Jeronimo

Well you guys helped as far as I'm concerned, thank you v much. It's a good car for what I need, looks and goes OK and should be reliable. As I do less mileage these days a newer diesel was out and the only alternative I could think of (other than another Alfa) was a Skoda Octavia FRS ........... but there ain't one around at this time. No reflection on the forum but you possibly won't see too much of me now, unless I have any problem.

The deed is done and I will collect the car 30th Dec. :)

Thanks for comments Guys. TBH I did not think the noise level to be that intrusive, so we will see as I have now done the deal getting some hard looks from SWMBO ;) Collecting on 30th for 1st Jan tax disc. No 2 son will have my Alfa and I hope I don't regret it one way or another. :D

mmmmmmm.......... Trouble is she was not impressed by the radio sound quality either as my Alfa has a Bose sound system Maybe it just needs settings adjusting. Anyway, she has said - "it's OK. Get the car. I was just being fussy" :) (There's no thumbs-up smilie??)

Took SWMBO to see and ride in the proposed Legacy 2.5i SE (2009 - 60k miler) this afternoon and got a negative review :( She pointed out wind noise (which is possibly slightly more than our Alfa and 3 Series) but more significantly the giggly (a soft g ...... I'm not laughing !!) ride quality. This I had not really picked up on, on the previous test and it was certainly the case. Any experience or comment on this? I fitted my 156 Alfa with Koni FSD's which really did transform the ride quality. Am I going to have to do this car too? Jerry

Cheers, guys. It's always reassuring to get first hand experience advice. First time I did the rears on the Alfa was a real head scratcher till I found out you needed a special tool to allow you to turn the pistons at the same time as pressing them in - due to the handbrake working on those pistons. My special tool turned out to be a G-cramp and large screwdriver :D Jerry

I am looking at buying a 2009 Legacy 2.5i (Gen 4) which has been sitting for a while judging by the disks and there seems to be little left on the pads. I'm willing to fit new disks and pads myself. Just asking if there are any specific difficulties I need to be aware of. (I've done this on my Alfa a couple times). Thanks, Jerry

Thanks very much Adam. J

OK. So I am considering buying a 2009 Legacy 2.5i SE auto. On checking up on the cost of discs and pads, I am told there was a model change in 2009 and asked which model car I had (may have!) Can someone tell me how to distinguish them apart please? Jerry

Hello Select. No problem. I did after all use the welcome forum to ask a question and your contribution (Gambit too) has added to my knowledge. As 2 services were done to my prospect car by non-Subaru shops, before the last one (was Subaru) I will see if I can check out whether or not the gearbox oil was changed. The car drove fine though, I did not have any issue with the gear change. Jerry

Thank you Adam. That is useful information. The car I'm looking at has not had every service done by a Subaru dealer and I do not know (at home) if the should have or has been changed (at 60k miles?) Before I do a deal, I will endeavour to check this. I don't know if this is a top range car, it has nice creamy/grey leather instead of black but no satnav. Good choices I think as I found it is 350 squid to update a satnav!! :( How do I spot the air suspension? Thanks very much.

Thanks again Gambit. I can see how some folks will be pedantic on such a point due to the caution in the manual and others, likely myself, would be more relaxed. I've always treated my cars with care, even when I thrashed my mini's rallying. That's how I've enjoyed Alfa motoring for 10 years. Treated with respect, a good car does not break............... usually ;)

Thank you Adam and Gambit. I tried the auto car yesterday and it seemed to drive OK. It had just been serviced by a Subaru dealer (Norwich I think). Front tyres are bald (they will replace) and I negotiated a new cambelt but have not concluded any deal yet. Er-indoors needs a lookin. Any way I can spot a potential head gasket problem? Look in the cooling system? I did not notice if there is a transparent/translucent header bottle anywhere. BTW it is a 2009 model, 1st reg Sept.

Being a newby and thinking of buying a Legacy, I came to this forum for advice. I asked a question in the newby section but so far have no responses other than welcomes. Thanks for those. So I thought I would scan the forum for further informations and this is the first thread I've gone through 'cos it looked relevant but I'm very surprised at the content. It seems to me no one is thinking about what the differentials do, which is allow the wheels to rotate at different RPMs as a corner is negotiated. Surely doing this is not going to damage the diffs or power train and as most cars do a lot of cornering, I would not expect this to do any damage. Yes, if you do a lot of motorway motoring with wheels of significant diameter difference, the diffs will be doing a bit more work but you ain't only going in a straight line even on a motorway. So, now, I am considering buying a 2009 2.5i Legacy from a Suzuki dealer and I have noted the front tyres are on the legal limit whilst the rears have 5/6mm tread. Do I assume the diffs are taterred and avoid the car? Jerry

62 views and no comments about these cars. Am I to assume they are brilliant and never develop any faults that members are willing to comment on? I know that they came out tops in surveys of the past and looking on here I might find a few things to be aware of but 'twould be good to get some comments - positive as well as negative, if there are any. Thanks people. Jerry

Good day all. I am currently running an 11 year old Alfa 156 2.4 JTD Sportwagon which I have had for 10 years. Quite frankly it has been brilliant, only letting me down once in its 146k miles of travel. I'm now feeling like a change and will give the Alfa to my son who loves 'em too. What to replace it with?? Not an Alfa I fly radio controlled model planes and gliders so need reasonable carrying capacity, and I like some grunt from my motors (Alfa remapped to 181 BHP :D ) So I am considering getting a Legacy 2.5i. As I'm now retired I'm only doing about 4 - 5 thousand miles a year so diesel is out (of the newer age anyway) and I'm not too concerned at consumption. I've identified two for sale that look interesting a 2006 manual car with 37k clocked and a 2009 auto car at 59k miles. So I would like to ask if there are any problems I should look out for and what is the change cycle for cam-belts on this engine? Also, what is the service interval and normal servicing cost. Answers, advice appreciated. Thanks. Jerry