Have noticed that there are quite a lot of "fresh import" Legacy Turbos on autotrader and Ebay especially.
Prices seem quite reasonable for quite low mileage cars - 40-50,000 miles seems the Norm, and £3-4K.
Can anyone tell me what "the deal is" with these vehicles ? :-
(A) How does one know the mileage is genuine, as the condition in the photos seems excellent, but how can one verify, as Jap imports have no service history, or is justone has to assume that if it looks pristine, then the mileage may be near what it says on the clock ?
(B) Do the Japs drive them sensibly, or are the imports thrashed to death by the time they get over here - hence the cheap price ?
(C) How does one spot a "thrashed one" - they cosmetic condition looks fantastic, and I know the legacies are supposed to be very robust, so would presumably wear well even if they were driven hard.
(D) Most are automatics (which is what I'd go for) but does the auto-box handle the power, or will an auto-box rebuild not be far-away ?
(E) What is the insurance situation like ? I'm a 35yo single male, living on the edge of SW London/Surrey, thankfully have a lower-risk suburban Surrey postcode - are we talking £1000 a year premiums ?
(F) whats the spares situation like for the parts that don't fit UK spec non-turbo bits (I imagine just engine and suspension stuff, as the rest must be same as UK spec )
(G) If driven sensibly/gently whats everyday mpg like - I know the standard car are thirsty ......
or is it just Fuel /service costs thats keeping the rpice "reasonable" !
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My own experience of Japanese imports (which is quite a lot of sports cars, including Impreza and FTO's etc) has been very good - I am aware of a few horror stories as well though.
Your best bet would be to look at one or two of the bulletin boards/clubs that deal with this sort of vehicle and then find out which are recommended specialist dealers (e.g. for FTO's one of the best is Japco in Northants). A lot depends on the dealer - there are a few who will source light damaged cars in Japan, buy them cheap and tart them up for gullible UK punters.
Mileage can be checked (up to a point) through BIMTA (its about £25 IIRC) - although sight of the original Jap auction sheet is probably as useful. Service history is much more problematic because often it is composed of various stickers plastered under the bonnet and on the B-post door jamb. Sometimes there is an emissions sticker under the fuel flap. If you get a service book only the first service is normally stamped, the rest is often blank. I can now decipher some of the characters although the dates can be confusing because they often use the 'year of the emperor' rather than the western format.
Having visited Japan I can say that most cars are indeed very well looked after and servicing is diligent because of the 'Shaken' roadworthiness test and penalties for emissions infringements. There ARE some ropey cars on the roads too - but probably fewer than here. There is a thriving boy racer community and you see lots of heavily modded cars, but I wouldn't think a Legacy is top of their list.
Insurance will be dear (try a co. like A-Plan, Greenlight, Flux). Running gear is very similar to Impreza and there is very good supply of JDM parts and lots of specialists to work on the car. Subaru parts in Japan I noticed to be very cheap, but very expensive in the UK. I think the parts importers make an absolute killing.
These will not be cheap cars to run and I would think economy even lower than a Impreza turbo (97+ octane fuel too). On the other hand they are fairly cheap to buy and if you weed out a good one it could be reliable and enjoyable transport over the long term.
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I would first talk to a dealer, and see what they say to persuade you to buy from them instead. It will be useful feedback.
Then I'd go on to a Subaru owners' site, and ask for advice.
Then I'd pose all the queries to the seller[s].
You can get an insurance quote in minutes online/phone. cc is what counts.
The MPG is as stated - either you can live with it or not.
They are well tested cars, not too much in the ways of novelties that can go wrong. Servicing may be cheaper through independents - Subaru owners are likely to know the better ones.
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Been doing some quotes....
it seems insurance is VERY pricey.....
Are the non-turbos reasonably nippy, and is there an advantage to getting a grey-import non-turbo - better spec/condition/lower mileage for same money as UK car ? Or more trouble than it is worth ?
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Out of curiosity, why are these cars exported to UK? Will the guy at the Japanese end get more for the car inc costs of export, than he would selling it in his homeland?
Or, turning that round slightly, is the guy who imports it into UK paying so little for it in Japan that he can still incur all the shipping costs and sell it at a profit?
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I think YES on both counts. Domestic demand for used cars in Japan is fairly weak and export buyers help keep prices up. The are big markets for used Japanese cars in NZ, AUS, parts of Africa and of course UK and Ireland.
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it seems insurance is VERY pricey..... Are the non-turbos reasonably nippy, and is there an advantage to getting a grey-import non-turbo - better spec/condition/lower mileage for same money as UK car ? Or more trouble than it is worth ?
A standard UK non-Turbo Legacy is not cheap to insure, a lot of which is down to A. Very high spares prices & B. Poor design like an ABS pump immediately behind the headlight! Minor shunt & bye bye ABS pump at £1500-£2000. I remember being shocked when I insured mine & I'd come from an Alfa, Mine was a 2.5 4Cam Auto Estate.
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I've not found Legacy insurance to be expensive though if course it depends an awful lot on your driving record and where you live. Run it through confused.com to find out.
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A standard UK non-Turbo Legacy is not cheap to insure, a lot of which is down to A. Very high spares prices & B. Poor design like an ABS pump immediately behind the headlight!
In truth there is not much poor design on a Legacy - especially not when it comes to bodyshell design (it has a US NHTSB 'gold award' for crash safety). A lot of manfr. stick the ABS pump behind the headlamp on certain models (Honda and Mercedes spring to mind). However parts are dear and of course it is 4WD which means repairs are generally more expensive because of the added complexity of repair and likelihood of damage to the drivetrain.
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Thanks for the info so far guys...
Does anyone actually run one of these and can tell me whats the mpg situation... driven sensibly I mean. How many miles from a tank, how much to fill from empty ?
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I don't measure it, but I always assume I get 25% more than the handbook predicts. The handbook does actually tell you the mpg.
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I run a 3.0 Outback auto.
I get about 17mpg in heavy urban traffic, my average over 4,000 miles of mostly suburban Manchester, with some longer motorway trips is 21.6mpg and tank to tank fill ups on the motorway indicate up to 30mpg depending on the speed.
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I run a Legacy 3.0 Spec B manual saloon. I get around 25-26mpg on average, dropping to low 20's on shortish trips or if I boot it more than usual. Long runs with plenty of motorways and good A roads see around the 30mpg mark.
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