I'm not as cool as everyone here...

[Skabs]

but I recently totalled my 99 Infiniti G20t and I'm shopping for a Legacy(the car I've wanted ever since the day after I drove home the G20), so hopefully I will be someday soon!

I'm a 25 y/o Denver, CO native, I play ice hockey, bass and guitar, and I snowboard in my free time.

I'm still having trouble trying to decide which Legacy I want to buy, what year, sedan or wagon, AT or MT.... it's all up in the air right now.

It seems to me that the BD/BK is a good choice for my needs as it is the only legacy sedan with fold down rear seats. I know about the headgasket issues, but I saw a post about some sort of updated/upgraded headgasket that would make that no longer a problem. If anybody knows any more about that, I'd really appreciate a link to more info.
:grin:
Aside from the folding rear seats, I really like the styling of the 00'-current car(That 05'+ sedan rear end is soooo sexy!). And I have a yakima roof snowboard rack from the G20 in case I would get a newer legacy.

Once I get the car I want, I plan on doing some modest/reliable mods, including cold air intake, pulleys, and possibly headers and cat-back, strut tower bars, sway bars, and maybe even some carbon fiber and racing seats(unless I get heated leather) to lighten her up a little. I don't plan on going turbo unless I get a newer GT with a turbo already installed, and I won't be lowering the car at all because low ground clearance was one my biggest complaints about my G20. I'll be keeping her clean on the outside and reliable on the inside. No flashy junk like tv's and nav units. I'm not going to be racing or pretending like I'm going to be racing, but I do enjoy a safe, spirited drive in the mountains.

I've been using the search function a lot, because this is not the first car forum I've been a member of, and I know how some of you uber nerds can be about your "use the search function" "look for yourself" "I'm not here to help you" kinda attitude. So I won't be asking any questions that haven't been thoroughly searched for first. Altho, I must say, the search function here is a little too broad. I find it hard to find answers to any of my questions without having to go through 400 threads first. So If I do ask a stupid question, I'd appreciate a push in the right direction. Nobody wants to/has time to read bad attitude flaming, I'm sure we can all agreee to that.

[SilentRacer]

We've never flamed anyone for asking any questions, stupid or not. We only flame for poorly worded questions because we can't be bothered to read through them. You don't have that problem,....so WELCOME :cool:

[BE-Fresh]

Yeah just watch out for Reason, he can be mean sometimes...and me when I'm intoxicated, I can be a huge dick. But welcome anyway!

[deadlydave]

Welcome! You speak clearly, so your future looks great. :smile:
Let us know what you decide on, and feel free to ask questions.

[Skabs]

Thanks for the warm welcome!
I'll be around quite a bit, I'm sure.
I look forawrd to being part of the family.

If anyone wants to reccomend which car I should get right off, that would be cool. Keeping in mind that reliability is my number one concern. I am leaning mostly toward a sedan with a MT, and N/A if that helps.

I'm not a pro mechanic by any means, but I like to think I can perform any work I can read thoroughly about and have the proper tools to accomplish.

[BE-Fresh]

Look for an 03 Legacy L, but make sure it's not silver

[AJM]

Bd sedan with a 5sp. An ej22 will be slower, but way more reliable.

[Skabs]

How much slower? My last car had a Nissan SR20DE 2.0, which is a relly reliable engine, but it only pushed about 145 HP. I'd like a little more power than that, but I can deal with less HP if the gas mileage makes up for it. Just as long as I'm able to get up to 70mph going uphill in the mtns without too much fuss, I'm ok.

What makes the 2.2 more reliable than the 2.5? Is it just the headgasket thing? Cause I read on the forum somewhere that there's a better(perhaps aftermarket) one out there. I think I even saw that someone used a headgasket from a 2.2 on their 2.5 which somehow upped the compression... Is that right?

[SilentRacer]

This doesn't apply to 00+ legacys. They went to SOHC therefore having much less headgasket issues.

[Skabs]

No, right, I know. I was just asking about the BD/BK, since that's what was brought up. And since that's still a good option for me, I'd like to know whatever anybody wants to tell me.

Just tryin to get the most info I can from the experts before I make a final decision.
:wink:

[Mr. Sociable]

Welcome from a fellow Colorado man! I like the fact that you actually use complete sentences :grin: .


Be sure to join up on AWDpirates.net it's a local subaru board. You'll need think skin (I don't post there much because of how curl it can be lol) but there's a lot of good info and smart people on there.

[Plays_with_Toys]

I'd vote wagon, although here in colorado the state flag has a Green Outback Wagon on it... I was able to move my friend, with all of his possessions in one trip in the wagon, unloaded the car and still had a very sporty ride. Hard to do in a sedan. Also, it's nice to be able to pile alot of bags and such in the back if you're the designated driver to get to the slopes.

Definitely get the 5speed. If you're looking for power and gas mileage you picked the wrong car company. All wheel drive robs both. Turbo offsets the power loss, but you won't find a subaru new or old that gets more than 30mpg highway even in top shape. Most get 26-28 highway, and 20-24 city.

I've taken my wagon up to the mountains a few times, and with the 2.2 and a manual it doesn't gallop up the mountain but it's definitely not a slouch. There's a reason so many people grab them and take them up to the slopes here.

AWDPirates is a great resource with many knowledgeable people on there but very few legacy owners. Most legacy owners on there are here as well. Still, a great community to be on, as there are often events planned through the year (like cruises/meets)

So depending on your money situation, I would definately go for a BE. It's just newer. BD/BG's with under 100k miles are becoming a rarity now. And the BH is just not as attractive from the start. If you want to go a little older, BG/BK (wagons). I think they look more balanced, and again, sporty wagons are a dieing breed that need to be saved. Plus there are TONs out there in colorado you can grab up for cheap.

But this is just me....

[Wiscon_Mark]

Let's be fair - I've gotten 32mpg on the highway before. Definitely not in the winter though.

[Plays_with_Toys]

and my buddies who drive mazdas, hondas, toyotas all get that mpg in the city...

[grayguy]

true subies get a little worse mileage, but it's a small price to pay. Quite honestly, as long as I can average 20+ outta my car, I'm happy. (my current DD gets 14-15 and i drive a couple hundred miles a week)

I have seen subies get 30+ on the highway no problem, so saying they don't/wont is an unfair statement.

I would suggest a BD with the 2.5. when the head gaskets blow, replace them with the stock STI gaskets, and never worry about it again. I don't think the differnce in mileage 2.5vs 2.2 is enough to worry about, but the difference between 2.2 vs 2.5 power wise is. Get something with a 2.5 and 5mt, you'll thank yourself.

[Plays_with_Toys]

^STi headgaskets fit fine? No blocked passages or anything?

[grayguy]

I'm pretty sure. At least that's what I remember hearing. I would guess that if I can bolt an ej22t to 2.5 Dohc heads using a 2.5 Sohc head gasket and have everything line up perfectly, that the sti head gasket would work on the older 2.5s. Remember, our cars are all just legos, decide what you want, and it all magically works together.

[Skabs]

That is very cool. Maybe I'll just get a beater 97, get all the parts I want and then get a 4th gen when I can afford it and transfer over all my upgraded parts and then scrap the old one.

[Skabs]

Hey guys, I'm back with an update.

So I ended up finding a stellar deal on a 97' BMW M3 last spring that I just couldn't pass up. It needed a decent amount of work, all of which I'm capable of doing, but for $6k on a car with a KBB value of about $13k, it was a no-brainer (still trying to decide if that was in a good or bad way hehe). Anyway after about a year and 10k miles or so, I realize that I NEED a reliable dedicated winter car.

I'm averaging about 24.5mpg on the bimmer with a 3.2L I6 pushing about 250rwhp, so the Legacy mpg numbers you guys gave me don't worry me at all.

I'm looking at a blue/beige, 2000, BE, L, 5mt, with about 130k miles, priced at $4,995 on Autotrader, first of all wondering if that's a decent price, and most importantly, wanted to make sure that it's got the 2.5 and disc brakes all around.

[Huffer]

I'm looking at a blue/beige, 2000, BE, L, 5mt, with about 130k miles, priced at $4,995 on Autotrader, first of all wondering if that's a decent price, and most importantly, wanted to make sure that it's got the 2.5 and disc brakes all around.

Yes. But you could wander over to Utah, pick up DLC's BE with all it's mods, fix the HG's and get it repainted for about $6k. His mods are AWESOME too.

[Skabs]

Ya, I noticed that yesterday, and ya, she's a beauty, and I even thought about it. But then I remembered I'm not lookin for another project, unfortunately. The bimmer needs new ignition coils, shocks, struts, springs, mounts, and like 47 bushings that are little more than dust, at the very least, to get where I want it to be, and all that's gonna be over $2k (in parts alone, I can do all the work). After that's done, I've got another ten thou or so worth of parts in mind (six-speed, supercharger, new diff, chip, decent headlights... make that more like fifteen thou... jeebus, it it even worth it? ). For now I just need something simple that's gonna get me around town in the snow and into the mtns with no problems.... *sigh*