Out of the small town of Tenino, Washington is Benny Watkins.  Benny owns a 1997 Legacy Outback wagon with an astonishing 304,000 miles on the odometer.  He got the car as his first jump into the Subaru world.  “I’ve always been a fan of them from the rally standpoints, to the style and reliability.  Which is why I got one, and yes I know a completely stock ’97 may not be stylish, but it sure is reliable and always did great off-road.  It always got me to where I wanted to go with no problems.”



Some of Benny’s favorite things about the car are the build quality and reliability that comes with a late 90’s naturally-aspirated Subaru, but the enjoyment of owning a Subaru goes a little deeper.  He says, “I’ve met some great people just from being in the Subaru community and hanging out at car meets, going on cruises, and just having fun.”  I feel the same exact way since getting mine a few years ago.  The Subaru community isn’t like any other community.  I came for the cars, but stayed for the people.  The people are what make this community so awesome.

I love what Benny has done with the car to benefit it in every possible way.  He’s looked to nothing but quality parts to keep it clean, simple, and running proper.  Just judging by the exterior, you would never think it’s a 300,000+ mile car, which gets me even more stoked on this particular Legacy Outback wagon of his.  Benny has changed out the headlights, tail lights, side markers, and side moldings for the JDM versions offered on the wagons in Japan.  But that’s not all, he also swapped the stock front brake calipers for the 4-pots from an overseas GC8 with 02-05 WRX rotors.  In addition, he also added the JDM strut tower bars and version 5 STi 555 GC8 seats – something with better bolstering and also a great OEM+ upgrade.

To eliminate the wheel gap and increase the handling, Benny installed a set of the K-Sport Control Pro coilovers, combined with the 5ZIGEN Pro Racer GN+ wheels in a 17×8.5″, wrapped in Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2’s.  These are some of the best things you can do for a Subaru to handle better.  The future plans Benny has for the car are underway as you’re reading this article.  “I’ve been planning a motor swap forever.  Currently getting the motor and transmission out, to put in a JDM EJ206 single-turbo conversion with a VF23 turbocharger along with a Legacy GTB 5-Speed.”



Benny is raising the bar high for the Legacy Outback wagon owners out there.  He’s executed a killer wagon that I can’t get enough of, and it will never get old seeing on social media.  To see more of Benny’s ’97 Outback, check him out on Instagram at @bennywatkins/@bwwmedia_ for more photos.  Thanks again to Benny for letting us feature you as our Driver of the Day!

By Zach Osborne – @momentum.rs