Subarus?

[MikeVic]

Anyone here have, or used to have, a Subaru of any kind? I'm starting to shop for a new car, and a used Subaru Legacy sedan looks like a good car for the fairly low price. 4-wheel drive would be great for the city I live in too.

Anyone have input on this car?

[Craptacular]

Haven't had one myself, although we've considered them. Some good friends bought a used Subaru Legacy Outback a couple of years ago. I think it was a 98 or 99, whichever was the last year before the Outback was spun off as a separate model. As far as I know, they haven't had any big problems with it. The biggest thing that stopped me from getting one is that they have been so popular, it's hard to get a deal on them ... new or used. If you don't mind me asking, what's the most you're looking to spend, new and/or used?

[MikeVic]

Haven't had one myself, although we've considered them. Some good friends bought a used Subaru Legacy Outback a couple of years ago. I think it was a 98 or 99, whichever was the last year before the Outback was spun off as a separate model. As far as I know, they haven't had any big problems with it. The biggest thing that stopped me from getting one is that they have been so popular, it's hard to get a deal on them ... new or used. If you don't mind me asking, what's the most you're looking to spend, new and/or used?

I saw a Subaru Legacy L for $7900, but don't quite have the money right now. I saw some Subaru Legacy GTs for around $12-14K, and they all had roughly 100,000km on them.

I'm looking to spend less than $10K for sure.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Have never owned one but I have heard that like Hynudai, Subaru has had a resurgent and has built a great auto making program.

[Franklinnoble]

A guy at my office is a Subaru nut. Loves his car. So, buying one makes you turn into something like a Macintosh or Amiga enthusiast, I think...

[Honolulu_Blue]

A timely thread. Lady H_B and I are looking for a new car as well at the moment. I think we've pretty much decided on a Subaru Legacy or Outback. Need to test drive one before it's settled. We did a lot of research, cars.com, Consumers Report, etc. And Subaru's rated highly everywhere we looked.

[terpkristin]

I had a Legacy Outback wagon as my first car (bought it used, from the first year they made the Outback model), my dad recently bought a new Legacy wagon. Both have AWD. I loved it. I could take it off-road to places trucks couldn't get to because I had a decent amount of ground clearance without the rollover potential.

I ran that thing into the ground and then some and only really replaced it because I needed to get a new clutch, and at that point my parents wanted me to get a new car so I wouldn't have to worry about anything. I'd have gotten another Subaru except it was a little out of my price range, instead I got a Mazda Protege5 (new).

Oddly enough, I traded in my old car, and I think I actually saw it at a local Target a few weeks before Christmas. It was the right color, a stick shift, and had a dent that looked a LOT like one I'd put into it towards the bottom of the driver-side door.

Crazy!
~tk

[flere-imsaho]

I always think edmunds.com is a good place for reviews and suchlike.

My folks have a 2000 Outback which has been pretty solid. Also, growing up in Maine there were Subarus all over the place. Great in snow and very reliable. There's a lot of angst amongst the fanbois these days about Subaru being bought by GM, but it's hard to say if there's been a huge negative impact yet.

[Castlerock]

I never owned one but I drove one from Boston to Vermont in a big snowstorm one time. I would have to rank that Legacy (wagon) as the best I have ever driven. It had snow tires but I would bet it would be pretty good even without them.

[Blackadar]

I suppose I'm the resident Subaru junkie. I've owned 3.

1986 - Subaru GL Hatchback. Had very few problems, great car. Finally totalled in 1997 by a big truck with 130k miles on it. I survived the accident pretty well, considering that my gas tank was ruptured and half the car was crushed.

1997 - Subaru Forester. I got the first model year Forester - only 5,000 were made. Still have it today, it still runs. With over 100k miles on it now, I need to replace the clutch.

2003 - Subaru WXi. I love this car and drive it whenever possible. It's a blast.

Simply put, I've had 3 over the last 20 years or so. Every one was a great car.

[MikeVic]

Wow. Very good to hear. I probably should have gone after the $7900 Legacy a bit harder then. I'll continue looking for a Subaru as my next car then.

Thanks for the positive reviews everyone.

[Solecismic]

I've purchased two cars in my life - my college graduation gift was a $2,000 discount on my parents' aging Olds Cutlass Supreme, which wasn't a bad car.

And a 1992 Subaru Legacy, which was the last year before all models had 4WD. I'm now well over 100,000 miles on it, and it's still a very reliable car. The engine should easily get me past 150,000, and everything else seems to be holding up fine. I'd definitely recommend Subarus. Never used an Amiga, though.

[Rasmuth]

Wouldn't buy a Japanese car if you paid me.

[Mr. Wednesday]

My first car was a 1982 Subaru GL wagon, does that count? :D

I had two problems with it. First, the clutch cable snapped. Second, I couldn't keep it from going through an exhaust system about every year or so.

[Franklinnoble]

Never used an Amiga, though.

So much for FOF being backwards compatible, I guess...

[temley06]

I have a '95 Subaru Legacy wagon. It is a fabulous car, has had minimal problems and still runs great. The AWD provides great handling in the snow. I would buy another Subaru in a second, worth every penny.

[Fonzie]

Wouldn't buy a Japanese car if you paid me.

*dejectedly puts checkbook away*

[MikeVic]

Wouldn't buy a Japanese car if you paid me.

I found out a year ago or so that Subaru was Japanese... but I always thought it was European for some reason. Don't know what country, but I assumed it was European.

Not that I have anything against Japanese cars though.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Just took the plunge. Bought a 2005 Subaru Outback wagon. I was looking to get a relatively new used Outback or Legacy, but the 2004's and prior didn't have the necessary leg room on either the driver-side or passenger side. Apparently they increased the leg room in 2005 and that made all the difference. I'm pretty tall (6'4") so I needed the leg room. I will report back after I actually start driving around.

[Blackadar]

Just took the plunge. Bought a 2005 Subaru Outback wagon. I was looking to get a relatively new used Outback or Legacy, but the 2004's and prior didn't have the necessary leg room on either the driver-side or passenger side. Apparently they increased the leg room in 2005 and that made all the difference. I'm pretty tall (6'4") so I needed the leg room. I will report back after I actually start driving around.

gratz on a good choice

[Craptacular]

Did you get the 2.5 XT? I would have loved to get that car, but it was too pricey.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Did you get the 2.5 XT? I would have loved to get that car, but it was too pricey.
No. I got the base model. Pretty good deal on it too, though it was right up at the top of my budget.

[MikeVic]

I was THIS close to getting a 2001 Imprezza TS. But there were too many question marks (one which included me not having all the money :D).

[terpkristin]

One thing to point out with the Subarus is that you can get the Legacy wagon or the Outback wagon. The real differences are:
1. Outback wagon has slightly more ground clearance
2. Legacy wagon is significantly cheaper (less features like "two tone panelling")

Otherwise, they are the same exact car (as my dad found out when he was shopping for a new Subaru based on how much he loved mine). He ended up with a brand new 2002 Legacy wagon (well, brand new in 2002!).

~tk

[MikeVic]

Ok, I have a question along the lines of this...

Is there anyway to get a list of all 4WD/AWD cars available? Is there a site somewhere that lists them?

[Honolulu_Blue]

One thing to point out with the Subarus is that you can get the Legacy wagon or the Outback wagon. The real differences are:
1. Outback wagon has slightly more ground clearance
2. Legacy wagon is significantly cheaper (less features like "two tone panelling")

Otherwise, they are the same exact car (as my dad found out when he was shopping for a new Subaru based on how much he loved mine). He ended up with a brand new 2002 Legacy wagon (well, brand new in 2002!).

~tk
This is true. What I found though is that they made some interior modifications to the 2005 Outback. I am not sure they made the same with the Legacy. I just couldn't get comfortable in 2004 or 05 Legacy, which is too bad. It's what we wanted.

[flere-imsaho]

Wouldn't buy a Japanese car if you paid me.

My 12-year-old, 228,000 mile Mazda 626 with its original engine and clutch thumbs its nose at you.

[MikeVic]

Ok.. I'm going to lok at a 96 Legacy GT.. 87000Kms, and selling for $10K Cdn. Hopefully it goes good. I'd like the price a bit down though. :)

[DanGarion]

Wouldn't buy a Japanese car if you paid me.
Yeah because we all know how crappy those Japanese cars are...

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4022547

[Blackadar]

Ok.. I'm going to lok at a 96 Legacy GT.. 87000Kms, and selling for $10K Cdn. Hopefully it goes good. I'd like the price a bit down though. :)

Good luck. I still love both of my Subarus.

[gkb]

I own a 2000 Subaru Impreza. It's been a great car for me and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Subaru to anyone who was looking to buy a car. I thought when I bought mine that I had read somewhere that it was the cheapest AWD vehicle available...but I'm not sure if that's true or not. In any case, it's been a great car.

[Swaggs]

Ok.. I'm going to lok at a 96 Legacy GT.. 87000Kms, and selling for $10K Cdn. Hopefully it goes good. I'd like the price a bit down though. :)

Please don't pay $10,000 for a 9 year old car.

[DanGarion]

Please don't pay $10,000 for a 9 year old car.


Dude, 10k CANADIAN, that's like 100 bucks american.

[MikeVic]

Just saw/drove the car... if it was perfect, I'd be the new owner right now. I'm thinking about it now.

The 9-year old thing is an issue, but from everything I read about Subarus, it shouldn't be. I should be able to drive it another 10 years at least and still be fine.

The guy wouldn't go down in price AT ALL... which kind of sucks. There were also some little things... dog hair I'd have to clean up, front bumber paint chipped in a couple of places that I'd have to get painted, sterero is non-existant, AWD being on all the time, the cost of filling it up, and the beeping sound it makes when backing up...

That might seem like a long list, but none of it is really too big a deal... The gas thing being the biggest one. I think with insurance, taxes, and the things I'd have to do to it, I'd need to spend another $3000 for sure. Which would put me $2000 over my budget. :(

[Blackadar]

Sounds like there's some things wrong with the car. But pretty much all Subarus have AWD on all the time. It the trademark of Subarus.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Sounds like there's some things wrong with the car. But pretty much all Subarus have AWD on all the time. It the trademark of Subarus.
That and they are relatively gas efficient cars. Our Outback gets something close to 28 miles to the gallon.

[Ryan S]

Yeah because we all know how crappy those Japanese cars are...

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4022547
Japanese cars are very reliable, but if you want to have real fun driving you need to buy European. Every Japanese car I have ever driven has had the same notchy gearbox, and that just kills off any enthusiasm I might have for the car.

[Blackadar]

Japanese cars are very reliable, but if you want to have real fun driving you need to buy European. Every Japanese car I have ever driven has had the same notchy gearbox, and that just kills off any enthusiasm I might have for the car.

I'll think of that when I'm driving my WRX with the short-throw shifter. :)

[DanGarion]

Japanese cars are very reliable, but if you want to have real fun driving you need to buy European. Every Japanese car I have ever driven has had the same notchy gearbox, and that just kills off any enthusiasm I might have for the car.
That all depends on the type of fun you want to have. I have LOTS of fun taking my 2004 Toyota Tacoma Dualcab Prerunner up into the mountains offroading... ;)

[MikeVic]

Sounds like there's some things wrong with the car. But pretty much all Subarus have AWD on all the time. It the trademark of Subarus.

When I was looking at an Impreza before, the guy said it had some sort of smart AWD feature. Said it shifts power or something when it can feel sliding?

[MikeVic]

Ok, I need input on this piece now... when I asked for the car for $9000, he said no, it's a firm $10000. I said I'd call back yesterday but didn't.. he just called me back now and asked if I bought a car yet. I said I was looking at the cost of the bumper fix, etc... and he said he'd take off the cost of all that... so now he'll sell it for $9600.

Does this sound weird? Or just a guy wanting to sell his car? Needs the money? Or maybe there's something wrong with it that neither my dad nor I could find... and he just wants to get rid of it? I'd like input on this situation. :)