arnoldharris

Both the replies you people have kindly provided me indicate that Subaru Legacy models tend to get stuck on top of snowbanks, for which no LSD will get you unstuck. What you both are telling me, unless I have misinterpreted your information, is that the chassis of the Legacy models have less ground clearance than that of the Outback models. That indeed can be a problem in rural Wisconsin. How much difference is there in the ground clearance between Outback and Legacy models? A key problem for me is not getting stuck on off-road snowbanks, but getting up and down my 500-ft long highly sloped and curving driveway up the side of my bluff. The soil on either side of the paved driveway is sandy and loose. Slide off onto the stuff in winter and you don't easily get out again. I must be one of AAA's prime customers in this part of Wisconsin for stuck vehicles on this driveway. Assuming solid traction on one side of the car, or at least with one wheel on one side, I hope I can set a vehicle that will drive its way back onto the blacktop. I know better than to overheat the viscous couplers in the LSD unit. If it came to that point, I would just wait for the tow-truck. If need be, I can purchase a new Legacy GT station wagon or its equivalent in the Outback series. But I was hoping to take advantage of the $15,000 pricetags at the local dealership on some nice Legacy station wagons coming off year-long leases with 15,000 or fewer miles. None of these are GTs, and consequently, none of them have LSD equipment. From what I read on this excellent website, Subaru seems a AWD station wagon of preference in Canada. Is that borne out by fact? Arnold Harris Mount Horeb WI

Thank you for your answer about limited slip differential. I have no experience with Subarus whatsoever. Yesterday was the first time I had ever even sat in one, to say nothing of driving it. I do no off-road driving, and even in this relatively snowy place, I have no expectation of attempting to drive over, and getting snagged upon, snow or ice mounds. My chief concern is getting stock half on and half off my own 500-ft steeply-sloped and curving driveway. For which I need assurance that if I have so much as one of the four wheels on the pavement, it will pull the vehicle so that I can drive away from that spot. (Our hillside is largely sandy soil.) I have need neither for speed nor "performance", and vehicles for me are strictly utilitarian. (My sports almost exclusively involve guns, and certainly not station wagons.) Therefore, ABS brakes, limited slip differentials, all-wheel drives and standard transmissions are what I need. Also, if I could get one, I would have a vehicle with plain rubber mats on all floor areas, especially the cargo bay. At the same time, my wife requires a vehicle she can drive to and from work, shopping expeditions, etc. Thus, a station wagon. What attracted me to the possibility of purchasing a Subaru was its reputation for ease of service,infrequent need for major drivetrain repairs, body panels galvanized on both surfaces, and ubiquitous all-wheel drive, plus the expectation that I could get such a vehicle with a limited slip differential. The people I approached about such information were working vehicle mechanics, rather than sales persons, whose opinions about vehicles I dismiss as propaganda. When I purchase any kind of vehicle, the first thing I check out is not their vehicles but the quality of their shops, their hourly shop rates, the terms of the warranties, availability of loan vehicles, etc. In the above context, any information you or anyone else could supply me about limited skip differentials on Subarus would be useful. Arnold Harris Mount Horeb WI

I went to the Subaru dealership today in Madison WI. They directed me to a 2002 Legacy L station wagon which supposedly had limited slip differential. This, plus the AWD, is just about the only features I'm interested in. The car was just off one-year rental, priced at $15K, with less than 15K miles. I got a call from the salesman later in the day, that the car he had shown me and let me drive was just AWD but no LSD, which killed my interest. Can an LSD unit be added to this model without voiding the remaining factory warranty? Can an authorized Subaru dealer install LSD unit? The Legacy L seemed like an economically priced vehicle. I really have no interest in leather upholstery, rear-end spoilers, fancy hydraulic operated gimcracks, two-tone paint jobs, or anything else. All I want is a station wagon-type vehicle with seats that fold flat into the floor, AWD, LSD, and preferably stick shift. That's what I thought I was looking at. The reality of life in southern Wisconsin in general are snowy and icy winter roads. My reality is particular is a 500-ft narrow,winding and climbing driveway up to and down from my bluffside house. Get a couple of wheels off that driveway into the sandy soil on either side, and an AAA tow-truck is the only way out. All this is why I must have an LSD. Arnold Harris Mount Horeb WI