I have a new (well, new to _me_, anyway ;-) '96 Legacy L sedan with a
4spd automatic gearbox. This is the first automatic car I have owned
(or at least driven much) in many years, so maybe this is a dumb
question, but . . .

Two days ago, I met by a FORMER car saleman (the bf of my sister's
front office secretary who QUIT working as a car saleman because he
couldn't take advantage on people and had decided to study pharmacy).
He suggested me to purchase extended warranty when I purchase legacy.