Considerations for the Legnum

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Hi everyone,

Im looking for a new car, and have been considering the Legnum VR4. Ive been doing a little research into them and have come across the auto gearbox problems. Are these autos as fragile and subject to breaking as Im lead to believe?
The reason im looking at the Legnum is that it seems to fit what Im after in a new car. Wagon, performance, safe, great looks. Something I can use for work, family life and the occassional trip to the skid pan (autotest), track or drag strip.
I do need it to be reliable, and hopefully not need to be spending big bucks fixing things all the time.
Im also a little concerned about the east-west v6 configuration meaning that labour costs involved in working on these cars will be huge.

A bit about me: Im in perth. Im a car detailer. Ive always been into my cars.

Look forward to learning more about these cars, and potentially buying one.

Cheers
Brett
 
hey and welcome,

autos arent too bad as long as theyre serviced and a trans cooler fitted (im lead to believe)

talk to 'madhav' or read the auto gearbox thread in the workshop section for loads of info
 
Hi Brett welcome to OZVR4 if the boxes are serviced properly with the correct oil then they can be good for many K's Some do fail but then you don't always know how they have been treated in the past. It's the same with any auto in my opinion. They aren't that bad to work on either. I do all my own servicing and don't expect to have to use a garage for anything on my Legnum
 
Welcome Brett, I've got an auto and everything works fine...
 
Welcome,

Good to see you have come to some sense and are looking at upgrading to a Mitsubishi (instead of that Subaru) :)

We have had our 99 Type S Legnum Auto for over 1.5 years now. We replaced the Torque Convertor seal not long after owning it as it came from Japan with it leaking. I have installed a Trans cooler on it and have replaced the timing belt, water pump, pullies/bearing's myself.

It isn't too hard to work on. I have "fat-ish" hands but once you remove part's there is space to work on.

Are you North, South, East or West?

Good Luck

Scott
 
even with the auto problems that are around, there are allot of auto cars with new boxes and coolers installed selling for great prices.

the auto is very smooth and i was very impressed when i finally drove one, nearly would have considered an auto if i drove one first.

dont rule them out because of any issues just be aware there may be issues and budget for it, in general these cars arent that much dearer to run or look after then any other car as long as they are looked after.

in January i have been driving mine as a daily drive to and from work, at least 40 km's a day and on avereage they use around 12ltr/100 if driven with respect but still with some degree of speed, i know fords and commodors that use that and have no where near the comfort and speed these cars have.

all the best with your search and welcome to the club and hope we can welcome you to the family once you fight the right one to adopt :-)
 
VR4 WRC said:
Welcome,

Good to see you have come to some sense and are looking at upgrading to a Mitsubishi (instead of that Subaru) :)



Are you North, South, East or West?

Good Luck

Scott
Click to expand...

Haha nah i wont be ditching the Forester. Ive passed her onto my wife. ATM im running around in a 97 Suzuki Swift Cino(blahh), after the demise of my wifes 94 Lancer wagon (4G93 sohc 1.8) Its got a blocked rad which Im going to fix then sell the car. hence im pretty keen to get into something else.
My Forester although its just the 2.5 n/a handles like a dream with STi suspension and sway bars. In fact the handling out performs the engine big time on the skid pan.

Im northern suburbs.

Who would you recommend for servicing and maintenance? RPW? As much as Id love to be, Im not that handy with the spanners. Plus Id rather pay someone who knows what they are doing to look after my car. I like to use workshops that specialise in that particular type of car too.

My new car will be the face of my detailing business. I need it to look the part(which the Legnum does imo), and most importantly be reliable. Fuel consumption doesnt really matter too much. Im sure if I drive off boost I can get reasonable numbers. but my Fuel is all tax deductable so its not too much of an issue.
 
Does anyone know where I could find a diagram for the boot layout? I need to know some dimensions.
 
Heya Brett,

Welcome to the forums. In regards to boot dimensions, check out these threads here and here (search is your friend :))

With an auto box, as long as it is maintained and service properly with the right fluids and on time there shouldn't be any problem. Although, your not likely going to know how the car was treated before so a fluid change when you get the car is a necessity.

If you have more questions and want to see these cars in the flesh come check out the next WA Meet/Cruise here
 
^^^ thanks heaps for that. Man thats a big boot. Leggy is looking better with every little piece of info I get.

I should have known better about the search button. My bad.

Ill keep my eyes on the cruise thread and if I can make it, I'll come along to the first meet point and have a looksie.
 
A fluid change with the right fluid is very important. The ATF needs to be Mitsi SP3 and you need 10 litres of it!
 
Im finding something quite funny. I would ideally like a manual, but it seems that most of the ones for sale in my budget are auto. Normally you'd pay more for auto. Just an observation.

So Im basically sold on the Legnum as a suitable car for me. now I just need to find the right one.

Priorities are:
*Manual. (If I could find an auto for super cheap I would consider getting Madhav's built auto box aswell).
*less than 100 thou kms (unless theres is proof of high level of maintenance which is probably more important).
*prefer white ,but that purple could look sweet with a really good high gloss polish.
*My budget is $12k incl freight from interstate and WA rego. So really looking about $10K for an interstate car.
 
Get in touch with Iron Chef, you won't find what you are after for that sort of money unfortunately. Local manual's under 100k km's start at about $12k and go up from there. The chef may be able to get you a bargain from Japan coming in for close to that sort of money. Our exchange rate is pretty good at the moment so that's where i'd be looking :)

Good luck!
 
It sucks that Im self employed. If I was earning wages I'd use some holiday time and get a cheap flight over east and drive a car home. Unfortunately the loss of earning means that doing a road trip to pick up a purchased car costs me just as much as transporting one. Ive had quotes of about 1100-1200 from Vic to Perth (depot to depot) which is about what I paid to get a Festiva from Sydney a few years ago.
Its a shame because I couldnt think of a better way to get to know a new car, and Id really love to drive the great ocean road.
 
Since a manual isn't really in your budget, maybe you should give an auto a test drive if you can find any near you. I've always loved manual gearboxes and still do, but these autos shift so quickly in auto or tiptronic mode, nothing like commodore and falcon boxes.
 
Have you spoken to stuart at south freo auto imports? He usually has a few in stock? $10k for a series 1 auto is definitely possible.
 
It needs 100k service and a clutch.... (Brad aka King Panther posted about it in the NSW spotted thread :()
 
No website, just google him for his contact details.
 
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