Subaru Outback or Subaru fans?

[recDNA]

Where I live Outback is considered a station wagon and I believe Forester is considered SUV so Outback cheaper to insure. My wife's 2010 Outback has needed nothing but oil changes, tires, bulbs and brakes. Very cheap to maintain. Very nice quiet ride.

 

[TKC]

I took my Subaru on 4.5K + trip, from my piece of MA. to Sturgis, SD. It is soooo comfy to drive!! (I have a bad back, and am in constant pain.) There were 2 adults, and a dog. We had the back loaded to the gills, and the a/c on the whole way. The speed limit in SD (80 MPH)., killed my gas mileage. We had a great trip!! I LOVE my Outback more & more!!

 

[Unicorn]

Outback vs. Forester? Go...

Forester has more articulation I believe. And does have better angles of approach and departure. I can also see through the windshield better because of the location of the rear view mirror.
The Outback as a little more cargo room and is a few inches wider and longer. The seats may be a bit more comfortable. It also has a higher towing capacity even with the same NA 2.5 engine and CVT. Perhaps the extra length is why.
I'm not sure which is more comfortable to drive overall or has better handling as my Forester isn't stock anymore. 1.5 inch lift, heavy duty King Springs, and slightly larger all terrain tires make it a bit rough. Not as bad as when I was using just lift springs though, but still kind of harsh.
The XT does handle quite a bit better, but those stiffer springs to make it harsher. It can also be modded to be a very good handling vehicle. Not sure if there are as many suspension mods to the Outback for handling and steering.

 

[tom-]

If anyone is looking at Subaru here are a few observations from someone who is on his/her 5th or sixth:

-Subaru is the most over rated vehicle on the planet
-Subaru has had and continues to have problems with either head gasket or engine block failures-at least half of the cars we have owned showed glycol in the engine oil either immediately or after a few thousand miles (we have a construction company and routinely send in diesel oil samples I just got in the habit of sending others in)
-Subaru has had problems with their exhaust system for many years, the heat shields will begin to rattle, dealers will attempt to fix this very annoying problem by using band clamps, sometimes an awful lot of clamps, our '11 Outback has five clamps with a few self tapping screws and the problem still exists. A new exhaust system-which is the way to permanently fix the problem will cost just about $2,800 as the pzev cars have two cats and related piping: by the way Subaru continues to use mild steel exhausts.
-Subaru has bought back two of our cars for serious problems-the Company can and frequently does behave very very badly-talk to anyone who has one of the shakers and hear for yourself, we had two.
-Subaru has a well documented problem of headlight failures-we have replaced no fewer than four lights since new and the replacement is not easy, a few weeks ago we got a letter saying soa would step up to the plate and help out
-Saved the best for last: Subaru has gone to cvt transmissions across the line, doing so adds to the corporate fuel economy number to the tune of less than two mpg. Ours failed at 51k miles and we discovered only two options existed. Purchase a reman unit from Subaru (the cvt CANNOT be rebuilt as conventional transmissions can). Three dealers quoted from $6,500 - $9,500 for a reman with an incredible warranty of 2yrs/24k.

In every way shape and form Subaru has become a disposable car, the cost of cvt replacement WILL more than likely exceed the value of the vehicle. Unless of course you opt to go the boneyard route which is what we did, TWICE. First unit failed in a week and while the yard stood behind the tranny we did pay for all labor twice; total cost was just over $3,000 AND we did not have any engine code problems which can be an additional problem with a second hand unit.

I am not typing that the cvt units are failing right and left, what I am stressing is that with the cvt you are between a rock and a hard place should yours poop out.

If you MUST have a Subaru either get a manual or LEASE. Yes leasing is just a bit more however you do get the security of being able to turn back in a pos should you have one OR buy it should you have a keeper which we truly do hope you get.

Feeling lucky?

Forgot to add- we should have kept our '06 XT, stupid fast, real transmission, no coolant in the oil: all we had to deal with is the front wheel death shake. Which SOA described in their last letter to us as being " a unique attribute of Subaru ownership".

The Mrs. just set me straight; we are on number six and even we got two cars with no issues BUT those were the first and second ones-'86/91 I think.

 

[nbp]

Wow I'm surprised you haven't switched to Hondas by now.

 

[StarHalo]

Will be joining the Outback owners club in ~December; very impressed that the new Outbacks are so plainly aiming at Audi, and doing a very good job at it. Touchscreen infotainment on the family hauler, amazing..

 

[tom-]

nbp, we looked at Honda last week, couldn't find one-new- without a cvt.

 

[tom-]

for those who don't know about these (cvt) wonderful inventions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c47caRqbbnE

link fixed

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Holy mackerel, I didn't know about the CVT problem. Thank you for this. I was looking at an Outback with CVT and now I'm not so sure (unless I lease it).

 

[tom-]

We are fortunate as we are able to 'absorb' a very significant unexpected expense with only some adjustments in things we -want/like- to do but how about others who have been or WILL be put into a situation that cannot be resolved or resolved easily?

EVERYONE looking at Subaru has to be aware of the incredible cost of replacement of the cvt AND that REPLACEMENT is the only option' Sure you can go to the local junkyard but total replacement remains the only solution and with the boneyard unit you may also end up with a cvt that 'works' but just may cause engine codes. We know of one person who eventually had to go back to the salvage yard and buy the computer from the car which the cvt came from, this was the only way he could get to a no-code situation AND by the way the only way a dealer would take the car in trade. Then again you just may end up like us, with a failed junk yard tranny and the additional expenses associated with a failed unit.

To quote Mr. T-'pity the fool' who ends up with that car.

ASK the dealer you go to about what they charge to 'fix' a failed cvt-ASK what the warranty is for this mega dollar item and then, I hope, you will realize the insanity of opting for a vehicle with a cvt.

Leasing is the only intelligent option for those who MUST have a Subaru but even this only mitigates the pain of getting rid of the car-I can personally guarantee that the pain of ownership is assured. From what we understand Subaru has just reached the distinction of being the only maker who achieved the status of having TWO class action lawsuits for the same problem:

www.carcomplaints.com/news/2016/subaru-oil-consumption-class-action-lawsuit.shtml

This is exactly how the Cherry Hill Gang operates

 

[nbp]

Why did you buy so many of them?

 

[tom-]

nbp-the Mrs. and I have been surprised that no one asked that question earlier.

All but two were 'leased' and those were the two buy backs- BUT that was many years ago come lease end we'd get the letter of a great deal and bite.

But yes we did continue to go back to Subaru and why has really been a subject of much conversation between us. Two reasons- we did have very serious issues with many but all we read was how great and wonderful these cars were so the only explanation could be that we kept getting lemons-remember we are trying to justify embarrassingly stupid behavior. But really while that is a bit of the reason I think it really comes down to this; misplaced loyalty is difficult to acknowledge and even more difficult to correct.

Were we idiots yes, there is no doubt about that-but I do try to console myself by saying Consumer Reports is somehow, to some degree responsible-how can they possibly ignore the replacement cost of a cvt-unless--------------

 

[tom-]

Bdm, somehow missed that post. We similarly had the XT Forester-'06 I think and that engine was a hoot. Come to think of it the XT engine was just as neat as the solid lifter we had, but in a different way. Nothing quite like dusting some fairly well thought of cars-shamefully dusting them, loved that split second boost dely. Just enough time for me to ask myself if I really wanted to be stupid-the answer was always YES..

We also washed the car at least weekly, waxed like you (only the Klasse twins naturally) and changed the oil at least every 3k with full synthetic; Fumoto valves of course but unlike you we had more cars that required both front seat heater to be replaced, or so we were told they were replaced-yes they worked after taking them into the dealer and did stay working.

 

[tom-]

Forgot to add that the XT was ditched because Subaru said they could not fix the wheel shake of death...

 

[nbp]

That's too bad. [emoji53] A know a number of people with Subarus who have had very good experiences. Hopefully those disasters are more isolated incidents.

 

[tom-]

the two most notorious Subaru problems are oil consumption and head gasket issues and we sincerely hope that all Subaru owners here have a dipstick which reads near full from change to change AND a coolant level that remains near the yellow factory fill mark in the over flow tank, truly we do.

 

[TKC]

Will be joining the Outback owners club in ~December; very impressed that the new Outbacks are so plainly aiming at Audi, and doing a very good job at it. Touchscreen infotainment on the family hauler, amazing..[/QUOTE

Congrats!! How excited that you are getting a new OB in Dec.

What color? Which engine are you getting; 2.5i or the 3.6? Premium, Limited or Touring?

 

[markr6]

I'm considering an Outback more and more lately. I don't think I can afford a new one around $29,000, but with used prices so high it may make more sense in the long run to just go new.

 

[adekorte85]

Hi,

I own a 2016 limited Subaru WRX CVT and loving it! My previous auto also a 2008 manual WRX which I sold with 215K miles on it. I drive about 115 miles per day. Freeway driving in Los Angeles much better with the CVT!

 

[hiuintahs]

the two most notorious Subaru problems are oil consumption and head gasket issues and we sincerely hope that all Subaru owners here have a dipstick which reads near full from change to change AND a coolant level that remains near the yellow factory fill mark in the over flow tank, truly we do.

I've got a 2013 Outback with 6 speed manual transmission. I love it. I don't drive it much........has about 15,000 miles after 3 years. I have a family member that owns a Subaru dealership and so that helped with price. My son's 2006 Outback had the head gasket replaced at 115,000 miles. So that is a known issue with them. I thought it was with the generation prior to 2006 but I guess not necessarily.

Oil consumption can be a problem but its hit or miss. I watch mine close. I think it has to do with the newer cars using 0 weight oil and there possibly a problem with break in and rings not seating properly on some vehicles........but I'm not sure. I got a scare with it around 7,000 miles with a trip from Utah to Houston. I checked the oil before the trip and it was right at the mid point on the dip stick. When almost to Houston, I got the low oil warning. And I'm like..... what? So I put a quart in and did some research and evidently there have been reports of excessive oil consumption. When I got back from the trip I changed the oil at 9,000 miles and didn't have any problems for the next oil change around 14,000 miles.

What I found is that since the car sits for days, it will always read the highest on the dip stick with that much time with the oil settling down. So if it reads right at mid point after sitting that long its actually kind of low. I have never owned a car that had a range as much as it does on the dip stick when measuring right after driving and then measuring several days later without driving it.

So what I do is to be consistent when I check the oil which I have chosen to be 5 to 10 minutes after its been running and I want to see it near the top end of the OK range. If its in that area then I can count on not having any low oil problems. Right now, I just assumed I didn't check the oil properly before going to Houston because I haven't had any problems since.

What is interesting is the class action settlement letter, I got from Subaru regarding oil consumption issues. It was for
2011-15 Forester (below VIN *543624)
2012-15 Impreza (below VIN *270253)
2013-15 Crosstrek (below VIN *270284)
2013-14 Legacy and Outback (all)
So you know there have been issues but I think its hit or miss.

All in all I like the car. I think I got one of the last manual transmissions made. I watch the oil but so far after the initial incident, oil consumption is OK and pretty much non-existent on my particular vehicle. And to reiterate, I found I have to check the oil every time at approximately the same time after the car is turned off so as to get a consistent reading.