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I'm 99% decieded that I'll be buying a 35th Ann. Legacy wagon within the next couple days. Is the Phase II SOHC engine much better than the DOHC 2.5 with all the head gasket problems? Should I be worried about costs? I plan on owning this car for 10 years/200K miles and I'm a huge AWD fan. :brow:

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I would get the H6. The only reason I have a 2.5 is that the Forester is perfect for me and the 2.5 was the only engine I could get with it in the US and this is where I use this car. I was looking at a 98 with the phase 1 and folks here reccomended the phase 2.

At this point most folks here know I love the early 2.2s and every day that friends drive H6s with no problems I like them more.

The only complaint I have heard about the H6 is that they take premium fuel, but they seem to get better mileage than I do with my 2.5.

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I don't pay much attention to new cars till I am ready for one. I am not that impressed with the 2.5 even though I own one.

I am just not sure they have really cured the head gasket problem, but don't listen to me, check with a few others.

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Thanks, I've read that thread. :(

 

Consumer Reports is very interesting in this regard, the 5 year old Lecagy/Outback has excellent marks in everything but "engine", where it has a poor mark (full black circle), due, I assume, to the head gasket issues.

 

 

I was thinking of going with the lowerst price H6 Outback that I could get as an alternative to the Legacy 35th Anniversary wagon, just to hedge my bet against the 2.5L engine problems.

 

I haven't test driven an automatic H6 Outback yet, only a 5-speed 2.5L one. However, this is what I don't like about the Outback:

 

* SUV-like ride, bumpy, you feel every crack in the pavement thanks to the heavy duty suspension. This is necessary if you go off road on the car, and to be honest if I got it I would do that and I would love it. I like to go backpacking, and some of the National Forest dirt roads are pretty rough. But for my daily 35 mile each way commute to work it's too harsh. I have a sport package Audi A4 right now and one of the main reasons I'm replacing it is to get a more comfortable ride on the highway.

 

* I don't like the Styling. I really think the side molding looks terrible. The "jacked up" look reminds me of an old AMC Eagle. Really ugly to my eyes. I also hate the look of the raised white letter tires. No offense to those who like these features, different strokes as they say.

 

* I don't like how tall it sits. I like to feel the road more, and the handling, roadfeel, and very carlike low-to-the-ground stance of the Legacy wagon is very nice to me. I was very surprised when I test drove them both how much I loved the Legacy and how much I disliked the Outback (though the 5-speed felt great!).

 

* I don't want to buck up for premium fuel. (another thing I don't like about my Audi) And I value gas mileage more than passing power.

 

* I like the ride and very car-like handling in the Legacy a lot, and I really like the dual sunroofs, which would be a lot of extra $$$ on the H6 if they're even available.

 

* I don't like the interior air filter on the H6. I've got that in my Audi and the filters are $200 each and they recommend you change them at 20K miles. I'm trying to cut down on this type of maintenance cost.

 

Also, the difference in price between the H6 Outback and the Legacy 2.5 I'm looking at would pay for two or more head gasket changes. I think this is really the key here. Total Cost of Ownership. If I can expect that there may be problems, I can tackle them right away before head warpage. A few days in the shop and a few dollars later I'm still ahead. Man it would suck to have it fail on a long trip though. :(

 

Any advice would be appreciated from any of you Subaru regulars. Nobody else makes a car like this. Relatively comfortable, relatively reliable AWD Station Wagon for under $22K.

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I bought a 2004 Legacy Wagon 35 edition last October. We also purchased the extended warranty through our Credit Union for 600 bucks, covers up to 6 years or 100,000 miles. So far we love the car, obviously to early to tell if we will have problems with the gasket. From the research I did before we bought they have supposedly fixed the gasket...now it is a 4 layer deal instead of the two layer the Phase I got. If we do have problems, i sure hope it fails before our warranty...if it fails after the car will be paid off at least. I think you are right on in regards to initial cost vs. extended cost. If you really like the Legacy, go for it, get the warranty to cover yourself while you are paying for the car and save the extra 6 grand.

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I just talked to my sales professional at my local dealer, and he informed me that the H6 Outbacks have leather seats. That seals the deal for me, I absolutely hate leather seats. Spring Summer and Fall my back sweats on them. They're very uncomfortable for me. I think I'll take my chances.

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extended warranty is the ticket. The nice thing about a phase 2 is that if they do fail it is only an external leak. Mine just weeped and I now have the latest revision of head gasket and crossed fingers.

The other good thing was Subaru paid for my head gasket job when I was out of warranty.

I know a lot of the phase 1 folks did not have that luck.

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I'm again seriously considering the H6 35th Anniversary model, getting cold feet about the 2.5L engine. I've found that the 35th Ann model does not have leather (which I hate) and prices are very good now at the end of the model cycle. I'm going to test drive one tonight. :)

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Something else to be said for the H6 over the 2.5 is that the H6 has a timing chain that does not need to be changed at 105,000 mi. In fact, the Subaru of America maintenance schedule states "Periodic inspection and replacement of the camshaft drive chains on the 3.0 models are not required."

 

As I've posted before, my wife gets execellent mileage w/her H6. 26-27 MPG in mostly highway driving. She exclusively uses midgrade, not premium, gas.

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A timing chain huh? I did not know that! That's a money saver on a car I intend to put 200K miles on. :) I've read comments here regarding mileage in the 3.0s being almost the same as the 2.5 engines. Kinda makes the 2.5 not make sense. Have you ever tried 87 gas? The guy at my dealer said off the record that it will run fine on 87.

 

I test drove the 35th Anniversary H6 and that's definitely the car I'm going to buy. :burnout:

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I talked to a friend of mine today that owns a car with the EZ30, and he seems to think that a firmware revision is available to make the EZ30 tolerate 87 octane fuel at the expense of 20 HP.

 

EDIT: He has been running 89.

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to see if increased gas mileage pays over the operating costs for the life of the vehicle.

I would assume there is a simple software mod as in the post above because in some parts of the world high octane can be hard to find.

Sure would be easier to recurve the computer than to change pistons.

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which is why I have a 99.

I asked on this board and several folks steered me to a 99. I had been about to buy a 98 in better condition.

I am glad I got the 99 as the only gasket problem I had was a slight weep and in the end Subaru paid for the new gaskets.

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But isn't the EJ255 exactly the same engine as what's in the 2001, with maybe the coolant additive put in at the factory? Or has it been modified? Still, an engine with such a poor reliability rating should be discontinued. Check out this chart:

 

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reviews.aspx?modelid=9667&trimid=-1&src=ratings&tab=4#rel

 

Even if there are modifications, the engine has a bad reputation and I cannot see how anyone that has internet access, and even if he/she is a Subie fan, can purchase a new car with this engine in it. Why not bring back the 2.2L engine?

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Maybe you should wait a few months and get one of the new legacy's. :D I personally love how they look.
The 2004 end-of-model cycle prices are irresistable. Waiting will cost me thousands of dollars. Part of the reason I'm buying now is because of all the incentives.
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