rabydanimal

So I think around this time next year or hopefully a little earlier it will be time to sell my trusty (if not finiky) '02 WRX and get something with a little more refinement. Like many WRX owners I've been hung up on getting an STi ever since they came to the US but the other day I re-evaluated my position. I'll be completing my degree and looking for a full time job soon, another "boy racer" car doesn't seem appropriate for commuting or just in general for this up and coming part of my life. So that brings me to the '05 Legacy GT. I've been keeping an eye on it, I even went down to my local dealer to drive one. Since it was a small dealer the only one they had was an AT. I drove it all the same and ended up with a good impression (aside from my exessive "air-clutching"). I have a few mods on my WRX (it dynos at 193 whp) and in comparison the GT didn't seem nearly as quick or nimble. I've been searching around trying to find impressions of the GT and have come up with the following:

Many have had shuddering issues at half throttle and some have fixed/upgraded their GT by installing an STi ECU.
The tranny is not the same 5spd as in the WRX and is "stronger"
From what I've experienced, the suspension is rather soft

Having major issues with my tranny and clutch (both repaired extensively under warrenty) on my WRX I am wary to choose another subaru 5spd. That reason alone is why I am still leaning towards a wingless STi (you know, for sublty...). To make this long story short, are these issues worth worrying about and what are my upgrade options when it comes to a stiffer suspension and engine performance? Does throwing a STi ECU in a GT instantly give you STi power output? It seems for the same price as a new STi I can make myself one nasty sleeper legacy with all the refinement I'm looking for.

Nick Koan

iTrader: (3)

I just ended up with an LGT after almost getting an STi. I love both cars, but I ended up with the LGT 5spd. It should be here end of the week, so hopefully I can help you with a good comparison in a few. I've driven quite a few STis, not just test drives, but friends semi-competitively (autox) so I should have a good idea on what the differences are after my break in period is done.

The transmission is supposedly stronger, but all the arguments I've heard are hearsay at best. It is the same transmission that is in the Forester XT, which it is believed to be a little stronger then the WRX (esp. the 02 WRX) transmission.

I haven't heard of throwing in the STi ECU (I honestly don't believe it, unless it was a 05 STi ), but you can easily get a reflash to get STi power (or slightly more). The VF40 (LGT turbo) is slightly smaller then the VF39 (STi turbo), and the theoretical limit is somewhere around 250whp in an LGT. The VF39 is theoretically good up to 300whp.

Everyone that has driven a manual LGT (didn't get a test drive of a 5spd LGT myself ) says that it actually feels more responsive then a WRX, so the hesitation you felt might have been the 5EAT. The suspension is awful, and will probably be the first thing I swap out. A lot of people seem happy with the STi pink springs, but I'm thinking a custom Ground Control setup would do the trick for me.

warnoldscu

Stock, the '05 Legacy is faster than a stock WRX (at least the manual version, which I have)... though certainly not as quick as an STI... I've followed the legacy forums for a long time and I've never heard of anyone replacing the ECU with an STI one, but a lot of people have put on the Cobb Accessport, which supposedly makes a world of difference as an only mod(see graph: http://cobbtuning.com/legacy/images/ap-lgt-stage1.gif). People have reported numbers pretty close to STI's, but still a little lower with this alone. But, with Stage 2, which requires a decatted UP and DP (you can choose to leave or get rid of the 3rd cat) people have reported STI numbers and higher (depending on whether they also have turboback exhaust or some other mods).

In my opinion if you don't want to have a boy racer then this is definitely the way to go, especially since even stock it's fun to drive and with a few light mods you can have the heart of an STI... not to mention it's the classiest Subie around. Just my thoughts, but I guess I'm biased since I drive one...

ps... nKoan you're from Reno? Me too... I go to school in Santa Clara, but Reno's my hometown

Nick Koan

iTrader: (3)

Yup, moved up here about 6 months ago.

gtjarrett

look at the post .....i got 4k from Subaru

rabydanimal

Thanks for the replies guys. I think it's going to be really hard to pass up a Black STi with those gold BBS rims, and that 6spd... When I get the money it will probably just depend on what's available.

warnoldscu

nothing wrong with an STI... I'll just wave to you in my rearview after I get stage 2

...unless of course you have stage 2 as well, then uhhhh... well, I don't know

Nick Koan

iTrader: (3)

That was my choice of color combo on the STi.

Either way dude, they are both kick *** cars. You can't deny that.