E39 vs 4th gen Legacy

I'd be interested in opinions of the hive on the 6 cylinder E39s and H6 4th gen Legacy.   E39 would be either an '98 528i 5MT or a 528i slushbox (various model years, '97, '00, '01), Legacy would be 2008/9 3.0R with the 5EAT (no manuals here nor national market GTs).  My preference is for manuals, but in general here there are more autos.  One possible plus for the auto is I'm starting to have some left knee issues, possibly due to how much time I spend in traffic at the moment.  Another option is the R50 Pathfinder, but there are precious few, and prices rocketed during COVID, and show no signs of coming down.  E39 after a cooling refresh would be similar to the Mazda sale value, Legacy around $1k more, R50 $2.5k more, and likely in need of a few bits.

Usage case is around 150 - 200kms a week (typically 8-9 hours a week), mostly school run (2 kids in boosters) on the highway now but mostly in heavy traffic, and also occasional unsurfaced track (1-2kms ish), and several very low-grip junctions where it's a stop-turn-right into heavy traffic, ie traction and some acceleration are useful.  It is sufficiently low grip to be very frustrating in FWD.  Also occasional beach trips (2 hrs/110kms each way) and a couple of times a year a 12 hour trip up through the Andes (going over 13,000 fasl) with patches of no cell phone reception (no AAA here...).  Additional planned maintenance is ok, unreliability isn't.

My venerable 1st gen Mazda 3 is still going strong, although it does need new front rotors and a clutch at some point - but if I'm honest I'm bored, especially of FWD .  Coupled with that is that I'd like something that SWMBO finds a bit more acceptable on the highway so not all trips have to be in the ever-more-needy LR3, and I'd just like something that I look forward to driving.  The 3 is ok, but I only enjoy it if really pushing on, which is rarely possible here in Lima.  Don't tell anyone, but as I'm aging I think I wouldn't object to something a bit, well, nicer.

What has better parts availability there in Peru?

I'm no Subaru fan but the H6 seems like one of their better motors and should be enough power to drive the Andes and it should be more reliable than a 20 year old BMW in daily use and should have much better traction as that is an issue that RWD will not solve.  

I can only speak to the GT versions of the Legacy, but I was always pleasantly surprised with the 5EAT transmission in my old Legacy GT. Overall the car was comfortable and practical. At stock power levels the rwd BMW may be a little more exciting to drive than the awd subaru, but awd is nice to have in inclimate weather or low traction scenarios.

In terms of reliability.. some people have great luck, but my subaru was no stranger to a tow truck. However, most of my problems stemmed from turbo subaru things. I now drive an older Lexus for the reliability, utility, and offroadyness.

Thanks guys.  Parts availability is crap for everything, unless you want stolen bits from Kia Rios/Hyundai Accents/Toyota Yaris (taxis here), in which case you go to a lovely street in the middle of Lima, say what you want, wait half an hour ignoring the sirens and gunshots, and then your parts appear..Note - don't leave your car parked out of sight, 'cos it'll be missing bits when you go back 

I import everything, Rockauto will get most stuff that's in stock here in 5-10 days, and Partsouq (Middle Eastern supplier for OEM bits) can get OEM parts here in 2-3 weeks.

I normally recommend E39s because they have such a great junkyard presence and cheap parts... but that's here in the South East US.

The e39 is an amazing car.  That said, literally every single part will break.  This includes the window regulators, the dash instruments, the seats, the plastic radiator hose connectors, the valvetrain in the engine, and so on.  Oh, and don't ever rev one over 5000 RPMs more than once.  These cars were literally called "the best car ever made" by a major publication, and they were, for about 15 minutes (first warranty claim).

rustomatic said:

Oh, and don't ever rev one over 5000 RPMs more than once. 

Not sure where you got that one from. There're plenty of M54s being wrung out in E46s and Z3s daily.

I owned an H6/5EAT 4th gen Legacy (Outback) here in the US for 5 years or so, and I before that I owned a 3rd gen. I loved the engine and transmission in the 4th gen. The EZ30 loves to rev and makes a nice noise and pretty good power. It feels so much more lively than the 4cyl engines. The 5EAT, too, is a huge improvement over the 4EAT. The interior is much nicer-looking than the older models, but it doesn't wear as well. The soft-touch coated and painted plastics get ratty-looking over time.

The car is huge fun at low speeds with low grip. I ran snow tires in the winter and had an absolute blast. At higher speeds, it's not as fun. Subaru screwed something up in the rear suspension geometry of this generation, and I think the body lift of the Outbacks makes it worse. They can feel twitchy and unstable on the highway in the rain or snow in a way that the older ones didn't. I replaced all the rubber bushings in the rear suspension (big job, there are a lot of them) and swapped the 4th gen shocks for 3rd gen shocks (same dimensions, but stiffer) and it helped.

Oh, also, the gas mileage on these is crap, and they need premium. I never got more than 24MPG, and they feel noticeably more sluggish from the ECU pulling timing if you use anything less than 91 octane.

Thanks very much for that obsolete.   I always use 95 or 98 RON here anyway, and accept either option would be an MPG hit over the Mazda.  Yes, I'd heard the "instability" was worse on the Outback, although speeds here typically are low.

Interesting your comment on the interior - I looked at one just before COVID and thought the interior was notably worse than my Mazda, I thought it was just a bad example of the breed but maybe not...

I own a 4th gen Legacy (4cyl na, 5mt) and love it. Had a 2000 e46 328i before and I like the Legacy much better. Could do with more power of course. I have heard reports of the rear suspension quirks obsolete is talking about (on the forums it's sometimes called "Ghost Walking") but believe that's exclusively on the raised ride height Outback. I have never found mine to be twitchy or unstable, with the right tires you can drive like a complete jackass in inclement weather without consequences. 

I have owned my 4th gen legacy for almost 17 years. I keep saying I want a new car but this just won't let me down. I just replaced the starter and that was the only the second time it stranded me temporarily. Both time were due to 18yr old starter. Not too bad in my book. I think it drives nicely. I added a whiteline rear seat bar that tightened it up a bit. It's no M3 but damn it is a good reliable workhorse. Great in snow with proper tires. 

buzzboy said:

rustomatic said:

Oh, and don't ever rev one over 5000 RPMs more than once. 

Not sure where you got that one from. There're plenty of M54s being wrung out in E46s and Z3s daily.

Including several stage rally cars, which pretty much live at those rev levels!