SVX or early Legacy Turbo?

[Timo at Work]

Have been toying with the idea of either of the above as a pseudo-daily
driver. Most of my miles are done on a motorbike and I'm only doing
3000-4000 miles/year in a car so the fuel consumption of either doesn't
scare me.

Both are just about equally easy to find here in UK, although it
appears that some boy racers have twigged onto the fact that the
'Lunacy' is as modifyable as an Impreza but you don't have to
remortgage your grandmother to insure it.

The impression I'm getting is that both have their strenghts and
weaknesses, which makes it hard to make up my mind.

Legacy:

- Water leaks
- Lifters
- Differently clientele compared to the SVX, chance of abuse higher.

SVX:
- Slushbox
- Name should read Spares Very eXpensive
- Hard to find a specialist to look after the car

As an added requirement, I'm fairly sensitive to noise (which is why
I'm looking into selling my current car, a Mazda MX-5 as it's too noisy
for me) so I'd really appreciate a quiet car. Best I ever had in that
respect was a Honda/Acura Legend coupe but that also didn't like its
gearbox.

In addition to the above, any recommendation for a Subaru specialist in
or near London/UK would be appreciated, especially if they know their
ways around SVXs.

 

[hippo]

This one is no direct help as only own more mundane Subis!
Add possible premature death of front brakes and wheel bearings to SVX due
to weight of car. Having said that, I would love one some time. Not real
common in Oz though. If you haven't already, talk to an audiologist about
musician's earplugs - biker's best friends & last for yonks if you don't
lose them! Cheers

 

[Timo Geusch]

hippo was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

This one is no direct help as only own more mundane Subis!
Add possible premature death of front brakes and wheel bearings to SVX due
to weight of car.

Cheers, forgot about those two.

Having said that, I would love one some time. Not real
common in Oz though.

Neither are they here in the UK, but you can usually find a few of
them for sale at any given time. Interestingly the same goes for the
early Legacy Turbo, the twin turbo are probably easier to find but
noticeably more expensive. Mind you, they cost about the same as a
decent SVX so I'm tempted to include them in my search if I can find
anybody prepared to insure them.

If you haven't already, talk to an audiologist about
musician's earplugs - biker's best friends & last for yonks if you don't
lose them!

Oh, I wear earplugs on my bike. Would be unbearable not to, but I'm a
bit annoyed that I'd have to do the same in a car.

 

[Rat]

Have been toying with the idea of either of the above as a pseudo-daily
driver. Most of my miles are done on a motorbike and I'm only doing
3000-4000 miles/year in a car so the fuel consumption of either doesn't
scare me.

Both are just about equally easy to find here in UK, although it
appears that some boy racers have twigged onto the fact that the
'Lunacy' is as modifyable as an Impreza but you don't have to
remortgage your grandmother to insure it.

The impression I'm getting is that both have their strenghts and
weaknesses, which makes it hard to make up my mind.

Legacy:

- Water leaks
- Lifters
- Differently clientele compared to the SVX, chance of abuse higher.

SVX:
- Slushbox
- Name should read Spares Very eXpensive
- Hard to find a specialist to look after the car

As an added requirement, I'm fairly sensitive to noise (which is why
I'm looking into selling my current car, a Mazda MX-5 as it's too noisy
for me) so I'd really appreciate a quiet car. Best I ever had in that
respect was a Honda/Acura Legend coupe but that also didn't like its
gearbox.

In addition to the above, any recommendation for a Subaru specialist in
or near London/UK would be appreciated, especially if they know their
ways around SVXs.

The svx can be reliable for daily driving if routine maintenance is
done. The tranny will eventually blow, but wheel bearings will last the
life of the car if replaced correctly, and brake rotors do not warp as
many have claimed - it is usually a misdiagnosed problem where the lug
nuts simply aren't torqued evenly.

Many owners have replaced the slushbox with a 5 spd (and even 6 spd)
from the impreza, forester, or legacy for much cheaper than the cost of
a rebuilt auto box.

I have 2 of them. One has 215k miles, the other 155k miles. We drive
them daily.

With the stock exhaust the svx is so quiet at idle you wouldn't know it
was running. At WOT it sounds like a sewing machine on crack.
Check out www.subaru-svx.net for more information. There is even a
European forum that could help in locating a vehicle for you.
Cheers!
Matt Davis

 

[Timo Geusch]

Rat was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

The svx can be reliable for daily driving if routine maintenance is
done. The tranny will eventually blow, but wheel bearings will last the
life of the car if replaced correctly, and brake rotors do not warp as
many have claimed - it is usually a misdiagnosed problem where the lug
nuts simply aren't torqued evenly.

Many owners have replaced the slushbox with a 5 spd (and even 6 spd)
from the impreza, forester, or legacy for much cheaper than the cost of
a rebuilt auto box.

I have 2 of them. One has 215k miles, the other 155k miles. We drive
them daily.

Right, that's more than I'll ever do as I use the car on the weekends,
if that.

With the stock exhaust the svx is so quiet at idle you wouldn't know it
was running. At WOT it sounds like a sewing machine on crack.
Check out www.subaru-svx.net for more information. There is even a
European forum that could help in locating a vehicle for you.

Thanks, I'll have a look later.

 

[ra sh]

This one is no direct help as only own more mundane Subis!
Add possible premature death of front brakes and wheel bearings to SVX due
to weight of car. Having said that, I would love one some time. Not real
common in Oz though. If you haven't already, talk to an audiologist about
musician's earplugs - biker's best friends & last for yonks if you don't
lose them! Cheers

could I have the english version of that please?