Legacy b4 to buy or not to buy

C

colinktm

New member
Hi All

Im looking at buying a legacy b4. I know your probably sick of newbies coming on every couple of months and asking the same questions but i need some advise. I have raced different forms of motorbikes all my life and would consider myself a bit of a petrol head and im no stranger to the high maintenance needed on a competition motor, but whats the do's and dont's on a b4. Ive read a few people saying it must be remapped, this i presume is to run on our petrol?? and whats the fears if it hasnt been remapped ? I think i will avail of one of the mechanics on this site when going to see a car. but its the general running of the car im looking for info on. Is there some additive needed to the petrol? What the service intervals and are the general bits needed to upkeep reasonably easy to source ? The other thing is there seams to be some decent looking ones for around the 2k mark at the moment, Can you buy a decent b4 for around 2k ?? Any info or horror stories welcome and appreciated.....
 
If you run it on maxol e5, there's no need to map it. But there are a huge number in the country which have already been mapped so you could look out for one of them and you'd have something safe with a bit of added performance.

Only trouble I had in mine was the centre diff in the gearbox, other than that it ran perfect for 4 years.

They are good solid cars once looked after, but not sure what you'd get for the 2k mark. No idea what they're going for these days.
 
Cheers

Thanks for the reply.. And do you think a good mechanic will know if its been mapped and i suppose you just have to take the risk on what the seller says its been run on if it hasnt been mapped ?
 
If they are claiming its been mapped, then they'll know who mapped it. When they tell you, check it out and see if its true with the mapper in question. Plenty of people out there claim there car has been mapped just to get it sold. If someone has gone to the trouble of mapping the car themselves, then they'd generally only run it on what they mapped it for. The only way you wouldn't be sure of it is if it was mapped by the previous owner to the current seller.
 
Well thanks a million for your help thats a great help. Just one last question if its not been mapped and not been run on e5 whats likely to be the outcome

Thanks again
 
colinktm said:
Well thanks a million for your help thats a great help. Just one last question if its not been mapped and not been run on e5 whats likely to be the outcome

Thanks again
Click to expand...

They suffer from Detonation

http://www.contactmagazine.com/Issue54/EngineBasics.html

which can cause pistons to melt, in Japan they are run on a higher octane fuel, 100 ron..
the ECU can adjust the timing a couple of degrees so running MAXOL E5 is Ok..the problem with our fuel is even the advertised 95 has been found to be very poor and the ECU struggles to make the adjustment, the ignition timing is too advanced for the RON level of the fuel and you get det or pinking in the cylinders..this is more of a problem with B4's than Imprezas as they run higher compression..lots of cars run safely without being mapped but it is the risk you take.
As Robbie said there is no way anyone selling a car doesn't know if it's mapped, it's a expensive process and a huge plus point when selling..who is likely to "forget"?
 
posibly look/kepp your eye in the for sale section on here as most on here are enthuasists and cars are generally well kept (mods , servicing , and mapping) . if you have any examples of ones you might be intrested in , possibly post a link here as some of the lads may know the car / previous owner and /or spot anything thats not quite right and be able to advise you . wealth of knowledge on here and more than willing to share . best of luck in your search for flat fourness .

consider an impreza over a leggy pending what your requirements are . lighter car / better power to weight / lower mpg VS more comfort / enough power to cope / not as raw


:thumbsup: :subaru: :subaru: :subaru:
 
colinktm said:
thanks mac mac

Im looking at the legacy as i like its more mature and inconspicuous look. im also looking at an estate, ive a couple of other cars and bikes and i know ive not got ahuge budget but im just trying to make out weather im buying a time bomb......

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/for-sale/cars/3041723

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/for-sale/cars/2814316

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/for-sale/cars/3058069
Click to expand...

General wear and tear they are pretty robust, like all Subarus the problem is the engine damage you can't see...you could probably get a compression test to check cylinder/piston damage but I'm not sure how expensive that is...maybe go look at it with someone who knows the score
 
That second one looks mint, in fact I have just gotten one of these wagons, and after having an sti (and you mentioned you have raced bikes) I would wonder if the power and power delivery would be enough for you??
Im not saying there slow but they are nowhere near the power of an sti, and these wagons are quite a heavy bus!

Just my 2 Cents! But value for money you cant go wrong! Lovely car, but more of a high performance cruiser than a track weapon.
 
I bought a B4 last year and i am new to subaru aswell. Mine isint mapped and i drive it every day. run it on e5 90% of the time but when i dont it still runs the same. at the end of the day its an 11 year old car it can go bang anytime for the crack! Only problems i have had is general wear and tear but i do love it on a sunny day, window down and the boxer engine singing! Very comfortable and loves the motorway. around 400-450 km to a tank..and insurance is very cheap im 22 and its only 1500..couldn get insured on an impreza but in time i will get one!
 
Look for one with recorded service history since it came into the country, doubtful that you'll find it but see what they've got. Look for timing belt to be done which should be done every 50,000miles.

The thing with using standard 95 octane petrol is that most people wouldn't notice the detonation occuring. Detonation will only occur at higher revs under full trottle so you could use standard 95 all the time if you are just pottering around. But if anyone tells you that, you have to ask yourself, why would anyone buy one of these cars if all they wanted to do was potter around?
 
Yeah i take that on board and theres risks associated buying any car of that age and of that money, let alone a high performance one...

id consider a estate sti but as the everyday car is a 177bhp toureg i think the near 280 bhp of a b4 would be more than enough but what bhp would a sti punch out in comparison, and is the mpg better on sti?

And i think ill just get one of the mechanics off this site or someone clued in tto have a look.....
 
I'm about to stick mine up in for sale section-not for 2k though but it is an 03 model,last of the twin turbos and tougher new age bottom end.
 
colinktm said:
Yeah i take that on board and theres risks associated buying any car of that age and of that money, let alone a high performance one...

id consider a estate sti but as the everyday car is a 177bhp toureg i think the near 280 bhp of a b4 would be more than enough but what bhp would a sti punch out in comparison, and is the mpg better on sti?

And i think ill just get one of the mechanics off this site or someone clued in tto have a look.....
Click to expand...

The B4 makes the same power as the STi but not as much torque and at higher revs so the STI has much better mid range punch...the STI is also lighter so off the line they are far quicker....but driven right and kept on boost the are not far off..also depends on what STI you are talking about..a type r will decimate it with short gearing and light weight...a new age not so much.
The STI is also far more tunable..you reach the limits of what you can do with the B4 very quickly
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top