aero3685

I am in the process of looking for a reliable vehicle with awd or 4wd under 10k that is reliable. I have been looking for a Tahoe, because my Silverado has been a very dependable vehicle but its not 4wd. I would rather have something with a little more than 15mpg though. I looked up Subaru Outbacks because of decent price, awd and mpg. But after searching it appears that many of these Subaru people seem like rx-8 people... transmissions and engines are just routine maintenance instead of a deal killer.

Any experience with them or anything similar? I like the look of Audi wagons, but have no interest in cost of maintenance on them. Just looking for something that will probably see 3-5k in an extended "road trip" in a few months. Obviously, doubling my gas mileage would be very nice, but not if its at the cost of a headgasket. I am guessing that Subaru Legacy's are essentially the same vehicle?

What about Volvo wagons?

aero3685

I have been checking reviews and stuff online, just want to get first hand knowledge instead of BS online.

Volvo SUV looked nice, but for the same MPG as a Tahoe, no thanks!

Anrosphynx

turbo or non turbo?

mosesbotbol

I'd go non-turbo, manual transmission. Cloth interior if you can find it.

aero3685

Well I'd rather find a higher mileage (cheaper) one, so Im sure non-turbo would be one less thing to break and replace. But it appears that they are not many of them out there, especially when you start to get picky about engines and manual transmissions.

madkimchi

It seems to me that most subarus have tranny issues. Many of the owners told me their tranny start to go bad around 100k miles. But I think their remanufactured tranny is fairly cheap I think. Overall I think subarus are fairly reliable. Even the turbo ones. I wouldn't mind owning forester xt as a family car n upgrade the turbo to sti turbo for some extra power.

car compulsive

I owned an '07 Outback and only sold it because my late wife, in her declining health, had trouble transferring into the car from a wheelchair. (There was no frame around the window glass to grab during her transfers.)

The vehicle had the best AWD system I've ever driven with no issues handling mixed left/right traction situations such as partially icy roads. The car was also generally reliable. However, it is not without it's drawbacks:

- The pre-2010 Outbacks are not very roomy for the driver or passengers (including child carseats). Compared to the S2K it's big, but not compared to other wagons and crossovers.

- The 2.5L 4 cylinder engine paired with the 4 speed automatic tranny is slooooow - as in slower than my Prius slow. I suspect the manual tranny would help, as would the V6 or turbo 4 (but the turbo requires premium fuel and may have been abused in the past).

- The leather seats are pretty stiff and almost vinyl-like. (They were sweaty for me, but made for easy transfers for my wife.) One trim level has heated cloth seats.

- There are reports of head gasket problems with the 2.5L flat 4 engine as it ages. Some folks say it is due to the flat design of the engine leaving fluids in contact with the head gasket when parked. Others say it is due to battery dripping from corroded terminals. When I owned the car, folks said the redesign in about 2005 may have corrected the problem, but the cars weren't old enough to confirm.

North Star

I've owned 4 Subarus and they have all been very reliable. My current vehicle is a 05 Subaru Forester XT with the 4EAT tranny, and I am at 95k miles. Subarus are just like any other Japanese car where you really only need to worry about proper maintenance. When looking at higher mileage ones, just be sure the previous owner has had the timing belt done at 100k or at the 105k scheduled maintenance. Turbos tend to go out over 100k, but it really depends on the previous owner. They are fairly cheap and easy to replace if you a comfortable with working on cars.

I recommend Subaru all the time to family and friends. I'll probably always have at least one Subaru in my stable at all times, I love them that much.

aero3685

Thanks, I'll keep it in mind. While looking, one Subaru forum had a designated headgasket problems subforum with a decent amount of posts which I wasn't aware of.

Guess I'll have to check one out and see if I like it.

vader1

I owned a 2007 XT turbo wagon with a five speed and really enjoyed the car. It had a bad "stutter" problem that the dealer could not figure out but enough research will tell you that it is an easy fix. The car "learns" minor bucking behavior from having a tank of non-premium gas and sensing minor knock. It will continue to do this with good gas until you reset the ecu by unhooking the battery for a minute, then all is good. I had that problem from the dealer who must have filled up the car with 87 octane, and it showed and average mileage of 13mpg with 30 miles on the odometer probably letting me know some lot boy beat the crap out of it on the bad gas before it was delivered to me. Reset ECU, only used premium, problem gone for good.


Otherwise I recommend it. Loved the car, nothing else ever gave me issues. It was fun for a wagon with the turbo and the five speed. It was a total mofo in snowstorms. Left everyone in the dust, great bad weather awd system. Hauled lots of stuff and mine had an very nice fairly upscale interior in that trim. If you can find a decent 2005-2008 XT turbo outback at that price it is a good car. In really cold weather I could only manage about 21 on mixed driving tanks, got about 24 mpg in any weather above 50 degrees, and my best tank was 27.5 on a long haul trip.

I traded in at 36,000 miles with no problems because I needed a better towing option. Much better driver and enjoyable car than just about any SUV. Handling stock is not like a sports car, but the Subie die hards said an cheap aftermarket rear sway bar does wonders. I never sprung for one, and it drove fine for me. Very nice car.