Hello, new to Subaru with Questions

[bunionboy]

Hello, I am a prospective Subrau buyer. I am down to a Forester vs an Outback Wagon. I do not know anything about Subaru's reliability, their Gas Mileage, there resale value, etc. I drive about 22,000 miles a year and need dependable transportation but don't want to spend too much. I will probably buy a used one. Please help me with any suggestions or comments.

 

What are primary problems? Do they have good air conditioners? I live in Texas and it was probably 105 degrees today! What about timing belts? Do they need replacing a lot? Brakes? Electrical?

 

Thanks for your help.

[n16ht5]

seek and you will find

 

 

about 80k on the t belts. i have never heard of AC problems.

 

if you need more clearance for offroading, i would get a forester. otherwise a wagon does just about everything else

[gbrand]

Welcome to the board. While my sube is a 91, and has been the best/most reliable car I've driven, I'm sure you are looking at something a little newer. I have riden in a Forester for a week on a sales/demo trip, seemed to be fine. Depending on the vintage of used sube you end up looking at, do a search in this forum for head gaskets-some of the earlier versions of the 2.5 engines had issues. I don't have the details but the board does as far as years to watch out for.

 

Timing belts are pretty easy to change, and there are some tips on other maintainance items to do whiile you are in there too. I have not heard of anyone having problems as long as they change them at recommended intervals(mine is 60K miles, not sure about the newer models. As far as A/C goes, mine will freeze your bass off in the Texas sun, was a roaster today in DFW for sure!

 

Let us know what you decide to do and again, there is alot of informaion already posted on the board and helpful folks for things that aren't posted yet

[1 Lucky Texan]

My wife's '03 H6 OBW has been great so far. The A/c is more than adequate for front seat passengers. Rear seat I dunno - I'm never back there. There is a cabin airfilter you will want to change probably yearly at least - more if you're in dusty dirty conditions I guess - to keep the air flow up through the system. I saw several used units at Teape Subaru off I20 in Arlington. I am in the process of ordering an Impreza wagon for myself. If you go to Teape, Ryan is the Soob maniac there. (ask to see his STi tattoo!) If you go to SOD, ask for Kevin. Of course, they may hand you off to a used car sales guy, I think they would at SOD anyway.

 

good luck!

 

Carl

[Johngenx]

We took our 2001 Forester into Canada's only desert region this summer and had a solid week of 32-36C, which is about 92-97F or so, I think. No problem with cooling the cabin.

 

We've owned three Subies now (a 1999 Outback, a 2001 Outback and a 2001 Forester) and they've been very reliable. The only fault with our 2001 OBW was a leaking tail-gate brake-light system that was VERY aggravating and ended up costing nearly $1000 for a real fix. I've talked to other 2000-2001 OBW and Legacy wagon owners with the exact same problem. The OBW needed a new knock sensor, a common repair.

 

The Forester had a new O2 sensor and the inside passenger side axle boot failed. The axle boot is a common problem thanks to it being located close to the exhaust. I knew this and kept a very close eye on the boots and caught it very quickly. Changing the boot is easy and I did it before there was a chance of axle damage. That's it!

 

We've owned many cars, including Acura, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes and BMW. Our Subaru models are among the most reliable cars we've owned.

[Sweet82]

Welcome to the board,

 

I was shopping for an Outback or a Forester too.

I didn't care which one I got as I liked both.

I let price make my buying decision. (Low Book, no body work, no door dings without high miles)

It seems to me they are both the same car with minor differences.

 

Some of the older outbacks/foresters had some issues with head gaskets.

I'd get as new as you can afford.

 

The gas mileage is Ok but not great, you pay for the AWD.

If you need MPG there are better cars around.

 

I have not seen any real complaints on the A/C system.

And the heaters cook!

 

Belts are no different than any other car, replace them when you should!

 

Brakes and electrical don't seem to be issues with these cars.

 

Good Luck,

Glenn

82 SubaruHummer

84 GL Mad Max

01 Forester

[Zephyr]

If your miles will be spent on long trips, you may want to consider the OB. The Forester has just a bit more of an SUV/truck kind of ride. You may not notice it as much on a test drive; however you will feel the affects of road fatigue during distance driving.

[mommacat4]

Hi Bunionboy!

I had a 2000 Out Back Wagon with over 139,000 miles. LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!!! NO problems at all. I drove 500 miles a wwwk. It was too incredible.

Three weeks ago my husband bought me a 2005 LLBean Edition 3.0 Outback wagon. She is soooooo incredible!

I am an Outback Wagon Girl. I will NEVER own any othe rcar!

 

Does that help? :-)

 

Mommacat4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello, I am a prospective Subrau buyer. I am down to a Forester vs an Outback Wagon. I do not know anything about Subaru's reliability, their Gas Mileage, there resale value, etc. I drive about 22,000 miles a year and need dependable transportation but don't want to spend too much. I will probably buy a used one. Please help me with any suggestions or comments.

 

What are primary problems? Do they have good air conditioners? I live in Texas and it was probably 105 degrees today! What about timing belts? Do they need replacing a lot? Brakes? Electrical?

 

Thanks for your help.

[unobtainium]

My '93 AWD Legacy wagon is getting a little tired at 220,000 miles. The A/C is a little under-spec'd relative to GM cars but there is enough cooling. As far as reliability is concerned I have replaced maintenance items, halfshafts, and the purge air valve. That's it. These cars are fantastic where there is bad weather or bad traction. You will get where you are going - the Legacy can do 80% of the off-road stuff a real 4x4 pickup can. Gas mileage isn't in the Honda league - I get 25 mpg on my commute and 28 on long freeway trips. There is enough (but not a lot) of power, the car's comfortable and solid, and I would not hesitate to get in it today for a cross-country drive.

 

In March I bought an '05 LGT wagon to keep the '93 company. That car has a lot of power.

[mattocs]

I believe the newer Subaru's have a timing belt change interval of 105,000 miles. Older ones are 60,000 miles.

 

As far as brakes go...use Subaru parts, and they last a long time. Don't get the $3 pads at Autozone...spend the money for good pads.

 

What years are you looking at? Auto or manual?

[drquasievil]

Hello, I am a prospective Subrau buyer. I am down to a Forester vs an Outback Wagon. I do not know anything about Subaru's reliability, their Gas Mileage, there resale value, etc. I drive about 22,000 miles a year and need dependable transportation but don't want to spend too much. I will probably buy a used one. Please help me with any suggestions or comments.

 

What are primary problems? Do they have good air conditioners? I live in Texas and it was probably 105 degrees today! What about timing belts? Do they need replacing a lot? Brakes? Electrical?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

I would get neither. The cost of Subarus is way too much. They drinks gas like a drunks, and the 2 cars you are contemplating look like crap. You don't mention if you need cargo room but I would look elsewhere.

[05blusub]

We are on our secound Subaru, had a windfall and bought a new one, not that there was anyting wrong with the 2001 we had.

 

I drove it a lot on dirt and gravel roads due to a hobby addiction (R/C Gliders) and NEVER had one thing go wrong in 88 thousand miles. Did regular maintance. Probably should have kept it. Got sucked into the new car mindset.

Resale values are good, check Kelley Blue Book.

If I drove like the law said I would get over 26 MPG in town and even got over 31 on a long highway trip. Usually, due to a lead foot, I got about 22 in town and 27-28 on the long trips.

Not sure what the previous post was all about, I think my experience is pretty typical of most Subaru owners.

Look for a used 2001 with low miles, a 2G engine not as prone to blown head gaskets (I bet the experts will chime in here)

 

Eric

[1 Lucky Texan]

There's nothing magical about Subaru. They're cars and cars can have problems, be frustrating or even be lemons.

 

 

I've a owned a fair variety of cars. I REALLY liked my Honda and my Datsun. Personnally, I feel my Subaru (soon to be plural as I have a WRX wagon on order from Ryan at Teape) is probably in the same range of economy/performance, style/practicality, safety/convenience and reliability. All autos have trade offs. Yeah, it's doubtful the AWD aspect of my cars will get much of a workout in D/FW, but if I need to visit my daughter in CoSpgs during the winter - I won't need to worry about traction. Actually, I'd likely buy a Soob even if it didn't have AWD. I'm a fan - that could change I suppose if I had experienced a Subaru lemon - but I haven't. And I guess the engineering/science 'fan' in me is impressed with Subaru's design approach.

 

Go drive 2-3 models, pay attention to the seat feel, entry/exit and highway noise/performance - sounds like you'll be in the car a LOT.

 

Carl

[shortlid]

I would say in Texas, with gas prices the way they are WHY would you buy a Subaru?? Get a RWD or FWD car and enjoy and gas savings? You don't need to waste gas on AWD gear in Texas!

[swc7916]

I would say in Texas, with gas prices the way they are WHY would you buy a Subaru?? Get a RWD or FWD car and enjoy and gas savings? You don't need to waste gas on AWD gear in Texas!

 

I second that. Also, if you're driving long distances a lot I would go for the Legacy over the Impreza - it has a longer wheelbase so it rides better and is quieter, too.

[mtsmiths]

I just did a mileage check on my '95 Legacy (135,000 miles). Highway R/T Whitefish>Spokane mountainous secondary highways, mixed AC use - 29.9 mpg. One week's commute to/from work (15 miles each way, combined city ... well, town) highway, mixed AC use - 23.6 mpg.

 

I tend to drive a little over the limit, but ahead of the traffic so I reduce jackrabbit starts and hard stops.

[unibrook]

Johngenx you rule! Thanks for solving that mystery. My bro (a mechanic) and I couldn't figure out why the inside passenger front axle boot would be first to crack open when the others seem perfectly intact. Chalk it up to a design flaw....one of the few for our 2001 Forester, along with the clock resistor. Have you or anyone tried to rig up a heat shield to prevent the recurring axle boot cracking due to the heat?

 

The Forester had a new O2 sensor and the inside passenger side axle boot failed. The axle boot is a common problem thanks to it being located close to the exhaust. I knew this and kept a very close eye on the boots and caught it very quickly. Changing the boot is easy and I did it before there was a chance of axle damage. That's it!

[forester01]

NOT PC. If you smoke, cracking the window open on one of these in the rain will have it peeing right on your leg. My wife's Forester also seems to have a very very high vibration that causes a pins-n-needles feel in my hands while driving the thing. I like the AWD in winter but gas mileage is bad considering the size of the car. Although I'm buying one for this winter's snow driving, it will be unused in the nicer weather when i use my MB diesel (30+ mpg).