2003 Subaru Legacy L Special Edition Wagon

II have always owned Subaru’s. A 1984 Subaru Wagon was my first car. Over the years, Subaru has continued to improve on its first models introduced in the late 60's. They continue to have the H4 (horizontally opposed) engines and AWD. Since the introduction of the Legacy line in the fall of 1989, Subaru has been moving from a rough rugged rural car (remember the advertisement with the bad driver?) to a more refined mainstream vehicle.

The 2003 Legacy is the third generation of the Legacy line. Improvements with this model included Subaru's new 'ring enforced' body structure, more power from the 2.5 H4 engine, and interior upgrades. All of these improvements and only an increase of $2k over the $19k 1991 Legacy Special Edition. Amazing that Subaru can have such small price gains over so many years, yet increase the content of the car!

The 2003 Legacy L Special Edition Wagon includes leather wrapped steering wheel and shifter knob, faux wood trim, tilt up sunroof for front passengers and a slide back opening rear sunroof and cabin air filter. Also included are rubber floor mats, luggage rack side rails, fog lights, a special seat fabric, and AWD. Retail was around $21k.

You will find many standard features on the Subaru that often aren't found or not available on cars costing much more. To begin with, Subaru's come with 4 channel antilocking brakes. This means that the braking system can control the ABS on each wheel independently. Most ABS systems available, even today, are only 3 channel ABS systems. Most have 1 channel to the rear wheels and 1 to each front wheel. Subaru's also come with 4 wheel disc brakes. This is more common with other cars today than it was in the 1990's. And last but not least, Subaru's AWD technology is under every Subaru (it was an option on some models from 1990-1996).

The Subaru engine is horizontal in an "H" layout. Subaru offers a 2.0 H4, 2.5 H4, and a 3.0 H6 engine. The 2000-2004 generation Legacy is equipped with the 2.5 H4 engine standard. Some Outback models during this time were equipped with the 3.0 H6 engine. The 2.5 H4, 16 valve engine produces 165HP. The engine is quick to rev and has proven to be a durable engine for Subaru. You will however read of head gasket problems with the 2000-2002 models, so, be careful there.

The Legacy came equipped with either a 4 speed automatic transmission or a 5 speed manual. Both use a different AWD system. The auto uses a computer control multi-clutch system that increases the front to back ratio until it reaches a 50/50 split. The 5 speed uses a viscous coupling center differential to split the power, up to 50/50, to each end of the car. During normal driving, most of the torque split is directed to the front wheels.

This is a heavy vehicle, at around 3500lbs for a 4 cylinder with automatic. If you owned an automatic in the first generation, as I did, it was much peppier and more fun to drive. Subaru has changed the programming and shift points on this transmission, probably to increase MPG and durability, but, it suffers greatly. If you want a somewhat sporty car, or want to shift yourself, or simply don't like automatics that lug the engine or frequently start off in 2nd gear, DON'T buy the automatic. If you don't care about performance, it will be just fine. Otherwise, I would highly recommend the 5 speed. I know I wish I had it. I get 27 MPG with the automatic.

The paint on this generation of Legacy seems to be more durable than that on the first two generations. The first generation of the Legacy, in Mica Ruby, was not easy to keep 'shiny'. The second generation in blue was so soft you could scratch it with your finger and chipped easily. The paint on my 2003 model is still shiny, only has two chips, and cleans up just like new.

I have had no mechanical problems with my last two Legacy’s, 1995 and 2003. However, oddly enough, I have had to replace the front speakers in both, under warranty. My first Legacy, 1991, seemed to eat wheel bearings. I had to replace them every 20k miles, thank goodness for that 100k mile extended warranty! All of them remained rattle free through 100k miles.

The interior is comfortable and attractive for this price category. The carpet is lacking in that it is very thin, to the point you can see the rubber backing in places. The radio is 80w and works well. However, you must buy the tweeter kit and subwoofer to get decent sound. The heat and AC controls are of the dial type and easy to operate. The cabin air filter is very difficult to change because you have to remove the entire glove box to get access to it. The cup holders have been moved to the center console in this generation, which interferes with hand movements to the gear selector and hand brake. My two greatest annoyances, besides the automatic transmission, are the operation of the rear wiper and opening/closing the sunroof. If you want or need the rear wiper to operate constantly, you’re out of luck. It only operates on delay mode. In regards to the sunroof, if you want to open or close it, you must hold the button until it is fully closed or open, which would be impossible to do in traffic with the 5 speed, as it moves slowly.

The Legacy is a very trustworthy vehicle. It always starts on the first try, even in extreme heat, 105+ and extreme cold, -15. The first generation of the vehicle won many awards, including endurance speed awards and home maintenance awards. The AWD allows you to plow through any weather that Mother Nature throws at you. Most think of AWD = snow, but, you will also see big differences in heavy downpours and wet, slick roads. I have never had to do anything to it besides routine maintenance. I haven’t even had to change a battery.

The Legacy is a very safe car. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the 2000-2004 models as a best pick for safety and today's model is a best gold pick.

This is no luxury car. It doesn't compete with Audi or Mercedes, nor does it claim to. To compare it to those brands would be unfair. However, as more manufacturers add AWD to their vehicles, Subaru will have to move to stay ahead. It is fun to be out on the snowy roads surround by $30-60k SUV’s and luxury AWD vehicles, especially when you remember your low payment!

Subaru is what you expect it to be for $22k. A good, nice, safe, dependable vehicle. If you want butter soft leather, super quite ride, and all the other luxuries, you'll have to pay another $10-15k to enter that category.