I know this is an old thread, but I just thought I'd revive it to toss out that the front swaybar on my '00 Outback snapped too. The new one was $150 and a 1-2 week wait so I took it out, brought it to a local shop and had it welded. It cost $15 plus a $5 tip. If it breaks again I might buy a new one, but I'm not going to worry about it for now .