Thoughts on this Legacy GT 2.0 SPEC B WR LIMITED ED?
Discussion
I'm considering getting another Legacy as I sold my Outback a little while ago and miss it now.
However, I thought I might try a Japanese import with the 2 litre for a change, better tax (my Outback was post-March 2006) and perhaps better economy.
This looks interesting: https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/2004-subaru...
Any thoughts on that one, or suggestions of where else to look?
Probably max budget is about £7k, but less would be even better.
Thanks
However, I thought I might try a Japanese import with the 2 litre for a change, better tax (my Outback was post-March 2006) and perhaps better economy.
This looks interesting: https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/2004-subaru...
Any thoughts on that one, or suggestions of where else to look?
Probably max budget is about £7k, but less would be even better.
Thanks
I had a 2004 spec B WR Limited which was a fantastic car but had to sell it due to ULEZ. I have replaced it with a 2009( last year of the BP5) GT spec B which I bought from Goonet and imported myself. I imported mine at the end of 2020 and paid £7k which included purchase cost, agent fee in Japan, shipping and import duty( and import agent fee this end). Prices have risen since then but there are still bargains to be found. Buy from a dealer in Japan rather than privately as the cars legally have to be in tip top condition .
lambeth said:
I had a 2004 spec B WR Limited which was a fantastic car but had to sell it due to ULEZ. I have replaced it with a 2009( last year of the BP5) GT spec B which I bought from Goonet and imported myself. I imported mine at the end of 2020 and paid £7k which included purchase cost, agent fee in Japan, shipping and import duty( and import agent fee this end). Prices have risen since then but there are still bargains to be found. Buy from a dealer in Japan rather than privately as the cars legally have to be in tip top condition .
That's great info, thanks.I'm surprised early cars aren't ULEZ friendly, I thought the lower tax would somehow work with this too. What year is the cutoff?
Tax or ulez cut off , ulez is all over the place , some cars are ulez when they are 04 plate some not , it’s supposed to be 2006 , jdm cars were never tested for euro 4 as it’s not Europe where they were made , slight risk any thing jdm could be an issue , but I think a very small risk , worth running the plate through the tfl site to confirm , or depending on where you live as even on some county wide ulez schemes it can vary if a car is ulez or not , 0 emissions is down to who imported and it’s sva paperwork that’s luck of the draw , i would always buy what is already landed not import yourself , then you know what you are actually getting , torque gt are good , dvla don’t talk to tfl , don’t change the plate to a personalised older one as some have had the ulez compliant removed
Thanks, I'll make sure to check any options individually, being ULEZ compliant would be useful.
Torque GT seem to be the default option, or are there any other good dealers?
This one looks nice, but his description of a car on the FB group got a bit of a slagging, which doesn't fill me with confidence: https://www.canwellcars.co.uk/used-subaru-legacy-s...
Torque GT seem to be the default option, or are there any other good dealers?
This one looks nice, but his description of a car on the FB group got a bit of a slagging, which doesn't fill me with confidence: https://www.canwellcars.co.uk/used-subaru-legacy-s...
The standard twinscroll is pretty good, the all the JDM cars are a bit better equippedthan the uk spec (alloy suspension arms, folding door mirrors etc) but some of the interiors can be a bit drab compared to the WR.
Stuff to watch out for: Cracked dashes, leaking rocker gaskets, ARB and wishbone bushes, plus wheel bearings.
Also check for any noises from the power steering. It may be as simple as a new hose and O ring, it may be the pump.
The gearbox should shift nice and smoothly from cold. Any thumps and knocks and it could get expensive.
Stuff to watch out for: Cracked dashes, leaking rocker gaskets, ARB and wishbone bushes, plus wheel bearings.
Also check for any noises from the power steering. It may be as simple as a new hose and O ring, it may be the pump.
The gearbox should shift nice and smoothly from cold. Any thumps and knocks and it could get expensive.
Cambs_Stuart said:
The standard twinscroll is pretty good, the all the JDM cars are a bit better equippedthan the uk spec (alloy suspension arms, folding door mirrors etc) but some of the interiors can be a bit drab compared to the WR.
Stuff to watch out for: Cracked dashes, leaking rocker gaskets, ARB and wishbone bushes, plus wheel bearings.
Also check for any noises from the power steering. It may be as simple as a new hose and O ring, it may be the pump.
The gearbox should shift nice and smoothly from cold. Any thumps and knocks and it could get expensive.
Excellent, thanks.Stuff to watch out for: Cracked dashes, leaking rocker gaskets, ARB and wishbone bushes, plus wheel bearings.
Also check for any noises from the power steering. It may be as simple as a new hose and O ring, it may be the pump.
The gearbox should shift nice and smoothly from cold. Any thumps and knocks and it could get expensive.
I had a standard 05 GT manual wagon for a couple of years - excellent car all round. Worth also checking the front driveshaft gaiters - one of them is close to the exhaust/turbo and can split as it’s a bit warm!
Otherwise it’s standard turbo Subaru checklist plus standard Legacy checklist. Everything should still work. Not sure of UK spec models but my Aus-spec came with McIntosh 6-CD player/AC control integrated in the dash - head unit was OK but I think they can be a problem to replace.
Otherwise it’s standard turbo Subaru checklist plus standard Legacy checklist. Everything should still work. Not sure of UK spec models but my Aus-spec came with McIntosh 6-CD player/AC control integrated in the dash - head unit was OK but I think they can be a problem to replace.
Aside from general hardware stuff that's already been mentioned here, it'd be nice to know if it's been remapped for 97RON fuel minimum. I've got a remap but have only ever run it on 99 apart from when I did the NC500 and needed to squirt a bit of 97 in here and there.
The turbo refurbishment mentioned above might be due to the banjo filter, a pretty common thing on the twinscrolls to get a bit clogged up and need refurbing.
They want for nothing and are a good buy - the Spec B does come with Bilsteins all around, which ride nicely, but can be wallowy at speed - I've put kW V2's on mine and a harder spring rating on the back - it's night and day difference when cornering.
The turbo refurbishment mentioned above might be due to the banjo filter, a pretty common thing on the twinscrolls to get a bit clogged up and need refurbing.
They want for nothing and are a good buy - the Spec B does come with Bilsteins all around, which ride nicely, but can be wallowy at speed - I've put kW V2's on mine and a harder spring rating on the back - it's night and day difference when cornering.
Thanks all.
I'm in 2 minds (as per usual) as I have a 4 series Gran Coupe that I bought for longer trips (and don't use enough) and an NC2 MX5 for fun, so if I get rid of the GC I need a 'sensible' family car, but with a low budget after I clear the finance on the GC.
Or I can sell the NC2 as well and spend a bit more on a facelift Spec B that might be both sensible (it's definitely that) and fun, but probably not as much as the NC2.
My family weren't big fans of the Outback I had, mainly because it smelt of old men, apparently! I have barely any sense of smell so didn't notice, but I did enjoy driving it. I would assume that a Spec B would be a lot more fun and hopefully less understeer-prone than the Outback that was basically on stilts, I imagine the kW's would make a huge difference.
@trying2gofast - more info would be good, thanks.
I'm in 2 minds (as per usual) as I have a 4 series Gran Coupe that I bought for longer trips (and don't use enough) and an NC2 MX5 for fun, so if I get rid of the GC I need a 'sensible' family car, but with a low budget after I clear the finance on the GC.
Or I can sell the NC2 as well and spend a bit more on a facelift Spec B that might be both sensible (it's definitely that) and fun, but probably not as much as the NC2.
My family weren't big fans of the Outback I had, mainly because it smelt of old men, apparently! I have barely any sense of smell so didn't notice, but I did enjoy driving it. I would assume that a Spec B would be a lot more fun and hopefully less understeer-prone than the Outback that was basically on stilts, I imagine the kW's would make a huge difference.
@trying2gofast - more info would be good, thanks.
callahan said:
Thanks all.
I'm in 2 minds (as per usual) as I have a 4 series Gran Coupe that I bought for longer trips (and don't use enough) and an NC2 MX5 for fun, so if I get rid of the GC I need a 'sensible' family car, but with a low budget after I clear the finance on the GC.
Or I can sell the NC2 as well and spend a bit more on a facelift Spec B that might be both sensible (it's definitely that) and fun, but probably not as much as the NC2.
My family weren't big fans of the Outback I had, mainly because it smelt of old men, apparently! I have barely any sense of smell so didn't notice, but I did enjoy driving it. I would assume that a Spec B would be a lot more fun and hopefully less understeer-prone than the Outback that was basically on stilts, I imagine the kW's would make a huge difference.
@trying2gofast - more info would be good, thanks.
Your Mazda will be more fun for weekends no doubt. Practicality wise it's clearly not so great.I'm in 2 minds (as per usual) as I have a 4 series Gran Coupe that I bought for longer trips (and don't use enough) and an NC2 MX5 for fun, so if I get rid of the GC I need a 'sensible' family car, but with a low budget after I clear the finance on the GC.
Or I can sell the NC2 as well and spend a bit more on a facelift Spec B that might be both sensible (it's definitely that) and fun, but probably not as much as the NC2.
My family weren't big fans of the Outback I had, mainly because it smelt of old men, apparently! I have barely any sense of smell so didn't notice, but I did enjoy driving it. I would assume that a Spec B would be a lot more fun and hopefully less understeer-prone than the Outback that was basically on stilts, I imagine the kW's would make a huge difference.
@trying2gofast - more info would be good, thanks.
Personally I like the Spec B, it has better wheels too which I forgot about, however its common for face-lifts to get pre-facelift wheels as they look a bit nicer.
I'll mail you a bit more about mine if you like.
The kWs made it much nicer to deal with, however understeering is always an issue in subarus, but I'd guess you could stretch the legs on this a bit more than the likes of an outback.
Your comments about the smell made me laugh. Both of my legacies have had a distinct aroma, that no amount of wet vacs or baking power could remove. I think it's the leather they've used.
With Subarus there are always things you can do to help the handling. Thicker rear ARB + uprated ARB mounts are fairly common and easy to do. There is a big section of the superpro catalogue devoted to the BL/BP. And while they're fun for a big barge, they're in no way comparable to an MX5.
With Subarus there are always things you can do to help the handling. Thicker rear ARB + uprated ARB mounts are fairly common and easy to do. There is a big section of the superpro catalogue devoted to the BL/BP. And while they're fun for a big barge, they're in no way comparable to an MX5.
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