New member of the family

No, not another kid, the wife and I are done with that....

Been away from the board for about a week on pseudo-vacation. I know I've been going on and on since joining this board some time ago about getting the new Mustang. Lets just say that circumstances of late have conspired against that plan, as they often do when it comes to cars (or anything else). Specifically, the transmission has rapidly started to deteriorate in my daily driver Volvo, and I am not willing to dump $1800 for a new trans into a car thats only worth, at the most, $3500. So my original plan of getting a new car in the fall or winter got pushed up to right now, although the Volvo is still drivable for the moment.

So I figured, OK, I'll just take a Mustang off the dealer lot instead of ordering exactly what colors and whatnot that I wanted. Trouble was, I can't find one dealer that will sell me the car below sticker, never mind the Ford discount price that I get through work. After calling literally every Ford dealership in NJ, and a bunch in eastern PA, no dice. Best I could get was sticker, and I absolutely refuse to pay sticker price for a car. Found one dealer who was willing to order me an '06 with my X plan discount price, but the ETA would be around Christmas, which doesn't help me. So back to my original plan before getting on the whole Mustang trip last year. which was for a nice sports sedan (excuse the term /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif). I just picked up a new 05 Subaru Legacy GT limited, and I must say, I am in love with this car. It has got to be the most fun you could have with 4 doors and a big trunk. I drove alot of cars in this class, and this one, IMO, has them all beat hands down. Drove the Nissan Altima 3.5S, didn't like the interior at all, nice motor and smooth power delivery but the Subi was faster and more responsive. My biggest problem with the Altima is that half the planet is driving it. My buddy has the Mazda6 S, I have driven that many times. Again, nice car but the other half of the planet is driving those. Acura TSX, really responsive handling, but you have to flog the heck out of the motor to get anything from it, plus it was a little more money. The only thing that I liked even close to the Legacy was the Acura TL, but that was substantially more money. I even looked at the 6 cylinder versions of the Dodge Magnum and Chrysler 300, both of which I love. However, I couldn't afford the car with the hemi, and without the big motor they both seem a little emasculated, not up to their true potential. Basically, with the Legacy I got stellar performance (250hp turbo flat 4) and handling, a really nice interior, and the added bonus that none of the others could provide, the AWD. My only gripes are with a few options I would have liked that were not available, like MP3 capability on the stereo, a few nit picky things like that. The styling is a little on the conservative side, not as edgy as the Mazda or the Altima, but I kind of like that, gives it a stealth look. Sticker on this car was $29400 and with Subaru's current $1500 cash back, I got a great deal of $24900 for the car, fully loaded. Overall I am more than very pleased with this car.





Anyway, I know there are a few people around here who have this car, I'd love to hear what they think of theirs. The car looks a bit filthy in these pics, they were taken after I got it home from the 3 hour plus drive from Maryland through constant rain. I got it at this dealership down there that had just insane prices, beat the lowest I could get around here by over $1300 bucks. For that kind of savings I'm willing to drive a few hours. My buddy knew about this dealership from when he used to work in DC and recommended them. I found this car on their website inventory and just called up and put a deposit on it. I went a bit on faith not having actually seen the car in person but they were straight shooters and the car was as they described, no problems. Plus they had all the paperwork together and ready to sign when we got there, and the car was clean, prepped, and had a full tank of gas. We were in and out in a half hour. They offer such good prices that they do alot of out of state internet sales, so they have the process down pat.

Nice car-- Quick, clean, not so "boy-racer" looking as the other subie. Have heard good things about them.
Pete

My wife bought a silver one just like yours last Labor Day. Since she drives in the mountains on business in all seasons, she would not even consider a car without AWD. And she wanted a sedan, not an SUV--a good choice now that gas prices have skyrocketed and SUV prices have dropped commensurately. So, she tried the Infiniti G35x, the Audi A-4 Quattro, BMW 3251x, VW Passat AWD, M-B C-Class 4-Matic, and Subaru WRX (our son has two WRXs, including an STi). Some were too small (for me, as the passenger--I never drive it), others too expensive, but one was "just right"--the Legacy 2.5 GT. She drove a 5-speed first and had a great time, as all her recent cars have been 5-speeds. However, the salesman then convinced her to try the auto with push-button shifting on the steering wheel. When we took the test drive, he was probably sorry he did. She took mountain curves at 20 mph over the posted curve speeds with ease, downshifting and upshifting just like driving a stick shift. She was so impressed that she bought it that day and has loved it since.

We took the Legacy on the mountain tour that was part of the MG club's Rallye Glenwood Springs two weeks ago and she had a ball. She said it was the first time she has really been able to drive it on an extremely winding mountain pass without so much traffic that she could not really "let it out." Well, she "let it out" that Saturday, passing Harley's on the crash barrier-less curves of Independence Pass like they were standing still and pulling what felt like a couple of G's on the banked hairpins. I was impressed--the car did not break lose or even lean much, no matter how hard she flogged it. Even the turbo lag is not obvious and the push-button shifting is so quick and easy to use that I can't imagine anyone who has it not using it constantly. Fun car--maybe not STi fun, but a lot quieter and better riding! I don't think she will tire of this car any time soon. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

I have two Subarus, a 95 and a 2004. I love them. You made a great choice.

May I recommend a website to discuss your new family members with other like minded individuals.

subaruoutback.org

Made up mainly of Legacy and Impreza owners. Thankfully, Mostly free of wacko "super street" nuts with hopped up WRXs and STis....

Cool! Any pics of the interior?
Basil

I like that Subie. The profile actually remind me of some Volvos. My older daughter has a WRX; a really nice car and surpisingly durable (almost 100K on it now).
We looked at Subarus a few years ago but a smaller car fit better in the condo garage so we bought a new '03 Mazda Protege'...another nice car. We just got back from a week-long vacation in it (Ocean City, MD) and it was great for two people (we've taken the Miata in the past and even an MG Midget once).
As for the Mustang...I work with a gal who is a Mustang-nut. She has a '66 convert and had a new-ish one. A few weeks ago she went through a Ford corporate internet process, where she got an '05 at a discount, sight unseen. When she went to the dealer to pick it up (in Newton, NJ) he had already taken a desposit from someone else! The dealer tried all sorts of shenanigans to put her off, but she got her lawyer to call him and now she has the 'stang.
I'm shopping for something new-ish this Fall, but nothing exciting. I'm getting too old to drive my StepVan soo far. I need something roomy and comfortable for race-car towing and hauling elderly parents and it must be front wheel drive (for Winter driving...my Miata is horrible). A mini-van seems perfect....probably a Ford.

Thanks guys. Wierd thing though, as good as this car is I hardly see any of them on the road around here. My buddy and I have come to the conclusion that this is the best car on the road that no one is driving. I think with most people when you mention Subaru they think of the WRX or the Outback, most probably don't even remember they make a car called the Legacy. My buddy is so smitten with this car he's looking for any excuse to trade his 04 Mazda6 for one. I'm sure when he's over the hump of value vs loan balance he'll be looking at one.

Steve, I remember you mentioning some time ago that your wife drove a Legacy, glad she likes it. I'm also glad she's driving it the way it was intended, these are fun cars. I've heard from someone else that the auto box in these cars is pretty good. My wife never really pushed me to get the auto, even though she doesn't particularly like driving stick and rarely does. I think she was trying to make sure I got whatever I wanted so that I wouldn't feel so bad about not getting the Mustang. Honestly though, I have no regrets about getting this car, it's nearly as much fun to drive and I have a big trunk and room for my kids. We already talked about the possibility of getting a used 05 or 06 mustang in a few years, when the Subie is paid off, we'll see. Nial, thats not surprising about your friend and her Mustang, the dealerships are getting away (or trying to) with murder with this car for almost a year now and Ford has done next to nothing about it. Glad to hear she got her car and kept the dealership from screwing her. Most lots are marking these cars up a few thousand over sticker, especially with the convertible, and people are still buying them. I just couldn't even consider that, not when in a year the situation will be reversed and you'll be able to get a great deal.

Bas, I only have one shot so far of the interior, I'll try to take another later today. The inside of this car is really nice, good quality leather and nice seats. The seats are not quite as "track ready" as those in the WRX, those things wrap right around. The side bolsters in the Legacy seats aren't nearly as big as those in the WRX. This car also has a beautiful Momo leather wrapped steering wheel (part of the GT package) and it has the neat electroluminescent gauges. Even the faux wood grain trim on the doors and dash looks nice IMO. The car is available with a dark grey interior, but my last few cars have had the generic dark charcoal interior, and I thought it was time for a change. The tan interior makes it feel more airy and not quite as somber inside, I like it even though it will most likely be harder to keep clean.



Kindofblue, thanks for the link. I've been hanging out over at LegacyGT.com for a week or so, but there are quite a few "whackos" as you call them, over there so I may jump ship. Really though they don't bother me, it wasn't to long ago that I was doing the same thing with my Chevys and Fords, and to a certain extent now with my TR. As long as people are smart about modding a car I'm cool with it. What bugs me is when I see a kid put a $1000 carbon fiber hood on a completely clapped out 93 Civic that has no othe mods and needs mechanical attention. What good is the hood when the car doesn't even run right? Be smart and improve performance, looks should come second. I don't see myself going nuts modding this car though, it is my daily driver after all and I don't want to even think of voiding the warranty. One thing I would like though is the STI short throw shifter. The shifter in this car is one of the few gripes I have about it. The throws are a bit long and it feels a little rubbery. The STI shifter reduces the throws by 40% and uses urethane bushings, giving it a firmer feel. Other than that the car is probably going to stay fairly stock. Those kids do have a huge amount of technical knowledge about these cars though, they've already helped me to turn off the seatbelt chime and turn off the darn DRL's, I hate those things.