You made the request and I heard it loud and clear! Back again for the second week in a row is a JDM wagon feature that many of you had requested in 2023. This week’s blog entry features a well-driven Subaru Legacy wagon owned by Eddie from Southern California. What makes Eddie’s build truly unique is the fact that he went to Subaru Legacy GT wagon route over the more popular Impreza WRX wagon. The story on how he came into this wagon ownership is also an interesting one!
From its outside appearance, this Subaru means business and ready to carve the local canyon roads. What’s not to like from a set of Wedsport SA-72R wheels wrapped in meaty tires with aggressive tread?!? Peep behind those wheels and you will find 4-pot Brembo brakes setup from its WRX STI sibling. A more aggressive stance is also achieved by lowering the wagon with coilovers. The real jewel of Eddie’s build is located under the hood; you see… the US-spec Subaru Legacy was only offered in 2.5 N/A engine mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. With the latter being unrealiable while deeming the 168HP engine as slow, Eddie went down the familiar road with his previous builds: a 2.5 Turbo engine from a Subaru STI complete with 6-speed manual transmission. Complete with basic bolt-on additions, this Subaru Legacy now has enough power to back up its aggressive appearance!
After spending a total of 2 years of fine tuning the wagon, Eddie can finally say that he is content with this wagon. His only plan for it now is to drive it more while making memorable memories with his dog as the co-pilot in the wagon.
Introduce Yourself
Eddie Arredondo From Southern California. I work full time managing a warehouse and on my spare time i build nothing but Subarus.
WHY A WAGON?
Me and my dad would drive through our neighborhood from time to time and we noticed an old subaru wagon sitting in a driveway. We would see this wagon very often in the same spot just collecting dust. One day my dad got this crazy idea to go knock on the persons door to ask about it. The man who owned the vehicle answered the door and after talking with him he said we could make an offer because he could not fix the problems it had. We offered 500$ and he replied with “I’ll take 4 just get it out of here “. After bringing it home and getting it cleaned up it just grew on me and from then on, i was a wagon guy.
What truly inspired me to do the build was my love for subaru cars in general. I’ve had turbo model sedans and to me, this could be a bigger version of that with the right pieces.
Did you consider a different WAGON instead of this one?
Being that the wagon world was all new to me i did not consider anything else
What was your original objective with your car and has that objective changed?
My original objective was to have a clean daily driver with automatic transmission for comfort but after many problems with the dreaded Subaru 5EAT transmision i decided to go with the stuff i knew would hold up.
What style would you say best describes your car?
JDM Touring wagon
Who assisted in the planning/building/modding of your car?
I did all planning myself and built everything myself which took roughly 2 years to source all parts and get it running correctly .
What do you feel makes your car unique / special in your eyes?
Subaru did not make these models turbo in the states from 00-04 so to be one of the few in the entire US is very special
What is your favorite part/feature/function of the car?
My favorite part had to be the STI 6 speed . Coming from a disgusting auto that gave me nightmares i love shifting through the gears !
If you could pick one thing you aren’t satisfied with about your car, what would it be?
The one thing I’m not satisfied with is the interior. I feel like it still needs work in that area
What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve faced while building this car?
The biggest obstacle was sourcing a harness to run the turbo swap. I had to have an auto dismantler in Michigan to take apart a subaru turbo just to get what i needed
What one word best describes your car?
Long
What is your final goal with this car?
My final goal is to have the ultimate subaru wagon. Comfort, with some smiles per gallon!
