re: Anyone Own a Subaru?

I had a '98 Outback and currently have an '02 WRX. Subarus rock.

Comments:

1. Poor gas mileage compared to the competition.

2. Both cars were manual. First gear synchro wore out fast, but they supposedly fixed this in 2005. Both cars developed clutch vibration early, but on the WRX it was replaced under warranty and I've gone over 100K on the second clutch and it's still good.

3. Like all AWD cars they use open diffs (I think the WRX has a LSD on one axle). Great for snowy roads but it won't get you out of every jam. I got stuck once in the Outback where I would not have gotten stuck if I had the ability to lock the diffs.

4. I gave my Outback to my brother, and at about 120K, he needed to replace a wheel bearing, but otherwise it was reliable.

5. At around 120K on my WRX the driver power window motor mount came loose and when I took it to my mechanic to fix it and get a service, he said the head gaskets needed to be replaced, and that it's common for boxer engines (horizontal heads) to burn out the head gaskets. That's been my only unexpected surprise expense.


Those are the only issues I've had. If you ever drive on snowy roads or dirt roads, Subarus are great. If you don't, then it's just whether you like the styling. For the non-turbo Subarus, there are many alternatives, but if the model you want has a turbo available, then it will be a fun car (I think the Forrester is/was available with the turbo) with not much competition.