1997 Subaru Legacy GT
185k miles on chassis
~30k miles on engine, rebuilt trans, and rear diff
VIN: 4S3BD6751V6215361

I purchased the car in Dec 2004 from a Toyota dealership where an older couple (the original owners) traded it in on a new car – I am technically the 2nd owner if you ignore the Toyota dealership. The car had ~155k miles on it at the time. I also found out the previous owners always had the car serviced at Roberts Subaru in Downingtown although I was unable to get the receipts released to me since I wasn’t the owner at the time the work was performed. Maybe you can have better luck if you have some inside connections or are more persuasive than me.

Unfortunately, the Toyota dealership I bought the car from neglected to tell me the head gasket was blown so I drove it 12 miles home where it started overheating. Since I was planning on an eventual swap, I jumped at this opportunity and immediately took the car to Rallispec where they performed the following work for ~$10k:

- Complete WRX drivetrain swap (engine, gearbox, rear diff). The engine had 1000 miles on it and came from a 2002 WRX. The gearbox and rear diff came from the same Subaru recycler but were of unknown origins.
- Install Autospeed Catless Uppipe with flex section. The car also has the common 2.2k Ohm resistor mod in place of the O2 sensor that was deleted from the original uppipe location (= no check engine light!)
- EcuTek ECU reflash
- Install new Subaru OEM Outback 18mm rear sway bar
- Replace LF axle which was leaking
- Install complete WRX fuel tank and associated hardware, sensors, & emissions equipment so the car is 100% OBDII compliant. The car has sailed through tough Pennsylvania emissions for the past two years without any problem.
- Rebuild sourced gearbox due to bad gears, and synchro’s. New synchro’s, gaskets, & seals installed and well as replaced damaged gears. Filled with Mobil 1 synthetic gear oil.
- Installed custom exhaust consisting of lengthened STi muffler, JDM twin scroll downpipe, and STi midpipe. The exhaust has a very subtle rumble at idle and does not draw any unwanted attention even under full throttle, keeping with the sleeper theme.
- Installed STi engine mounts

Rallispec did a fabulous job, as you would expect from their excellent reputation and kept their word by making the car 100% legal and hassle free come inspection time. Work was completed in late 2005 when I picked the car up (with less than 50 miles more than when I bought it!).

As it turns out, the rear diff had a bad bearing from the get go, so I played it safe and sourced a low mileage unit from a fellow Nausioc member a few months after driving it. At the same time, I replaced one rear axle and both axle seals and filled the diff with synthetic gear oil.

I also had the clutch replaced and the transmission snout fixed so the release bearing wouldn’t hang up anymore (the original clutch smoked itself rather quickly because of this flaw). It seems this problem isn’t too uncommon so you at least you don’t have to worry about it for a long time now. I also took the opportunity to replace the clutch hose (from master to slave cylinder) and completely flushed the system with fresh fluid.

The last major problem I had (again, due to faulty used components) was when a timing belt tensioner bolt failed causing 4 valves to contact the pistons. No one knows why or how this happened. $2500 later the car has freshly rebuilt and decked heads with a competition valve grind, cleaned up pistons, new head gaskets, new valve cover gaskets, new spark plug seals, new water pump, new timing belt, a new tensioner assembly, new spark plugs, and a new thermostat with fresh oil and coolant. It was performed 2 months ago. The car now runs perfectly. I would not hesitate to drive this car anywhere in the US as is. It’s actually due for inspection in the next two months so I will have that taken care of for the new buyer.

EXTERIOR:
- It has a clean Carfax. This car has not been in any type of accident. The exterior does show some minor door dings here and there but for the most part is in excellent shape with no rust present. The only easily noticeable flaw on the outside is the flaking clearcoat on the plastic hood scoop (which his also occurring on my ’98 Impreza).
- I just installed new wipers within the past month.
- Comes with a bottle of OEM touch up paint.

INTERIOR:
- A/C was overhauled and works very well.
- The interior is completely stock (with the exception of the radio and Momo shift ****) and in excellent condition. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything wrong with it other than some dirty floormats.
- I replaced a bunch of bulbs in the dash so you’ll have no problem reading the A/C controls in the dark – a common problem for these cars. All interior lights work, including the lights in the doors that go on when you open them.
- One of the reasons I bought this car was because it has the cloth interior and it was a 5-spd. IMHO, the cloth wears much better and looks a lot nicer than the Pleather that was offered by Subaru at the time.
- The airbags were left alone so there is still passenger and drivers side airbag in the car.
- The car came with the OEM tweeter kit + keyless entry system. Other options include woodgrain radio bezel & ash tray package. Don’t worry, the original owners did not smoke in the car nor did I. Actually that reminds me….after the swap, the one thing I did notice was that the lighter socket no longer works. You’ll have to remedy that if you want to charge your phone. I never bothered hunting this one down because I don’t use my cell phone often enough to need it.
- I’ve installed an Alpine head unit with integrated iPod controls. The iPod cord is routed into the glove box for a further stealth appearance. As a bonus, this cord also charges your iPod so there’s no need to have extra cords hanging all over the place. I have the stereo instruction manual.
- Another common problem with these cars is that the sunroof quits working. No need to worry, because this one works 100%. It tilts and retracts like new and does not leak a drop in the heaviest rain.

ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN:
- Always filled with 91+ octane gas which is recommended for WRX’s.
- Oil changed every 5k miles with Mobil 1 synthetic.
- There are no check engine lights as can be found in most cobbled together swaps. This car is completely emissions legal and as far as any computer is concerned, it burns cleaner than a stock ’97 Legacy GT.
- As mentioned above, the car runs beautifully now and does not have any issues whatsoever.

FRAME, SUSPENSION, TIRES & BRAKES:
- The brakes remain stock Legacy units but can easily be upgraded to WRX spec with some brackets and slightly bigger rotors – the calipers are already WRX spec.
- The wheels are unbelievably straight and without damage in a car with 185k on the clock. It is another testament to how well the car has been treated.
- The only problem I’m aware of with the car is the stock suspension is a bit sloppy and the car could use an alignment. According to the Carfax I ran when I bought the car (let me know, and I can forward that to you), the suspension was last serviced at 117k miles and 126k miles although I don’t know what exactly was done. That means it’s been about 50k miles since it was touched. FYI, an Eibach Pro spring kit + KYB Gr2 struts can be had on eBay for less than $500. This would give the car a very nice stance and is something that was on my eventual list of things to do.
- The tires could also stand to be replaced but this is optional and up to the new owner. They have passed inspection fine and I fully expect them to pass again so it’s not the tread depth that is a concern. They are the original tires that came with the car when I bought it and are several years old at this point. They do not leak air, but use some of the hardest rubber compound I’ve ever seen. In the 30k miles I’ve put on the car, they do not show any wear at all, even with a slightly out of whack alignment. They can be downright slippery in the wet so you’ll have to drive with caution until you learn the limits. Since I didn’t push the car, I never bothered to replace them, although I did run some of my Impreza wheels for *****s and giggles a couple times.
- ABS system works great

GENERAL INFO:
- I have all receipts while the car has been under my ownership including the big one from the swap.
- I have used the car as a daily driver since day 1 and have taken it up to Maine and Massachusetts and down to North Carolina. It averages 27mpg on the highway and 24mpg on my 30 mile, one-way commute. I have treated the car with respect and have not raced it in any way (that’s what my other car is for) and have always let it properly warm up in the morning by keeping RPM’s low.
- I also have the original window sticker for the car! Sticker price was $23,928 in 1997.
- I have an extra set of OEM head light bulbs to be included with the car.
- Original owners manual is there, as is the spare tire and jack.
- The car was just washed and waxed today for the pictures.

I’ve tried my best to keep this car a sleeper so with the exception of a sharp eyed enthusiast, you cannot tell this car is pushing out approx 265-275hp. Only the STi exhaust tip and barely visible intercooler will tip someone off. For reference, a new Legacy GT will sprint to 60mph in 5.9 seconds with 250hp hauling ~3300lbs of car. My car has slightly more HP and weighs approximately 200lbs less. Please email me at jeffreydoble at yahoo.com with any questions. The car is currently located in Paoli, PA. No lowballs or tire kickers.

Asking only $11,000. Price is firm.

 

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