Who here has/had a Subaru? Good car?

[Sun Baked]

That sucks khammack, I took a quick look at the junkyard for a used engine and tranny for my vehicle -- they were $1450 & 625.

But I chose the old fart car because I don't want to spend much on parts, the only thing wrong with it right now is a $15 part needs replacement -- but that require ripping the dash out of the vehicle.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

I know, everyone I know tells me how what great cars they are and how they are so reliable. That has simply not been the reality with my 1998 Legacy Outback wagon.

Ok, I'll raise you one '92 Ford Ranger, a '99 VW New Bettle, a '01 Ford Ranger; and a host of '80's [G]eneral [M]esses from Chevy, Buick, and Oldsmobile.

 

[Counterfit]

I'm heavily considering the purchase of a new 2006 subaru impreza (not WRX) wagon.

Anyone have any good/bad things to say about subaru? My only other car has been a honda civic.

My brother has a 2004 wagon, and I love it. Turns in better than any car I've driven. (Okay okay, it's not like it really has much competition there )

njmac: Why didn't you make sure it had enough room before you bought it? Something my parents always did when buying a new car was bring my father's tuba case and made sure it fit. They didn't have to do this last time though, as a LeSabre and Rendezvous will fit it just fine.

 

[njmac]

njmac: Why didn't you make sure it had enough room before you bought it? Something my parents always did when buying a new car was bring my father's tuba case and made sure it fit. They didn't have to do this last time though, as a LeSabre and Rendezvous will fit it just fine.

haha, yeah I should have waited until my 2nd child was born. I was pregnant at the time and thinking that I needed to get rid of the Saturn for something roomier (and 4WD didn't hurt). It seemed kind of roomy when I first got it but once the 2nd baby was born it was very clear that it was way too small.

 

[m-dogg]

haha, yeah I should have waited until my 2nd child was born. I was pregnant at the time and thinking that I needed to get rid of the Saturn for something roomier (and 4WD didn't hurt). It seemed kind of roomy when I first got it but once the 2nd baby was born it was very clear that it was way too small.

Hehehh - I think I always assumed you were male due to your avatar. Not that it realy matters...

 

[Abstract]

I just went to the Subaru website, and boy are their cars ugly. I know they're very practical, and I'd look into getting one if I had kids or something, but wow....

The Outback wagon looks ok. So does that new (expensive!) model.

 

[strider42]

I'm heavily considering the purchase of a new 2006 subaru impreza (not WRX) wagon.

Anyone have any good/bad things to say about subaru? My only other car has been a honda civic.

Subaru's are freaking bullet proof. My family has had three. The first went 250k miles in ten years (that's a lot of usage), and was still going when we sold it. The next one is still going at 230k miles and 12 years old. My dad bought another one and its been trouble free. The only incident we ever had was the first one needed a new tranny, but that was a recall situaiton and was fixed for free (and it went another 200k after that).

I would highly recommend subaru vehicles. Their engines are very well designed, you get a lot of value (a lot of standard features), and consumer report has always given them very high ratings for reliability and quality. The only vehicle they make that I think is a little funky is the forester. Just seems like its not that much bigger than an impreza wagon, and doesn't really seem like an SUV. But all of them are good cars.

 

[mactastic]

Hmm... my wife is considering trading in her '98 Civic for an Outback wagon (used) since we're going to be expanding as a family soon. Good to see all the input on this subject here.

 

[lme1115]

Subaru

I'm heavily considering the purchase of a new 2006 subaru impreza (not WRX) wagon.

Anyone have any good/bad things to say about subaru? My only other car has been a honda civic.

I have owned only 2 cars over the past 21 years....both of them Subarus. My current car is 13 years old and I am now looking to buy another (probably a B9 Tribeca). I can't say enough about how great and reliable Subarus are.

 

[FatTony]

I have a 2001 Forrester. Great car. No problems even though we abuse the little bugger. We have three car seats in the back and tons of room in the cargo area. We have actually been testing out moving to high-back booster seats and it's a little tight. It can be a challenge to snap the seat belt in with the boosters side by side real tight. The kids love it and it gets about 28 mpg mostly Hwy with a little city thrown in. Better than our minivan. We are considering ditching the minivan and using the Subaru as our primary shuttle-the-kids-around car.

 

[jacg]

I have an old Imprezza. Guzzles fuel but drives well. Very few mechanical problems.

 

[mikiye]

1998 suburu: unbelievable rust on roof, at 30,000 rear wheel bearing out

Good luck on suburu. I have 32,000 on my impreza outback and the roof is rusting. This is something body shops have told me should not be happening. The shop does not want to fix it because it is too difficult and they can't think of anyone to send me to. Also, the left rear wheel bearing went out on before 30,000 miles-there have been other reports on this problem. The mileage is awful because it is all wheel drive...i could never recommend a suburu and feel obliged to warn people. miki

 

[iGav]

Good luck on suburu. I have 32,000 on my impreza outback and the roof is rusting. This is something body shops have told me should not be happening.

It shouldn't.... didn't it come with a 10-12 year anti-corrosion warranty???

The shop does not want to fix it because it is too difficult and they can't think of anyone to send me to.

I'd spend a weekend doing it yourself, buy some rust inhibitor, etching primer and your paint, then hire a compressor. Then get sanding and spraying... a weekend's work, cost you a couple of hundred bucks.

 

[wimic]

My boyfriend is a service technician with Honda. We were looking at getting a new vehicle last year and when looking at cars we looked at the WRX. I don't know much about cars myself, but the impression that I got from my bf was that Suburus are really underpowered. If you shop around, you're likely to get a better bang for your buck!

 

[wimic]

Good luck on suburu. I have 32,000 on my impreza outback and the roof is rusting. This is something body shops have told me should not be happening. The shop does not want to fix it because it is too difficult and they can't think of anyone to send me to. Also, the left rear wheel bearing went out on before 30,000 miles-there have been other reports on this problem. The mileage is awful because it is all wheel drive...i could never recommend a suburu and feel obliged to warn people. miki

I'm not sure about your impreza, but I do know that some manufacturers design seals around some parts of cars that are actually counterproductive... Case in Point: My bf and I have a 2000 Civic SI, and the car comes with a plastic lip around the wheel-well. As soon as we got it, my bf removed the lip. It's put there to protect the body and to prevent the infiltration of water into the nooks and crannys of the car. It's notorious for trapping water, which subsequently rusts the wheel-wells. It's unfortunate that this has to happen... we all know vehicles aren't cheap!

 

[gauchogolfer]

My boyfriend is a service technician with Honda. We were looking at getting a new vehicle last year and when looking at cars we looked at the WRX. I don't know much about cars myself, but the impression that I got from my bf was that Suburus are really underpowered. If you shop around, you're likely to get a better bang for your buck!

Don't the WRXs have like 300 horsepower? How much do you need?

 

[Sdashiki]

Don't the WRXs have like 300 horsepower? How much do you need?

on four tires though.

but yeah anyone who says a Subaru Impreza WRX is NOT a fast, too fast, and way too fast car, is just a fool.

Its won too many Rally championships to even count, and it costs a pretty penny too.

300+HP on 4 tires = 90 degree turns at speed.

 

[iGav]

Don't the WRXs have like 300 horsepower? How much do you need?

I was just thinking that... WRX's are like country lane exocet missiles.

 

[blitzkrieg79]

Don't the WRXs have like 300 horsepower? How much do you need?

The US spec Subaru Impreza comes in three variations, either a 2.5l 173HP, 2.5l 230HP, and STI comes in with a 2.5l 300HP. So basically Wagon has a choice between the 173HP or 230HP engines. Plenty of HP for everyday driving and enough HP to go a lil crazy from time to time. All in all, I prefer Mitsubishi Lancer Evo in this category, there is also a wagon version of it but of course it's not available in the USA.

All in all, most Subaru cars are great cars, highly underrated, offer a decent warranty, and are rather reliable at least according to the various automotive statistics.

 

[wimic]

Don't the WRXs have like 300 horsepower? How much do you need?

Well the WRX was the exception. That's why we were considering it.

All I meant was that for the same money, you can get a better car if you go elsewhere.

 

[Laser]

I have a 2004 Forester turbo. Love it.

 

[aloofman]

These always end up being unscientific opinion polls because only someone who loved it or hated it will be inspired to offer anecdotal evidence, which of course, isn't reliable at all.

Case in point: until I was about 25 I never met anyone who was happy with their Subaru purchase. To a man, they all complained how often it was in the shop, how much new parts cost them, how they were stuck with a lemon. One local even wrote in big letters on his building "Never buy a Subaru - ask me why!"

Sometime in the late-90s, a complete reversal happened. Now all I hear is how great they are. Now all the anecdotes are glowing reviews. Did Subaru have a big jump in quality at the time? Is it just random that I only met unhappy Subaru owners for a while and now only hear from happy ones? I have no idea. There will always be partisans and brand loyalty is strong (and somewhat irrational) for a lot of people. I've met people who swear that Dodge has always built great cars, for god's sake.

I guess this post isn't particularly helpful, except to say that asking the question is basically an invitation to the partisans. You should really be checking out reviews, studying quality surveys (carefully), and taking your own test drives.

 

[bousozoku]

I don't know that there is anything great or terrible about them. They seem sturdy although shutting a door doesn't sound it. The boxer/flat engines are well-tested and they give that sound the old VW Beetles did but with a bit of water insulation.

Maybe, I've been around too many VWs but I found the interior fiddly. Getting the rear seats down seems to be a real pain, as the release mechanism is poorly designed and you can wedge your finger in there. Overall, things look more impressive than they really are but the seats seem comfy and things are adjustable.

I've been thinking about one of their cars for my next car but I'm not driving to West Palm to get it. Mazda probably isn't as reliable but they've got cars more to my liking, though who can claim that the Impreza WRX isn't interesting?

 

[macguy1975]

never again

until today, I would have said that Subaru made an ok car. Not necessarily a great car, but ok. Today, we found out that the clutch on my wife's 2002 Subaru Impreza wagon which has less than 70,000 miles on it has to be replaced to the tune of $1800. I have never had a clutch on any other car, (and I've had everything from Volksagen Bugs to Toyotas & Mazdas) go out at this mileage. I'll never buy another Subaru. What a piece of junk. The worst part is that Subaru doesn't seem to care. I talked to the "Customer Service" (what a joke!) today and was basically told they don't care. Oh well--if you do buy a Subaru I hope you have better luck. Don't bother with their extended service contracts though because it doesn't cover things like this.

 

[aloofman]

until today, I would have said that Subaru made an ok car. Not necessarily a great car, but ok. Today, we found out that the clutch on my wife's 2002 Subaru Impreza wagon which has less than 70,000 miles on it has to be replaced to the tune of $1800. I have never had a clutch on any other car, (and I've had everything from Volksagen Bugs to Toyotas & Mazdas) go out at this mileage. I'll never buy another Subaru. What a piece of junk. The worst part is that Subaru doesn't seem to care. I talked to the "Customer Service" (what a joke!) today and was basically told they don't care. Oh well--if you do buy a Subaru I hope you have better luck. Don't bother with their extended service contracts though because it doesn't cover things like this.

I've had a few cars in the family that had a manual transmission, and based on those, 70,000 miles isn't totally out of line. (Although the last of those was in the 1980s, so maybe clutches are more durable now.) But a clutch is one of those things whose lifespan varies drastically depending on how the car is driven. Lots of uphill driving under load? Hard acceleration? Both wear out a clutch faster. Because it's a wear-and-tear exception to a factory warranty, yes, the fact that it needs replacing is not Subaru's problem.

On the other hand, $1800 is a lot just to replace a clutch (and the throw-out bearing, I assume). And of course you had no way of knowing how much they'd charge for that when you bought the car. (Do you have to get it replaced by the dealer? Seems like a local shop could do it cheaper.) So that definitely sucks.

On the third hand of my freaky body, your complaint seems to be with the local Subaru service department, not with how well-made the car is. Not that this should make you happier: either way it's understandable that you wouldn't want to buy a Subaru again.