BRITISH TURBO ESTATE/WAGON PURCHASE...

[hefty]

Hi there

Complete novice here, haven't even bought the car yet.... BUT would like some advice/thoughts nonetheless.

Am looking to buy a '93 turbo estate (sorry, I'm British!), with 68k on it. The current asking price is 'round the £3k mark (US$5159.78, thanks to xe.com) and might well go up as it's an auction. Is this in the region of what I should expect to be paying for a Legacy of this age/mileage? According to it's current owner, it's in good/great condition and has "loads of service history".

Is this the sort of price I should expect to pay? Or is it too much considering the age/condition/history? I've seen other turbos for less, but with a hell of a lot more miles and 'loving' attached. Can anyone think of some pertinent questions I might ask the owner re. condition of engine/mechanicals and interior/exterior? Or is this a great price and I should go for it asap?

This will be my first 'classic' Legacy, and I'm really excited about joining the club. I've been scouring the posts in this forum and you all sound pretty nutty about your machines, perfect!!

Thanks in hope,

Hefty

[Comper100]

Hi mate

I'm british to and also looking at getting my first legacy, good luck with the purchace and hopefully i will be able to join you soon!

I've only just joined too and it seams pretty cool here!

Cheers
Comper100

(Ps when you go to see it make sure that gbox is ok, especially 5th!)

[hefty]

Cheers dude! Good to hear from another (virgin) brit!

Autotrader's not much good, where you been looking for your perfect match? What about the price I found? Does 3k+ sound in the right ballpark? I'vbe seen ones for £1900 odd, but as for their condition....

I had something else to ask you, but it's gone oh well

Hefty

[Comper100]

Hiya

Yeah i've been looking on the autotrader website and to be honest thats the best place i've found with findit.co.uk coming second.

If your registered with autotrader searrch for legacys and put in turbo in the search and you should get just over a page of older ones (under 4 grand) I'm looking for a saloon so i'm looking to spend between £1500 and £3000 to get a good un. I missed one the other week that had 60000 on the clock and just needed a gbox prob sorting for £1500. Its just a case of finding the right one for you.
Theres a cracking late silver saloon for sale on there (and on here) for £3500 which is very nice but i need to get some cash together over xmas for that to be realistic.

Happy hunting

Cheers
Comper100

[Dr Nick]

Hi and welcome from another Brit!

£3k seems like a reasonable price, but can they prove the mileage? I've seen too many people lash out good money on a 'low mileage' car and then discover lots of problems later.

Condition is ALL!! If at all possible try and drive another turbo of similar age prior to driving the one you might buy to get a comparison.

Look for engine leaks, either water or oil (or petrol!) Look for rust along the door bottoms, front wing lower edges (especially above the wheel) and along the front edge of the roof where it meets the windscreen.

Sorry if this is teaching you to suck eggs but I've had all these things happen at one time or another.

The turbo is a fabulous car and I'd highly recommend getting one - 0-60 in a little over 7 seconds and superb traction is not to be sniffed at Just be careful out there!

[hefty]

Comper, Dr. Nick, thanks!

Great to hear such local enthusiasm! I've noticed you around Dr. Nick, glad you deemed me worthy of your attention!

No, you're not teaching me to suck eggs in the slightest, all advice is very welcome indeed. Shall see what I can do. It seems like a geniune mileage/well looked after, but that's not so say it isn't, so.... will report back.

Only prob I forsee at the moment is the seller living in North Wales, and me living in Norwich. Hmm, let's hope it's worth it! Quite prepared to pay through the nose for insurance to drive such an understated and reliable motor! Having said that, again, any tips?

I'll get on to the chap about the mileage.

Thanks again, both, for getting in touch!

Hefty

ps Dr. of what, exactly?
pps comparable turbo, anyone? Handling-wise too?

[Comper100]

Nice one

Im based in the midlands/shropshire area and we had quite alot of leggy estates out and about in the country all covered in crap though!

One thing i'm a little concerned about is insurance, my mate has a legacy with STI running gear in but he is from ireland so i can't compare his insurance. I can usually get a good deal but i'm abit warry being 23 ! Any ideas on that one?

Keep the info comming Dr Nick, like Hefty says all info is good!

Cheers
Comper100

[Matt Monson]

Mind if an American jumps in? That is about the same price I paid for my '94 Legacy Turbo. As the others mentioned it is all about the condition of the vehicle. Even though I am doing some ridiculous stuff to the engine, I wanted a clean straight car with a good interior. I think it is worth that price if it checks out. Not worth it if you are going to gut the thing and put all STi trim and whatnot inside it. If that were the case get one that has a dirty worn out interior and restore it. Otherwise, it sounds like a good option.

As the others said, check the mechanicals pretty good. Look for any leaks. Run the engine and listen to both how smooth it is. Subaru boxers are silky if they are in good shape. If it has a boost gauge, get a drive in it and make sure it is making full boost and good vacuum. Those are indicators of a healthy engine. I can't think of anything else of the top of my head

[hefty]

Matt- Not at all, dear boy, not at all! The more the merrier!

Not really intending to re-do the interior as such, but having said that, you never know... Fairly happy with an interior that's in functional condition. I'm a functional kinda guy. Guess that's why i'm after a subaru.

I emailed the seller re. the interior/mileage etc., but the guy who's selling it is away until the day auction ends. Now, does this set anyone's alarm bells ringing? or am I being over cautious due to the nature of the sale? ie, 'blind' and technically 'bound' to buy it.

Also, would the service book/log help ascertain the truthfulness of the mileage? Sorry if I sound grotesquely naieve, but like I said, i'm a complete novice. How exactly does a full boost and vacuum manifest itself on a legacy?

Comper-

Yup, just rechecked a-trader, and found a handful. That saloon does look sweet indeed, if I'm looking at the same one.

Insurance-wise, well. 's going to be a bomb either way. I'm 26 (gooder) but this'll be my first policy (badder). Lost of people seem willing to take this into consideration, I've been named driver on/off for 7 years, no accidents and lots of experience through the driving work that I do/done. That said, insurance companies seem capricious to the point of absudity, as far as I can tell anyway. Well, I've factored the insurance cost into my budget, so we'll have to wait and see.

Hey ho, keep on looking I guess...

[Dr Nick]

First of all, Dr Nick is Dr Nick Riviera from the Simpsons - I'm not a doctor of anything... It's just a web-handle

Insurance is a bit of a killer, but not as bad as it could be. For example I'm paying less for my turbo estate than I was for a Sierra XR4x4 which I had previously.

The best advice is shop around for quotes - try everybody! I'm insured with Tesco because my wife has only been driving for three years, I need class 1 business use and they gave me the cheapest quote - £480 third party fire and theft. Some of the 'specialist' companies gave me quotes WAY higher than that...

[hefty]

Heello evary bordy.

should've guessed!

cheers for the tips. yup, someone else said tesco was a good bet. apparently so is the co-op. will investigate. did some homework on the chap selling the 68k estate, appears to be the genuine thing. feeling lucky too...

apple macs eh? you got your head 'round panther yet?

[Dr Nick]

[off-topic] Not going for Panther yet - the feeling around these parts seems to be to wait for NEXT year's update instead of lashing out for each annual upgrade. In any case I'm using a clamshell iBook so I think these OS updates are only going to be relevant for a little while longer...[/off-topic]

When you ask 'comparable turbo anyone' what exactly do you mean? If you're asking "what else is AWD, does 0-60 in between 7 and 8 seconds and is available for around £3k in the UK" then the answer is NOTHING! Sure, there's the Audi 80 quattro estate (aka Avant) but the driving experience isn't as enjoyable and the performance isn't quite the same either. There's also the Volvo 850 T-5 but I defy you to get an insurance quote that's realistic, and also the AWD version is (a) detuned and (b) requires you to buy your tyres in groups of 4 every time...

[hefty]

The audi 80 quattro was the last car to be knocked off my shortlist. Solid and safe but distinctly dull was the opinion i came across the most. 4wd's good but an uninspiring drive.

Another question: what kind of security/anti-theft have you got? this cars are pretty nickable by the looks of things. am considering cat 1 at the least. is a tracker taking it too far with a car this age/value? will help with the insurance too, i guess. should only be using her for social, domestic and pleasure ...

[hefty]

also: is the 2.0 litre quadcam turbo the same as the straightforward turbo? i'm getting confused by the interminable terminology...

[Dr Nick]

also: is the 2.0 litre quadcam turbo the same as the straightforward turbo? i'm getting confused by the interminable terminology...

I was exactly the same! AFAIK there is only one version of turbo Legacy in the UK - all the turbos have four cams.

I agree with your comments on the Audi!

[Dr Nick]

also: is the 2.0 litre quadcam turbo the same as the straightforward turbo? i'm getting confused by the interminable terminology...

I was exactly the same! AFAIK there is only one version of turbo Legacy in the UK - all the turbos have four cams.

I agree with your comments on the Audi!

In relation to security it didn't seem to be an issue with my insurance company. I have the standard (Sigma) alarm and immobiliser, a removeable front stereo and that's it. My insurance agent said (and I quote) no-one steals estate cars anyway!!

[hefty]

Been looking around for diff prices on estates. most of them seem to come in at under 3k (some well under)... does this price seem ok afterall? the one i'm hankering after is more expensive than another i found with less (63k) on the clock plus leather etc. (autotrader) which is closer to norwich, too. (though distance isn't the greatest issue) price negotiable, and it's through a dealer too, so i'd have some comeback if....

best insurance quote sofar: £850 norwich union (incl breakdown cover). i'm paying for the privilege!

[Dr Nick]

Prices seem to be coming down but are still surprisingly high for a 10-year old car with fairly poor fuel consumption! I think £3k for a low mileage turbo is fair, especially if you're getting it from a dealer.

Is £850 for insurance fully comp?

[hefty]

um, no.

[Dr Nick]

Ouch

[hefty]

oooooh.

Just seen a '94 GT twin turbo estate on autotrader..... Is that gonna be biting off more than I can chew? I take it it's an import. Anyone know what it's like getting these things serviced/fixed? Are we talking serious cash/specialists here? only 46k miles! dammit!

anyone had any experience of a '94 era GT legacy they want to share with me?

do they let you put grandmothers on ebay?

[Huw]

hefty - find out if it is an auto or not? It probably is. Manual is more powerful and more economical.

You will have a harder time insuring the GT as it is an imported car from Japan and has 250bhp+.
That said - I pick mine up this week, and the driving experiance is worth every penny!

[Dr Nick]

As Huw says, do loads of research before taking the plunge. All twin turbos in the UK are (AFAIK) imports so check everything out with experts first.

A friend of mine was toying with buying an import (not a Suby) and discovered in the course of his research that the windscreen wouldn't be available other than imported from Japan at a cost of >£400. Also, it would take a few WEEKS to get one... Not my idea of a fun car to own.

I think such consumables are probably OK for the Legacy GT as I think they are the same body style as the NA Legacy's of similar vintage, but insurance might still be a serious issue.

[hefty]

Cheers Huw, Dr. Nick

Yup it's an auto. Don't really go for those meself. I shan't embarass myself here with some of the quotes I got (anyone would think I was an alcoholic 17 year old with club feet), and sourcing parts would be a bit of a nightmare, so to speak....

The chap in Wales has decided to hold on to his legacy after all, "just too good to let go", boo. On the bright side I guess that bodes well legacies in general!

Off to look at silver 63k-er in Leicester this week with (leather/the works). Will have Dr. Nick's and Matt Monson's words of advice echoing round my head as I do so...

[hefty]

someone up there don't want me driving a Legacy....

The one in Leicester went. Damn.

There's two others to consider. A '92, 143k-er (in red, they go faster right?), and a '94/93k-er (also red, broom broom). The only problem is they're in Bournemouth and Hereford respectively. What I intend to do (if they haven't been sold too ) is to organise a long distant mechanic test/inspection. If it/they turn out to be complete dogs, I figure the money I spent on an inspection is the same it would cost to get over there and find out myself? If it seems worth going ahead with, then it's money well spent, might even discover a few bargaining levers in there somewhere... Does this sound like a good idea? anyone?

life goes on and I'm still subaru-less...