5th Mar 2006, 10:37

Just sold the Legacy. Final mileage was 248,000km. Bought a 2000 Honda Accord with only 55,000km. Miss the Subaru when it snows, but not the expensive parts and labour bill.

27th Mar 2006, 15:38

Agree with comments above. Those are just wear and tear items that you can expect to occur in any car with such high mileage, and it's poor judgement to base a manufacturer's reliability on it. Subaru's reliability record wasn't earned without reason, and is close to or matches that of Toyota and Honda.

1st Apr 2006, 15:01

I think the main concerns I had about my old Legacy have been misconstrued by some of the reviewers. To clarify, my concern was less with the reliability of the Legacy than it was with the high cost of parts. I was told by parts dealers that Subaru owned the after market for most parts. This meant that the car was dealer dependent and sometimes very costly to repair. Potential Subaru buyers might take this into consideration.

12th Nov 2006, 11:39

I understand your point about Subaru parts and labor being extremely high. On that same token, would you recommend going to the junkyard for Subaru parts and shopping around for labor?

Any input is appreciated.

3rd Jan 2007, 14:42

I find it very difficult to get SUBARU parts. The dealers in the LA area don't stock much. I have several times ordered and paid for parts and been promised them in several days, and that they would call, and the call did not come, and the parts were not delivered in time for me to use them to put my car back together again. I call the dealer parts counter the no SUBARU parts for you counter. I recently paid around $600 for a 90,000 mile service on a 2003 WRX. 4 hours of labor. For what, I'm not sure. I can definitely contrast my good experience with Honda with my bad experience at Subaru. At the track, I see more EVOS than Subarus. I also see Toyota at the track doing everything they can to improve their SCION product. I think Subaru has great products, especially for extreme conditions, and I think you're paid a lot of attention when buying a car, but once the car is purchased, I don't believe they are listening to their customers and responding to their customers' needs. I tell them that, but I don't think they're listening.

31st Aug 2007, 15:17

A used, comparable year and mileage Subaru Legacy, is about the same price as a Volvo 850 sedan or wagon. They last a long time like the Legacy, but are FAR more comfortable, safer, and more luxurious. It's a lot more car for the same cost used. Repair costs are high too though and AWD wasn't available. Unless you are climbing snow capped mountains, front-wheel drive is plenty of traction. The 850 does come with traction control and a winter setting on the transmission for better traction. Aftermarket parts and repair shops are plentiful for Volvos. Legacy is a great car, but the 850 is lightyears ahead in terms of safety, luxury, and comfort for virtually the same cost.

29th Dec 2008, 23:38

You must've bought a bad car, and should have looked into it a little more on your behalf.

I own a Legacy Wagon Brighton Edition, and it's got 2700,000 k's on it and it has never had any major problems. As long as you take basic care of them, they will be the most dependable car on the road today and tomorrow.

The all wheel drive is amazing; there is not a bad thing for me and from almost anyone who has owned a Subaru to say about these cars if maintained properly. I have personally seen 500,000 k's and still running strong.

19th Aug 2010, 12:19

Subaru parts are now more readily available, and most can be had online or at Autozone or O'Reilly, by special order. I do my own Subaru service and maintenance and the parts are cheap and the labor is easy. I don't understand where this comes from, concerning the high price of parts, but if you are willing to order and wait a couple of days or a week, they are one of the most economical cars around, especially if you buy salvaged parts. I kept my Subaru Impreza through a minimum wage job, doing all service myself. Bullet proof, for a car with over 280 thousand miles. A/C worked like a champ and it never let me stuck. My 2 cents anyway, LOL.

19th Aug 2010, 15:51

I agree. I've had no trouble finding parts for my 1995 Subaru Legacy L Wagon. So far all it's needed is a water pump, a timing belt, an alternator, a tensioner pulley and a rear caliper in 161,000 miles of driving. None of these parts were outrageously expensive, and I got ALL of them from Autozone (the caliper and water pump had to be special ordered).

I bought my Legacy used for $300 when it had 140,000 miles on it. The previous owner neglected it, and when I bought it, it had been sitting for almost a year. It still starts up without issue everyday, and doesn't even burn a drop of oil. Runs real smoothly and quietly too (no valve noise whatsoever). I'm actually very impressed with it.

This was my first Subaru, and I didn't expect it to be this good (especially considering how it was treated). I've always been a Honda-Toyota guy, having always had great experiences with both of those brands, but I think for my next car, I may just get another Subaru.

7th Feb 2012, 02:05

Parts are costly? Surely you jest... parts where I come from are dirt cheap. (AZ, Nevada, California) and rust is unheard of... not a spot even on 20 year old Subis. Wrecking yard parts are a gift from the gods, cheap and abundant. Plus you get practice on the removal procedure.

Complex to repair? I don't think so. Unless you fall for the BS shops like to dish out. I love their 1,800 dollar HG jobs that actually cost about 200, and can be done in less time than it takes to take the heads in for machining... and if you neglect this step, you will cuss Subi reliability till the cows come home... but if you get the heads resurfaced, I have yet to see a HG job go bad for 200k miles.

Hey, if you can cook, sew a straight seam, and/or can change a lightbulb... the 2.2 Subaru is cake. Once you learn where the timing marks are that is...

Granted the 1st time is a bit daunting, but after one gets used to the nearly impossible act of removing the radiator... I'm kidding, I'm kidding... it's a 3 minute job if you stop to have a 2 minute cup of coffee... then it is simple to remove timing belt, water pump and pulleys... couldn't be simpler. Just remember the o-ring behind the oil pump... another 3 minute job... (just put off the cup of coffee until the job is finished... better yet drink it before beginning).

And the nitwits who insist the engine must be removed to change a head gasket are just flat out wrong... unless the rear main seal is leaking, just leave the engine in place already.

The only trick to a HG job is to have the heads machined... and to leave the intake manifold and the wiring harness and fuel lines unmolested... and in place, no need to remove anything except the exhaust manifold... couldn't be easier to work on... and I've been playing with cars since I was 15 years old. A lot of cars are hard to work on... but after the 1st time, the 2.2 Subi is among the easiest.

Easy to fix, cheap parts (eBay if you must... seriously a phone call to any decent wrecking yard... even one a thousand miles away... and within a couple days the part is at your door...) and the 90's AWD is seriously as good as a Jeep in mud, snow and ice.

Come on already... What more can one want?

1st Dec 2022, 17:31

02:05... thank you for that. I knew the previous complaints were from people who don't know the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver, they all rely on dealers and mechanics for everything. Not trying to insult the mechanically challenged or anything. I'm actually commenting 10 years later, but I found a '96 Suby Legacy in really good shape, 230,000 miles, for $500. It recently got a new timing belt, water pump, bunch of other stuff. But I always assumed the motor had to be pulled to do a hg job. Now that you cleared that up (as if you're even reading this 10 years later), I think I'll buy it. To all you folks relying on dealers and repair shops, learn how to do some basic repairs yourself. You're never too old to learn! Get your parts from RockAuto, AdvanceAuto, or Autozone, or NAPA. Get your hands dirty and save money doing it yourself, it's very satisfying.