Why I like my BC/F Subaru Legacy...

[elkaboom]

I know this topic has been done to death in one way or another, but after breaking two brand new AC/Delco (fucking oem 'cuz I'm anal like that) sparkplugs (the number 4 plug on a Chevy 4.3 V-6 liter is the most insane, piece of shit, evil, annoying MF'ing thing EVAH!!!11) and spending two (yup as in 1... 2...) hours removing/installing ONE freaking plug, I decided to start a thread (call it an ode if you will) as to why I fucking love my Subaru.

First: ease of repair. I can do a complete -and I'm talking thorough- tune-up: oil & filter, plugs, wires, flush and fill the cooling system (including the "burp" which, by now, is second nature), fuel and air filter, top off all the fluids, both diffs, drain the tranny and refill, have a sandwhich and wash up all in about 2 1/2 hours - assuming I'm not in a hurry.
I can do a thermo/waterpump, upper and lower radiator hoses, timing belt job in around 3 hours -again, assuming I'm not in a big hurry.
Brakes? A no brainer in maybe an hour and 20 minutes (and that's all four corners).
Maybe one of the reasons I love my Subie so much is simply because even if she's broke, I'm confident that regardless of what the problem is, it's something that I'm confident that I can fix.
Subaru's are sooo user friendly it's sick man! Sick...
It's for this reason alone that I'm not shy (and I do it all the time actually) about saying that if I ever buy another vehicle (new or used) it'll be a Subaru.
I've done my fair share of wrenching. However, I'm not a total gearhead -but I like cars, and I'm mechanically minded (go-cart's anyone? ), but never, in my 33 years have I ever been so in love with a car as I am with my Soobie.
Heh... it's sorta funny, but anymore, I'm alway's looking for Legacy's.
If I pass a parking lot and I happen to notice a Legacy parked even waaaay in the farthest lot somewhere... I'll pull in and check it out; make notes to myself, wonder if I should leave a note and make an offer in case the owner is interested in selling it...
Ahhhh.... I love Subarus!
*sigh* Thanks Fuji Heavy Industries! For a fine fuckin' product and one seriously satisfied customer. You guys are alright.

[Yukonart]

Word. My dad (71) is looking to replace the 1999 Dodge Caravan he and my mother have used since it was new. I suggested he look at Legacy wagons as an alternative to the ungainly, heavy, and mechanically-inane domestic vehicles. . . and minivans in general.

This was after he mentioned that the van would likely need some work done to it. He said "the timing belt alone costs over $400 to replace." He couldn't believe it. I showed him why. You have to jack the whole thing up, remove the front passenger wheel, wheelwell guard, then get at the engine from the fender area to access the belts.

Then I opened the hood of my car. He had never seen under the hood of a Subaru before. Needless to say, he was shocked. Told him the alternator in most of them could be replaced in under 15 minutes. . . most other belts done very easily, etc. Explained to him the relative simplicity of the AWD system and its components (especially after having replaced both front axles of Laurel's car with help from our friend). Basically, just looking at the engine bay exudes the simplicity of working on these cars.

Having actually owned a Subaru for less than a year, I'm still considered a 'noob' to the mechanicals of sorts. . . but my GOD. . . it's such an easy design to learn from.

I share your sentiments. . . fully.

[douglas vincent]

Why do I love my subie?

Well, unfortuneately becuase it runs on three cylinders.

Just one reason to start with, but enough.

[entirelyturbo]

*subyluvr cracks his fingers*

I love my BC Subaru Legacy because it is the PERFECT car for me. I find it incredibly stylish while others may not... But beauty, as we all know, is in the eye of the beholder.

BC/BF Legacies are always a blast to drive. Plain and simple, if you don't enjoy driving a BC/BF Legacy, turbo or non, even MT or AT, then you don't enjoy driving period. Their engines are peppy and willing, their handling is still up to par with many newer cars, and the driver always feels like he's connected to the car.

BC/BF Legacies are reliable. And I don't mean they can go 60k with no problems, I mean that if you keep after them and don't let small problems escalate, they can easily give you 200k miles of service, whether you pamper or abuse them. I'm sure many of our Legacies on this board have seen their fair share of thrashing (hell, I kept up with WRX's on the Dragon in mine), but no one has any problems for no apparent reason. If you threw a rod, or blew a headgasket, or sucked a valve, your car either had oil starvation, overheated, or had extremely high miles.

BC/BF Legacies are easily one of the most simple cars to work on ever made! I sincerely mean that. I've mentioned it before, the 1991 brochure on Dave's website mentions that the Legacy won an award for being the easiest-to-maintain car by a home mechanic. I can change the oil in 10 minutes flat. I can change brake pads in 20 minutes. I can change an AXLE in 30 minutes. I can probably do a timing belt in a couple hours. Hell, some cars need an hour to change the battery (Chrysler's "cloud" cars come to mind, the Cirrus, Stratus, Breeze )

The BC/BF Legacy is also the perfect car for the beginning driver who doesn't have a whole lot of money. I started out with my Legacy, and it has taught me how to drive properly, and I don't mean just turn the wheel and push the pedals. It has taught me how to downshift in every sense, from engine braking to heel-and-toe, it has taught me how to drive defensively, how to control understeer (I'm still working on oversteer ), it has made me a better driver without letting me get into any serious accidents in the process. It has also taught me how to work on cars, I did my first oil change, tune up, axle change, brake job, timing belt, transmission removal, all on my Legacy. It has taught me to appreciate the things I have, to learn to be patient (keeping a 14-year-old car requires patience ), and it has always given me something to look forward to, as I get excited over plans for it.

Anyway, I love my BC Legacy because it is a part of who I am, and I am doing everything in my power to hang onto mine as long as humanly possible

[BAC5.2]

There's one REAL reason that I love my BC.

This message board.

I'd be lost if I didn't have these resources at my fingertips for things.

I wouldn't be intercooled, I wouldn't have my exhaust, I wouldn't have the coffee mug, I wouldn't have the GRP N mounts, I wouldn't have the Exedy Stage 1 clutch, I wouldn't have a 16G, and I wouldn't have my WRX coolant tank or my battery in the trunk. I wouldn't have modded even close to the point of needing a boost gauge.

This board has helped turn my car from being "just transportation" to being as much a part of me as my arm. I sit behind the wheel, grab the shifter, and feather the throttle. I hit the brakes, twitch my foot, drop a gear, nail the gas, and countersteer my way to the biggest fucking smile that a rainy day, AWD, and an empty parking lot can possibly provide.

Oh, and a BIG thanks to Art. The supplier of my FIRST mod EVER.

Speaking of maintainence, I should probably change my tranny and diff fluid. Coolant has been done like 5 times in the past 2 months, so that's probably OK.

[Yukonart]

Oh, and a BIG thanks to Art. The supplier of my FIRST mod EVER.

SHHHHH!!!!1

You said you'd never talk about those blasted LED washer nozzles!


I thought I was finally rid of them.

[evolutionmovement]

Because even on 3 cylinders it will do 85 on the highway and get me home.

Because I can do an engine swap from N/A to turbo-as-an-N/A in the driveway by myself having never done a swap before and the car starts on the first crank like nothing ever happened. "What, you swapped blocks on me?"

Because with 250k I still have the original alternator, PS pump and only struts and the timing belt had to be replaced before 180k. Hell, the original battery lasted 12 yrs!

Because I still embarrass 'performance' cars on twisty roads.

Steve

[BAC5.2]

hahahaha. Do you want them for your STI?

Another weird note about my genuine love for Subaru's. I'm at my girlfriend's place for the weekend, and she said I was talking about Subaru's in my sleep. Something about Subaru's and STI's and stuff. Weird.

[BAC5.2]

Steve scared the hell out of me on the highway in his TurboN/A wagon too. I got a bit worried that I wasn't gonna pull away... I did, but I was stunned that he A) Had 250k miles and held like that. and B) that he was at 8:1 compression and caught up to me and held with me for a few hundred RPM when I hit it.

Even when they are sick, they are still oddly quick.

[evolutionmovement]

I had an ass load of tools in back, too. I could've held better in the corners if I didn't have to hear it sliding back and forth and hitting the strut towers all the time. Those bungee cords only held it so well.

Steve

[BAC5.2]

Yea, you had the BFH for my brakes!

[elkaboom]

hehe... my brother alway's asks me, "dude, why do you spend so much money on this thing..." my reply: "dude, it's 14 years old and it still outperforms virtually anything in it's class... ".
Despite the fact that my car is older, not as sharp (like I say... bodywork is not as important as mechanical soundness), and I can still snap my passengers neck with a very satisfying *crack* (I'm alway's impressed by the wicked torque curve and low rpm powerband in these things), the Legacy alway's handles with confidence, plenty of power on demand and lots of agility -I will say this though, stock Legacy's are set up for a lot of understeer; not sure why though.
There are a few tight "S" curves near my ex's places where if you don't get on it inside the bottom of the outside curve, you loose speed and create a "deadzone" coming out of the curves -it's kinda scary because there is a 3 way intersection immediately at the finale of the S curve, so you need some momentum to bully your way into getting the right of way -if you haul ass into the curves, but back off half way through, you loose all your speed and have to hammer on the brakes outside the last turn -it fucks up up everything and you loose any control you might have had coming out of the bottom of the turn; rpms drop, you have to eat some understeer and if you have a passenger, you look like a tool....
Anyway, once you come out of the turns you blast WOT and grab some rpms (my autotragic likes to jump gears, but she's reliable, so at 5500 rpms I know I'll get a little boost). Once you hit the sweet spot, you have a nice 3 1/2 mile run on fresh, four lane asphalt and away you go...
Mostly I do this this little run by my lonesome, but when I have a passenger who's used to singing the praises of Nissans or Hondas, they have a new respect for old school Soobies -and I run bone stock.
I'm gonna toss on some strut bars and try out some 16" wheels (also, I'm in the process of converting my suspension over to WRX; not ideal I know, but for free, it's the best deal in town ).
Subaru's? Yeah, they rock man. They rock.

[Gotta Jibboo]

Just the fact that it has 207,000 miles on it and still runs like a champ is enough to make me feel fuzzy inside when I think about it...
Along with the fact that it's just a blast to drive, God I love my Suby...

I wouldn't want to have any other car.

[QuickDrive]

Reasons why I love my legacy..

First off, it's my first subaru, ever since the 98 RS came out I was hooked as a fan and read everything there was to read on the net about subaru's. Unfortunately money wouldn't allow me to buy an RS or WRX but oh did I want an awd car.

I lucked into finding my 91 turbo and love it more with every passing day.

I constantly think of what to do to it when i have the spare cash, and think of what parts I can restore to make it last forever.

My GF always laughs at me because I'm always looking at the car. when we get out to go to a store or what have you I always look back at least twice. checking her angles out.

I love the rarity of them. Aside from my friend (who just bought his because of me) I had the only 91 legacy turbo in my entire city...
Mind you only 200k ppl but still...
My local subie club calls me 'old school' since I'm the only one with a subie made before 1994.

Ease of repair..
I've done things on this car that I never thought I'd be able to do. from installing the intercooler, to changing plugs, just stuff I never took the time to do, always paid out the ass for a mechanic to do it for me. Now I don't let any mechanics touch my car unless it's a dire situation.

*stretch*

[123c]

I like mine, because when it broke down on my last night, all I had to do was reattch the hose clamp on the air intake, and the car started and was off again... I also love the fact that I can change out the axles in less than an hour, as long as they aren't stuck...

[evolutionmovement]

That's funny as toward the end of my second novel I have the hose from the FMIC to the reverse intake manifold on the main character's Subaru come off after an offroad excursion caused ny a Brabus MB. Reattached, the car drove again.

Steve