Ranger83

The heads are almost always distorted a bit. Any automotive machine shop can mill them flat again. It's not very expensive.

Standard Legacy wagon springs are supposed to be able to fit. The dampers are more of a problem for handling. Coilovers are available, but expensive. The LegacyGT is lower, with wider tires and bigger brakes.

At the top? Because Subaru decided to qualify the OB as a light track by jacking the suspension up an inch to 8.2" of ground clearance. At great expense to high speed cornering stability - one of the dumbest things SOA has done lately. If you read your owner's manual about snow tires you'll find the section that mentions 16" wheels are supported. It's also online at subaru.com.

YOUR ORIGINAL MAIL: What is meant by Premium fuel being 'Recommended?' I don't understand if this means only that the performance of the engine will be better with 91+ Octane fuel, or if it means that Regular grades are to be used only in emergencies. The engine seems to run very well with any fuel I have used, both Regular and Premium. Is Premium considered to be 91 Octane? Thank you - Note - no mention of additive packages. Based on my use over 10,000 miles with various grades of fuel, running Premium in this engine is right up there with the 3,000 mile oil change. but here is the official response from SOA.

The ECU running regular, didn't do anything - it ran normally as far as I could tell. I'll know more after the next run but I predict the difference, if any, will be within the error of different runs on the dyno - a couple whp. I went to TDC Tuning in Concord, NH (http://www.tdctuning.com/). I went there because he does a lot with turbo Subarus (he has a Legacy GT) and because it's probably the closest AWD dyno to any of our offices. A session can cost from $75 to $150 depending on how many runs and what data or tuning you are looking for. Mine was the first H6 he'd ever run but he has run many Subaru turbos and sells tuning parts for them. There are some other AWD dynos in New England. However the numbers from one dyno to another don't usually compare: some facilities are very optimistic, others are not.

I've already done a dyno run with my car and Regular. In another week or two I'm going back to do a run with Premium - 93 Octane no less. I'm also going to do a run without any air cleaner. The guy who runs the dyno predicts a 2-3 hp difference for Premium (we didn't get any codes showing retarded spark or detonation on the first run) and 1-2hp for the air cleaner, but I wanted objective data. To put it in perspective, that's about the difference from running your A/C (did runs with it on and off). I've been switching fuel every 2,000 miles and I'm also going to do some acceleration tests with each fuel so that on-road performance is measured. I defy anyone to tell which fuel is in the car by driving it.

I've done a dyno run with my car and Regular. In another week or two I'm going back to do a run with Premium. I'm also going to do a run without any air cleaner. The guy who runs the dyno predicts a 2-3 hp difference for Premium (we didn't get any codes showing retarded spark or detonation on the first run) and 1-2hp for the air cleaner, but I wanted objective data.

The dealer is minimizing the differences. Go to legacygt.com. There are some gotchas if you want to change the OB. Primary differences are suspension; brakes; tires; and body cladding package. There are rumors that the manual shift GT wagon will be back for 07. Check out: http://www.cars101.com/subaru/legacy/legacy2006.html

Put a thermometer in the output vents on max. I think it's supposed to be in the 50's.

You are[//i] annoying. There's no definitive answer to your question since the accumulated mileage of the newer engines is not as hig - duh. Flip a coin, or treat head gaskets as a routine maintenance item and plan accordingly. Or buy new.

Why don't you just factor in the cost of head gaskets and buy or not based on that? I know people with Toyotas and Mazdas (at around 100K) that have replaced head gaskets as well and they're not ready to commit Hari Kari. The 96-99 Phase I DOHC engines seemed to have the most problems, but also have the most miles accumulated and the heaviest load to pull. I was a skeptic about the reported head gasket problem. But once it seemed well enough documented to me, I went ahead and did a preemptive head gasket replacement at 140,000 miles. That vehicle is now owned by a relative and has over 175,000 miles on it - 3.5 cents per mile thus far. It cost $1,200 with some other work at the same time. I have little sympathy for people who read this forum, don't sell the car or replace the head gaskets, then wring their hands and say, "Oh, woe is me, the head gaskets failed and I need a new short block." WARNING: IF YOU DRIVE A SUBARU 2.5, HEAD GASKETS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ITEM AT 100,000 MILES. IF YOU AREN'T WILLING TO DO THAT - DON'T BUY ONE!

No, the front fascia goes from front wheel well to front wheel well. Not to mention there's nearly zero demand for 'roo bars on a vehicle without a low range or locking differentials. There is some demand for springs that will drop it an inch to 7.2" ground clearance (like older Outbacks) but no products yet. The XT makes up for any other shortcoming by being very, very fast. Although also rated at 250 hp, the wheel hp on the turbo averages about 30 hp more at the wheels than the H6.

1. The Fashion Police have spoken. 2.

Ummm, you have an 05/06? The dashboard lights stay on, in fact they're brighter if the headlights are off. Tons of people are disabling them because they forget to turn the headlights on and get a ticket for no tail lights, or almost get whacked when someone doesn't see them. Not to mention that 05's were consuming headlamps at an alarming rate. It takes about 10 minutes at most and there are several threads on legacygt.com. Do a search on lgt, I would post the pic here (for an automatic) but the image size is only 640x480 here and the image is larger than that.

If you were getting less than 22-24mpg with your Legacy you made a good move ggetting rid of it as something was wrong.

Is it the famous Subie hesitation?

I used Castrol High Mileage with good results. And while I'm using Mobil I in all my new vehicles, it leaked in my 97 OBW. The best MPG tool is your right foot.....

Hey, Airborne, look for a used one. Their sales performance is terrible so you'll take a huge hit on depreciation. I like Subarus but the extended cab pickups - or a wagon - are a better compromise for most people. I think they've sold something like 900 of them this year.

Remove all the aftermarket parts to bring it back to stock. Then sell the parts on eBay, you'd be many dollars ahead. The quality of work and parts varies so much that most people shy away from modified cars.

What are you driving now? Have you driven one? We have an 05 Nissan Quest (with the Nissan 3.5 V6) and it blows the doors off a 2001 Outback with H4. The Honda Odyssey is pretty quick as well.

Can you post some pics of the leather interior? Are the side panels leather? Is the entire seat leather, or just the seating surfaces?

How far will you be towing, and over what terrain?

Where does it say that in their response?

MPG graph. For the last 2,000 miles the average was 21.4.

----------------------------------------------------------- YOUR ORIGINAL MAIL: What is meant by Premium fuel being 'Recommended?' I don't understand if this means only that the performance of the engine will be better with 91+ Octane fuel, or if it means that Regular grades are to be used only in emergencies. The engine seems to run very well with any fuel I have used, both Regular and Premium. Is Premium considered to be 91 Octane? Thank you