club.liberty.asn.au

Hi Guys,

New to this forum and Subarus in general, recently bought a 2018 Outback 3.6R with my partner and love it to bits. Work recently has had me traveling a lot more so to preserve the outback (only 13,000 on the clock) I’ve started to look for a liberty to get me around. Originally was looking at Gen 4 GT manual but these seem to be hard to come by atm in decent nick and for a reasonable price So I’ve expanded my search and am now looking into a Gen 5, perhaps in a 3.6r again as the old EJ25 reliability worries me slightly

Have been involved with japanese cars since i was 18 and imported my first 1994 180sx via prestige motorsport in WA, was one of the most amazing cars i've ever had and still regret selling to this day. Had many other 180sx’s, silvias, an S15, couple of JZX100s and beautiful C33 laurel which I used back in my drifting days. Been abit more subdued in the last 9+ years due to family commitments but am looking forward to modding a car again!

Looking forward to getting more involved in the forum, learning a lot and hopefully being able to contribute one day

Cheers

Welcome.

I also had trouble finding "Gen 4 GT manual ... in decent nick and for a reasonable price" in Queensland back in 2015/2016. I can't imagine it has gotten easier. I ended up getting a SH Forester.

Good luck with the car acquisition and modifications.

[The Tassie connection, the drifting interest and all those RWD cars amused me. It must be a miracle you haven't gone off some wet mountain-road corner. ]

Hi and welcome

Lots of good info here for you, no matter what you choose in the end.

Welcome to the forum!

Speaking from experience it is definitely worth the wait for a Gen 4 GT manual, however yes you will be waiting for some time especially if you're looking in Tas only. After inspecting around 10 vehicles in Vic of all varieties most were garbage, it is very tough to find one in decent condition. I only pulled the trigger after nearly 2 years of searching (although I was a lot more specific on what I wanted). They definitely do exist but you have to be prepared to wait, and chances are it will probably still need a bit of work (which is completely expected for a vehicle of this age). Nothing wrong with a Gen 5 though.

Keep an eye out on here and the Facebook page where there's usually a handful of listings making the rounds.

Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

lol yes Yowie I'm surprised too, had some very close calls but I've been pretty lucky (touch wood) Thankfully I grew up and moved all that stuff to the track before anything bad happened

Thanks for the advice Turbo Lag and I'd love to wait for the perfect car but im on abit of a time frame My job atm is putting nearly 1200km on my car per fortnight, I'm about to start a house build (aka will be poor forever haha) and need something to truck the kids around. I've been looking all over Australia but having to rely on pre-sales vehicle inspections as I haven’t been able to fly due to Covid. There are some lovely cars out there but most are pushing close to 20k for something with 150,000km+ on it and the longevity of the EJ25 worries me slightly as it might be a funds juggle to afford an engine replacement.

I could be totally wrong about the EJ25 as I have zero experience but reading forums it seems fairly common for them to pop around the 200,000 mark (and why my focus has shifted to a 3.6r). If the car was south of 14k when i could factor in an STI shortblock but a 18 to 20k Gen 4 wont leave anything in the piggy bank for a new engine

On a Gen 5 it's more common for the radiator to pop at around 200,000ks

I’d just buy any manual subaru, preferably a lib, put GT brakes on it and the best shocks you can afford.
The right manual GT could take months to pop up.

I’m not a fan of GenV in general, they’re too different from gen4 and not in any appreciably better aspects imho.

bigBADbenny wrote:I’m not a fan of GenV in general, they’re too different from gen4 and not in any appreciably better aspects imho.

except maybe changing plugs on a 6?

spike2135 - Thanks for the info, ill look at a radiator replacement....rather that then an engine lol

bigBADbenny - I was abit the same as i originally started after a gen 4 but the 5's have really grown on me and will suit what i need down to a tee

Maganged to snag a very clean 2012 Gen 5 3.6r sedan for a pretty good price! Wil be on the way down from Qld next week, get some pics up when it arrives

Not to make you feel old, but:

Had many other 180sx’s, silvias, an S15, couple of JZX100s and beautiful C33 laurel...

...the (liberty Gen) 5's have really grown on me and will suit what i need down to a tee...Managed to snag a very clean 2012 Gen 5 3.6r sedan

Yowie wrote:Not to make you feel old, but:

Had many other 180sx’s, silvias, an S15, couple of JZX100s and beautiful C33 laurel...

...the (liberty Gen) 5's have really grown on me and will suit what i need down to a tee...Managed to snag a very clean 2012 Gen 5 3.6r sedan

lol....dont worry mate, i feel it Penny dropped when i took a local Gen 5 GT for a test drive and was fitted wiuth MCA reds....driving it around thinking "oh I'm not sure about this, seems abit stiff.... oh the NVH"

I use to daily cars with suspension which would break you back and clutches you needed legs like Arnie to work haha. Walked away saying "Fark you're getting old...lol"

The Gen5 is a good buy in terms of value for money. Different looks, sure, which are not for everyone, but as a package is just as good in driving dynamics as a Gen4 and doesn’t have the unicorn price tag.

They also come with a non-stick dash