SUBI Outback

[bdenny4]

Thinking of trading my car in and getting a 2007 or 2008 model Subaru Outback.

What are they like and are they good value for money?
Are they expensive to run and service?

Cheers

[Tobi]

Subi's are awesome.

smile.gif

Although I have noticed that I'm not getting as much as I used to out of a tank of petrol lately. It's gone from about 450 - 500kms a tank to about 400. It's almost due for it's 50,000 service which I've been quoted at $750 (I think).

PS - Mine's an impreza but I think you knew that.

I'd possibly get a forrester over an outback though.

[Paul Oberin]

The outback is more like a car than a 4WD, the Forester is more like a small 4WD, we have had both and do prefer the features offered in the Outback.
THe 2.5L motor is more than enough for everything but towing, has great acceleration and is still alright on fuel.
We didn't pay enough attention to the tyres and made the mistake of putting a set of brand new tyres on the front while the rear set had a few 1,000Kms left on them, this wore out the Viscous coupling in the gearbox and cost us $1800, so keep all 4 tyres close to the same wear percentage as that can get costly, rotate the tyres as suggested and replace all 4 at the same time.
Compared to our previous 4 BMW cars, the Subi's are more reliable and cost way less to service.
I will keep buying Subi's for some time I think.

[skimax]

I am probably upgrading my subi outback soon , great cars and there is a 3 litre but as Paul said the 2.5 litre does the trick unless your towing something heavy.Far less to service than bmers of course

[bdenny4]

Well, I went to Mentone Subi today and had a look.
I do like the new Forester, but it is quite big.
There does not seem to be too many manuals around in the Outback but plenty in the Forester.
I would prefer a manual.

Not needed for towing but just to get to work and back and the occasional trip to the snow.

I think I'm gonna do it but maybe I need to rethink which model - I'll test drive some next weekend to see which I prefer.

Beemer does not cost that much to service but its getting up there in kms (140,000) and that is what prompted my thinking. I get 650kms to a tank now which I feel is quite good.

[Tobi]

Head down to Cambur in Frankston. It's where I got mine from.

[Volkl carve]

I've been contemplating updating my car for a while, not sure at this stage if I'm going to purchase an AWD or 4WD. I'll probably invest for a while and make a decision early next year.

The Forester and Outback are both good SUV choices, as mentioned the Forester has different handling characteristics from the Outback which is a raised Liberty with a few cosmetic additions.

An auto is likely to give you less trouble. Subaru's still have problems with manual transmissions. The gearboxes can and do give trouble even at fairly low km's and are quite exy to repair. An exception to this is the new Subaru wrx sti gearbox which is absolutely bullet proof, not sure if this is available on the standard wrx. Maybe with the release of newer models they can correct this, as the warranty is sometimes a contentious issue too.

At this stage, an all new model release for the Outback and Liberty is slated for October this year.

[ 15.03.2009, 10:09 PM: Message edited by: Volkl carve ]

[SnowFlake]

A lot of my mates have Foresters. The latest Foresters have more ground clearance than previously. Are good on dirt roads and farm tracks (but watch the overhangs fore and aft if going field driving). They trade them on new ones every second year which comes before some big service interval or other. Turbo Forester is a road rocket which I covet!

[Batty]

Haven't had alot to do with subi's but i had a old liberty AWD for a week last year while waiting for my new car to turn up and couldn't beleive how well it drove and handled for a car with over 250k's on the clock hardly a rattle or squeek coming from any where. Very impressive for a car that hadn't been overly looked after.

[BrumbyJack]

I can second Batty's comment. I had a 98 Liberty wagon in Canada, with 310,000k on it when I bought it... and I was perfect, no problems, low fuel use, handled the icy roads perfectly.

I left it with 322,750k on it :D

[SnowFlake]

Don't get me wrong I think Subies are great cars and the 20 or so mates of mine who have them swear by the brand. Which is why they keep buying. Their cars see a lot of dirt road and forest track work. There is much to like including the rear door which hinges up and is reasonable shelter from rain and what not while things are loaded / unloaded. The low roof line compared with many other AWD/4WD makes for easy loading / unloading of roof racks.

[bdenny4]

OK - so maybe I'll test drive the Forester then.

Really not keen on an auto, but if the manual is an unreliable as Volkl says then eithe I go with another brand or go SUBI auto.

Ahhhhh - next dilema is colour

[Volkl carve]

I like the Subaru Forester and Outback and as a recreational and light off road vehicle they have a lot of merit. I'm not trying to persuade you not to buy the manual. Just be aware that some of them do have problems.

I have a vested interest in them as I may purchase one. I've always driven manuals, though next car I'll get probably will be an auto, coz I do a fair bit of city driving too. Anyway I checked with my local mechanic and he recommended go with the auto, as they do quite a lot of manual gearbox rebuilds for Subaru's and not all at high kms. He showed me an invoice for example - 2005 Forester - 97K - lady driver always serviced at Subaru. Just out of warranty, Subaru didn't want to know about the issue, so she had it fixed at the servo. $5000 to replace the clutch, machine the flywheel and rebuild the gearbox. He told me this is not an uncommon experience. A few other people I've known have had manual gearbox problems with their Suby's too. This does not befall everyone, though its worth keeping in mind.

FWIW I've driven a 1999 Nissan Pulsar SSS which has done 193K without missing a beat. I had the clutch replaced at 183K after doing a sh itload of city commuting. I enjoy driving the car and because its been so reliable, is part of the reason I've kept it for 10 years.

Sometimes a bit of investigation into what your buying can save you thousands in repair costs.

[ 16.03.2009, 08:43 PM: Message edited by: Volkl carve ]

[carvit]

we have a 99 forester and a 09 forester.
i love driving both. (when +1 lets me in the new one..)
the 99 gets better k's (by 50-60km's) FYI

top notch cars smile.gif

[slipper82]

My work car at the moment is a new forester and it is crap on dirt roads, the suspension is way tooooo stiff for offroad conditions i.e. corregated roads it is a handfull keeping it straight.

Good comforts inside though, but the suspension lets the car down.

[ 17.03.2009, 09:53 AM: Message edited by: slipper82 ]