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Comments
Interesting they chose the BMW 325, rather than the 330. The MSRP must have been the factor that determined the choice of vehicles. Offhand it would seem like a slam dunk for the Legacy GT.
Bob
So, I took yet another 5EAT GT Ltd wagon on a test drive and I think it fully satisfied my expectations this time. It felt very similar to the wagon I just drove and not nearly as boggy as the orginal one (I know, it's getting hard to keep track of which is which).
I took the wagon out onto highway 1 headed down to Monterey and really liked the smoothness of the tranny. On the road, power was always right there and Sportshift button downshifts were quick and smooth. It would be more than enough to keep me entertained for daily driving.
We then turned off to hit some twisties in the Santa Cruz mountains. This time I left it in Sport mode and just let the tranny do it's thing. I found I always had ample power and it was lots of fun. That, combined with the great steering and well balanced suspension kept a stupid grin on my face.
I think I'm pretty much sold. I'm 99% convinced at this point that I want 5EAT.
Stay tuned for more!
Ken
The manager had seen Toyota and BMW factories in the past and he was just gushing at how streamlined and well-run the SIA floor was.
Very interesting facts I learned:
-It apparently takes 1.5 hours to build a Legacy/OB from the basic frame to finished product.
- Immediately after the build, they put every car on a dyno and take it up to some very fast speed. The dyno has built in diagnostics that check a variety of factors such as ABS operation, AWD operation in addition to power output. This process apparently happens literally right after they turn the engine over for the first time. He commented how it was amazing to see a Legacy running full tilt with the tail rocking back and forth while it spun on the dyno.
Thought that was pretty interesting.
Ken
Bob
I think you'll be plenty happy with the 5EAT. There are times I wish I'd gone that route, especially when caught in traffic or when I'm not paying full attention to my shifting mechanics and grind the gears or jack rabbit my starts. At times like these the memory of the smoothness of that auto box creeps back. ;-)
Cheers!
-Ian
I'm sure I'll miss rowing my own gears too. Especially if another GT wagon dusts me from the stop light! ;-)
Well, if you lived close enough we could have swapped cars when the fancy struck to drive a the different tranny.
I'm hoping that by the next car purchase, Subaru would have included a SMG in their choices.
Ken
Sorry for the public reply. I couldn't find a way to do user specific messages. I've got a Leg GT on order from a Bay Area dealer, as well. I expect is sometime late next month.
I could really use that coupon if you haven't had any takers.
On another topic, I would like to thank everyone who has been contributing to this forum thread. It has been invaluable in my research on a new car. I've been lurking here for over a year.
It is awesome to see people finally able to take these cars home.
drew
I'd agree that the OB may not go round corners as fast as a Legacy. It may not grip the (dry) road as well due to having all-weather tyres. It will likely lean over further into the corners. However, my idea of "handling" concerns sensations sent through to my body and mind based on the delicate balance between understeer and oversteer. If I recall, both cars have a RWD bias built in (is it 45/55 for both?), which means that on the limit they will allow some oversteer instead of "plough understeer" which is more likely with cars with a 50/50 distribution. If that is the case, I would guess behaviour of the two cars is similar.
The car I have owned and enjoyed the most from a pure handling perspective was a 1969 Fiat 124 AC Coupe (not sure if they sold those in the USA). RWD 1400cc about 90hp and pretty light. Very early road-holding limits allowed me to indulge my oversteer control at 20 years of age.
The most exotic car I have owned is a 1980 Lancia Montecarlo (Scorpion in the USA) - mid engined, 130hp. But mild understeer leading to snap-oversteer made it a tricky handler, so it wasn't the best overall. Best roadholding though, with the mid-engine and 190/60 tyres.
Interestingly, I once drove a mid-engined "Formula Ford" single-seater around a race-track (180hp, about 450kg weight) when it started raining hard. It had almost slick tyres and I was trying for a top lap time. It was sliding all over the place, but you knew EXACTLY what was happening all the time. I would like to say I made it back to the pits without going off-road...but that would be lying. I flew off the track, over a grass mound and the car got stuck in a fence. Luckily the damage was mostly to my pride. Where was VDC when I needed it?!!!!
- Aussie Outback
They had a cool screensaver which features the 05 Legacies and Outbacks...
--S
Craig
Glad you finally have confirmed your 5EAT purchase as well. It still should be quite fun to drive!
-Brian
-Brian
Did you notice that Chicago is in Chicago, IL and not Wisc.? Maybe Saab should talk to these guys.
DaveM
I signed up for it since I'm just a hop skip and jump away. Should be fun driving up in my F-XT ;-P Anyone in a new Legacy/Outback in the area? Stop on by!
-Brian
The coupon is yours. You're the first person to ask me since I offered it.
Email me your mailing address and I'll send it to you: kentaros98@yahoo.com
BTW, your vehicle might come sooner than you expected. Mine was scheduled for a July 12th delivery and it's coming in next week!
Ken
So, if you want your Gunma-made drivetrain, now's your chance!
Ken
I'm actually getting a Legacy GT next week and would love a coupon if you still have yours available.
Even though I've owned two Subarus recently, they seemed to have lost track of me due to all my moves.
Luke
Planning on buying the Subaru GT auto wagon in 2 weeks. WOuld sure love to get the 3 eyar maintenance coupon if it is still available. My e-mail is leoch@aol.com or I could contact you. Thanks!
Leo
-Brian
I agree, but I'm sure the choices were made by keeping all the vehicles tested with MSRPs as close as possible. I'm sure the Volvo S60 AWD was eliminated for the very same reason.
Bob
I'll tell you, I am DARN PROUD that Subaru has the guts to do a head-to-head with the 325 and S60! Good for them!
I was expecting them to aim lower, Acura TSX and Mazda 6, maybe, but I underestimated them big-time.
Yan: I'd get my $400 back and buy my own hitch for far less. I did pay close to $200 for an OE hitch but mounted it myself, and it came in just a couple of days.
Ken: your drama approaches that of when my wife was car shopping, except with you it's one single model! Still following the soap opera day-by-day. :-)
-juice
-juice
BTW, it looks as if it's good for ALL scheduled maintenance (including oil changes) at 7500 mile intervals for the regular 3/36 warranty period. I change my oil every 4000 miles regardless (lots of heat, sand, etc., out here in AZ), so I can still save on every other oil change (although it's 22 miles to the dealer).
Hmmmm....wonder if someone will do the math to show me it's not worth two gallons of gas to get an oil change.... :-)
-KarenM-
PS: updated my reviews page yesterday...found a few more online. All of these reviews rave about lots of things going well for Subarus. BTW, I am just doing this for fun and general info...there seems to be enough interest to keep it updated for now. Hope you all find it useful. For me it's just fun to read about what a great decision I made :-)
Here is the link:
http://members.cox.net/kamartin/2005outbackreviews.html
Good pricing, service and quality.
I'll add the usual disclaimer that I have no affilition with this site, other than being a satisfied customer
-mike
Ken
I purchased a couple of months ago a hitch from etrailer.com. It ran about $125 or so. If you, or anyone else here is interested, they sent me a dicount code of MLX good for 10% off purchases by June 30th.
Hope that helps!
Mark
I just emailed you.
Mark
I've flirted with buying a Subaru for many years, but always ended up with something else(besides my very first new car which was a FWD Impreza back in the early 90s), most recently with a Volvo XC70 which we absolutely love. However, my wife will be taking over the Volvo soon as we have a baby on the way which will leave me with her Honda Civic, which I'm really not too excited about. (Although it's basically just for driving to work.) Anyway, the current plan (which changes frequently) is to replace the Civic next year with either:
Subaru Legacy GT
Volvo S40 T5 AWD 6 speed with DSTC
Audi A3 Sportback
The common denominator here is a smaller, sporty but safe car with AWD for under $30 (well under if possible). The Volvo is the frontrunner right now b/c I love the Volvo styling and refinement, but the Subaru is a close second, the major advantage in my mind being a lower price. (Although we'd probably buy the Volvo through OSD anyway, so that narrows the price gap.) I'm not really sure about the A3 yet since it won't be available till next year, but in theory I like everything about it except the reliability. Obviously, everyone here is going to be biased towards the Subie, but if it had stability control that might make it an even race for me...Subaru are you listening?
-Jon
Zman
Greg
Craig
Bob
I had to return the adapter I had purchased for my old hitch bike rack as I thought I would have to go from a 1.25" to a 2". Nothing like running in circles. I am sure I paid way too much for the hitch, too :-(
-KarenM-
-KarenM-
I haven't looked at mine very closely but a poster over at legacygt.com (or was it NASIOC?) posted pics of this stuff on the underside of their new Legacy GT.
-Ian
Actually, I think because the engine is of this caliber, even an auto is still fun.
Ken
I placed an order for a Legacy GT wagon AT 3 weeks ago, delivery for mid-late July they say. I did register long before that at need-desire.com but still no coupons. Does anyone have the service one available ? Please let me know at dmagoon@wi.rr.com. If and/or when mine comes, I'll post it here.
My impressions so far:
- Dealer. Got sight unseen email lowest quote of $200 over invoice from SE WI dealer (Lakelandauto.com). Don't know if that has changed recently or not. Bought for $200 more than that from another closer dealer (Don Jacobs), unfortunately after the usual shenanigans, not honoring their original quote and haggling. Tip: get it in writing.
- Car: I did notice a bit of turbo lag with the GT limited sedan I drove, but not any more than my 1996 Saab 900 SE 2.0L turbo. Definitely looking forward to more low end grunt with 2.5 engine and different gearing. I'm hoping that the AT is as adaptive as other members say. Fit, finish and quality first rate, very impressive. GT gauges are cool.
- Comparison: Liked Legacy better than outback. Legacy tracked nicely, very compliant ride for 45-series tires, less waddling feel than Outback. Both Legacy GT and Outback LLB are quite nice. The new 3.0 is actually useful now, unlike previous model years.
- Online Subaru support: great so far. Quick and honest answers about "Added Security" program offerings. I asked about getting an owners manual early and they'll send me one.
More later.
As with a couple posts above, if anybody has an extra maintenance coupon, I am definitely interested. Email hdeb1931@astound.net
Thanks for all the info on this forum. I've been reading it for a couple months and it's been very helpful.
Karen: I'm pretty sure you can get a 2" receiver with an aftermarket hitch on a Subie. Shop around. Some U-Haul locations even install them for you. Or Trick Trucks. Places like that.
Keep in mind you still have a 200 lbs tongue weight limit, and the hitch doesn't increase the capacity for towing. It does make it more universal, though.
-juice
Scott
Family Doctor
P.S. - I drove the Legacy GT manaul 5 spd today - GREAT car!