Thinking of a Liberty GT.... opinions/experiences?

[calais]

G'Day All,

I have posted a similar thread on an Australian Liberty forum, but the online traffic just isnt as fast as AFF.

Seriously thinking of a late gen 4 Liberty GT....... Not long ago I posted about either a Golf GTI or a WRX, I cant get the idea of the WRX out of my head, but my finances won't stretch that far anymore, and I want something that goes as well as the WRX did, but far more comfortable at the same time........ enter the Liberty GT. (Not the current shape one... they aren't so pretty to look at IMHO)

Almost all of my previous cars have been European(Fiat Punto Sport JTD and a Skoda Octavia vRS Turbo), and to be honest they were great cars, but getting long in the tooth by the time I unloaded them at around 100,000km. I had always immaculately maintained them though.

So far I am smitten with what the Liberty GT has to offer, and am in the hunt for a good one. But sadly I have been to see six of them so far, and six of them have been rooted. They have all so far been an equal mix of sedans and wagons, auto and manual. But they have all shown signs of careless maintenance (ie uneven tyrewear, engine rattles, scratched/deeply worn leather, incomplete service history, and in one case a cracked rear lower wishbone that the bloke tried to blame on me! (I hadent even driven the car, needless to say I thanked him for his time and walked away...). Just in general I felt as though the cars condition just didnt match the kilometers. I figure if my own car looked better with double the km's, I'm not expecting too much or am I?

I'd prefer a Wagon, Manual, sub 70,000km, FSH and not treated like a theme park ride (definately hard to find)

Im definately thinking carefully about this one even though it is a fair bit older;

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...&cr=1&__N=1246

And this one, a sister car to the wagon above;

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...&cr=4&__N=1246

But really, the one I am pretty keen to get to check out is this one here, would it be worth the extra coin over say the 2.0 litre autos above? (I am thinking yes, but I am uneducated to be honest)

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...cr=19&__N=1246

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated, but in the meantime im going to keep looking, eventually one will arrive on the scene with the right mix........

Cheers.

[blueoval]

Links aren't loading up correctly

A dude blamed you for a wishbone crack even though you didnt drive it??? What a nut job. Glad you walked away from that one when u did.

As far as the GT's are concerned, the Gen4's are a nice shape and model. Unfortunately some people will treat them like a used VN commodore AND expect the resale of the name to generate top dollar for them.

Generally it is rare for a Subaru from Gen3 on to be unreliable. They are an excellent car with good to very good build quality. The GT's have the twin scroll turbo iirc, so you will find it will have minimum boost lag.

I think biggest issues to look for is full service history, have a look at what the current owner's family is like. Kids, pets, occupation can all tell a story of how the car is looked after.

If you plan to mod it, they go well with an Ecutek tune enhancement and full exhaust system.

Ultimately depending on where you live, a RAA, RACV, NRMA, RACQ check is worth paying for before handing any deposit or monies over, especially buying second hand private sale.

[MAGPIE]

As above, great looking, reliable, excellent build quality and a fantastic drive.

Don't discount the 3.0R B Spec either.

Just don't rush into something for the sake of it, hold out for a mint one, they are out there as a lot of owners are enthusiasts.

A 2.0 GT Spec B, 6 speed manual wagon would be my pick

[blueoval]

Spec B would be a dream. If funds were to stretch I would even consider a Blitzen version or better yet, Liberty GT by Sti.

Blitzen - partly designed by Porsche
http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/subaru-liberty-2006-12294076?base=1216&vertical=Car&Range=Price:Min,Ma x~1&eapi=2&sort=default&cr=4&__N=1246%201247%20125 2%201282%204294963801%204294963605%201216&silo=Sto ck&find=blitzen|CarAll

Liberty by STi
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/subaru-liberty-2006-12329150?base=1216&vertical=Car&Range=Price:Min,Ma x~1|Mileage:Min,80000&eapi=2&sort=default&cr=2&__N =1246%201247%201252%201282%204294963801%2042949636 05%201216&silo=Stock&find=sti|CarAll

[Bossxr8]

Definately look at the previous model Liberty over the new one, its hiddeous.

Why do Subaru continually turn good looking cars into dog turds?

[MethodX]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Definately look at the previous model Liberty over the new one, its hiddeous.

Why do Subaru continually turn good looking cars into dog turds?

Toyota owns them now? or Fuji heavy industries..

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Definately look at the previous model Liberty over the new one, its hiddeous.

Why do Subaru continually turn good looking cars into dog turds?

I ask myself the same question. WRX's in particular. The bug eyed version and all versions after were terrible in my opinion. Best WRX looks wise was the 05 model.

[cs123]

If you're looking at a Liberty GT you should probably widen your search to Mazda 6 MPS as well. Pretty quick car. They only come in sedan though.

[calais]

Im pretty happy with what im looking for, but it is a hard thing to find.

[Sep 97 EL XR8]

I had a 07 Charcoal GT spec B Wagon with Sat nav with the 6 spd manual.

I have to say it was the best car i ever owned. I would have no hesitation to buy another one or recommending one.

I would recommend a 07/08 GT, as it has the high KW engine + heaps of air bags, also the engine mapping switch.

As it was the last of the gen 4's it is the pick of the bunch. ou will unfortunately pay for this though.

It is really economical on long runs when in Economy setting - ave 7.8 on a couple of journeys, and can be an animal when on sport sharp.

MAKE sure it has service history and maintained, as it can be expensive to repair.

The only draw back to the car was it did not have bluetooth, otherwise it had everything you could want.

[calais]

Originally Posted by Sep 97 EL XR8

I had a 07 Charcoal GT spec B Wagon with Sat nav with the 6 spd manual.

I have to say it was the best car i ever owned. I would have no hesitation to buy another one or recommending one.

I would recommend a 07/08 GT, as it has the high KW engine + heaps of air bags, also the engine mapping switch.

As it was the last of the gen 4's it is the pick of the bunch. ou will unfortunately pay for this though.

It is really economical on long runs when in Economy setting - ave 7.8 on a couple of journeys, and can be an animal when on sport sharp.

MAKE sure it has service history and maintained, as it can be expensive to repair.

The only draw back to the car was it did not have bluetooth, otherwise it had everything you could want.

Your conclusion is a sentiment shared by many owners I have spoken with.

Im checking out a car identical to your old one this week. Fingers crossed!!

[madmatty]

do your homework on the model you are after.Im sure some of the auto gt 's have less power than the manuals.i own a 2006 3.0 b spec manual wagon good handeling for a wagon reasonable power.my mum has a 2005 gt liberty 10kw more than mine but suffers from lag down low in the revs,on boost is a blast.they are great cars if looked after.a nightmare if flogged out.

[madmatty]

i have read somewhere that the 2.5 though bigger has weaker internals and less boost than the older 2.0 .so the seat of the pants feel is pretty much the same.

[69Mach1]

I have an 05 Liberty Wagon, non-turbo which the wife has now taken over. Best car we have ever owned and I still love driving it, although I've always craved more power - GT would solve that. (also now have a '10 Forrester and will be dropping that quick smart at the end of lease). We just clocked 100k on the Liberty and still going strong. 100k service is pretty expensive, more so for us as we had to do the clutch as well. I imagine the 100k on the GT could be slight more expensive. So if you are looking for one I'd suggest trying to get one well shy of 100k or one over 100k ensuring the service has been done!

[scottyg938]

interested in this as well, currently looking at either an 04-05 gt or possibly an 01-03 B4

[superfly]

Originally Posted by scottyg938

interested in this as well, currently looking at either an 04-05 gt or possibly an 01-03 B4

Don't get the B4. They are disappointing to drive. And they have blue leather.

[leighm]

I just bought an 05 Liberty GT wagon automatic. The only issue I have with it is the turbo lag when taking off, it is horrendous from a standing start, but hit 3000rpm and it's on full boost. If you are rolling along theree is a tiny amount of lag as the auto does a good job of picking the right gear when in sport mode fairly quickly.

It has 130000km on it and not a single rattle unlike my BA XR6 which has developed rattles all over in only 80000km. Massive difference in Japanese engineering compared to budget Australian engineering....

The car is brilliant to drive, handles nicely, though very prone to understeer with the near 0 camber standard setup on the front, easily fixed with a bit of an adjustment. Very comfortable, massive sunroof almost one metre long! The newer 2.5 would be the pick with Si drive. I average about 12l/100km which involves almost no freeway km. Though down the hume it will sit on 9 l/100km. I have driven the non turbo models and they are painfully slow. I have driven the H6 Liberty also, the engine is smooth, but is nowhere near as quick as the GT.

[leighm]

Forgot to mention the McIntosh stereo system has great sound standard. You can also do like I did and add bluetooth to the standard McIntosh headunit with an xcarlink from sydneyinstallers. Works a treat and very easy to fit.

[calais]

Sorry about the links..... Heres my second attempt.

Car 1

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...&cr=1&__N=1246

Car 2

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...&cr=4&__N=1246

And the one im really after....

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...cr=19&__N=1246

[calais]

Originally Posted by leighm

I just bought an 05 Liberty GT wagon automatic. The only issue I have with it is the turbo lag when taking off, it is horrendous from a standing start, but hit 3000rpm and it's on full boost. If you are rolling along theree is a tiny amount of lag as the auto does a good job of picking the right gear when in sport mode fairly quickly.

It has 130000km on it and not a single rattle unlike my BA XR6 which has developed rattles all over in only 80000km. Massive difference in Japanese engineering compared to budget Australian engineering....

The car is brilliant to drive, handles nicely, though very prone to understeer with the near 0 camber standard setup on the front, easily fixed with a bit of an adjustment. Very comfortable, massive sunroof almost one metre long! The newer 2.5 would be the pick with Si drive. I average about 12l/100km which involves almost no freeway km. Though down the hume it will sit on 9 l/100km. I have driven the non turbo models and they are painfully slow. I have driven the H6 Liberty also, the engine is smooth, but is nowhere near as quick as the GT.

Cheers bloke.

Im pretty keen a manual, just to let me drive around the lag.

Im still going to give an auto a drive though, just see what they are like.

Is your 05 a 2.0 Litre?

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by calais

And the one im really after....

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...cr=19&__N=1246

That would be my pick, I think the 06 facelift looks the best of all Legacy/Liberty , I know in NZ the GT got curtain airbags with that facelift plus of course Si drive, and the 2.5 was another update in 07.

[blueoval]

Spec B FTW. If funds permit, it's worth getting. its just got all the fruit you would ever want (apart from bluetooth but that can be worked around as another member mentioned).

[Windsor342ci]

I love them and have always had a soft sport for this model!

My wife was very close to buying the sedan version but instead got a weekend V8.

Wagons personally dont do it for me, but I understand its also a life style thing and that plays a very big part of it for people when purchasing a car. Either way it is a win mate!

[trippytaka]

There is nothing I can say about the liberty GT other than it is a stunning vat to drive. I have tested them all and loved them all.

Go easy on the gearbox and clutch though! I broke a couple... Another story.

[trippytaka]

Car! Car to drive, not vat, sorry!

[calais]

All good on the gearboxes trippy.

Is there any way to determine the condition of the clutch and the three diffs other than sound during operation? Obviously the service record will indicate if the oils have been changed, but how can I check say the LSD condition on an AWD car?

[ebxr8240]

My 95 WRX still tightens up when turning at 200k...
When turning tight you can feel the LSD ..
The trans have to be abused to break like any AWD...

[leighm]

Originally Posted by calais

Cheers bloke.

Im pretty keen a manual, just to let me drive around the lag.

Im still going to give an auto a drive though, just see what they are like.

Is your 05 a 2.0 Litre?

Yes, it's a 2 litre.

[Sep 97 EL XR8]

Originally Posted by scottyg938

interested in this as well, currently looking at either an 04-05 gt or possibly an 01-03 B4

Scottg I had a 01 B4 as well as the 07 GT. I did really like the B4, but the GT wins hands down. After driving the B4 for a while the dead spot between the first and second turbo starts to really drive you crazy.

Also being 01 to 03, its starting to get old, and you will have trouble finding an orginal one.

They also feel a lot smaller internally. I feel the GT has a lot more added extras, ie sunroof, polished peddles, larger wheels.

I did like the blue leather though.

[Sep 97 EL XR8]

Calias

when i bought my GT i had the same problem as you, ie i was looking to spend 20-25k on a 2-3 year old GT. Unfortunately the 2-3 were going for over 30K. I ended up looking at the 07 Gt which was 4 months old, and done 6000 km for 50K. A same model STI version was 6K more.

As previously indicated the 07 GT won. If i was in the same situation i would buy the same car. Althought I would spend more time looking at the STI.

I'm amazed that your are still deliberating, i would have bought the charcoal wagon, and be uploading the photos.

I would get a RAA/RACV vehicle inspection to try and minimise any potential issues.

cheers