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VERDICT · A MEANINGFULLY SAFER GENERATION

Subaru Legacy 2.5L
is it a safe used buy?

A genuinely comfortable, well-regarded all-wheel-drive sedan paired with the meaningfully improved FB25 engine — free of the older EJ25's defining head gasket concern covered elsewhere on this site.

GENERATION5th gen (2010–2014)
ENGINE2.5L FB25
POWER170 hp
USED PRICE$9,500–15,500

How the engine fits this car

The Legacy's comfortable sedan body is an easy, unstressed load for this meaningfully revised engine — a comfortable, low-drama pairing that reflects well on both the car and the improved engine generation it uses.

If you've read about the EJ25's head gasket issue on the Outback or Forester pages and that's given you pause, this engine is the direct, meaningfully improved answer to that concern.

Subaru Legacy-specific pros and cons

This is about the car itself — for engine-specific failure points, see the dedicated engine page below.

WHAT HOLDS UP WELL

  • Different, meaningfully more dependable engine architecture than the troubled EJ25
  • Genuine all-wheel-drive security as standard, a Subaru hallmark
  • Comfortable, well-equipped interior for the price point
  • Strong safety ratings consistent with Subaru's broader reputation

WHAT TO WATCH

  • Minor oil consumption has been reported on a small subset of examples, per the engine page
  • CVT-equipped versions carry the separate transmission considerations detailed on the Lineartronic page
  • Interior material quality, while good for the price, trails some rivals
  • Resale value, while reasonable, reflects the sedan segment's broader decline relative to SUVs

Pricing on the used market

Mileage band
Typical price
What to expect
Under 60,000 mi
$13,000–15,500
Lower-mileage, well-kept examples
60,000–100,000 mi
$11,000–13,000
Sweet spot, minimal additional risk
100,000+ mi
$9,500–11,000
Still a confident buy with documented maintenance

The engine itself

This Legacy is a defining application of the meaningfully improved FB25. Full detail on this engine's stronger reliability track record lives on the dedicated engine page.

FULL ENGINE BREAKDOWNSubaru 2.5L FB25 Flat-Four — Reliable or Not →

Pre-purchase checklist for this generation

Check oil level yourself if possible, given the minor consumption reports on a subset of examples.

If the car has a CVT, consult the dedicated transmission page for that component's own, separate considerations.

Beyond general maintenance history, there's genuinely little else specific to flag on this meaningfully improved engine.