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I'm thinking of getting new car, or a decent used one even. The Outbacks caught my eye since they are perfect for driving to work, then driving out in the woods on the weekends. Same with the Foresters. The Outback looks to have more room in the back, but either would be fine.
Does anyone here own either? Are they reliable? Hows the mileage and comfort? I know they are AWD so I wouldn't four wheel them over boulders, but how are they on trails? Are they as beefy as the commercials make them out to be? Do you have any ongoing problems with them? I heard some have problems with the head gaskets, is that true?
I had a friend who had to drive the Nebraska panhandle in all kinds of weather, day and night and she had an Outback. It was sturdy and reliable. Got thru ice, snow, rough unpaved backroads just fine. She never had any problems and never ever worried.
Somebody posted awhile back about certain vintages of the 2.5 L engine that have weak head gaskets. See if you can find that and avoid these years if they are not upgraded already.
In general Subes are good cars, we have a 92 Legacy AWD, 200+K miles, runs like a champ, original air works good, very well satisfied with it. If you consider an older rig like this, my impression is the old 2.2L 4-cylinder is a longer-lived, more trouble-free and easy to work on engine than the 6-cylinders. Less power of course.
They are good on bad roads, but should not be confused with a proper Jeep. You can go fire-trailing, but not really off-roading.
Somebody posted awhile back about certain vintages of the 2.5 L engine that have weak head gaskets. See if you can find that and avoid these years if they are not upgraded already.
In general Subes are good cars, we have a 92 Legacy AWD, 200+K miles, runs like a champ, original air works good, very well satisfied with it. If you consider an older rig like this, my impression is the old 2.2L 4-cylinder is a longer-lived, more trouble-free and easy to work on engine than the 6-cylinders. Less power of course.
They are good on bad roads, but should not be confused with a proper Jeep. You can go fire-trailing, but not really off-roading.
I've been checking about the head gaskets. Apparently Subaru fixed the problem with the 2004 models. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a good post '04 Outback since the fix for bad head gaskets can be spendy.
As far as engines, the four is fine. I drive a little four cylinder car right now and I can't justify going with something bigger, not with gas prices the way they are.
Subaru has great reliability, and the Subarus I owned in the past were all solid cars. Subaru was touting in ads a couple years ago how 90% of its cars are still on the roads after 10 years - pointing out that they are very reliable.
The best part is that even though they are awd, they get better mpg than some fwd econoboxes like Camry.
Head gasket problems surfaced with the 4-cam 2.5 liter motor, which was the replacement for the older (and very reliable, durable) 2.2 liter motor. So the cars of the 97-99 vintage are the ones to be avoided, as these had a way of catastrophically blowing a head gasket and melting down a motor.
The replacement 2.5 2 cam motor also had head gasket problems, but they were external leaks that were a nuisance, not a direct cause of engine failure if you kept an eye on the coolant level.
We run a '95 2.2 liter with well over 200K miles on it, and it runs sweetly and reliably. Due for a top end on the motor sometime in the next 20K miles, it's otherwise original and a very good car overall. The A/C and heating systems work very well, too.
Our '97 2.5 liter needed head gaskets ... no other damage to the motor ... when I bought it with approx 185K miles on it. I did the work myself, which was relatively easy, and I purchased the car at a price point which reflected the needed work. The car came from a rust belt area of the country and has been problematic with rust issues in the brakes (ABS) and suspension, along with the body. The car will most likely reach 300K miles and I'll retire it. For the most part, it's only needed normal consumables, but it did need front axles while our older car did not.
As I've mentioned in prior posts, I rarely buy a car with less than 100K miles on it and then plan on getting the remaining service life out of it for low cost. The Subie's have done this very well for us, and we live in an extreme climate area of long winters with poor roads here in Wyoming.
As long as you need the AWD of the Subie for your driving area/climate roads, they've been a very good car for the money. Do keep in mind that the gearing/suspension is not an off road trail vehicle; it's only capable of driving on dirt roads, not trails. I've driven mine through some pastures to reach irrigation equipment, but it's not a good use of these cars. I wouldn't take mine on a two-track off-road trail ... not enough clearance for that use, and it's not an off-road vehicle at all if there's any terrain/obstacles to drive through.
If you don't need the AWD set-up on the streets you drive, then there are better choices for fuel economy, durability, and handling available in the marketplace.
There is a reason that about 25% of the people here own Subarus: They are reliable, efficient, and get you where you want to go. (Although you don't want to do real mud with one.)
However, if you're large, check out how it fits! I'm 6'9", and I can barely squeeze into one, and would be unable to drive it for long distances.
We have a 2007 Outback and are very happy with it...NO problems at all. It handles well on the road, and with the AWD has never been stuck, even when we had a foot of fresh snow on the driveway last winter.
Mileage was only so-so when it was new (like 22-24mpg), but has increased steadily as time went by (engine breaking in? Or maybe because summer is here and its warmer?). Anyway, in the last two months we have seen highway mileage exceed 32mpg if we don't "leadfoot it"...keeping speed between 55 and 60, and using cruise control. (Drops to about 28 if you do 65-75) We can go over 400 miles on a tank of gas (which where I live is 100% gas....no ethanol.
The body seems solid and very well built. (in the Subie plant in Indiana, not Japan as some think) I agree with the other posters: forget about the 6-cyl engine. The 4-cyl one is fine and has plenty of power.
I don't know about the head-gasket problem...never talked with anyone who experienced that. I do see a lot of older Subies running around....like over 20 years old, with high miles, but still working.
The Forester model has better headroom than the Outback, and a little better price. (I would have bought the Forester, but my wife was set on getting the Outback)
I don't think either one is meant to do much "4-wheeling" off-road. The AWD is really so you won't get stuck so much in heavy snow or mud...which in some states is a problem. I've driven through a foot of fresh, wet, heavy snow and made it through, although under such conditions you have to go fairly slow. (Don't believe the TV commercials where you see them going 60mph through heavy snow)
I think I read somewhere that the Consumers Reports now says the Forester is the #1 rated small SUV. I haven't had to do ANYTHING at all to mine. (except change the oil)
Would I buy another Subaru? Yep...I sure would!
I won't be doing and Rubicon trail driving, just forest service type roads to campsites and things like that. We don't get much snow around here, but when we do it would be nice to have the AWD since there are probably six plows in this town.
It seems like everywhere I look around here, people have Outbacks and Foresters, so I figured they must be decent. All your posts here confirm it.
Thanks again everyone!
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