08 Subaru Legacy 2.0 TD

hurlsey

anybody got any info on these cars, looking at picking up a new car came across these. any thoughts/horror stories?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/subaru-legacy-2-0-diesel/6542525

Sobanek

Very high-rev engines. Not very refined.

zoom_cool

Disagree I use to have a Subaru Impreza Boxer diesel excellent engine

Sobanek

zoom_cool wrote: »

Disagree I use to have a Subaru Impreza Boxer diesel excellent engine

My feelings after test driving one. Impreza too. Felt gutless at low RPMs.

hurlsey

Well im not really looking for something to tear away from the lights Sobanek?? I was more talking about the build/reliability of the engine? and major faults that could break my heart?

Bigus

Fine machine they seem to have got it right first time with lots of help from Toyota diesel engineers. Lovely to drive nice petrol rasp off the diesel at certain revs , good on fuel, better. Car than an Audi a 4 IMHO .

Cleveland Hot Pocket

The only reviews I've read of that engine is that is is not torquey at low revs, like a diesel should be - and that it was gutless.

The twin exhausts, the slow engine and the scooby badge really make it a sheep in wolf's clothing/

hurlsey

i know the turbo is under the engine so if that went or i needed an injector replacing i may need to bend over and open my wallet, also ive heard of DPF problems, but i like to maintain my cars so that should negate any problems that crop up from lack of maintenance!!

hurlsey

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

The only reviews I've read of that engine is that is is not torquey at low revs, like a diesel should be - and that it was gutless.

i suppose ill have to test drive it to see for myself!!

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Bigus wrote: »

Fine machine they seem to have got it right first time with lots of help from Toyota diesel engineers. Lovely to drive nice petrol rasp off the diesel at certain revs , good on fuel, better. Car than an Audi a 4 IMHO .

In fairness a lot of cars in the segment are.
Audi's are too common a sight on the roads these days imo

Bigus

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

The only reviews I've read of that engine is that is is not torquey at low revs, like a diesel should be - and that it was gutless.

The twin exhausts, the slow engine and the scooby badge really make it a sheep in wolf's clothing/

They're not slow on the road, and not gutless at low revs, but because they're so quick at higher revs, perception might be the problem, early tests had tight new engines with no miles.

hurlsey

has anyone here got one?

Bigus

Drove one for two months, like I said better car than an A4 ,plus has Quattro as standard , hard enough to sell, go drive and bargain hard.

hurlsey

Bigus wrote: »

Drove one for two months, like I said better car than an A4 ,plus has Quattro as standard , hard enough to sell, go drive and bargain hard.

Why only two months Bigrus?

I only need four years out of it to be honest(thats the loan) after that im not too concerned with a cash return, if it was too hard to sell id drive it till the engine eventually fell out of it through age(not lack of care/maintenance)

Cee-Jay-Cee

hurlsey wrote: »

i know the turbo is under the engine so if that went or i needed an injector replacing i may need to bend over and open my wallet, also ive heard of DPF problems, but i like to maintain my cars so that should negate any problems that crop up from lack of maintenance!!

I was speaking to a Subaru mechanic about these cars recently and he's been with a Subaru dealership since 2005prior to these engines being available and he said he has only come across one DPF problem in his time and it was with an imprezza diesel. He said they're a super reliable engine and he drives one himself since 2011. I've driven a 2010 high mileage legacy (220k kms) and the car was a peach to drive, plenty of low down grunt and a real flyer high up the rev range. I love them and if I could get rid of my petrol Legacy I'd have one in a heartbeat, even a high mileage model.

itsirishfarmer

price is high for 6 year old car

as is miles

anthony4335

Would so go for this one http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/subaru-legacy-2-0-litre-diesel/6516901 , had the 2.5 petrol one and loved it, it may be my next purchase.

stephenmarr

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/subaru/legacy/saloon-2003/

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/subaru/legacy-and-outback-petrol-2004/

good review on above site.

Great info on this site
http://legacygt.com/forums/

check front lower control arm bushings {rear ones}

ive a 2006 2.5i petrol wagon it hasnt missed a beat on me yet.
very sure footed on back roads nice punchy motor
comfortable place to be, although leather can be a bit slippy.

bazz26

itsirishfarmer wrote: »

price is high for 6 year old car

as is miles

76k miles is not high for a 6 year old diesel. It is below average in fact. Price also seems about right given it's a low tax diesel with low mileage. Have you seen them cheaper?

Old diesel

stephenmarr wrote: »

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/subaru/legacy/saloon-2003/

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/subaru/legacy-and-outback-petrol-2004/

good review on above site.

Great info on this site
http://legacygt.com/forums/

check front lower control arm bushings {rear ones}

ive a 2006 2.5i petrol wagon it hasnt missed a beat on me yet.
very sure footed on back roads nice punchy motor
comfortable place to be, although leather can be a bit slippy.

That looks absolutely lovely

Bigus

hurlsey wrote: »

Why only two months Bigrus?

I only need four years out of it to be honest(thats the loan) after that im not too concerned with a cash return, if it was too hard to sell id drive it till the engine eventually fell out of it through age(not lack of care/maintenance)

Two months is a very long time for me !

As regards hard to sell , I meant as a bargaining tool purchasing.

Watch out for heavy clutch, it's dual mass and expensive.

H.E. Pennypacker

I had one for four years from new and put up 90,000 km on it. It develops 258 lbs ft torque at 1800 rpm and is not gutless at low revs. Jeremy Clarkson made one of his usual flippant comments about it being gutless when it came out and he's been quoted ever since by people who really should know better.

It's a beautifully smooth engine and loves to rev. Its not overly economical but 45 mpg is easily within reach. Like all cars with a bit of mileage, make sure that its got a decent service history.

I personally felt that it would have been nicer with an extra 20 bhp at the top end but its still a very good engine and car. The subsequent model is not as nice.

hurlsey

Fook it, ill go have a look, test drive it and see what sort of a bargain is on offer, the guy selling it says theres a fsh so ill see what its like!!

blade1

CJC999 wrote: »

I love them and if I could get rid of my petrol Legacy I'd have one in a heartbeat, even a high mileage model.

Whats wrong with the petrol ones?

Cee-Jay-Cee

blade1 wrote: »

Whats wrong with the petrol ones?

Absolutely nothing, they're a fabulous car, ultra reliable and comfortable but the low 30's mpg figures and €710 tax are hard on the pocket.

blade1

CJC999 wrote: »

Absolutely nothing, they're a fabulous car, ultra reliable and comfortable but the low 30's mpg figures and €710 tax are hard on the pocket.

I have a 03 a4 1.8t sport.
Thinking of changing at some stage and the 2 litre petrol legacy is one of the cars that would be on my list to check out.

Would they be heavier on juice than the audi?
I could live with it being the same.

Bigus

blade1 wrote: »

I have a 03 a4 1.8t sport.
Thinking of changing at some stage and the 2 litre petrol legacy is one of the cars that would be on my list to check out.

Would they be heavier on juice than the audi?
I could live with it being the same.

Petrol ones a ridiculously good value, and good cars.

stephenmarr

Mine in the pic above has only 60 klms and was €5k car has been barely broken in

benny_cakes

I have a 08 wagon diesel with 245,000km and its going like a train.

They are middling on fuel....38mpg if you drive hard.....43mpg driving handy and 46mpg If you go very very carefully.

There are a few things to watch out for

1 - check if the clutch is juddering. Early diesels gave a bit of bother with this. Clutches don't last Hugh milage....they can go anything from 75,000 miles on. That's down to the 4wd.

2 - listen for rear wheel bearing growling. They do go after 100,000 miles and they are €190 each just to buy

3 - listen out for front suspension clunky over bumpy roads....generally drop links or anti roll bar bushes...cheap enough to fix..again common enough problem

4 - the biggest issue with the engine is early versions from 08 to 09 can suffer from broken crankshaft. It just suddenly happens generally around 50,000miles with no warning. Big end bearings have been known to go to at similar milage.....the engine starts knocking. Both problems were cause by a crankshaft misalighment. It's by know means a common prob but google and you will see. New engines are very easy to get from boxeer in usa or road n race in uk. Despite the crankshaft issue the engines are very good....just make sure there is no knocking or tapping from the engine. My has 245,000km and the only issue I have had is the freewheeling clutch on the alternator falling off and was a €75 fix

5 - engines can emit a bit black smoke...they all do that.

6- they are super easy to service and service parts are cheap.

7 - very good in the snow!

In short a superb underrated car!

allinthehead

blade1 wrote: »

I have a 03 a4 1.8t sport.
Thinking of changing at some stage and the 2 litre petrol legacy is one of the cars that would be on my list to check out.

Would they be heavier on juice than the audi?
I could live with it being the same.

I changed from an 04 A4 1.8t to 07 2.0 petrol legacy and mpg is slightly better
average about 33 almost 40 on a run. I might be selling mine pm if your interested.

Henry Ford III

benny_cakes wrote: »

I have a 08 wagon diesel with 245,000km and its going like a train.

They are middling on fuel....38mpg if you drive hard.....43mpg driving handy and 46mpg If you go very very carefully.

There are a few things to watch out for

1 - check if the clutch is juddering. Early diesels gave a bit of bother with this. Clutches don't last Hugh milage....they can go anything from 75,000 miles on. That's down to the 4wd.

2 - listen for rear wheel bearing growling. They do go after 100,000 miles and they are €190 each just to buy

3 - listen out for front suspension clunky over bumpy roads....generally drop links or anti roll bar bushes...cheap enough to fix..again common enough problem

4 - the biggest issue with the engine is early versions from 08 to 09 can suffer from broken crankshaft. It just suddenly happens generally around 50,000miles with no warning. Big end bearings have been known to go to at similar milage.....the engine starts knocking. Both problems were cause by a crankshaft misalighment. It's by know means a common prob but google and you will see. New engines are very easy to get from boxeer in usa or road n race in uk. Despite the crankshaft issue the engines are very good....just make sure there is no knocking or tapping from the engine. My has 245,000km and the only issue I have had is the freewheeling clutch on the alternator falling off and was a €75 fix

5 - engines can emit a bit black smoke...they all do that.

6- they are super easy to service and service parts are cheap.

7 - very good in the snow!

In short a superb underrated car!

38-43 mpg is awful for a diesel. Why bother?

Cee-Jay-Cee

blade1 wrote: »

I have a 03 a4 1.8t sport.
Thinking of changing at some stage and the 2 litre petrol legacy is one of the cars that would be on my list to check out.

Would they be heavier on juice than the audi?
I could live with it being the same.

For short runs (I'm doing less than 8kms to and from work each day) it's doing approx 32/33mpg. On a long run it'll do 38/40mpg and if you drive it very carefully/easy (50mph) and no hard acceleration it'll do 47mpg which I once averaged on a 140km round trip. Mine is an 05 138bhp model. The newer 06 onward facelift model has 158bhp and is supposed to be a bit sorer on fuel but from reading reviews it seems there's not much real world difference between them.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Henry Ford III wrote: »

38-43 mpg is awful for a diesel. Why bother?

Certainly is for a modern diesel anyway.
Even my superb with the 1.9 TDI gets well above 55.

Most modern petrols that are designed in any way with economy in mind (so no fun cars) will beat that 38-43 mpg figure.

Taylor365

blade1 wrote: »

I have a 03 a4 1.8t sport.
Thinking of changing at some stage and the 2 litre petrol legacy is one of the cars that would be on my list to check out.

Would they be heavier on juice than the audi?
I could live with it being the same.

I get about 17mpg in mine doing the daily commute at low speed stop start traffic and about 25mpg on the motorway.









But it is a 2.0litre turbo JDM monster :pac:

blade1

allinthehead wrote: »

I changed from an 04 A4 1.8t to 07 2.0 petrol legacy and mpg is slightly better
average about 33 almost 40 on a run. I might be selling mine pm if your interested.

Auto or manual?

Tea 1000

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Certainly is for a modern diesel anyway.
Even my superb with the 1.9 TDI gets well above 55.

Most modern petrols that are designed in any way with economy in mind (so no fun cars) will beat that 38-43 mpg figure.

You're calculating it wrong. It doesn't do well over 55 all the time!

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Tea 1000 wrote: »

You're calculating it wrong. It doesn't do well over 55 all the time!

Yes, yes it does. Perhaps you should go have some tea and think before you come to conclusions.
I only ever drive it from kildare to dublin and back on the motorway, so yes it does do 55 all the time
I don't drive it daily.

Tea 1000

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Yes, yes it does. Perhaps you should go have some tea and think before you come to conclusions.
I only ever drive it from kildare to dublin and back on the motorway, so yes it does do 55 all the time
I don't drive it daily.

On the motorway? In fairness if you only drive a Legacy on a motorway it'll do over 50mpg too!

Taylor365

Tea 1000 wrote: »

On the motorway? In fairness if you only drive a Legacy on a motorway it'll do over 50mpg too!

What is this mysterious number

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Tea 1000 wrote: »

On the motorway? In fairness if you only drive a Legacy on a motorway it'll do over 50mpg too!

hmm

CJC999 wrote: »

For short runs (I'm doing less than 8kms to and from work each day) it's doing approx 32/33mpg. On a long run it'll do 38/40mpg and if you drive it very carefully/easy (50mph) and no hard acceleration it'll do 47mpg which I once averaged on a 140km round trip. Mine is an 05 138bhp model. The newer 06 onward facelift model has 158bhp and is supposed to be a bit sorer on fuel but from reading reviews it seems there's not much real world difference between them.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Taylor365 wrote: »

What is this mysterious number

It is an index which inversely correlates to the fun had while driving!

Cee-Jay-Cee

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

hmm

Quote: Tea 1000
On the motorway? In fairness if you only drive a Legacy on a motorway it'll do over 50mpg too!

hmm
Quote: CJC999
For short runs (I'm doing less than 8kms to and from work each day) it's doing approx 32/33mpg. On a long run it'll do 38/40mpg and if you drive it very carefully/easy (50mph) and no hard acceleration it'll do 47mpg which I once averaged on a 140km round trip. Mine is an 05 138bhp model. The newer 06 onward facelift model has 158bhp and is supposed to be a bit sorer on fuel but from reading reviews it seems there's not much real world difference between them.

My post was about a petrol legacy. I think the other post referred to a diesel.

allinthehead

blade1 wrote: »

Auto or manual?

Manual saloon

walus

blade1 wrote: »

I have a 03 a4 1.8t sport.
Thinking of changing at some stage and the 2 litre petrol legacy is one of the cars that would be on my list to check out.

Would they be heavier on juice than the audi?
I could live with it being the same.

I have a 2.0 2004 saloon Legacy and am quite happy with the fuel consumption. On a trip Cork to Dublin you will get 8l/100km. Around town it very much depends on distance driven and traffic.
It is by far the best car I've driven so far in terms of handling (and I drove the recent Passats and Insignias). Have had it for 4 years now and sadly am selling it - third baby on the way and car is simply to small to accommodate 3 child seats. If you are looking for a Legacy send me a message on PW and I'll send you a link to an add.

As for the Boxer Diesel from what I know it is a very good engine. Very well balanced and the one that likes to be reved. It does not feel like a regular diesel engine - much more refined. There are some issues with early models - clutch and dual mass flywheel (these go in petron subarus at about 70-80k miles as well), the crankshaft and rod bearing are far more problematic. It seems that early models suffer from poor lubrication that when the engine is driven at high gear with low rpm causes the crankshaft to bend slighlty which then in return wears out the furthest rod bearing. It causes the DMF damage and axial play in the crankshaft - when you fire up the engine you can see such play on the crank pulley. Subaru contributes financially towards a new bottom end engine block if such a damage occurs but the car has to be regularly serviced with Subaru dealer throughout prior to that.
Other than that, assuming the car is in perfect mechanical order, it is a pure joy - as every other Subaru + no pain at the fuel pump.

blade1

benny_cakes wrote: »

There are a few things to watch out


4 - the biggest issue with the engine is early versions from 08 to 09 can suffer from broken crankshaft. It just suddenly happens generally around 50,000miles with no warning. Big end bearings have been known to go to at similar milage.....the engine starts knocking. Both problems were cause by a crankshaft misalighment. It's by know means a common prob but google and you will see. New engines are very easy to get from boxeer in usa or road n race in uk. Despite the crankshaft issue the engines are very good....just make sure there is no knocking or tapping from the engine. My has 245,000km and the only issue I have had is the freewheeling clutch on the alternator falling off and was

Is this issue with both diesel and petrol?

blade1

blade1 wrote: »

Is this issue with both diesel and petrol?

Also what are the difference's between an R and a GL?
And which is better, Auto or manual?

Cee-Jay-Cee

blade1 wrote: »

Also what are the difference's between an R and a GL?
And which is better, Auto or manual?

The GL was the 03-05 model and then they gave it a slight face lift, changed the rear lights/bumper, quad cam engine, power up 20bhp and added twin exhausts and called it the R

blade1

CJC999 wrote: »

The GL was the 03-05 model and then they gave it a slight face lift, changed the rear lights/bumper, quad cam engine, power up 20bhp and added twin exhausts and called it the R

I'm getting a very strong urge today to go looking at 2.0 petrol.
There's a nice looking dark silver one in Dublin but price is a bit steep.
There's 1 or 2 more that might be worth a look.

Can't see any worth looking at in Cork/Waterford area.
Don't know if I want to drive as far as Dublin today as I have work later.

Tea 1000

blade1 wrote: »

I'm getting a very strong urge today to go looking at 2.0 petrol.
There's a nice looking dark silver one in Dublin but price is a bit steep.
There's 1 or 2 more that might be worth a look.

Can't see any worth looking at in Cork/Waterford area.
Don't know if I want to drive as far as Dublin today as I have work later.

Prices for them in the UK are crazy altogether.

blade1

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Prices for them in the UK are crazy altogether.

Yeah, I was checking them out on autotrader.
Called to 5 or 6 dealers and a subaru main dealer in Cork yesterday and no one had 1.
Didn't even pass one on the road (70 mild round trip)

Cee-Jay-Cee

blade1 wrote: »

Yeah, I was checking them out on autotrader.
Called to 5 or 6 dealers and a subaru main dealer in Cork yesterday and no one had 1.
Didn't even pass one on the road (70 mild round trip)

If your looking for a petrol model then they appear regularly on Donedeal so be patient and the right car will come up at the right price.