For the price, its hard to beat the 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R

[FelixDeCat]

I like browsing ebay for new and used cars and found this Legacy I would buy if I were in the market for a new car. Funny thing is until this year I had a low opinion of Subaru because they were butt ugly. Looks are important to me.

Prior to this year I would only consider Mercedes (Ive had two). But now its all about value for the dollar. I compared cars in in the mid 20's to 30. Mercedes starts at 33 for the C class. If money were no object I would buy the Mercedes 2010 E550 Coupe with Option II so fast your head would spin. It just looks so damn nice, but Ive priced them at $65,000, which is waaay too much for a car IMO. Anyway, if it werent the Legacy I would consider the Saturn Aura or the Chevrolet Malibu. They both ran about $25k, had decent gas mileage for four bangers, had sunroofs and wood trim.

But this car has them beat and made me consider Subaru for the first time ever. The Maxima would have placed and maybe Mazda Six but both have had sub par reviews.

This Subaru has everything and then some including remote start, full leather, wood, moonroof, under MSRP, 256hp v6, 4wd and nice color combination. I would have prefered black / black but this will do for the price.

 

[theeedude]

I think Subarus are great in concept, but kind of homely in the actual execution.
I may get an Outback at some point.

 

[caspur]

Hey its my local subie dealer!

I'll do a writeup if I ever get around to testing one. I don't think we've ordered any from there, usually get our allocation out of Denver, even though I think Heuberger probably has cheaper prices.

Buying a car based on looks is only going to lead to disappointment, especially in the lower priced family sedan category. I'm still going with ugly, but functional Honda Accord V6 for the price, or if you are daring, the VW CC. I've never been able to drive a Subaru more than a week, except for maybe the Tribeca. Drove that one at least 2 weeks, even when it wasn't snowing.

 

[StageLeft]

senseamp's first sentence is right on what I think, too. The legacy is not bad but if you look at one closeup, especially after coming from a larger sedan, you realize just how damn small the thing really is. They may be bigger now, but certainly the last gen was not large by any standard.

Re the saturn and malibu, surely people don't actually pay $25k for 4 cylinder non-turbo sedans. that is just sad. The altima, not the maxima, is probably a more fitting comparison to the malibu.

 

[Doggiedog]

Mercedes C class is highly discounted. At the time I got my BMW, I could have had a fully loaded C350 for about $38K. The C300 discounted started at around $28K.

I owned a Subaru a long time ago. It was before they started using water cooled engines. It was fantastic in snow but in the winter, if I didn't warm the car up at least 5 mins before driving it, it would stall.

 

[PricklyPete]

I definitely agree the Legacy is a quality piece...I'd probably go for the 2.5GT though instead of the 3.6R. Even my wife likes the new one. I just wish they were bringing over the wagon...the outback is a little too much for me.

What about the Ford Fusion? I'm not 100% on the looks...but from a quality and value standpoint I think it holds up to these cars really well. Good engine. Decent interior. Probably the best Nav on the market, plenty of room, available AWD, reliable, etc.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
senseamp's first sentence is right on what I think, too. The legacy is not bad but if you look at one closeup, especially after coming from a larger sedan, you realize just how damn small the thing really is. They may be bigger now, but certainly the last gen was not large by any standard.

The new one is supposed to be significantly larger. I haven't sat in one...but it sure looks a lot bigger.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete
I definitely agree the Legacy is a quality piece...I'd probably go for the 2.5GT though instead of the 3.6R. Even my wife likes the new one. I just wish they were bringing over the wagon...the outback is a little too much for me.

What about the Ford Fusion? I'm not 100% on the looks...but from a quality and value standpoint I think it holds up to these cars really well. Good engine. Decent interior. Probably the best Nav on the market, plenty of room, available AWD, reliable, etc.

I like the Ford Fusion as well and it is a strong competitor in this price range. I just didnt prefer it at this time since everyone and their brother drives one. 😉

I would consider buying one if I could get an extra special deal on a fully loaded one.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
senseamp's first sentence is right on what I think, too. The legacy is not bad but if you look at one closeup, especially after coming from a larger sedan, you realize just how damn small the thing really is. They may be bigger now, but certainly the last gen was not large by any standard.

Small? Even the previous generation was physically larger than my friggin' Volvo. I see no need for the car to be any bigger than it is. Just because the Camry, Maxima, and Accord have all grown into bloated land barges is no reason to want to see that same fate befall the Legacy.

I like the land yacht cars as much as anyone (as evidenced by my soft spot for the Ford Panther platform cars), but calling the Legacy "small" is just ridiculous.

ZV

 

[vi edit]

I just could never bring myself to spend upwards of $30k on a midsize sedan that wasn't from a luxury nameplate.

There's just far to many low milage, completely pampered CPO true luxury/luxo-sport cars begging for a new owner in that price range.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Originally posted by: Skoorb
senseamp's first sentence is right on what I think, too. The legacy is not bad but if you look at one closeup, especially after coming from a larger sedan, you realize just how damn small the thing really is. They may be bigger now, but certainly the last gen was not large by any standard.

The new one is supposed to be significantly larger. I haven't sat in one...but it sure looks a lot bigger.

Yep. The new Impreza is built on the previous-gen Legacy chassis, so that gives you an idea of the size increase that Subaru made with the new-gen cars.

Edit: And I agree with ZV. My brother's '98 Legacy could fit 4 adults just fine and was a great size. Just because it's not a HUGE car doesn't mean it's a small car.

 

[ayabe]

My GF is actually considering the same car thankfully. I hope they come out with a Spec B version with HID's and the STI tranny(hope, hope).

Funny that the OP mentions the new E class. Seriously, the 550 with the led fogs, is just fucking beautiful.

 

[Jumpem]

My 2010 Premium CVT is epic. Much roomier inside than the outgoing model, plenty of ground clearance, exceptional AWD system, and I still get 30mpg.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: Jumpem
My 2010 Premium CVT is epic. Much roomier inside than the outgoing model, plenty of ground clearance, exceptional AWD system, and I still get 30mpg.

Ah, an owners experience - even better! Please keep us updated with your long term results. :thumbsup:

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: Jumpem
My 2010 Premium CVT is epic. Much roomier inside than the outgoing model, plenty of ground clearance, exceptional AWD system, and I still get 30mpg.

Did you own a previous Legacy?

The Premium CVT would be great for my gf. Good gas mileage, top safety ratings, AWD, and Subaru reliability.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Did you own a previous Legacy?

The Premium CVT would be great for my gf. Good gas mileage, top safety ratings, AWD, and Subaru reliability.

I've owned a previous gen Forester XT and STi. No Legacy.

 

[Kelvrick]

You guys really think the new one looks better than the outgoing model? Size aside, I think it looks horrible. The back looks almost exactly like the gs300 from lexus but uglier, the front has comical "bad guy eyes" headlights and the wheel arches look horribly out of place.

Coming from an 06 legacy owner, the size is appreciated along with the additional amenities, but I think it looks horrible. The 05-09 models looked great in my opinion. Ugliness aside, I'm still angry they got rid of manual transmission legacy gt wagons in 06, completely got rid of the legacy gt wagons in 08 and all the while still producing them in America and shipping them to Canada.

 

[postmortemIA]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat

Originally posted by: Jumpem
My 2010 Premium CVT is epic. Much roomier inside than the outgoing model, plenty of ground clearance, exceptional AWD system, and I still get 30mpg.

Ah, an owners experience - even better! Please keep us updated with your long term results. :thumbsup:

he has H4 2.5L one, not H6 3.6L.

that is the problem with H6 : fuel economy is on par with V8 muscle cars.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: postmortemIA

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat

Originally posted by: Jumpem
My 2010 Premium CVT is epic. Much roomier inside than the outgoing model, plenty of ground clearance, exceptional AWD system, and I still get 30mpg.

Ah, an owners experience - even better! Please keep us updated with your long term results. :thumbsup:

he has H4 2.5L one, not H6 3.6L.

that is the problem with H6 : fuel economy is on par with V8 muscle cars.

True, the engine and tranny are very different, but I would still be interested in his input for more insight on the models similarities.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
I like browsing ebay for new and used cars and found this Legacy I would buy if I were in the market for a new car. Funny thing is until this year I had a low opinion of Subaru because they were butt ugly. Looks are important to me.

Prior to this year I would only consider Mercedes (Ive had two). But now its all about value for the dollar. I compared cars in in the mid 20's to 30. Mercedes starts at 33 for the C class. If money were no object I would buy the Mercedes 2010 E550 Coupe with Option II so fast your head would spin. It just looks so damn nice, but Ive priced them at $65,000, which is waaay too much for a car IMO. Anyway, if it werent the Legacy I would consider the Saturn Aura or the Chevrolet Malibu. They both ran about $25k, had decent gas mileage for four bangers, had sunroofs and wood trim.

But this car has them beat and made me consider Subaru for the first time ever. The Maxima would have placed and maybe Mazda Six but both have had sub par reviews.

This Subaru has everything and then some including remote start, full leather, wood, moonroof, under MSRP, 256hp v6, 4wd and nice color combination. I would have prefered black / black but this will do for the price.

The 4cyl Saturn Aura is a pig...not at all fun to drive, especially if you ever intend on passing anyone anywhere.

The top-shelf V6 model, though...much, much better!

 

[JDub02]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat

But this car has them beat and made me consider Subaru for the first time ever. The Maxima would have placed and maybe Mazda Six but both have had sub par reviews.

😕 Every review I've seen of the new Mazda6 has been very positive.

 

[StageLeft]

ust because the Camry, Maxima, and Accord have all grown into bloated land barges is no reason to want to see that same fate befall the Legacy.

I drive a land barge and I love its rear seating space.

 

[RU482]

I've seen the commercials with the guy giving a cabbie a ride. This car looks like a Camry rebadge....done right

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
I like browsing ebay for new and used cars and found this Legacy I would buy if I were in the market for a new car. Funny thing is until this year I had a low opinion of Subaru because they were butt ugly. Looks are important to me.

Prior to this year I would only consider Mercedes (Ive had two). But now its all about value for the dollar. I compared cars in in the mid 20's to 30. Mercedes starts at 33 for the C class. If money were no object I would buy the Mercedes 2010 E550 Coupe with Option II so fast your head would spin. It just looks so damn nice, but Ive priced them at $65,000, which is waaay too much for a car IMO. Anyway, if it werent the Legacy I would consider the Saturn Aura or the Chevrolet Malibu. They both ran about $25k, had decent gas mileage for four bangers, had sunroofs and wood trim.

But this car has them beat and made me consider Subaru for the first time ever. The Maxima would have placed and maybe Mazda Six but both have had sub par reviews.

This Subaru has everything and then some including remote start, full leather, wood, moonroof, under MSRP, 256hp v6, 4wd and nice color combination. I would have prefered black / black but this will do for the price.

The 4cyl Saturn Aura is a pig...not at all fun to drive, especially if you ever intend on passing anyone anywhere.

The top-shelf V6 model, though...much, much better!

My old 3.6 Aura was awesome... awesome at eating alternators, batteries, steering shafts, BCMs, and PCMs.

What a pile of dung that car was. 🙁. To be fair, it had just crossed 5 digits when it started to fall apart. 😉

 

[aleckz]

My buddy just picked up a 2010 2.5GT Legacy, it was very solid. I liked it a lot! There was plenty of pull from the 2.5 turbo, it spools pretty low as well so turbo lag isn't too much of a concern.