Subaru Outback or Subaru fans?

TKC

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I was wondering if we had any Subaru Outback drivers here, or any other Subaru drivers here? I myself am driving a '16 Subaru Outback 2.5i, that replaced the Tahoe that got totaled in the accident in Dec.
This is my first Subaru. I did some extensive research before buying it. I have always driven a 4x4 truck, and the Tahoe was my first 4x4 SUV. I wanted something more environmentally friendly, and better on gas. And if I was going to give up my 4 wheel drive, I wanted the BEST AWD system out there, and from all my research, that seemed to be Subaru.
I love my Outback!! I got it with the EyeSight package, and it is a pretty amazing safety package.
I couldn't be happier with my choice in vehicles!
Anyone else have big love for their Subaru?
:D
 

ven

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Oct 17, 2013
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I have been a Subaru Impreza driver for 18+ months, before this i had a 4x4 shogun so my motors need to be 4wd or RWD ..................dont like FWD cars. Unfortunately i had a little accident last week, handbrake decided to come off(100% on when left car or it would have rolled back then, not 2 mins later when in shop!). Rolled back 3ft or so into a post, cracked bumper on the o/s ..........not impressed!! Hopefully new bumper coming early next week...............anyway i digress.

I have been quite happy with the flat 4, has a cobra exhaust to help the flat 4 burble and other than a boost gauge, i have left it as is. Been there too many times with endless mods, so held off this time just being a work/family/school run chariot. Its been quite a reliable motor so far, had to replace the top header coolant pipe the other week near the turbo. Hose had split and luckily i caught it in time! If i could improve it, i would have a bigger boot as camping+kids= lots of stuff.

Little pop up for short breaks and the subaru in the distance
 

Eidolon

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Apr 4, 2016
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Huge fan of Subarus. They have excellent handling and gas efficiency, and perform very well in all conditions. I had a bit of a disappointment with the trend of Subaru deciding to favor gas mileage over Horsepower - modern Imprezas are fairly sluggish when it comes to acceleration and hauling but they are not designed to be workhorses. As a younger fellow I had an STI that I eventually sold because it was repeatedly stolen in the area where I was living and working.

The Outback is a favorite - great amount of cargo space in a solid vehicle.
 

CLHC

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Dec 25, 2004
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PNW|WA|USA
TKC said:
I was wondering if we had any Subaru Outback drivers here, or any other Subaru drivers here? I myself am driving a '16 Subaru Outback 2.5i . . . This is my first Subaru . . . Anyone else have big love for their Subaru?
2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Limited driver here. When I first got it, LOVED it! Then a couple of years later, the Turbocharger blew up like 3 times. Now it's truly a beat[er] around town car. Really feel put out about what happened and spent too much on it already. :( By the way, it is all stock.

Now looking for another vehicle; Subaru or Ford F-150. Those are the only two (2) choices I'm considering.

Enjoy your Subarus CPF Peoples! :grin2:
 

KITROBASKIN

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Mar 28, 2013
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New Mexico, USA
Love Subaru
Bought a 1999 Forester about 8 years ago-- has almost 203,000 miles on it now. Need to keep track of CV joints and timing belt. Plenty of power, and with snow and ice tires, it rules in winter. Have to avoid getting high centered. Stow a shovel for that.

Before that a 1982 that had a transfer case. Little thing. With snow tires it would scamper over settled snow drifts that heavier machines would not handle well at all.
 

Highbandwidth

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Dec 13, 2013
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Former licensed wholesale/retail car dealer here. From extensive hands-on with buying/servicing/driving/selling *many* different makes/models, I can affirm the build quality of Subaru. But ... due to brand loyalty they can be hard to find/buy and seem to attract a type of buyer who doesn't keep them very clean or well maintained. As for actual 4x4/AWD performance they're right up there with Audi and Land Rover (two brands I have seen perform truly amazing feats in icy and muddy conditions). But in every category and car deal there are trade-offs. Local market conditions may result in crazy good deals on off-lease Audis and at the same time seriously overpriced stripped down and ill-maintained Subarus, insanely great deals on Range Rovers simultaneous to blatant ripoffs on F150s and Toyota Tundras. All in all, my advice is to get a trustworthy third party inspection on any used vehicle and shop an area within radius as far as you can comfortably drive (eg lease returns are aggregated into regional regular auction sales where you'll see a glut of whatever make/model). On some models this regional variation can save $10,000 on a two year old off-lease with remaining and extendable factory bumper to bumper warranty - well worth a $150 one way airfare and day spent driving home. Also, especially in these model specific glut markets, keep in mind the dealer "floor plan" (his financing for his inventory) is typically around 90 days after which he must pay off his financier and carry the unit on his books resulting in powerful incentive to dump that specific unit even at a loss in some cases. Last, and this is *key* to buying from a dealer, *always* be ready and willing to walk away. Never ever get invested emotionally in a car before you buy it. There is no such thing as a "unique" car and there will always be another one like it and another dealer eager to sell. Patience and diligence will reward you!
 

iggs

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We have a 2016 Outback. Premiere model with 2.0 litre diesel on a work lease deal.

It will do nearly 1000km on a full tank which means the long hauls here in Australia are reasonably efficient as we don't have to stop very often.

The CVT auto is a bit laggy but once going drives fine. We have only used it off road on fire roads so far. We use it for hauling our mountain bikes and camping gear to trail heads for which it is perfect.

It's very very good value here in Australia compared with other comparable 4wd station wagons from the Audi/VW/Skoda group
 

harro

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Dec 5, 2009
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Northern Victoria, Australia
I dont personally own one, but my father has owned a sucession of them. Mainly 1.8 and 2.0 Sports wagons and 2.5i Outbacks. His current Outback i think is early 2000'ish, maybe 01 or 02. None of them have ever given cause for complaint, and i think the current Outback will stay, till he 'falls off the perch'. He's getting a bit long in the tooth to be buying another one.
 

DellSuperman

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Dec 5, 2012
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Owner of 2010 Forester..
My first turbo charge vehicle & i absolutely enjoy it.
No problem lugging the extra loads, passengers & the generous boot space..
 

KITROBASKIN

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Mar 28, 2013
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New Mexico, USA
Thanks for the Great advice

Seems like Audi and Land Rover would cost more for service/parts?

Former licensed wholesale/retail car dealer here. From extensive hands-on with buying/servicing/driving/selling *many* different makes/models, I can affirm the build quality of Subaru. But ... due to brand loyalty they can be hard to find/buy and seem to attract a type of buyer who doesn't keep them very clean or well maintained. As for actual 4x4/AWD performance they're right up there with Audi and Land Rover (two brands I have seen perform truly amazing feats in icy and muddy conditions). But in every category and car deal there are trade-offs. Local market conditions may result in crazy good deals on off-lease Audis and at the same time seriously overpriced stripped down and ill-maintained Subarus, insanely great deals on Range Rovers simultaneous to blatant ripoffs on F150s and Toyota Tundras. All in all, my advice is to get a trustworthy third party inspection on any used vehicle and shop an area within radius as far as you can comfortably drive (eg lease returns are aggregated into regional regular auction sales where you'll see a glut of whatever make/model). On some models this regional variation can save $10,000 on a two year old off-lease with remaining and extendable factory bumper to bumper warranty - well worth a $150 one way airfare and day spent driving home. Also, especially in these model specific glut markets, keep in mind the dealer "floor plan" (his financing for his inventory) is typically around 90 days after which he must pay off his financier and carry the unit on his books resulting in powerful incentive to dump that specific unit even at a loss in some cases. Last, and this is *key* to buying from a dealer, *always* be ready and willing to walk away. Never ever get invested emotionally in a car before you buy it. There is no such thing as a "unique" car and there will always be another one like it and another dealer eager to sell. Patience and diligence will reward you!
 

markr6

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Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
9,258
I was wondering if we had any Subaru Outback drivers here, or any other Subaru drivers here? I myself am driving a '16 Subaru Outback 2.5i, that replaced the Tahoe that got totaled in the accident in Dec.
This is my first Subaru. I did some extensive research before buying it. I have always driven a 4x4 truck, and the Tahoe was my first 4x4 SUV. I wanted something more environmentally friendly, and better on gas. And if I was going to give up my 4 wheel drive, I wanted the BEST AWD system out there, and from all my research, that seemed to be Subaru.
I love my Outback!! I got it with the EyeSight package, and it is a pretty amazing safety package.
I couldn't be happier with my choice in vehicles!
Anyone else have big love for their Subaru?
:D

I'll have to keep an eye on this thread since I'm in a similar situation. I love my 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, but it will bite it sooner or later so I'm doing my homework now. The Outback is pretty much the only one on my list so far if I don't get another Jeep. I just want a little extra ground clearance and AWD over a car.
 

Bdm82

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I had a 2005 WRX... I'll forever miss that thing. Fast car to start with, then I replaced the sway bars, added short show shifter, lightweight crank pulley, air intake, ECU tune... I know I'm forgetting more. And then I drove the heck out of it. Don't get me wrong, it got hand washed almost every week, loved constantly, and waxed at least once per month. Followed all maintenance schedules to the T, doing oil changes myself. I had the car 5 years and only had two problems. The first was about 6 months in; the cruise control stalk end button got a little play and could rattle at just the right RPM. (Yes, I had them replace the stalk because the button had play.) I had an extended warranty on it, and around 4.5 years one seat heater required replacement. Fair enough, it was my first vehicle with seat heat and that novelty got used constantly. But the car never let me down, was an absolute beast in the snow, was flickable in corners...great car.

I now have to have a vehicle capable of towing our 4000 lb boat+trailer so that precludes Subaru for my DD. (Audi Q5 TDI met my fun+function quota; that's another story and a questionable financial decision.) But my wife went with the 2016 Legacy last year and couldn't be happier. It's not WRX fast but it does handle great, the AWD is great, the MPG is way above anything else with AWD, and the price was great too. In over a year of driving it, it's done all that's been asked.

I have no qualms recommending Subaru. They've been great for us...
 

Echo63

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Apr 26, 2004
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Perth - West Australia
On our second subaru, looking for the third.
wife had an 09 impreza, i got an 09 forester.
got rid of the impreza when she was pregnant, she had difficulty driving and we used the money for other things.
the forester is now the family car and i drive a "bunky" 96 toyota paseo** to work and back.
looking at replacing the bunky when it finally dies with another subaru, probably a forester or a liberty (i think its a legacy in the rest of the world)

**230,000km hail damaged, slipping clutch, but it only cost me a carton of bundy rum+coke cans, and the airconditioning and heating is incredible - freezing cold or toasty warm in 5 mins after starting it up.
 

TKC

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Earth
I don't like the looks of the Forester for one thing. The Outback is more comfy, at least for me, and there is more room as when you fold down the 2nd row of the Outback.
 
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