A friend of mine and I have been debating this topic for the last week or so. Basically we're going back and forth about which car would be a better purchase for a young, first time car buyer.

What would be your recommendation? Please give reasons e.g. cost and availability of parts etc.

Thank You.

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Live Green

Im all LGT....but this is n/a....

I guess the mazda V6 would have more bang than the n/a legacy...legacy parts are HARD to come accross, talking from experience.

But you cant compare a V6 to a little 2.0L n/a.....stop grabbing at straws Mazda ppl

I had a mazda 6 as a company car...failure of a car really..heavy...slow..cheap interior..

the good side is its ok on gas..and it looks fairly decent

if u goin RORO plz dont go for a singapore model as the parts are harder to come by..not all but some. You can get a preety decent local used on for about 85-90K..si its preety cheap and easy to maintain

Legacy..well N/A is preety good also. Drove it one...it pulls man..about 160HP which is good for such a big car...the 2.0L N/A is very nice on the gas..very economical

RORO its not that expensive..again dont opt for singapore models cuz of the slightly different parts

JDM used can run u into about 115K..less if u buying from someone who has it already

well b18b_turbo, advised u about the parts..but the good side is..u can eventually get it but it abit pricey..but hell its a legacy dammit lol it not supposed to be cheap

if ur fren's pockets abit shallow id say mazda6..if u have alil cash to play with...Legacy FTW

Seriously as a young first time owner buy something cheaper; have fun with that, then save your pennies and buy a legacy GT (Now you rolling with the big boyz... ).

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(HSI) Handle Speed Intelligently.
Never Drive Faster Than Your Angel Could Fly.

Flex....lol

I have alegacy rear bumper if u want parts

the plain bold truth right there folks!!!

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http://www.benchmarkraceteam.com

Now I know I am missing the mark a bit but hear me out - right now there is a legacy turbo wagon for sale by a reputable tuner for 135K.

http://forums.trinituner.com/forums/vie ... c&&start=0

I know that for the younger crowd a wagon might seem like an old man ride - but trust me ther are plenty advantages to a wagon.

-Large bulky loads fit right in the large hatch door
-If you like your music - sub woofers work much much better in a wagon.
-If those rear seats can fold down (not sure about the legacy) you have a huge storage area for that occasonal airport run
-For the most part a wagon can do everything a sedan can do, but the reverse is not necessarily true.
-And on resale you might find the wagon holding its value better.
-Your insurance on a wagon may be a little lower - even though its a turbo car

And last but not least I personally kinda like the legacy wagon shape.

^^
how did u help the topic?

It's what makes a subaru a subaru.......

No comparison.

prefer legacy

De Hero, u have to understand sumting fadda....d mere fact that the guy said his "friend" is looking at a mazda 6 means that his pockets aint all that deep...so even considering a turbo legacy wagon is out of the question for him IMO

the wagon is identical to the sedan mech etc but dont get fooled by the 135K price tag..personally insurance is very hefty cuz its SUBARU..most companies refusing to insure it. trust me i kno

also the cost of maintence and parts is relatively higher than most cars..jus ask b18b_turbo lol

again i say he shud go with a toyota corolla

Mazda 6 = hot mess
Legacy N/A= is not as satisfying as the GT. may was well save a 20-30K more and go turbo

well said there jadakiss

my first car was a Toyota Corolla, AE101 at that...

then civic, then altezza now LGT...graduating in steps

IMHO the new VTI 1.8 civic and Corollas are the best cars on the road brand new locally for the price/longevity, economical, speed, maitenence ratio

b18b_turbo, how old are u dude? u owned quite abit of cars there man..dont tell me ur 25 eh..i go feel shame lol

i always loved the altezza..the 4cylinder beams tuned engine runs like a beytach!

but i was abit concerned abt parts n whatnot...

Toyotas don't need parts. They need oil changes and gas.

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S-Chassis Trinbago Facebook Group

Local blog MotorEdge™

lol...not even

The older 2.3 V6 was pretty darn good IMHO. Loved the look also.......a car I'd definitely want in my garage at some point.


The 2.0 was a bit down on hp, but so is the Legacy N/A.....150-160 hp feels lack lustre in a car of that weight.... (M6 might be a bit better in performance in terms of whp in this respect).






The best way is for the buyer to take a drive, or at least SIT in both and see which he likes. He can't form an opinion based on OTHER people's preferences.......

AS for parts, Subaru parts might be easier to get..... I've sourced parts for dad's Legacy (n/a as well) through the firm pretty easily. Southern sales on the other hand is known to be troublesome at times when getting parts.





First time car buyer?

Don't limit yourself to a granny-mobile like a Corolla cuz yuh "green". Consider an Altezza, or the new model Civic (if yuh wanna get a new car)........

....but definitely a 1.5 Honda Fit (manual). I've always loved those......I priced a RORO on Japan auction for around 6700 USD (2005 IIRC) 1.5 iVTEC........so that could cost anywhere from 65-95K (not sure how much dealers call for it) It's that good.......and there's a reason why the faceliftd 1.5 made Motortrend's top ten picks for car of the year recently

id say the legacy
prefer that over a mazda...

the only mazda car that gained any respect was the 3rd gen

^^^^ exactly

shocking that i actually find a rotary intresting though
hmm 3rd gen...good stuff

hmmm...so the lil girl know something....

wtf

dude if ur fren looking to get a car ..holla at me. i cud show him/her how to bring it in himself..wud save u about ah 40K.

saved me tons of cash on my legacy gt

and now u saying this?

hmmmm oh really...

b18b_turbo, well u got urs already homie so u kno

But yea i brought in mines and damn..i was shocked..at least 45K cheaper than buying by say crism or bess motors..soo hey im a happy camper

honestly them guys at crism whey too overpriced..selling 2004 singapore models for like 180K...well i priced it shipping and licensed on the road in trinidad and it wud cost about 100K...i was like damn

JDM's are abit higher tho..but not by much.

^^^^^^^^We will need to meet pretty soon buddy.....

_________________
(HSI) Handle Speed Intelligently.
Never Drive Faster Than Your Angel Could Fly.

How can y'all compare the lower-end mazda 6's with the dime-a-dozen LGTs running around T&T??
How many properly equipped 6s have y'all driven?

For a first time driver: I'd buy NONE. Purchase a NZE corolla, get the 1.8 version, some nice comps/coaxs and some nice wheels, and you'll have yourself a pretty decent ride that calls for next to nothing in maintenance....and some cash in hand still.

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FS: One (1) set FET Sports 16" staggered wheels [5*114.3; 16x8 front; 16x9 rear; three piece lightweights]

Razkal, u make a good point..1.8 corolla is the shiznit. my old uwi teacher had one..beastly ride. parts preety pricey on the corolla...dont be fooled man..corolla is quality sh*t u kno !

But the legacy wud get him more girls tho hehe...well unless the 'friend' is a girl..then umm....the girls she attracts , she can jus send them to me

FLEX when ever u ready nah jus holla.

Personally im not trying to make any dealer rich..cuz there are dealers charging 195-200k for a 2006 upwards LGT and u seeing that the price in japan is only $12,000 USD landed in port of spain! It makes u wonder ..hey man...isnt that robbery w/violence lol

just my $0.02 peeps

WHICH 1.8.

Some of them (RORO and new) come with the 1ZZ-FE 1.8L @ 140 hp. Not bad.

But others (fielder wagon Z-tourers or something) come with the 2ZZ-GE 1.8....which is @190 hp.

THat.....would be a great daily drive IMHO.