Subaru Legacy and Forester STi import guide

The Impreza gets the rally fame, but plenty of Subaru fans would rather have a fast Legacy or a turbo Forester. You get the same flat-four engines and four-wheel drive in a car that can carry the family and the dog. Japan kept the best versions for itself, including the twin-turbo Legacys, which is why so many come here as imports. Every one of the classic cars is now well over 10 years old, so the route to UK plates is a simple one.

Body

Saloon, estate or compact SUV, four-wheel drive

Shipping from Japan

From £3,575, shipping only

Typical journey

About 5 to 8 weeks

Test

MOT for the classic cars, all over 10

The cars people import

Most fast Legacys and Foresters that come to the UK fall into a few families. All of them are right-hand drive from the factory, as Japan drives on the left like we do, so there is no steering conversion to think about.

The BG and BH Legacys are the twin-turbo cars, and the GT-B estate is the one most people ask us about. The BP and BL generation dropped the twin turbos for a single turbo, which is simpler to look after. The Forester STi was built in much smaller numbers than the standard turbo cars, so expect to pay more and to look harder for one.

The EJ20 twin turbo

The twin-turbo Legacys run their turbos in sequence: one works low down, and the second joins in higher up the rev range. When it works, it is smooth and quick. When it does not, the usual cause is age. The system relies on a nest of small vacuum hoses and valves, and after 25 years those perish and crack. A car that feels flat in the middle of the rev range, or surges as the second turbo comes in, often needs hoses rather than turbos. Some owners convert to a single turbo, which is fine if it was done well, but it is a modified car and should be priced and insured as one.

What to check before you buy

Head gaskets are the weak spot people talk about most with Subaru flat-fours. They are worth checking on any of these cars, along with the cooling system as a whole. Look for coolant loss, overheating, oil in the coolant or mayonnaise under the filler cap. A car that has had its gaskets and timing belt done recently, with receipts, is worth paying a little more for.

Our guide to Japanese auction grades explains how to read the sheet, and the Japanese export certificate guide covers the one document every car from Japan needs. Plenty of these cars have been tuned, so read importing a modified car before you commit, and tell your insurer about every change.

Clean air zones

The fast Legacys and Foresters are all petrol. London and the charging Clean Air Zones want Euro 4 on a petrol car, and an older Japanese import often has no Euro standard on record. If you drive in one of those zones, check before you buy. Our guide to ULEZ and imported cars explains what evidence helps.

The test depends on age

GOV.UK exempts cars over 10 years old from vehicle approval, so they take an MOT instead of an IVA test. Every car in the table above is well past that line.

The under-10 line only matters if you are looking at a much later turbo Forester. One built after October 2016 takes an IVA test and needs its speedometer converted to mph, which we do in-house.

Shipping a Legacy or Forester

From Japan, RoRo is the usual route and costs less than a container. The car has to run and drive, and it should be empty, with no belongings or loose parts inside. That includes spare wheels and tuning parts in the boot, which are tempting in an estate. If the car does not run, or you want the extra care for a rare STi, a container is the answer.

As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping from Japan starts from £3,575, shipping only. Door to door, the journey is usually about 5 to 8 weeks. Bought at auction? The auction agent usually handles getting the car to the port.

Import tax

A Legacy or Forester from Japan pays 10% import duty and 20% import VAT, worked out on the price plus the shipping, with the VAT charged on top of the duty. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty instead. That takes in the earlier BG and BD Legacys, those built before October 1996. If you are looking at one from around then, check the build date with us, as a few months can make a big difference to the bill. The 5% VAT rules guide explains what counts.

If you are moving to the UK, have lived abroad for at least 12 months and have owned the car for at least 6, Transfer of Residence can bring it in with no VAT or duty. The import tax calculator runs your own numbers, and our cost of importing from Japan guide works through a full example.

UK changes

Because these cars are right-hand drive, the list is short. A car without a rear fog light needs one fitted in the right position. Japanese cars are no longer checked for headlight compliance, which keeps the work down. We do the work in-house, then the MOT, and our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register the car within 10 working days. For the wider route, see our guide to importing a car from Japan, and if you are weighing it up against the smaller car, the Impreza WRX and STI guide.

Questions people ask

Found a Legacy or Forester you like? Send us the listing or auction lot on the quote form and we will price the whole job.