Subaru Legacy 2.5i, good/bad?

[Filtercharged07]

My dad is looking at Subaru Legacy 2.5s now after our Edge had some problems it shouldn't have had at roughly 80k miles, and he's going to trade in our old '02 Explorer in for one. I sat in it with him and it seems very cheap. The interior fit/finish is probably the worst I've ever seen in a modern day car, and I haven't been around long. It honestly looks like it's from 1995. The exterior is OKAY looking. The weak engine is paired to a terrible CVT transmission that puts power to all four wheels...Isn't that great? <200hp spread to 4 wheels. Lovely. Does anyone have any personal opinions/experiences with this car? Myself and my other brother still like Fords and we're trying to convince him to get a Fusion Titanium AWD. Any input?

[JOEHIO]

Friends have a Subaru, nothing earth shattering about it, and yes, interior especially is "fair" in my book. I rather buy AMERICAN and support the U.S.A., not Japan or Korea, or anyone else.

[wlepse]

I traded in a 2.5GT for the Edge. It was a super fun car but the non turbo version is a bit anemic but you do get great gas mileage out of it. My buddy has one that is getting 32mpg on his commute. Same commute and similar driving styles and I can barely get 21 in the Edge. Now before everyone jumps on me...yes I realize they are different vehicles but one is able to get its highway rating commuting and one is not. Anyway, if it weren't for the my fear that I was about to spin a rod bearing on the Legacy GT I would still have it. So I would advise you to research oil pick up tubes and banjo bolt filters. I am not sure if this was ever an issue on non turbo versions or if it has been addressed by now but worth a look. If your dad is looking for a good commuter car that will get him where he wants to go regardless of the weather the Subie is a good choice.

As for all this talk about buy American...I think people way over simplify this issue. My Legacy was made in Indiana, the Edge in Canada. I not sure where either company did their engineering on these models but I suspect it was Japan and the USA. But with that said, even though I am an engineer and would love to have all those jobs here, I know it takes a lot more people to build these so having that mfg in the states adds a lot of money in peoples pockets here. Also the other argument about how all the profits go back to the mothership...this may or may not be true. It is totally dependent on where the bean counters think it will benefit the company most to turn a profit. I have worked for a few companies owned by foreign companies. The last two never turned a profit in the US because it wasn't worth it to them tax wise. But counter to what everyone thinks the profit wasn't made in the home country either.