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2005 Subaru Legacy

  

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Topic starter

15yo thinking of getting a 2005 Subaru Legacy wagon (manual, of course 😉) when I save up enough. Is it decently reliable? Some subarus are a mixed bag 🙃 

Also, is the turbo model worth it?


4 Answers
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Stay away from the turbo - just a little more likely to cost you maintenance. This is a good car but will cost you a little more to maintain than other Asian cars. They do last forever but not without a little maintenance 


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Something to bear in mind is that Subarus of this vintage tend to have head gasket problems - except for the turbo models, which use a different gasket design. Due to the boxer engine design head gasket replacement is a major undertaking. Problems with the front drive axles are also common because the inner CV joints are very close to the exhaust. (A friend bought one a few years back and right out of the starting gate had to replace head gaskets and axles.) 

 


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It depends on mileage and maintenance history. The 4-cylider 4th Generation Legacys have an EJ253 engine with a timing belt and the maintenance interval is 10 years or 100,000 miles, so make sure that's up to date. The EJ253 was affected by early head gasket failure, however, the Subaru replacement parts kits moved to Multi-Layer Steel (MLS) head gaskets. If you can find one with proof of head gasket replacement using genuine Subaru parts, you shouldn't have any head gasket issues for the lifetime of the engine. If you're concerned about this, but still want the car, keep in mind that Subaru head gaskets tend to fail in stages. Head gaskets can fail from the oil journal to the block, resulting in a small oil leak, however, the car is totally drivable. Catastrophic head gasket failure occurs when the oil to coolant seal, or the coolant to compression chamber seal splits. It's never a bad idea to have a block leak test done (a kit costs about $35, but a mechanic may charge even less to do the test). This will show if the head gasket has failed from compression to coolant. If you do buy the car, then in the absolute worst case, you can get EJ253s for about $400 from junkyards and Subaru engines can be pulled and installed relatively easily, if you have the tools and are so inclined.

As far as the turbos go (the turbo engine is the EJ255), they can be reliable, but keep in mind that these cars are old and usually aren't treated very nicely. They do have considerably more power than the non-turbo cars and there is plenty of aftermarket support to keep the engines going and making good power, but it comes at a cost. Good Turbo Legacys go for absurdly high prices; and rebuilding, or "building up" an EJ255 can easily run you 5 grand in parts alone. Definitely don't buy a cheap super high mileage one thinking you're going to get 100,000 trouble-free miles out of it. 


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Topic starter

Thanks for the tips! I'm willing to put in a little elbow grease for a cheap car with a great AWD system considering where I live 😀 


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