legacycentral bbs

I've been keeping my eye on a 2003 Legacy and they just cut the price. I have a few questons. Does this year 2.5 still have problems with headgaskets or did they fix this by this year? Does the transmission still suffer from torque bind or has the tailshaft been updated prior to this year? This is a great deal even though I'm not crazy about the sunroof or the leather but could deal with it for this price. I'm going to paste some from the ad instead of a link, so nobody grabs it before me .

2003 Subaru Legacy in excellent condition - Great car at a perfect price. Worth LOTS more, but, you win!
Keyless entry, automatic transmission, Air Conditioning, tilt adjustable steering column, Dual Front Air Bags, dual-mode heated front seats, equipped with Power Steering, Cruise Control, ABS (4-Wheel), Power Windows, AM/FM Stereo, Power Door Locks, 6-disk in-dash Compact Disc changer
Power Sun Roof. Leather seats in perfect condition.

87,000 miles
$6,300

Also from the pics this thing is in mint condition, and the color I want, Silver w/ black leather interior. Also this is a four door sedan.

Thanks guys I appreciate any feedback, Brian

I forgot to mention that if I buy this there will be no money left for my current Legacy. I'm having no problems with my current Legacy but would like a newer NA Subaru for my DD. Is this a great deal or am I jumping to fast.

Mid 02 the headgasket issues were fixed, but it can still happen. Torque bind issues usually come about if you drive with uneven tires.

As far as I'm concerned, no Subaru is completely exempt from headgasket issues.

Torque bind, on the other hand, should theoretically never happen to a well-maintained car, as Eric said. I've seen plenty of Subarus of all years with routine trans fluid changes and tire rotations go 200k or more with a perfectly functioning AWD system.

My concern with the torque bind was with the tailshaft housing, I found the answer in the Library http://legacycentral.org/library/torquebind.htm [url]
Betweeen 95-97 4EAT had a problem with bushings and seals wearing out the aluminum case, after 97 they updated the tailshaft installing steel sleaves to remedy the problem. I know that all vehicles will have HG problems if not properly maintained, I just thought I remebered hearing certain 2.5 were more prone to this than others. I'll try to look at it this weekend once I get my taxes squared away.

Thanks for all the input, Brian

'96-99 EJ25D DOHC internal headgasket issues...it's a maintenance item in my experience...like doing the timing belt!

'99-200? EJ25 SOHC external HG issues. Some were treated w/a coolant conditioner to fix (or delay?) the issue.

EDIT: I hate to say it, but I would budget for a HG repair on that '03 2.5, too.

Do a VIN check on it to see if it's been in for service??

Check out the ultimatesubaru.org/forum site for more info.

That price is pretty good for Private Party....@ least compared to up here - $7500 on KBB.com for just the base model Legacy sedan.

Thanks wtdash. I was thinking I need to be ready for headgaskets, also with the mileage it'll probably need a timing belt and struts if they haven't been done yet. The price is what caught my eye, it has been $7,188 for the last 3 weeks but I guess no one has been interested so they cut it to $6,300. Looks like I might start learning how to work on these 2.5 motors. Thanks for the VIN idea I'll have to look into that.

Brian

can't really put in too much advice on the issues that you are concerned about because I don't know much about those years, but these guys seem to be helping just fine. But as in regards to the car, it seems like a hell of a deal. If its what you want, I would get it. I almost always get my car checked out by a shop before buying it though, they will tell you EVERYTHING wrong with the car. When I bought my MR2 several years ago they even told me something was wrong with the seatbelt, so its a complete vehicle inspection.

Oh yeah, I'll definately check it out before I buy her. If they don't let me take it to my shop and look at it then no dice. It's not my shop, it belongs to my step dad but I work there and have a free pass to do as I please(kinda). My biggest concern now is where it originated from and if it has any rust that is not visible. This will be my third car if it goes through and the most I ever paid for one is $1,000(91 Olds Cut Calais POS) and hell my current TLeg was only $500 so I guess I'm kinda spoiled when it comes to spending alot on a car. I put 264k miles on the Olds (original motor), so i expect at least that from the TLeg considering I take MUCH better care of it.

Thanks to everyone, Brian

the T-leg will definately put out some miles for you. Im at 172k, and it still runs perfectly fine (other than what I think is my BPV leaking due to me increasing boost, time for the TMIC!)