XV, Legacy or ...?

[Swayze88]

So my Forester has died, I've rebuilt the engine and still having problems, and now at the point where I can't be without a car any longer.

I've not got a lot of budget so would be looking for a second hand number, up to around £10k is a sensible amount i can afford to loan.

So the question is, what to go for?

The current garage is a 2013 2.0D XV - which my partner drives daily and I drive when she is not. Plus a 2004 2.0 turbo Forester XT.

The forester was LPG'd so returned the equivalent of 44mpg making it a great daily, but having 190,000 miles on it makes me question the logic behind repairing it.
I commute 35 miles each way on fast A-roads into Edinburgh (A70/A702 depending on which one they are digging up at the time), so 30 miles is at 50-70mph and the last 5 are at 0-7mph. 

I've seen a nice 2013 legacy with the 2.0 Diesel for £10,300, with 45,000 miles, apparently it has the Bilstein suspension on it, so a firmer ride, which doesn't bother me too much as the Forester is on lowered pedders units and didn't cause me any problems.  Might go and look at it on Saturday if i get the chance.

I suppose my options are:

2011-2013 Forester
2011-2013 Legacy
Another 2011-2013 XV 

I'd probably go for a diesel again in any of the above as none are really offered as a turbo petrol, and the N/A engines seem like they will be a bit gutless.

What would you go for? 

I'd be half tempted to do this if I got another XV... is that blasphemy? 

[Norrie]

We've had 2 foresters and although we liked them the XV is so much better value.

I would recommend the XV any day. We've only had ours just over a week but absolutely love it.

Norrie.

[Dogconker]

I was told by a dealer not to buy the orange XV unless you planned to scrap it when you’d finished, he said they were so hard to sell that they rarely took them as trade ins now.

The XV is a good car, mine is a 2013. The 2.0D pulls to 60 in about 9 sec and handles nicely. But probably not as spacious as the legacy. You’ll get around 45+ mpg if you’re on A roads and driving sensibly

[Swayze88]

The Orange is very Marmite, I like the look of it, my partner hates it. 

Yeah MPG wise in her diesel XV we get 45.9mpg average. better on a casual run (much) worse if i'm in a hurry.

Found a 2012(61 Reg) orange one with part history and 26,500 miles for £9,992.  
They are all the same engine up to 2017? very tempted...

[Dogconker]

I like the orange and considered having one, it was the dealer saying he’d not be able to take it as a trade in, that and my wife hated it, thought it looked chavvy

[Swayze88]

https://www.direnza.co.uk/direnza-tuv-lowering-springs-suspension-40mm-subaru-xv-2-0d-g4.html

 

For future me to find again. Also has anyone ever heard of "Firenza" before?

[Dogconker]

28 minutes ago, Swayze88 said:

https://www.direnza.co.uk/direnza-tuv-lowering-springs-suspension-40mm-subaru-xv-2-0d-g4.html

 

For future me to find again. Also has anyone ever heard of "Firenza" before?

Not exactly sure why you’d want to lower a 4x4 crossover, but hey,each to their own. 

[Swayze88]

 

13 hours ago, Dogconker said:

Not exactly sure why you’d want to lower a 4x4 crossover, but hey,each to their own. 

I completely understand your confusion.

To explain a little further, if they had continued to produce the hatchback impreza with a diesel engine that didn't snap its crank every 60,000 miles I'd probably be the owner of an XV and an Impreza, as it is I'm the owner of one standard XV and potentially a second XV which may, depending on a few things be made a little more road car than off-road...  
 

[Swayze88]

I bought the orange one 😁

 

[Tidgy]

subtle hahaha

[Dogconker]

Well you’ll at least find it in the snow easily enough.

wouod look nice with a blacked grille 😉

[Swayze88]

14 hours ago, Dogconker said:

Well you’ll at least find it in the snow easily enough.

wouod look nice with a blacked grille 😉

Like this? 😁

[Dogconker]

15 minutes ago, Swayze88 said:

Like this? 😁

Nice, need some nice badges now to go