janas19 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) Hello. I live in Pueblo, CO and my city does not have a large sellers market. When I want to buy something on CL I drive to Colorado Springs. I currently drive a 91 Volvo 940 Turbo. I like the power but it's 2 rear seats don't fold down. I despise it's lack of utility and that finding parts is costly. I want to buy a Legacy wagon but need advice. Today I called 7-8 sellers, only 5 responded and only 1 was available to meet me. So I go to look, it's a 2.5 automatic with DOHC, but he says the 1st gear is shot. I drive it and it feels like it takes every bit of power to pass someone. The engine is straining at 4000 RPM, not easy at all. I was not impressed by the 2.5 DOHC. Question: do Legacies have a hard time passing on the highway? This is probably the most important thing for me. I hate having to spend more than 10 seconds passing a driver going 70 on the highway or going uphill. Should I keep looking, or is the Legacy too underpowered? Edited October 15, 2016 by janas19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 With a 2.5 DOHC auto, it sounds like you drove a 96-99 Legacy. I have a 99, and it has plenty of power. With first gear shot in the auto, and poor power, I don't think the car is in good shape. Keep shopping. Colorado is known to have a large number of Subies, so you should find some good ones to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janas19 Posted October 16, 2016 Author Share Posted October 16, 2016 Is there enough power in the 2.5 where passing cars going 65 on the highway is not a problem? Since you have a 99 and I'm assuming it's your DD. I looked up the curb weight for the Legacy and it's between 3260-3400 depending on optional features. I know it's not a big car, but definitely heavier than the Impreza. By the way I'm only asking since I could only drive one Legacy, despite contacting 7-8 sellers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 Let me know what you're looking for. I fix Subaru's for fun. 96-99 DOHC engines have Head Gasket issues. When I find one with a bad engine, I drop a 96-98 2.2 engine in it. Much better engine and only a small loss in power. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 Is there enough power in the 2.5 where passing cars going 65 on the highway is not a problem? Since you have a 99 and I'm assuming it's your DD. I looked up the curb weight for the Legacy and it's between 3260-3400 depending on optional features. I know it's not a big car, but definitely heavier than the Impreza. By the way I'm only asking since I could only drive one Legacy, despite contacting 7-8 sellers. Yes the 99 is my DD. I seldom drive on two lane roads, where passing in the on coming line of traffic is an issue. My experience is driving on the interstates. I have plenty of power accelerating the on ramps, and have never felt a lack of horse power from the motor to complain about. Where Subaru really shines is their all wheel drive system, which IMHO is supurb. I have been to Colorado to ski the Summit many times, so I know what challenging driving conditions can be. Really recommend you shop more for an Outback made after 1999. The SOHC 2.5 motor in the later models is more reliable, without having serious head gasket problems as with the 96-99 models, should have plenty of power. With all the Subarus you see on Colorado roads, their drivers certainly must be happy with their cars. You probably know several people who own Subarus, ask their opinion of their driving experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janas19 Posted October 16, 2016 Author Share Posted October 16, 2016 (edited) Think the best option is to swap in the EJ25D and put in a new multi-layer head gasket. The more reliable 2.5 which I believe you are talking about didn't come out until 2005. Up until 2004 it's all EJ251 (according to Wikipedia's article). Larry, I like the reliability but I am not sure about the power tradeoff, so I will try to find a 2.2 in good condition and test drive it. If you have one, maybe I could try it out! Edited October 16, 2016 by janas19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dp213 Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 If you are a fan of the older outback, like me, I have replaced the dual cam 2.5 with the 2.2 from anywhere from 1990 - 1995. I have done about 15 of them and everyone has been very happy with them. The early 2.2 is non interference and has the dual port heads so you don't have to change the y pipe. I currently have a 97 outback with a 93 2.2 in it and it has entry of power. It's an easy swap and with a 95 - 98 2.2 intake, it's pretty much if and play. Just my 2 cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dp213 Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 Sorry, meant to say, plenty of power Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 Drop a used 2.2 into this one and for less than $2000 you can have a great car that will last for years. http://rockies.craigslist.org/cto/5828064499.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 . I drive it and it feels like it takes every bit of power to pass someone. The engine is straining at 4000 RPM, not easy at all. I was not impressed by the 2.5 DOHC. Question: do Legacies have a hard time passing on the highway? This is probably the most important thing for me. I hate having to spend more than 10 seconds passing a driver going 70 on the highway or going uphill. Should I keep looking, or is the Legacy too underpowered? test drive one that isn't borked from the start (missing gears, etc)? It shouldn't have any problems driving/passing cars as needed. I mean "driving/passing" are somewhat ambiguous - but what you described doesn't sound normal and that DOHC shoudln't "stand out" in poor performance in any significant way. it should feel like a very average 2.5 liter 165 hp sedan. they're not a smoking 2.5 liter or 165 hp but they're not gutless or notably slow/poor either. it sounds to me like you weren't impressed with ***that car*** rather than that engine...and the little we know alraedy suggests it's got issues - missing gears, so i'm not sure how many wide ranging universal assumptions about an entire platform would be helpful from that one experience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I would have to agree with the others here - there were "known" issues with the car you test drove, who knows what "unknown" issues it has - not a good example of the platform to be basing an opinion on. You need to find, and test drive, one that doesn't have issues before you make a judgement like that. I have a 2002 Forester with the 2.5 (single OH cam, 251 version) and it has plenty of get up and go for passing. I also have a 1995 Legacy with the 2.2 and it has plenty of Oomph for passing as well. These cars are not speed demon powerhouses by any means, but they are not under powered, either. Coming from a turbo motor car, yes, it is going to feel very different than what you are used to - kind of like going from a v8 to a 4 cyl - it wont seem as powerful, but a well maintained, good running H4 will have enough power to do the job required of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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