Carbon Fiber Shift Knob

Optima Redtop Battery
Alpine CDA-9815
Front Infinity Kappas
60G Ipod Photo
12in JL W3v2
Alpine amps

for the longest time i've been waiting for the swap as well...i just wanted to hear how you legacy guys like your LGT's. i wouldn't be looking for performance as much with the LGT, i mean im sure i would throw on some tasteful mods, but i wouldn't really be looking for performance as much. As for the RS though, i know that im on the border of it no longer being a daily driver so much to speak. I almost feel like my masterpiece would be complete and would hate to drive it as a daily for fear of damage or racking up miles...i already am parking it for the winter and driving my beater right now...decisions decisions...

[haunt]

I swapped my GC with the dash and everything, from an 05 wrx. Same fancy creature comforts (auto climate control, etc) plus the coolness of the GC. My vote would be to swap the RS.

And yea, what all do you have done right now?

if you have a chance you should send me some pics of that. i've seen a few dash swaps but sometimes they don't turn out so well as others...

[Huffer]

You've done too much to back down now.
Go hard, or go home!

.... in short - you'll always wonder what 300hp felt like in your sub-3000lb chassis.

[haunt]

You've done too much to back down now.
Go hard, or go home!

.... in short - you'll always wonder what 300hp felt like in your sub-3000lb chassis.

heh, true true. i wasn't really thinking of selling it though...just using the swap money for the LGT down payment. But you are right! ill have to just wait for the 08 legacy to get into a better price range...

[Reason]

Did you dyno it yet? or plan to?

[Huffer]

just using the swap money for the LGT down payment. But you are right! ill have to just wait for the 08 legacy to get into a better price range...

Bad move. Down payments suck. Payments, full stop, suck.

If you can't decide what to do with the money, find a nice group (diversify) mutual fund that gives an AVERAGE of 12% (and has a track record of 10+ years). Then buy a new car with cash in a couple of years when you're bored of the RS.

Or just watch the money grow, and take a vacation. ;)

[haunt]

Did you dyno it yet? or plan to?

haven't had the chance yet. i was thinking about getting that done and having it tuned to make use of the mods...but with the swap hovering above my head i decided to wait make use of it on the new setup if it happened.

Huffer- yeah i totally agree with you on that. all those things have been part of the deciding factors...but i think i could handle the swap and then put money towards something else in the future. i am younger so it is hard to keep your eyes focused on future gains over immediate desires :roll:

i appreciate everyones advice! im glad you all appreciate the 2.5, its been a great ride and i guess its time to build it to its full potential. ill make sure to post something about it when some progress happens.

[haunt]

You've done too much to back down now.
Go hard, or go home!

.... in short - you'll always wonder what 300hp felt like in your sub-3000lb chassis.

BTW, got any pics of your GF8?!?

[Huffer]

BTW, got any pics of your GF8?!?

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?p=11138#11138

:)

[haunt]

BTW, got any pics of your GF8?!?

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?p=11138#11138

:)

NICE!

[sheepdog]

Here's some pics from right after the swap was completed, i have since put door cards back in it, fixed the blown airbags, and matched the a pillars and headliner black. A lot of dash swaps dont fit right... mine does. fits perfect. I also swapped everything else, subframes, gas tank, control arms, the works. I think besides metal and cosmetics, we used the windshied wiper motor and hard fuel lines from the L.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?t=3328&highlight=

[haunt]

Here's some pics from right after the swap was completed, i have since put door cards back in it, fixed the blown airbags, and matched the a pillars and headliner black. A lot of dash swaps dont fit right... mine does. fits perfect. I also swapped everything else, subframes, gas tank, control arms, the works. I think besides metal and cosmetics, we used the windshied wiper motor and hard fuel lines from the L.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?t=3328&highlight=

i'd be interested in finding out more about the a pillars and headliner that you used, as well as the door cards. those are the main areas of concern that i've seen in most dash swaps...i haven't seen more than a couple that look clean in those spots. did you use normal RS a pillars and door cards? i was wondering if maybe some older sti door cards would match up better with the curve of those dashes...

[sheepdog]

I'll find a pic and post it up. I started with an L, so I had to track down a set of RS cards, but once theyre in they match up to the dash remarkably well. I used the stock L A pillars and headliner and such, just recovered them. Let me see if I can track down a good picture of the clearances of the dash for you.

[sheepdog]

Heres a kind of crappy pic of the door cards going in:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/

And here are some pics of the clearances, sorry theyre huge

http://www.eastcoastswappers.com/images/gallery/Brendan/Brendan%20(43).jpg
http://www.eastcoastswappers.com/images/gallery/Brendan/Brendan%20(42).jpg
http://www.eastcoastswappers.com/images/gallery/Brendan/Brendan%20(46).jpg

Once the pillars were recovered black, the difference is even less noticeable. I hate to brag, but my dash swap is the best fitting one I've ever seen. ECS=FTW.

Theres a whole gallery of the build on their site now, you can check that out if youd like. www.eastcoastswappers.com (http://www.eastcoastswappers.com) , go to gallery, then look for the panda in the scroll bar the side.

[Huffer]

Here's the panda:

http://www.eastcoastswappers.com/gallery.php?id=94

[haunt]

Here's the panda:

http://www.eastcoastswappers.com/gallery.php?id=94

:shock:

you gotta go and get me interested in a bigger swap bill don't ya? :wink: