1989 Subaru Legacy RS review from Australia and New Zealand
"Need lots of money to be any good"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Steering rack needed work, but so do most cars that old.
Clutch, but that was because I'm running 15psi, an STi one does the trick.
They need a bigger intercooler to run lots of boost, I used to boil the water in the old one so I got a very large front mounted one. If you get one chipped you'll need a better turbo (WRX TD05H), the factory one will break between 100K and 140K "mine did".
You must use good spark plugs if you want to run this much boost or it'll miss under load.
General comments?
The factory turbo is too small so I've got a TD05H off a WRX, this works very well but you'll need a bleedvalve or an electonic boost controller.
All the bits that are ever going to break can be found on a WRX and they're a lot better, but don't buy from a wreaker, they'll rip you off. I've done a 13.7@105mph and a 5.5 to 100.
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![]() ![]() | 1990 - Legacy RS 2.0 quad cam, turbo Just like any other performance car out there unless you have a fat wallet to afford prestigious car |
![]() ![]() | Awesome performance and versatility. |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 turbo Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 10/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 118000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 160000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Honda Prelude |
| Date of Entry | 11th January, 2001 |



