2012 legacy. 2.5 auto

[david.h]

Looking at a wagon with about 70000on it. No documented history😨 but good MOT history and looks decent. Offered with good service and new belts, decent Subaru dealer warranty
Question. Autobox (5 speed) is claimed to be "sealed for life" ....Really????)
Anything to look out for?
My Subarus have been 2002 , 2005 and 2008 with 2.5, 3.0 and 2.0 engines, all autoboxes.Never had one this new!

[hedges88]

david.h said:

Looking at a wagon with about 70000on it. No documented history?? but good MOT history and looks decent. Offered with good service and new belts, decent Subaru dealer warranty
Question. Autobox (5 speed) is claimed to be "sealed for life" ....Really????)
Anything to look out for?
My Subarus have been 2002 , 2005 and 2008 with 2.5, 3.0 and 2.0 engines, all autoboxes.Never had one this new!

Sealed for life is a horrid phrase as any ATF fluid will collect contaminants, deposits, burn up and loose it's desired qualities. It's basically an attitude of making it easier to maintain while the car is young enough to be in the dealer network with little to no thought given to private owners years down the line. That's one reason why history of Auto box maintenance is very desirable. If your budget cannot stretch to such an example and you have to take a chance then test the gearbox operation very thoroughly especially when cold. If there is a dipstick make sure the level is perfect and the fluid is either still a beautiful ruby red or just starting to fade with very slight contaminants. Anything dark with deposits then walk away. Any slippage, jerks or bangs etc then no way

That brings me on to the next point, read up carefully on the trans that your car has before buying. I believe that Subarus use CVT's a lot, which is basically the reason I went with a Galant estate in the end, as it's Tiptronic box was far more involving . CVTs are known to be weak, they are problematic in lots of applications that use them. I think this one is a normal torque converter auto from a brief google search though, so hopefully pretty standard stuff. Subarus can pack pretty decent horsepower, that's stress for an automatic gearbox remember. The grip of all wheel drive and a powerful engine is a torture test for a gearbox so make sure to do your research. read up and see if that transmission is paired with much more powerful engines. It could be that it's leading a charmed existence paired with a lower output motor or it could be the opposite. If the trans seems good then factor in the cost of a ATF drain and replace. Perhaps see if you can use it in negotiations, if they know a bit of attention on the gearbox will put your mind at rest and part with your cash, then they might oblige? With the new belts etc that puts you in a position of low cost and worry free motoring for a good few years hopefully.

No documented history is something that affects resale ofc, but then again it could end up being the best motor you ever get. That's the game The fresh belts is a huge benefit as is warranty support. Just to to extra lengths to make sure it's healthy, don't just check fault codes but look at the live sensor data. Look for steady and conservative fuel trim. Anything over +/- 10% needs investigating IMHO. Check compression, might be possible with dealer diagnostics if the car is advanced enough. See if it meets manufacturers claimed figures for acceleration and top speed. That's a fairly easy to do check that reveals a poor state of tune or an excessively worn motor. Same reason for checking MPG from other owners data

Your past ownership experience indicates you have faith in the reliability of these motors. Subarus do have some nasty common defects and of course boxer complexity if applicable. I would probably place more faith in a Honda or a Mitsubishi like my own over a Subaru, That said I'd expect it to still be reliable and durable all things given.

Hope this helps you out in getting your next scoobie

Edited by hedges88 on Monday 11th December 21:54

[david.h]

Thank you very much for that comprehensive and thoughtful reply.
The dealer hasn't bothered to reply to any of my follow up questions. .not even what is the outstanding recall!
I'm off to Germany for a few days in the 2003 Legacy...first time it's been over the water I think. There is a good deristricted section on my route, so it will be interesting to find out "wottle she do, mister"☺☺
I think I will " make my excuses and leave" the 2012 car. Plenty more fish in the sea...and it hasn't got frame less windows either!

[hedges88]

david.h said:

Thank you very much for that comprehensive and thoughtful reply.
The dealer hasn't bothered to reply to any of my follow up questions. .not even what is the outstanding recall!
I'm off to Germany for a few days in the 2003 Legacy...first time it's been over the water I think. There is a good deristricted section on my route, so it will be interesting to find out "wottle she do, mister"??
I think I will " make my excuses and leave" the 2012 car. Plenty more fish in the sea...and it hasn't got frame less windows either!

If they can't be bothered with basic customer service within a reasonable timeframe then who knows what for their stock.

Definitely hold onto the 2003. My car is your direct rival but sadly there is no successor for my car, but you do at least have that path to take if you want to upgrade. Both JDM Legends for true. I cant imagine a reasonably priced second hand car that would dare to hope match the reliability and durability of our generation of Jap estates. Few modern replacements would have such complex suspension design with the beautiful feedback and control, driver focused feeling and fun. Just numbness and electronic aids from a typical modern equivalent within a reasonable budget. Safety is better now for sure so maybe If I had kids to cart around I would go modern. Moving to a more modern car is way better on paper but there's some pretty boring and soulless ones around, lacking a lovable sound or nature. Less pedigree and heritage too, so many generic crossovers. If N/A response or mad turbo boost is your thing then that's going as well. The Subaru Levorg is actually probably the only car I would consider as a replacement for my car if it were to die or suffer an accident. I would take one over an Air trek for sure.

I don't know what spec Legacy you have, (the 3.0 is a good uk market car) but like my Mitsubishi I would suggest keeping it and spending some money on it. The next generation of petrolheads looking for an entry level modern classic or a decent shed will be interested in having something affordable and with some Gran Turismo generation street cred and rarity. With future running costs, the lower spec, "all show less go", derivatives of cars like these will surely be desirable. North Americans will be hogging supplies of JDM cars as they get to 25 years old which should add value as well. Definitely makes sense as a keeper if you don't upgrade now. I imagine the same would go for Stageas/Legnums/Legacys and the like.

Here is a lovely retro video with the top spec versions of our motors, having a wicked face off battle; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXqj_UGnHnQ

Enjoy using the Legacy to it's full on your journey

[Marc p]

Hedges has given some good feedback, but if I were to offer some more from personal experience, I’d say that they Legacy’s were great up to when they changed models in 2010. After that they swapped to the CVT boxes that can be problematic, gearbox oil changes are simple enough on them so nothing to worry about, but the solenoids can start to fail at higher mileages(90k+). They aren’t too hard to replace, but can take a bit of patience for a replacement unit to show up on the likes of eBay for a reasonable price.

[david.h]

A catch up! Thanks for the helpful remarks...I watched the you tube Japanese video! Pity mine isn't an umpteen bhp like the one being ragged round the track! The 2.5 auto is no ball of fire, in particular the box, if left to its own devices, sometimes gets lost and wonders where to go!
The German trip went well. I saw comfortably over 110 several times, but the weather was VILE and I wasn't keen on overly high speed because of the rain. So I had to pick my moments! The car is still going well. only current issue is the heater (and aircon) goes funny after about 30 mins....It goes cold unless I turn it up to 30 and balance it a bit around there...any ideas? Also the engine light comes on periodically & tells me the Cat isn't working properly....I don't believe it as the rotten exhaust was replaced shortly after I bought the car (with a new approved cat). My reader clears it without a problem, but why is it doing it? Plugs, sensors? due an oil change service in about 1000 miles so the "Men" can investigate I hope.