The Beginning of a Legacy

[twitcher]

Over the weekend, I bought this 2000 Subaru Legacy GT-B E-Tune (sorry had to upload to my twitter account as my photobucket account is acting strange).



• 4 Speed Automatic (not ideal, but I can live with it)
• 85,000km
• JDM, right hand drive
• I’m the second Canadian owner (bought it from a friend who bought it from an importer in Vancouver)
• has new radiator, alternator, MAF sensor, turbo solenoids, timing belt, water pump, fan belts, plugs & wires, tie rods, pads and rotors all around, K&N air filter, exhaust (with a Magniflow tip that I don’t like and will be replacing eventually). Also came with a set of Toyo winter tires that only have one season on them.

I don’t really have crazy plans for this car, as I don’t have tons of money to throw at it right now. The plan is to keep it as a Sunday driver for making runs to the ski hill and doing road trips in. Reliability and creature comforts will be the main focus.

First priority is to get the stereo working, as it currently has the stock JDM head unit that doesn’t pick up North American radio waves, and the CD player is basically toast (who uses CDs??). The two rear door speakers are also slightly blown. The plan is first to get a new head unit, something I can connect my phone or iPod too, and then work on replacing all of the speakers. Not going for any kind of extreme sound system, just something so I can enjoy tunes on the road. I’ve read that changing the head units on these cars is a real pain, as they’re integrated with the h-vac controls. I need to do some more research, but it sounds like it might involve buying some parts from Japan, and maybe even a wiring harness from a guy on the NASIOC forums who builds and sells them.

Edit: turns out the integrated stereo/h-vac unit only applies to 2005 and newer (Gen 4 and newer) Legacies. The current head unit uses an external amp, so when I install a new head unit that has a built in amp, I just need to run new speaker wires, which I probably would have done anyways. Dodged a bit of a bullet with that one

By the end of the summer, I want to get a second set of wheels to put the winters on, so I can swap them myself. Eventually I want to get a set of nice summer wheels, no idea what yet...too many choices lol.

I also want to get a ski box for the roof (it also came with a roof rack that I’ve taken off for the time being). I’ll probably wrap or paint the box to match the car.

Long term, I eventually want to get some adjustable coil overs to lower the car slightly, and do some sort of STi brake swap. For power, as of now I only want to do a full STi exhaust, and an intake, then get the tune adjusted. As of now, that’s all still a few years away.

 

[wfooshee]

Can't talk about the car at all, but get away from Photobucket!!! At all costs!!!!

I use Flickr, but the paid version, as I'm a photographer and need the upload space. Free Flickr exists but limits you to 1000 images. Don't have any other suggestions, but Photobucket's changes over the years lost me a LOT of uploaded images!!!! They absolutely suck, and everyone that's ever worked for them should eat 🤬 and die, and rot in hell forever.

Not that I have any opinion on the matter...

 

[JrDarknes]

Man, been sooo long since I’ve seen your username but I definitely remember you. I demand a team Nemesis sticker on this car ASAP.

Nice pick up. Looks very clean. I see a lot legacy’s modded where I’m at. They can look really nice with mods.

Also I agree with wfooshe. Recommend Flickr. I personally use google photos now since it’s a bit cheaper than Flickr.

 

[SVX]

Wowee, didn't expect this. Have grown up with these since my childhood so please feel free to ask me any questions - I have some Legacy Hyper Rev duplicates if you'd want them for inspiration too! As well as that, these are/were extensively imported here so I can get my hands on a lot of cool parts and accessories (SYMS grills are very common) which I'd be very happy to help out with. I know my dad has some Tein coilovers he'd part ways with too.

That aside, it's not a 2004. It's a prefacelift, so at latest a 2001 - they had a revised headlight design almost midway through 2001 where they then called it the E Tune (with the inclusion of tiptronic with the transmission), and replacing the model in '03.

 

[twitcher]

Man, been sooo long since I’ve seen your username but I definitely remember you. I demand a team Nemesis sticker on this car ASAP.

Nice pick up. Looks very clean. I see a lot legacy’s modded where I’m at. They can look really nice with mods.

Also I agree with wfooshe. Recommend Flickr. I personally use google photos now since it’s a bit cheaper than Flickr.

Hey man, been a long time! I definitely remember you from the GT5/GT6 drift forums...the good’ole days

I think I just saw in another thread that you live in Washington now? There’s definitely a lot of cool Legacy Wagons in the Pacific Northwest, lots of inspiration.

Wowee, didn't expect this. Have grown up with these since my childhood so please feel free to ask me any questions - I have some Legacy Hyper Rev duplicates if you'd want them for inspiration too! As well as that, these are/were extensively imported here so I can get my hands on a lot of cool parts and accessories (SYMS grills are very common) which I'd be very happy to help out with. I know my dad has some Tein coilovers he'd part ways with too.

That aside, it's not a 2004. It's a prefacelift, so at latest a 2001 - they had a revised headlight design almost midway through 2001 where they then called it the E Tune (with the inclusion of tiptronic with the transmission), and replacing the model in '03.

Always happy to find knowledgeable people, I’ll probably be asking some questions at some point lol.

What’s a Legacy Hyper Rev? I’ve never heard the term.

As far as cool parts...I’m honestly scared lol. I’ve had the car for 4 days, gone for a drive every day...but I’ve avoided diving into all the forums and IG accounts to start looking at parts and stuff, it’s almost overwhelming, not sure where to start.

Tein coil overs sound really interesting, but I have to do some saving first.

As far as the year, you’re right, I’m an idiot lol. I just talked to my friend I bought it from, he says it’s a 2000. Where I got 04 from, I have no idea. Mine has the tiptronic though.

 

[-Fred-]

What’s a Legacy Hyper Rev? I’ve never heard the term.

It's a very dangerous thing to have in your possession.

https://www.nengun.com/hyper-rev/

It's basically a magazine/catalog that lists just about every aftermarket part you can think of for said model. I had (and probably still have, stacked in a box of old stuff somewhere in my parents basement) a few of the Integra/Civic ones back in the day.

 

[twitcher]

It's a very dangerous thing to have in your possession.

https://www.nengun.com/hyper-rev/

It's basically a magazine/catalog that lists just about every aftermarket part you can think of for said model. I had (and probably still have, stacked in a box of old stuff somewhere in my parents basement) a few of the Integra/Civic ones back in the day.

Yikes, that sounds incredibly dangerous

Edit: @SVX I don’t know how I missed it until now, but I had a look at my grill, and it has the E-Tune badge on it. So I’m guessing that, combined with the tiptronic, would confirm that it is in fact an E-Tune?

I’m even more stoked now

 

[SVX]

It's a very dangerous thing to have in your possession.

https://www.nengun.com/hyper-rev/

It's basically a magazine/catalog that lists just about every aftermarket part you can think of for said model. I had (and probably still have, stacked in a box of old stuff somewhere in my parents basement) a few of the Integra/Civic ones back in the day.

Can confirm the dangerousness... I've collected 49 issues so far. Trying my best to collect them all up to vol. 120.

Edit: @SVX I don’t know how I missed it until now, but I had a look at my grill, and it has the E-Tune badge on it. So I’m guessing that, combined with the tiptronic, would confirm that it is in fact an E-Tune?

Yep, they also have the illuminated gauge cluster;

pre-E Tune

E Tune;

 

[twitcher]

With not a whole lot going on this weekend, and some absolutely perfect weather, I took the Legacy out for a drive. I headed south from Kelowna, where I live, and explored some back roads around Oliver and Penticton BC. I took a ton of photos, and decided to show off some of the area where I live. It’s beautiful country, and not what most people picture when they think of “Canada”. Small confession, my phone battery died part way through the return trip, so I decided to go back the next day and take some more pictures Twice the driving fun.


Southern Okanagan Valley

This is on Highway 97 headed south, between Okanagan Falls and Oliver, at Vaseaux Lake. Highway 97 is the main highway that runs north/south through the valley.


I got off 97 at Road 22 (what a creative name)


These old buildings are just beside the intersection where Road 22 meets with Black Sage Road and Radio Tower Road.


I took Radio Tower Rd south


Eventually coming to the north end of Osoyoos Lake

 

[twitcher]

I turned onto Nk’Mip Road, and passed through what’s marked on the map as Inakeep, but the only thing I saw was this old church


Slightly before Nk’Mip Rd reaches Oliver, there’s a small road called Area 27 Way, which takes you to Area 27 (again, the name leaves something to be desired)


Area 27 is a newly built race track that was designed by Jacques Villeneuve. The primary focus is track days for club members, and a performance driving school, but they do have plans to hopefully grow the facilities and eventually host some forms of Motorsport (not F1, I believe it’s currently a Grade 2 circuit).


There’s a public viewing area outside the gates, marked by the star in the photo above. It gives you a decent vantage of T1 and the straight to T2, as well as the infield hairpin T14. Unfortunately (but understandably) there was no one on the big track. There’s a dirt path that follows the southern and eastern sides of the track, but it was actually pretty cold and really windy, so I decided against walking around.

 

[twitcher]

The main gate was open, so I drove in, but the gate to the clubhouse and pit area was closed. These are are the Camaros for the driving school.


There’s also a kart track, and a couple people were doing laps, doing what looked like some setup or tuning.


Here’s an on-board lap in a Nissan GTR GT3
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=THv_3LggyYg&noapp=1

And here’s the link to their website
https://www.area27.ca/

 

[twitcher]

After leaving Area 27, I drove up McKinney Road, which goes up to the Mount Baldy ski area.


About 20km up, the pavement turns to gravel. Someone has what looks like a motocross ranch up there, with a track, and all kinds of ramps for freestyle.


There still some snow hidden in the trees


On the way down, I came across some wild horses grazing on the side of the road.

 

[twitcher]

Looks like scenery from a western movie




“Wiiiiiild horses, couldn’t drag me a-way”. I had that song stuck in my head for the next half hour....I really need to get the stereo working


I left Oliver taking the Oliver Ranch Road north to Okanagan Falls, where I picked up East Side Road, which follows the east side of Skaha Lake between OK Falls and Penticton. Highway 97 is on the other side of the lake


The best kind of road sign

 

[twitcher]

At one point I took a random side road that snaked up the hillside through groups of houses perched on cliffs, and found this road of empty lots, ready for new houses to go in. There were two hawks circling overhead, and luckily they cooperated for the photo. Wouldn’t be a bad view out your living room window.


Some of the Okanagan’s infamous “urban deer”, as I call them, chillin’ in someone’s front yard.


East Side Road eventually goes down to the lake level, where it follows the shore to Penticton.




This is at the south end of Penticton, at one of the many public parks and beaches along Skaha Lake Road

 

[twitcher]

On the north side of Penticton, the complete opposite end of town, is the Penticton Yatch Club, on Okanagan Lake


Standard graffiti shots




I was parked on Lakeshore Drive, at Penticton’s north end along the southern shores of Okanagan Lake, waiting for a cloud to move


When a second JDM Legacy GTB cruised by. Obviously we had to meet (no hand shaking) and get a few pics. His was a 5 speed manual and had the sunroofs, so I was pretty jealous. Got some info about the car clubs in Penticton, and then we parted ways.

 

[twitcher]

Leaving Penticton, I took Highway 97 north towards Kelowna


This stretch of road is usually packed with RVs, boat trailers, semis, and “red-plates” (Albertans who don’t know how to drive), but this time I had the road pretty much to myself.


Just before the town of Peachland, the highway drops down to lake level. Rumour has it that when conditions are right and there’s a super strong northerly wind, you can surf at this beach on the side of the road....so they say.


This is the waterfront in Peachland, which is km after km of public beaches. The other side of the street is shops, restaurants, and pubs. Across the lake on the left side of the picture, basically in line the the windshield, is the southern end of Kelowna. The mountain going up to the right is Kelowna Mountain, which burned in a massive forest fire in 2005, destroying several hundred homes (which is why cedar shingles are now illegal here). Evacuations because of fires are not uncommon...most of our forest fires are started by stupid people, only a few are because of lightning.


This is the Gasthaust Pub, a Bavarian smoke house that has some amazing food.

 

[twitcher]

Further along the waterfront, more beaches (and what looks like a big bird about to eat a little bird)


Back on Highway 97 climbing out of Peachland to the interchange with the Okanagan Connector, the main highway to Vancouver. Once you pass through the interchange, you’re basically in West Kelowna.


Finally back home in Kelowna for one of our famous sunsets. I’m pretty sure that’s Venus in the sky, but I could be wrong



Not sure why the pictures all have those black bars around them, I haven’t uploaded pictures from Flickr for a while now, I don’t remember that happening before.

 

[eran0004]

Great pictures! It’s nice to see the car looking to be in good shape

 

[twitcher]

First update. One of the front parking lights burnt out, so I used it as an excuse to buy some white LED bulbs. The parking lights match the colour of the low beams a lot closer now, which is good....not exactly the same though, which kind of annoys me, so that’s something else to add to the list.



I’ve also come to realize the the headlights are still aligned for driving on the left side of the road, so I need to align them properly for driving on the right side of the road. I’m not exactly sure how that got through inspection, but whatever. I found some decent info about adjusting headlights on Subaru’s here

https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/headlight-adjustments.165393/

And here

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthr...l?s=d2a28ac19705889b02b6019d1d2b30a5&

Now I just need to get around to doing it.

Some random pictures from around the outskirts of Kelowna



Beaver Lake Road


Gallagher’s Canyon and Black Mountain


McCulloch Road

 

[twitcher]

This past weekend, I took the car on it’s first long road trip, putting on about 1000km over 2 days. I didn’t really keep track of the gas mileage, but at highway speeds it seemed to be quite efficient. The AC works great, almost too good at times. A quirk I’ve discovered is that when any of the lights are turned on, the display unit for the HVAC controls goes into dim mode, so glancing at it while driving on a sunny day is pretty difficult. I’m not sure if that’s “working as intended” or if there’s a wiring issue. I’m going to look into it more when I tackle the stereo.

Along Highway 6 between the towns of Nakusp and New Denver, I saw a bear walk across the road about 200m in front of me. I slowed down for a closer look at what I thought was just another black bear, but it turns out it was a young grizzly. In almost 25 years of living in BC, I’ve never seen a grizzly bear this close and this low in the valley. I’ve only ever watched them through binoculars from far away, and much much higher up in the mountains.


These next two pictures are from the camp ground in New Denver, on Slocan Lake.




I took a small detour to explore a little valley I’d never been through before. This is where the Pend d’Orielle River meets the Columbia River, south of Trail BC, very close to the American border. The white water you can see in the distance is the Pend d’Orielle River draining out of the Waneta Dam. The buildings on the hill above the river are part of the border crossing station.

 

[twitcher]

Upstream from the Waneta Dam on the Pend d’Orielle is 7 Mile Dam, which has a paved road leading to it that follows the river.







This is back where the Pend d’Orielle meets the Columbia


This is the bridge over the Pend d’Orielle that leads to the border crossing. When people from the US arrive in Canada, we force them to share and take turns immediately.