Used 2002 Subaru Legacy Consumer Reviews
Can't part with it.
I bought my subie because I needed a reliable car to get me back and forth to work every day in the NW CT hills. Through snow, ice, torrential rains, you name it. 120 miles a day. This car never failed me and was fun to drive! Finally, at 150,000 miles and 3 trips from East Coast to West Coast, it needed a new head gasket. There is no rust on this car and the finish looks as good as the day I bought it. There is a little wind noise from the driver's side window but I never felt noise was a problem. Now, with 175,000 miles, the car lives in sunny CA where I hope to put another 75K on it driving back and forth to the Sierra Nevada. Still has the pep of a youngster.
Wonderful car
I bought my 2002 Subaru Legacy wagon used in 2006. It has been sensational, reliable, fun to drive, easy to handle, just a fine automobile. Things I've had to repair: cooling system has a minute leak somewhere that was stopped with additive; moon roof stopped popping up but the sun roof (yes it's a double moon/sun roof!) works just fine, so the moon roof pop up hardware just needs to be re- engaged. I'm going to have to replace the head gasket soon, but I'm putting it off and putting up with the small leak stain I have in my garage. For a used car, though, it's hard to imagine a better buy. I'm a pretty assertive drive. I drive the crap out of this thing and it has never let me down.
Be cautious if buying used
Bought this vehicle used and it has not been a great experience. Overall, the car is ok but if you are in the market for this model, go above and beyond to see if the vehicle has any oil consumption issues. My car eats oil like crazy and after researching "oil consumption subaru" I have learned I am not alone. I've switched to a thicker oil and have just learned to live with the issue. I have had several VW's and now appreciate what I had with the VR6 engine. Looking forward to seeing how this thing does in the snow, but I really don't like driving this car. Subarus can be good, but this thing is getting sold in the spring.
Really Reliable Subie
I traded my piece of crap truck for my 2002 Subaru Legacy GT Limited, and it has been really reliable for me. It had 239,000 miles on it when i got it, and I have put almost 10,000 miles on her since I got her. I'm a delivery driver at a pizza company, and so I really depend on my car, and it has not failed me once. Occasionally when I'm at a complete standstill while in either reverse or drive, I'll hear a little knocking sound, but It hasn't really effected my Subie's performance at all. I live in California, so I don't really have to deal with the snow, but even still, it's been fun having her. I really don't want to get rid of her until she runs into the ground. Handles like a dream, hugs corners nicely. Not a racing car, but something to get you from point A to point B without having to worry about reliability issues.
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My Second Subaru
I bought this with 69k miles and so far I put a little over 1000 on it. My 1991 has 190,000 miles on it and still runs good so I got another one. So far so good. This is a very good-looking wagon. I love the awd. Good brakes and handling. It's not too loud inside (there's the common Subaru wind noise) and the ride is smooth. So far no head gasket issues, but the engine has a noisy lifter now when cold and the transmission could be better. Jerky shifts when cold, and it upshifts/downshifts slowly when you need it to. The interior looks good and is solidly-built. Not many squeaks or rattles for 70K miles. Gas mileage bad in city driving 19-21 mpg.
she gave us 130K trouble-free miles
We bought our 2002 Legacy Wagon brand new in 2001. We have put almost 135K miles on her, and now she's burning/leaking about 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles. Mechanic tells us she has a cracked head gasket and unlike older Subarus, where you could simply put a new engine in the thing for about $1500, these models don't work like that and will require repair for about $2000. So we are shopping for a new car. Most likely another (our 3rd) Subaru, as we are addicted to AWD in the unpredictable northwest winters.
Fun to drive around mountains roads.
My car has over 170000 on it. It's still very tight and smooth. It's great in the snow (under 8") with new tires on. I've always had problems with the brakes (front calipers) and of course the wind noise. The check engine light has been on for a long time. New Catalytic converter cost over $1500). All my driving is highway but I haven't done the timing belt yet. I'll do it soon. The dealer was able to correct 50% of the wind noise. The rear defroster isn't very strong compared to other cars. I drive over 1000 miles every week. It only gets 25- 27MPG (due to the AWD and the weight of the car.
I will never buy another Subaru
I bought my 2002 Subaru Legacy GT Sedan Automatic used (36k). Since then, I have had every service performed, including oil changed every 3500 miles. At 92k miles I had to replace the head gaskets (both sides) $1800. At 120k miles the moon roof computer went out (probably used 3 times a year $500) At 126k miles it spun the #3 Rod Bearing and damaged the Crankshaft. ($4300) - the dealer stocks the short block which tells me they are having LOTS of problems with this motor. This car has never been neglected or abused and always had factory parts as replacement. I am very disappointed in this purchase and now I have no car because it's motor blew and it's at the repair shop with no money to fix it
From Outback to GT
Through no fault of its own, a bad rollover accident in my Outback put us into the buyers market again. (lost our Outback, but we walked away) Went looking for another Subie of course! Test drove the 2002 Outback, Forrester and finally the GT. Hands down it was the GT!! With my daily commute of 90 miles (1/3 of the trip on mountain roads) I was glad to switch. The GT handles hair-pin curves and tight situations beautifully. Don't test drive a GT if you don't want to own one.
Junkie
I had this subie for 9 months. It blow one head gasket. So I replaced both of them, after 700 miles it cracked a head. The head lights keep burning out. Wind noise is very loud. Its just a junkie car. Rust is coming in on the rear doors buy the seams. I wash and take care of my cars. But after 5 years and 85,000 miles its just junkie. I will never buy a sub again.