To sell or not to sell...
 

Wassup RS,

I'm have a dilemma and maybe your opinions can help me make up my mind. I currently own a 2005 2.5 Legacy GT (5EAT) and I really like driving it. It's nice and quick and has AWD which is nice in winter.. However, gas is expensive nowadays and I don't know if it's a good idea to keep a car that has such high fuel consumption :okay:

When i got this car last September, it was at 87,xxx km now it's at 91,xxx km but I got this car for 9,500

So the question is...Should i attempt to sell this car and make some money for a more economical car? something like a 06-08 civic, csx, or any suggestions you guys may have. OR should i just keep Legacy and slowly modify it and hope gas prices drop...

What would you do if you were in my position?

1) gas prices won't drop
2) you will likely lose more money in changing cars than you will save on gas
3) in 5 monts you've driven 4,000km - not exactly high annual km's, so see point 2) above
4) you're talking about modifying your car, which will cost way more than a bit of gas (and will likely decrease fuel economy and reliability), so your priorities don't really seem to be straight - so if money is a real concern, do not mod a car
5) you speak to driving enjoyment - kiss that goodbye with a non-Si civic - nice cars, but not drivers cars (i owned one, well an Si model)

Keep it.

The amount you drive does not justify your reason to sell. It's a nice car. Keep it. And even if you buy a supposed economy car (i.e. Civic, Corolla, Mazda 3 etc.) You're back to square one because you repeat the vicious cycle. Some of the variables to your equation are actually constants, for example, mostly city or highway driving, your driving style etc. Remember, city driving will always punch you in the face when it comes to gas mileage. You can't change that.

Save up a few hundred bucks. Buy a bicycle and go ride to your destination as an alternative means of transportation.

legacy gt gas consumption can't honestly be that bad compared to an econobox..especially factoring how much you've driven in the past 6 months

Thanks for the input,

I guess keeping the car would be the better decision. :considered:

Haha trust me man.. money is the issue for me. When i said i wanted modify it, i just meant cosmetically. And even then i would have to wait until i graduate and get a real job... I guess the only reason I wanted to sell this car is because i drive to school everyday from richmond to burnaby which makes this car a lot less fuel efficient than it should be with all the city driving.

well i'm getting 330-350 km per tank.. and each tank costs about $75-80
i use to drive my family's 2010 tsx, and that gets 450-480 km for the same price.. maybe that's why i think i'm spending a lot on gas, because i have another car to compare it to..

if you can't afford your gas, don't even consider wasting money on cosmetic mods - this is financial (and boring) advice, but if money is a real concern, I'd fear a cosmetic mod would not be a worthy way to spend money

stick it out (take the bus? if you can), and wait until you earn better money to play with mods

the legacy is supposed to have pretty decent fuel economy for a car of its size. I can't see why you are complaining.

If you dont drive much, and do only small distance driving, then fuel consumption is going to be affected.

My friend with a 2007 legacy spec B is getting great gas mileage in his car. Mean while, I have a old V8 BMW and an old turbo Volvo. I drive a lot and my cars are not quite economical. I also plan to get an R129 Mercedes V8 too. I consider vehicle built quality, and safety over fuel economy.

dude an 05 for 9500 with only 87k. that's pretty good dude.

i loove that car, i'd buy one if i ever got bored of my g35. and wanted something more practical.

Like what others said, 10000km is nothing, and you are probably driving hard/needing a tune up with only 350km a tank. My SUV gets better mileage than that. Its a turbo car, stay out of boost if you want more mileage.

You can also get the car tuned, COBB Accessport or Opersource, some people report gains in mileage because of the way too safe stock tune.

If you like the car, keep it, it isn't going to get much better than that. You might gain some fuel mileage with a trade, but you are losing a whole lot more in terms of refinement, cash, power, and looks.

Just think about the Alberto bumper for the Legacy if you are into looks.
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg405...jpg&res=medium
Or maybe the JDM bumper is more your thing.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...DSC_0015-1.jpg

cognitive dissonance

get a motorcycle yeaaaaaaaa

if not, then id just keep the Subaru.
i would not mod it though.

this is ironic of me to say on a car forum, but cars are money pits and cost of modding does not appreciate(enough) upon resale.

who gave you the idea it was supposed to? :suspicious:

nobody.
hes worried about his finances but he wants to mod his car, that's why i had to remind him

How did you find a LGT for $9.5K? Is it a rebuilt? If it's not, send me a PM!

*EDIT* Ahh s*iet , didn't see the 5EAT.. Grrr...

haha yeah, it was private sale from my friend. he had an extra car and wanted to get rid of it.



EvoFire: Thanks for the pointers, I haven't been driving it hard (only time i do is to get through yellow lights, which doesn't really count) maybe you're right it just needs a tune up. Yeah the JDM one looks great haha, same colour as well. :megusta:

You can also think about looking for a manual one, there are 1 or 2 for sale right now. Sell urs, buy a manual. Learn how to drive it right and save more gas.

btw no offence, 5EAT kind of sucks.

It costs about twice as much as say an echo on 87 octane. But yeah like everyone has said, you won't drive enough to see the benefits.

I've driven a spec-b with 6 speed quite a bit and even that is not exactly fun to drive. The power is nice but steering feel is absolute crap no matter how I try to look at it. I do appreciate the semi-sleeper quality to it though but as a driver's car it leaves much to be desired.

Im in the same shoes as OP, but i drive manual and my car almost hittin 100k miles . 65 bucks a tank of gas 375-400km . =( Wanting to switch cars but too lazy to sell car . Evo 8 !

if you cant afford for the gas/insurance /maintenance (altogether combined) then public transit is the way to go.

gas won't drop, lol. that mad me laugh OP.

the 7th gen civics (01-05) get 35mpg real world. these have trans. problems on the autos

the 8th gens did a bit worse, i'd guess because of the weight. these have block cracking problems, unless you buy an si with a K engine.

and those are the only years you'd probabley be looking at for the same cash value as your current car.

you could buy an older one, and pocket the money or us it for mods, if a honda's really what you want.

Don't spool the turbo?

This is what I drove while in school. Very good on gas, cheap insurance, little maintenance, much easier to drive in Vancouver winters than Ottawa winters:

http://pistescyclables.ca/bikes/102_1129s.jpg

In this case, you have too much 'gas' and you could stand to lose of few lbs of fit :troll:

Hardly do.

I refuelled at the campus pub with beer and nachos, and it was powered by hopes and dreams.