USED Subaru Legacy Estate (03 - 09)

My car

Subaru owners tend to look at their cars through ‘rose-tinted-spectacles’. The Legacy isn’t a bad car, but it isn’t that brilliant either. I feel I have to warn people about the kind of reviews on this website as well as the car. No one can give a true opinion of a car after 24hrs, and if you have no problems with you car, how can you know that Subaru Assistance is 1st class. The truth is that I had a 2.0L Sport Tourer which I have now sold at a huge loss due to the poor residuals. The real issue I had with the car was the engine which really struggled with the AWD. It means the car wastes fuel and can really feel slow to the point where motorway journeys are arduous and overtaking is dangerous. Over 12 months I managed about 26 mpg with mixed driving that should have given me 31 mpg and road tax is £190 due to high emissions. As for the equipment, remember that a high level of equipment means that it isn’t always the good quality equipment that you get. Subaru continue to add to this car only to increase its appeal in a very competitive market and some of the items they have added are a compromise. Reliability isn’t always as stated as I had problems with the Mass Air Flow sensor which failed when I really needed the car, but I can say Subaru Assistance were helpful in getting me a car while mine was in the garage. Also, the thin paint chips and scratches easily; even if you hand wash the bodywork.

My car

I have previously owned K reg 2.0L EST and 03 reg 2.0L Forester only battery failure in K reg after 8 years.No probs with Forester but Legacy superior roadholding. Interiors vastly improved since in my 05 model. You really do get everything included as standard unlike Germans. I think that driving experience, allround performance and strength of build quality compensate for slightly higher running costs. My experience with several Subaru dealerships has been excellent.The Subaru assistance is 1st class.

My car

An update. I have now had this car a year and it has 15000 miles on the clock. Not a single thing has gone wrong in this time and it still brings a smile to my face every time I start it up.

Dealer service is spot on, handling is great and performance and running costs are as expected. Interior is great with no rattles. So much better than the eqivalent BMW or Audi in my opinion and being very rare makes this a great (although due to emissions) an niche choice which suits me fine.

My car

I have owned Audi's, VW's, a nice light BMW and a few Japanese cars in my time and I have never driven a car that was more sorted, engineered where it matters and where you can feel it working.

I wanted the 2.5 (which is an engine Subaru have dropped for 2006 in all but the Outback) because it looked to be the best "real world" engine on paper. In practise I get 35mpg easily on my commute and if I want fun I can have that too. This engine is torquey at low rev's, goes well at higher rev's and sounds like nothing else - but does it quietly.

The whole car (the Estate remember) is lighter than a Peugeot 306 because they engineered it that way with aluminium and high carbon steels. I remember people raved about the Mazda RX8 for it's lightness and handling. Mine is just as good in the dry but handles bumps and slippery roads ten times better. Symmetrical 4WD? You betcha. Subaru should sell these properly. Import all the engine options to the UK. Show off the very low emission version engines available in California. Shout about the boron steel safety hoops which mean much better than average crash and roll over protection results in US tests. Publish research which shows the Leggy has a whole life carbon footprint smaller than a Toyota Prius or VW Golf. And, offer real US service and prices