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Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

10833 messages,  Last post on Feb 26, 2013 at 5:40 AM

You are in the Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Sedan, Wagon




Your Community Leaders are ateixeira and rsholland.

Messages Page 284 of 1084

#2826 of 10833 What to do by lotsabones

Jul 10, 2004 (9:07 pm)

Greetings one and all. I have been following the discussion here for a month or so, and have read every page. I test-drove an Outback LLBean today (H6, 5EAT) and was impressed with its quietness, stability, and interior. However, what I really want to try is the GT with the manual transmission. The local dealer here has not had a 2005 GT of any type yet, although they said they could probably get one from another dealer (for their standard markup of $3000 ABOVE MSRP). I said no thanks. They did have three 2.5i Legacy wagons, but the only turbo-engined car on the lot was a Forester XT (2004), along with the usual collection of WRX's and one STi (stickered at $5000 over MSRP). I don't think the '04 Forester will drive quite like the '05 GT, and did not drive that. The next closest Subaru dealer to me is over 100 miles away - each direction. So it looks like I will be heading down to the SF Bay area next week. I have the whole week off, and would like to wrap this up at that time. Any tips on dealers in the bay area? I have received a few quotes (mostly at MSRP), but there do not seem to be a whole lot of GT wagons with the Manual Transmission around.
 
Thanks in advance
Phil

#2827 of 10833 About me by lotsabones

Jul 10, 2004 (9:18 pm)

Greetings again. While not exactly new to Subaru's, this next car will be our second. We had a '97 Legacy GT wagon for 4 years, which we eventually gave up because we thought we needed more space, hence the Sport Trac. Now, we found that we don't really need that space, or the weight, or the tugboat driving experience, or the poor gas mileage. What we do need is room for 4, a nice interior, and an engine that can pass anyone, anywhere (lots of rural 2-lane roads around here). I'm currently driving a MINI Cooper S, which I absolutely love - but the kids are of a size now that when they are both in the back, it becomes rather unpleasant very quickly. So more and more, when all four of us are in the car, we have to take my wife's car, and I just don't enjoy driving it. So - obviously - its time for a new car.
 
Phil

#2828 of 10833 Re: What to do [lotsabones #2826] by rob_m

Jul 11, 2004 (5:25 am)

Replying to: lotsabones (Jul 10, 2004 9:07 pm)
Phil, either sit back and wait for a GT, or find another dealer. I went to my local dealer expecting to see one or two. They had six! I made it very clear I was just looking, but they were ready to deal. Rob M.

#2829 of 10833 Re: What to do [lotsabones #2826] by frog

Jul 11, 2004 (7:34 am)

Replying to: lotsabones (Jul 10, 2004 9:07 pm)
It has been posted earlier that the dealer in Santa Cruz is well liked and very fair. You may want to try searching the inventory of dealer webpages and sending a few e-mails before making a long drive. Good luck.......

#2830 of 10833 Re: New print reviews [kmartin] by alpha01

Jul 11, 2004 (1:42 pm)

Replying to: kmartin (Jul 09, 2004 10:44 pm)
KarenM,
 
I know that it doesnt change the fact that you cant provide a link to the WSJ review on this site, but I wanted everyone to know that the WSJ Online does allow subscribers to email articles online, even to non-subscibers. For those who really want the article, shoot me an email and I'll do my best to email the WSJ piece through the WSJ site.
 
Happy Motoring,
alpha

#2831 of 10833 Re: New print reviews [alpha01] by njswamplands

Jul 11, 2004 (5:52 pm)

Replying to: alpha01 (Jul 11, 2004 1:42 pm)
very kind of you, thanks for your offer

#2832 of 10833 Re: anyone see todays wall street journal review of the legacy gt? [saedave] by kens

Jul 11, 2004 (8:43 pm)

Replying to: saedave (Jul 10, 2004 6:08 pm)
It may, but I'm not sure if the current H6 is going to fit the sporting character of the GT. I think the impression of turbo lag on the GT is heightned by how hard the turbo comes on at around 2500RPM. The H6 is smooth, but doesn't offer quite the low-end grunt one would expect from the additional 0.5L of NA displacement.
 
I don't believe the GT has any juvenile hot rod demeanor one bit. It's a much more subdued and polished experience compared to a WRX.
 
Ken

#2833 of 10833 Re: What to do [lotsabones #2826] by kens

Jul 11, 2004 (8:50 pm)

Replying to: lotsabones (Jul 10, 2004 9:07 pm)
In the Bay Area, the three big Subaru dealers are:
 
Carlsen Subaru (Redwood City):
Pretty large inventory, no-haggle up front pricing. Laid back and friendly dealership. Test drives allowed without salespeople. They are currently trying to keep 05 Legacy model prices higher by not discounting them as much as in the past. I was quoted $500 below MSRP as their standard price. They used to price several hundred over invoice as standard.
 
Stevens Creek (San Jose):
Large inventory, old-school tactics. Some very high pressure salespeople. My least favorite. They will immediately quote you $2-3K over MSRP. You probably could get them down quite a bit, but you'll have to go through a lot of negotiation.
 
Santa Cruz Subaru:
Smaller dealership, but 1st rate in service. Very friendly and laid back. Up-front pricing ($1000 over invoice). I'm buying from this dealership.
 
The best thing to do is call ahead and see if the model you want to test drive is available. Inventory changes quite a bit.
 
Other dealerships around the Bay Area that I've heard are good:
Marin Subaru (Marin county) and Diablo Subaru (Walnut Creek).
 
Let me know if you need any other info.
 
Ken

#2834 of 10833 Re: anyone see todays wall street journal review of the legacy gt? [saedave] by tsy

Jul 11, 2004 (11:20 pm)

Replying to: saedave (Jul 10, 2004 6:08 pm)
I have to agree with Ken, I don't think the legacy GT is juvenile at all. Perhaps it's not a 540i or E500, but then again it's not meant to be. Both VW and Audi, as well as Volvo and Saab do well with small displacement turbocharged engines, and I would not call them juvenile either. In fact, having owned a Passat, I enjoyed driving the 1.8T more than the rather subdued V6 or W8 in terms of pure driving enjoyment. It was much lighter on it's feet than the other 2, which were both very nice cars, just different in character. I happen to like the rush of the turbo, and in the Legacy/Outback's case, it also happens to be the faster engine.
 
Each to their own, but please don't label us a juvenile because of a difference in opinion. (At least not until I mount a 10 ft tall spoiler on the back of my car!)
 
tom

#2835 of 10833 Air Filtration/security system by tsy

Jul 11, 2004 (11:47 pm)

Does anyone know if you can add the airfiltration system? Also, does anyone know what the Alarm option really adds? I haven't figured out what it means to have the perimeter alarm. It doesn't seem to do anything very exciting.
 
tom

Messages Page 284 of 1084

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