Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

sweet_subie · June 2005

if it is GT/XT, get at least 4000 to 4500 below msrp
if it is GT/XT Ltd, get at least 5000 to 6000 below msrp

I got my XT ltd, new for 4500 below.

remember, demo warranty periods starts from the day it was driven NOT when you buy it.

piperboy72 · June 2005

I got the perimeter alarm upgrade on my 05 Outback as well. The first thing I did was try to set it off to check the sensitivity. I was unable to get the alarm to sound by rocking the vehicle, striking the steering wheel, jumping on the bumper, even leaving the 5spd in neutral and moving the vehicle. I went back to the dealer and in the service department where they installed the "upgrade" they were unsure about what the alarm was supposed to do. After consulting the service manual they claimed that the only way to really test the alarm was to break a window. Breaking glass apparently produces that special vibration that the alarm is waiting for.

I agree this is a joke, I doubt there will be any kind of recall. I believe recalls are exclusively for defects that jeopardize safety, and I don't see how this would fit that classification. I question if there really is any "upgrade" at all.

What I would like to know is, do people who have the perimeter alarm upgrade as a factory option notice any difference as opposed to people who had this installed by a dealer?

sweet_subie · June 2005

compared to my 2001 OB security system/remote control range. i am very impressed with my sec system for 2005 OB XT. the range is unbelievable, even my remote start(dealer installed/subaru approved) works from 1000 feet.

sesquiped · June 2005

Thanks for the pricing tips, and heads up about the warranty. Would not have know that. Not sure if a demo is for me, but I'll post on Monday and let people know what I did.

piperboy72 · June 2005

I agree that the key fob transmitter range is excellent. We went on a cruise a few weeks ago and after the ship had pulled away from the dock I hit the lock function and it worked. We were probably more than 2000 feet away, but higher in the air as we were on the third deck. Also I fly for business quite a bit and as soon as I set foot on the airport parking garage level that I parked, I hit the unlock and most of the time I can hear it and find my way.

However I am still very disappointed at the perimeter alarm "upgrade" and feel that it was a waste of my money. I also didn't like the answer I got from the dealer about how it should work. I would like to think of the service team as professionals, but after an experience like that I have to think they are either blowing me off or they are just parts installers and don't understand or care about how or why these systems function.

piperboy72 · June 2005

I have a 2005 OB 2.5i with a 5 speed. On my previous road trip I noticed after driving for about two hours the cruise would suddenly disengage. The "Cruise" indicator on the dash would stay lit but the "Set" indicator would go out as if I would have tapped the brake, or used the clutch. However I did nothing at all, I was just cruising along at about 72mph on level ground. Then on my last road trip yesterday it got really bad where this would happen as often as about a dozen times a minute. It was difficult to determine some corresponding possible cause but it sort of seemed to happen more often when going to pass someone. I tried to make sense of this as when passing over the crown of the road was causing something to shift inside the car, but I could not reproduce this intentionally.

Has this happened to anyone else? I also have the problem (I assume everyone with MT does) where the cruise will jerk the engine on anything but the most gradual of downhill descents. This always causes new passengers to comment "what's wrong with your car" when it happens. Too bad I didn't get to test drive the car on a small hill with cruise before buying so I could have asked the dealer that same question. I think I even remember reading about this flaw here on this board before buying the car, but I assumed they were talking about a mountain road or something that someone shouldn't probably even be using cruise control on. However this happens all the time even on typical interstate highway grade descents.

:confuse: "Oh no, it's not flat, what will I do"

khallock · June 2005

I have been using armor-all wipes and they work fine. My husband just used to spray the other day and that worked well too.

ateixeira · June 2005

Demo means used. Mileage is low, but I'd aim for 10% less than the best price on a new car.

-juice

sweet_subie · June 2005

Because of customer cash back, manufacturer to dealer cash back, you will end up with better price on new car vs. used car.

that's what happened to me. used OB XT Ltd(with 5k miles) was 29k & i bought new for 28.5k.

tsy · June 2005

If it's a GT I bet it was driven hard, so I'd think twice unless you were on a tight budget or weren't going to keep the car long. At least if you bought it used someone might have taken care of it like it was their own. Think of 'Demo' like buying a rental car, and you get the idea of how it was driven!

With incentives and the '06 coming out, I'm not sure how much better off you'd be.

tom

dougb10 · June 2005

I personally would not by a demo vehicle. The local Subaru dealer was showing a customer (last winter), how tough the Subaru Forester is...by driving over a high curb...through a field (with at least a foot of snow), then through an icy stream.The car got bogged down for about 10 seconds, and with a lot of noise and steam coming from under the hood, it just kept on blasting along. Very impressive!
But I would not drive my own car that way, and would pass on buying it.

A sales rep also demo'd an RX 330 to me by driving over a high curb and back again at 40mph, then slamming on the brakes on a rough shoulder at a much higher speed, with his hands off the wheel to show the stability. The car could handle the abuse fine...but no thanks...I will stick to new ones.

Doug

taddison · June 2005

My perimeter alarm goes off if I rap on the windshield hard with the palm of my hand a number of times, or if I drop the hood to close it. Not that I expect a thief to be dropping the hood, this was just one way my dealer suggested for me to test that the alarm actually works.

When I rap on the windshield it seems to give a few warning blips at first, then if I keep going it sounds the full alarm. Dropping the hood gave a full alarm immediately.

I'm OK with it not being over-sensitive - I don't want to be one of those people whose car wakes up their neighbors just because a cat jumps up on it...
If it primarily detects glass breakage that's fine by me - that's the most common way for a thief to get into a car.

piperboy72 · June 2005

Thanks a bunch for the advice. I was finally able to get my alarm to sound by rapping on the windshield with my palm, though it did not go off by dropping the hood. If the dealer could have given me this information I would have been satisfied months ago when I purchased the Outback. Also I agree, I would prefer an alarm that is less sensitive as opposed to being over sensitive. I just needed to know it would sound when it should for peace of mind.

kens · June 2005

Doug,

So far, all I've done is wipe down the dash using a moistened microfiber cloth. I don't like the look most vinyl protectants leave so I've avoided them. My 98 Forester S also never had any treatments and the dash looked fine after 5 years of California sun.

Ken

jchu · June 2005

My 2005OB XTL has 9500 mile on it. Last night, after the car has been ignited, it was hesitating to go. I stepped on gas, and it was getting worse, and the check engine light was on. I have tried put it on sport manual model, changed gears few times, the light was gone and it was no problems for drive. But the problems were coming back in this morning. The check engine light flash few times and kept on all the time, the cruise light was keep flashing also. When the car speed over 60mhp, it started hesitating again, just wont let you go faster, the car kept pulsing like someone doesnt know how to change gears when driving a manual car. I have called few Subaru dealers later, and they all suspected its emission sensor malfunctioning. I had a leasing 2001 OB before, it have happened twice with check engine light on, and the sensor was changed twice. But it has never had hesitating problems. Anyone get some ideas? Anyway Im going to have the car examined on next Monday, hope its minor though its under warranty.

John

taddison · June 2005

I'm glad you got the alarm to sound.

My dealer didn't know how to test it either until they called a regional rep to find out.

Also, the sensitivity is adjustable by the dealer using their special computer that plugs into the diagnostic port. Mine was initially set at 5 on a 1-to-10 scale, but the dealer couldn't figure out whether a higher number or lower number was more sensitive so we just left it alone.

beanboy · June 2005

http://www.plaftaphoto.com/post/IMG_3797.jpg

rob_m · June 2005

You lucky dog! You made it to the Wicked Big Subaru Meet at Nashoba Valley Ski area. I was supposed to go with my 05 LGT, but too many things came up at the homefront. Rob M.

dt63944 · June 2005

I use either Meguiars Natural Shine and a small terry towel:
h**p://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_detailpage.cfm?product=Natural-Shine-Vinyl-&-Rubber- -Protectant&sku=G-41

or Black Magic dashboard wipes:
h**p://www.blackmagiccarcare.com/

Or Blue Magic Vinyl and Leather Cleaner, which I get at Pep Boys (can't find their web site. but Google on Blue Magic Leather Vinyl and you'll find a lot of places that sell it).

All are good. I believe a vinyl cleaner should clean, provide UV protection and not alter the original factory gloss level. Of the three, the Meguiars product is probably the best, but it has a smell to it that I don't particularly care for (although it dissipates quickly).

(Replace the ** in the web addresses I gave you with "tt")

kyfdx · June 2005

It has all the earmarks of some sort of sensor malfunction.. Just have them flatbed it to the dealer.

jon_in_ct · June 2005

I've noticed a weird pattern among safety complaints to NHTSA's Office of Defect Investigations for the 2005 Outback. There are only 7 complaints, but 5 of them are for headlights and the other two are for cruise control issues. You can view all of the 2005 Outback complaints here. What's up with that? What are your experiences? Problems or not?

BTW, the 2005 Legacy complaints are all over the place. Click here to see the 2005 Legacy complaints..

doug1 · June 2005

Thanks to all for their advice on this. I certainly appreciate it.

Doug

doug1 · June 2005

I believe others have mentioned bulb issues before. My first one burned out at 8000 miles. A friend had two burn out on the same day, with around 5000mi on his car. A dealer mentioned to me recently that they've been having a ton of problems with the bulbs. But he assured me that they'd checked out electrical issues, and it had been traced to the bulbs themselves. Hopefully Subaru will figure out the problem with its supplier. Still seems rather fishy to have two bulbs burn out in one day though.

Doug

doug1 · June 2005

Wanted to thank Ken and Craig for directing me to Klasse AIO last fall. Definitely the best experience I've had with a car wax. It's much less messy than caranuba, as it doesn't negatively impact black plastic trim. I'll be sticking with it.

Doug

sweet_subie · June 2005

I have a serious problem with 2005 OB XT coming from 2001 OB with interior storage space & lighting. This is crazy.

1. Glove compartment is useless
2. Center console too low.
3. Why does center console extend out to back seat & reduce back seat leg room ?
4. Front door storage spaces are horrible, can't fit 10 CD bag ?
5. no seat pocket behind driver seat ?
6. no front lights on when door opened ?
7. horrible interior lighting, can;t see anything in night clearly ? even glove compartment lighting is bad !

what are they thinking ?

rob_m · June 2005

you forgot to mention the cute little ash tray which holds about 3 quarters! Rob M.

jchu · June 2005

Thank you. I just came back from a dealer. They told me everyting is normal after examination, so just shut off the "check engine" light. Thery doubt it could be some kind of miss fire, but I was using premium gas all the time, so there was no explanation for the problem.

ateixeira · June 2005

Personally? I'd find it reassuring that the biggest complaint was regarding a $5 halogen bulb.

-juice

jon_in_ct · June 2005

The complaints about the 2005 Outback headlights seem to be about the beam pattern, which can't be fixed by replacing a bulb.

alpha01 · June 2005

Curious- how is the glove compartment useless? Are you trying to put a laptop in there? It swallows a bunch of stuff, IMO, including my iPod, a few maps, napkins from Dunkin Donuts (hooray for the obesity epidemic!), and the chunky owners manual.

The center console is too low for what? I personally dont think the interior lighting is that bad... map lights and overhead between front and rear is pretty standard....

Otherwise, I agree there could be more storage space, I could do without the lighter as theres no chance Id let anyone smoke in the car.

perplexed,
Joe

dcm61 · June 2005

I personally dont think the interior lighting is that bad... map lights and overhead between front and rear is pretty standard....

I think it's mostly wagons with the HUGE moonroof that have the interior lighting issue. The "center" overhead light is WAY back. Craig ended up hooking up the maps lights to work with the door switch.

DaveM

saintviper · June 2005

I agree that the lighting inside is poor. The map lights should really double as dome lights especially in the wagon. The glove box is on the small side and that pocket to hold the owner's manual is a waste of space.

The door pockets and console seem fine to me, but I came from a WRX, not an Outback.

krzyss · June 2005

the lighting is not good. My Passat has big light in front and two small ones above rear doors. It works much better. Subaru should have connected map lights themselves to solve the problem.

Krzys

sweet_subie · June 2005

wow, glove compartment taking ipod - is it ipod or mini ? j/k. i am comparing this to the previous generation OB's glove compartments. the same things fitted in my previous one comfortably. why would they make it less usable in revised model ?

center console is too low to rest your hands on, if it is NOT too low why do think they are selling a center console step-up ? and it is smaller than previous OB.

if you have OB with moonroof, the lighting is only for back seats. map lights don;t come on when door is opened. i noticed in tribeca it does.

the lighting itself is very poor compared to preious ones. the lighting in glove comaprtment is useless compared to previous one.

the door pockets are less usable than previous ones. can't fit the same CD case that did in my 2001 OB which i traded-in

why would they make these worse in a model that is 4 years later ? that's all.

ateixeira · June 2005

Oh, I thought it was about burned out light bulbs...my bad.

-juice

xwesx · June 2005

There's a bulb out alright.... but it's not in the car!!! :P

rwoods · June 2005

I parked my 2005 OBXT wagon in my father's garage two months ago in order to give my Lexus GS430 some work. This Sunday I decided to take the OB for a spin. Turned the key...nothing. Called Roadside Assistance. They came and gave me a jump. Took OB for a nice thirty mile run to Jones Beach and back into the garage. My dad went into the garage that night to start the car...again...nothing.

Next day he jumped it himself and drove it to Subaru. They promptly informed him that I had left the parking lights on for two months and continued to leave them on. They charged the battery. I'm fine now.

Theory: When the carwash was dusting the interior back in April just before I stored the OB they must have inadvertently pushed the parking light button to the on position. I've owned quite a few cars but never have I seen I parking light button on top of the steering column.

Bob Woods

ateixeira · June 2005

In Europe you use those parking lights frequently because the roads are narrow.

Check out Mercedes lights - to the right they turn on, to the left they turn on parking lamps on alternate sides of the car.

I used to valet park and you could spot the rookie because he'd twist the knob all the way left and leave the parking lights on in the Benzes.

-juice

sweet_subie · June 2005

None of the 2005 OBs get this ? Air filtration to filter pollen etc. My old OB used to have this. Now, it is NOT available even as an accessory.

dodge · June 2005

Does anyone know if subaru will put in a navigational system as an option in the outback or forester, like in the tribeca,and if they are not going to put a navi, what might else could they do for 2006 model year?

sweet_subie · June 2005

yes, in 2006 OBs. if you badly need to buy a car without navi, try garmin c330. i am very happy with it.

twrx · June 2005

Complaints on my 2005 Legacy LTD 2.5i wagon:
1. Cruise control surges on downhill.
2. Funny location of door pulls.
3. Glove box is small and won't latch if anything is even remotely out of place.
4. Hard to slide in under the steering wheel-I have scuffs and gouges on the leather wheel because of this.
5. Stereo, no connection for iPod, no way to change out stereo.
6. Window washers, they are located in the wiper area and clog with snow too easily.
7. Very little room under seats (can't hide things well there)
8. Design of rear valance panel that matches up with the toneau cover. I have already broken an attachment part and need to get a new one.
Raves:
1. Mileage--32 on the highway is pretty good,eh?
2. Stereo-sounds better than any previous Subaru stereo.
3. Handling and acceleration-and yes I have only the 168 hp 2.5i with the standard 16" wheels and Bridgestones.
4. Styling-if you are going to drive a wagon this one looks great.
5. First class interior-leather is holding up well and was stiched quite well and it is part of the most upscale looking Subaru interior I have had.
6. Lighting, yes I like it. I like having the domelight out over the back seat for the back passengers. The map lights are fine for the front passengers.
7. ACC-yes I am one who actually likes it. I do generally use it in the semi-auto mode where I control the fan speed. I have found that dual zone is keeping both Susan and I comfortable.
8. Snow traction-22" of snow in 48 hours in December and I never got stuck once.
9. Clever sunroof. If you hit the switch once it just flips the front section up part way.That is great for venting the car when you are parked. When you hit it a second time it retracts but leaves about 6" of the roof unretracted. At this point the front section will deflect the air is such a way that it does not dump into the car and cause a drumming sound that would require the windows being opened. Great at speed. If you push the button a third time be ready to lower the windows.
10. Finally, a power point in the center console for my cell phone. I just wish they would put one in the back like all of the Outbacks.
11. Build quality, this car is my first from my home state and it an exellently built car.
TWRX

fj60 · June 2005

I ordered my GT Lmt Wagon with air filtration but it was delivered (Oct. '04) without it because of design problems (per dealer). A redesigned was finally available and installed in my wagon last month.

FJ60

rkru · June 2005

In Canada, as an accessory, its part number G3210AG000 at $C96.29 plus 1 hr installation. Its supposedly std on the VDC.

sweet_subie · June 2005

is it for 2005 model ?

hili · June 2005

I've just driven the Tribeca and liked it but I'd like to compare it to the 06 Outback. Does anyone know what the new one will be like or when it will be at dealers? Will VDC be standard as on the Tribeca?

kens · June 2005

The air filtration kit was redesigned recently. The original mode required the entire glove compartment to be dismantled -- which only could be accessed by dismanting the center stack. Poor design.

The new kit replaces a part in the glove comparment so replacement filters can be accessed without the whole disassembly process. Unfortunatey, it's a bit pricey and also requires installation time.

I've just gotten by without the filter for now.

Ken

fj60 · June 2005

It's for a 2005 MY. I was told early production models require the refit Ken describes. The install is straight forward, but my center console/box refused to come out as easily as the instructions described (typical) so I had the dealer install it. They were going to charge $75, but waived it once I showed them the paperwork listing air filtration installed upon delivery.

ateixeira · June 2005

Yes, it has VDC standard.

Compred to an Outback VDC, which has similar equipment, the Tribeca Limited 5-pass actually lists for $1150 less.

Discounting makes the OB VDC cheaper, though.

-juice

fj60 · June 2005

I posted a message about a rattle/jiggle from my sunroof (wgn) a couple of months ago. I had a nearby dealer investigate and they found a metal excess trim piece lying near the sunroof track. I was a little wary that they had to remove the headliner and the trim around the doors and sunroof, but everything looks good and NO rattle!

FJ60

Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

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