I’ve had enough of my Volvo Focus diseasel

There is a company 5 mile from me (not one of the known importers) and they have 3 jdm leggys in. The one I’m interested in is a 2006 gtb manual. It has 70k miles on it and recent cam belt. It is a recent import so mot history doesn’t show anything other than mot runs until May.

the other two are both similar age, one slightly newer and with 40k but is auto gt spec b, the other slightly older with 48k and just a gt.

they are all tourers, and all around the 7 grand mark.

questions are what are the power of these, and am I better off with the manual. Also is a gtb basically the same as a gt spec b or not?
Any known issues with these or can I expect much the same as our blobeye wrx.

I have driven a friends 07 legacy a few times and like it but feel it is slightly lacking as it is only a 2 litre R sport. It’s alright but lacks punch and the suspension is maybe a little soft and it does suffer a little with the Subaru nodding dog ride whereas our Impreza doesn’t. Do the jdm ones feel a little stiffer, a little more Impreza like if you get what I mean.

 

No Leggy owners on here anymore then?

I did ring him earlier to ask a few questions. Turns out he has got 6 of them but only one manual. I wanted to ask him if they had been re mapped for uk fuel. He said not and hadn’t heard of it needing doing. He said he had been selling them for 20 years or something, but asked how you would go about getting it mapped for uk fuel so I’m not confident he knows too much about them, other than importing them and moving them on.

I have also seen a bit of an oddball locally, this time from quite a well known jap import and parts supplier. It is a 2009 wrx hatch, with the 2.5 sphincter twitcher, but is listed as a jap import. Am I wrong in thinking all jdm wrx hatches should be 2 litre twin scroll and badged as an s-gt or did they have a domestic market 2.5 wrx?

Also does anyone know what the tax on either a 2006 on jdm legacy or the jdm hatch would be as from what I understood for some reason they are a lot cheaper than a uk model?

 

The only 2.5's in this JDM range would be WRX STI "A-Line" or WRX STI tS and only in the "widebody" Hatch and/or Saloon variety.

 

The auto gt b with 40k sounds interesting. Good auto box with paddle shift. Ask for a Bimta mileage certificate because many jap cars are clocked. Manual preferred but dont discount auto. Legacy has a good chassis, worth a map check on import, but little tuning potential. Still got the frameless front doors too.

 

no this is just a bread and margarine narrow body wrx. Manual gearbox, big hole where the stereo lives so looks like someone’s taken a jdm unit out, and mot history only dating back to 2021.

 

the more expensive one is actually an 05 so doesn’t have paddles, but has buttons on the wheel. I do like how legacy’s drive but as mentioned I’ve only driven a 2 litre R and it was a little wallowy and bouncy on the front end.

 

depends 'which' manual it is as early cars use a box similiar to the newer 2.5 WRX Impreza's whilst some of the later GT spec B's has the H6 / STi style 6speed..............

as for auto's then the pre-facelift 'buttons' aren't that useful IMO and its far more satisfying to use the sequential "stick" manually.......paddle shift cars work very well / both drive & accelerate very similiar just depends how involved you want to be but they are far quicker than people make out
majority DO require mapping for UK fuel as we often find them fully retarded and detting on the std JDM map on UK super

 

forgot to say

far more info here http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/

 

The auto boxes are the bottleneck they can't take much more from what I remember. That's why they're slightly lower power from the factory.

 

When you say newer 2.5 wrx do you mean the 6 speed box in the hatch Alyn? I thought these legacy’s had the 5 speed box in and it was the tuned by sti that had the 6 speeder.

 

Does anyone know power output figures? I’ve read 260 auto and 280 manual or are they all 260?

I’ve just dithered on bidding for a 57 plate gt auto on eBay that went for £2600!

although only 20 miles away didn’t have time to go and view, and it had done 105k miles. Looked tidy but don’t know if I’ve missed an absolute bargain or dodged a bullet.

 

as I wrote the GT mostly has the 5speed similiar (but not identical) to the 2.5 WRX Hawk and newer Hatch........

the 6spd box, similiar to the Impreza STi, was fitted to later Tuned by STi models as well as a few late GT specB's I believe

the newer 5aet auto is fairly robust in our experience, its the twin-scroll engine itself that is the weakest link here
260 Auto and 280 Manual as std due to mild differences in mapping & turbo spec

 

Thanks Alyn. Well I've just got back from viewing a couple, he has 5. I am torn. The manual is nice but dash very cracked and wheel wobble coming from nsf wheel, feels like more than wheel balancing. He said he would sort and knocked him down £750 on it, but I also test drove a wr limited he has with 60k miles on it but felt nicer to drive but auto non flappy paddle but steering wheel shift. It felt tighter and I don't mind the gearbox either and I've dropped him on price to just £250 more than the newer manual.

 

dash issues are very common unfortunately

WR is SpecB based but with some very specific additions to celebrate Solberg's WRC championship, nice cars and apart from paddles / Si Drive lose very little on the later variant

 

Yeh think I’m going to bite the bullet, it’s £6500 and the others I’ve seen are between 8 and 10 grand, was worried about insurance but it’s £15 a year more than the Volvo!

 

can be picked far more cost effective private generally / suppose it depends if you need finance or a part-ex?

 

Not anymore unless I'm looking at the wrong models Private sellers are asking up to about £8k and dealers are £8-£12k depending on colour and how fresh of an import it is. This is on ebay, autotrader had very little and I don't do FB.

There was a guy on here who was selling a kit he made that allows you to add paddles to non paddle cars.

 

Yeh cheapest is 4 grand starting bid and 154k on the clock, ‘mine’ has 93k or about 60,000mls. I’ve said I’ll have it, hopefully can go get it tomorrow 🙂

 

All the best mate. If your interested in the paddles let me know and I'll try and find the thread, think I commented on it.

 

ok mate sounds interesting, and thanks. Hoping the Mrs will let me go and get it tomorrow. It’s in great condition and drives well, it made me smile like our Impreza does, the manual was a good car but this one just feels better.




the bonnet is open, that isn’t a horrific panel gap

 

Thanks for all your input guys.

Have done an mot history check and advisory on there for brake pads. Are these the same as any particular uk models? I’m sure I will be contacting Alyn in due course for a set anyway but would be good to know what fitment they are just in case.

 

Collected it yesterday lunchtime. Happy with it.
pads have been replaced already so that’s good.

 

Good job! I had to make do with a diesel Legacy, but the chassis was outstanding. Always fancied a facelift gtb.

 

So, had the car just over a week now and enjoying it very much. No.2 sons car has been off the road with severe clutch slip so have been running him to work fairly early mornings and have been happy to just knock it into D and let it do the work. . . . I am getting old

It does like a drop of v power though, and the clock/trip computer display doesn’t come on sometimes but other than that it drives very much like new.
I have managed to sort the battery drain problem on my V50, and drive it around to the back of my house to free up space on the drive. I’ve always considered it to be a fairly premium feeling small estate car. My wife has always said it feels like a tank and too big to drive. Moving it today I was shocked at just how bad the Legacy has made the Volvo feel. The bigger legacy actually feels smaller in comparison, even in my wife’s opinion.

I also had a lad wheelie his bicycle past me yesterday while I was getting in it say to me “your car is well sick mate” which I think is yoof for that’s a nice motor.

 

Win win if the Mrs and local youth are with you!!