2005 Subaru Legacy Reviews

Water leaking from side window, because a rubber seal is broken, almost fallen off.

Auto trans is noisy, no power during acceleration. Even after a service & lubricant change.

Door must be slammed hard to close properly.

Poor fuel consumption is only 13 MPG.

Not as powerful as other turbo cars.

Beware of oversteer if you drive fast on the curved roads; an old BMW 3 series had better handling. This Legacy turbo can be dangerous.

A mid size car with an interior like a compact car.

Fan relay and car's computer were replaced at 24k miles.

Injectors replaced at 25k miles due to infamous studdering/missing issue.

Power steering pump replaced at 48k miles.

Annoying dash rattle since about 50k miles; still not fixed.

Passenger side axle assembly replaced at 53k miles.

Clutch, flywheel, and throwout bearing replaced at 63k miles (the car is never driven aggressively, and I've owned 5 manual transmission cars prior, and have never replaced a clutch).

The car is a blast to drive, and really shines when driving up to the mountains west of Denver. I traded in a 2000 Audi A4 Avant for this car, because it had 90k miles, and was in need of some expensive repairs.

Unfortunately, I've had a lot of frustration with the Legacy GT, and have been dumping money into it since day one. Only the fan relay, computer, and injectors have been replaced under warranty... Everything else has come out of my own pocket, including the $1,700 I have just spent on a new clutch, dual mass flywheel, and throwout bearing at 63k miles!

The weather stripping on side windows starts to wear after a few years.

The bevel in the center console is easily scratched near the shifter.

If you need to replace the windshield, it is difficult to remove without damaging the metal around the seal, because of the way it is mounted.

This car has great traction in the rain and bad weather.

I averaged 27 MPG combined, even at 121,000 miles. Not bad for an AWD vehicle (K&N air filter helps).

Never had to do anything besides scheduled maintenance on this vehicle.

I lived through 2 accidents, that probably would have killed me if I was driving a lesser car.

I liked it so much, that after I totaled it, I went out and bought another Legacy (I got the 2.5i Limited this time though).

* Front brake caliper seized at 60k miles.

* Control arm bushings replaced front/rear.

* Rear wheel bearings (warranty by Subaru @ 90k).

* Headlight bulbs (warranty) at 25k.

Beyond happy with the car. Cheaper purchase ($24k) than a tin can Subaru WRX wagon, and better engine performance and superior comfort/fit finish.

It looks great for a wagon, and the manual transmission coupled to the turbo flat-4 engine is a hoot to drive.

It works decently for two small kids in rear, but a little cramped rear egress.

Driver's side low beam headlamp went at 113,000 miles.

Slight dash rattle when it gets real cold outside.

A small squeal on very sharp right turns.

I wanted a car that would be AWD, turbocharged, looked good, and not seen everyday like an Audi. So that left me with 2 choices, the Volvo S60R, and the Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT. It was an easy decision once I test drove the R. That being said, I purchased the Legacy GT.

I've had this car for 10 months now and it's been an absolute blast. Once you hit about 2800 RPMs, the turbo kicks in, and you're off into the sunset faster than John Wayne could ever go. It's every bit as fast as my old Mark VIII was, with the DOHC 4.6 V8. This car has 30 less HP, and weighs 700 pounds less, which makes up for the HP deficiency and then some.

There are no reliability issues like with the R, which could shred a $2000 gear at any time. Nope, I went with Subaru and haven't looked back since.

With a 20 dollar cable and a laptop you can performance tune the car yourself if you're brave enough and know enough about the car.

There is a large aftermarket too, same engine as the 08+ WRX, but with a different turbo.