Looking to buy a Subaru wagon

[SubieNubie]

Hi,

 

As my handle implies, I'm a newcomer to the world of Subaru. Presently, my husband and I have a '96 Nissan Sentra and we're looking for something wagon-shaped with decent fuel economy to carry a canoe, hiking gear, donated furniture for charity, etc. Previously, we were considering Jetta and Passat wagons, but decided that the ability to use our own bio-diesel did not outweigh the accompanying necessity of hiring a part-time, personal mechanic. A co-worker turned me on to AWD Subarus, since we live in the great snowy north that is "UP! state New York." And then we noticed that every third car in the food co-op parking lot was a Subaru.

 

We've test driven automatic and manual 2005 Foresters, plus a manual 2000 Legacy Outback S. I'm leaning toward the latter (mainly because we can't afford a monthly car payment over $350) and I think I can be OK with not having a remote starter as long as we have heated seats.

 

What's your favorite among the wagons? Any models we should look for or avoid?

 

Also, my mother has a somehwat dismissive expression, "Well whoopie do in my Subaru." Have you ever heard of it? Or is it a "Mom-special"? (She has a lot of expressions that no one else seems to have ever heard of.)

 

Thanks in advance for your help and patience. (I finally learned the difference between L and S models only yesterday afternoon.)

 

 

SubieNubie

 

x-posted in Marketplace

[A DOG]

Well any of the outbacks would work great for haulin stuff around. Or you could buy an older suby, maybe an 88 DL, GL, or leone would be a great buy. All subies are great. Just gotta find the right one.

[gtrdog50]

Hi SubieNubie,

 

I just joined the forum. I have an '02 Outback wagon w/auto. (my first)

73K miles. Love the car. Especially in the snow! No worries and 21 - 28 mpg.

Oh yes the HEATED SEATS... :-) However concerning the 5 spd vs. automatic, I did hear 'Click and Clack' (Car Talk guys) mention that Subaru clutches had a tendancy to go bad. I don't know how true that is. Maybe one of the 'old timers' can set us straight on this.

 

Good luck!

[powderhound]

Personally I would avoid the 2.5l engines like the plague. If you want an outback the only one I would consider is a 96 5sp. For absolute dead pan reliablity you cannot beat first gen legacys (90-94). As for clutches that may be true but its still cheaper to fix than an auto. Plus I like the control in the snow and hills affored by a manual. Personally I have 124K on my original clutch and many people on this board have run their's even farther. I know Mattocs got 190K out of his.

 

Side note: Do you consider albany up-state? I would think that's more mid-state. My sister use to live in Norwich and that was mid-state. Now she lives in Potsdam...now that's UP-state.

[sixiron]

I owned a 99 OB wagon and traded it in on an 03 legacy se wagon and really prefer the legacy wagon over the OB anyday of the week...same drive train with a much cheaper price tag...only thing I am missing is the leather seats which I can live without...the regular legacy will sit a little lower than the OBW but I like it for looks, entrance/exit....Being that you are from upstate NY I bet you could probably find a Brighton model if you looked hard enough...it is a bare boned sub, roll-up windows , steel wheels, etc but its still a sub...U will probably have to find that one used as I believe sub stopped making them last year...

 

Funny quirk here , I would almost trade for the VW Jetta SW TDI , I am getting serious about bio-diesel...good luck

[tntquintero]

:-) How-dee!

 

We have driven Subarus for close to 20 years - the Outbacks just keep getting better & better. We had a 1999 Legacy Outback Wagon w/ 5-speed M/T - I thought that was THE greatest snow car ever! It performed flawlessly on trips to the Sierra Nevada Mountains for ski outings and such. We recently purchased a 2004 Legacy Outback LTD Sedan (automatic) & 2004 Legacy Outback Wagon (manual) to replace our aging fleet. So far, they have performed well and had zero problems. If you go used, try to purchase from the original owner if possible and do some research regarding price (Edmunds.com is a good start). Subaru builds a great vehicle - that's what brought us all together! Good luck with your search and be patient - your Subaru is out there!

Tony Quintero

[Tom Dunn]

"Whoop-die doo for my Subaru" is from some sort of commercial, but I can't recall which one. Been a few years at least! Car insurance maybe?

[unverviking]

However concerning the 5 spd vs. automatic, I did hear 'Click and Clack' (Car Talk guys) mention that Subaru clutches had a tendancy to go bad. I don't know how true that is. Maybe one of the 'old timers' can set us straight on this.

 

Good luck!

I have over 201k on my 93 Legacy wagon AWD, and it has the original clutch in it. It is just now starting to show sign of some slipping in 5th, but not all the time...

 

I was impressed (at first drive) on Subaru's automatic. When we bought our 01 new, I told my wife that if I thought that the auto was logey (like the GM's we had driven previously) I would need to teach her how to drive a 5 speed. Let's just say we have the Auto, it threw me in the seat and kept on going... Let's hope that lasts as long as my 93's clutch...

[Slats]

Greetings ! I am responding because I just went through the exact process you did. I looked at the vw tdi wagon , I looked at small suv's and finally found the cat's meow. I bought a 2001 Legacy GT wagon 4cyl automatic with only 39,000km. That is around 25,000 miles I believe for you Yankee Doodle dandies.

 

In Canada we get our fair share of winter as you know, hence the decision to go with the Subaru. The more internet research I did the less I wanted a VW due to maintenance issues. Jetta's do not score well on customer satisfaction. They are good drive trains but annoying electrical problems etc.. have caused many pissed off customers. Subaru? Hard pressed to find a bad review.

 

I just bought mine (it is in the shop getting professionally detailed right now) but I can say I was grinning all the way home from the dealer where I bought it as I got an excellent deal.

 

I really suggest you go Subaru and avoid the VW.

 

My two cents.

[Gnuman]

:-) How-dee!

 

We have driven Subarus for close to 20 years - the Outbacks just keep getting better & better. We had a 1999 Legacy Outback Wagon w/ 5-speed M/T - I thought that was THE greatest snow car ever! It performed flawlessly on trips to the Sierra Nevada Mountains for ski outings and such. We recently purchased a 2004 Legacy Outback LTD Sedan (automatic) & 2004 Legacy Outback Wagon (manual) to replace our aging fleet. So far, they have performed well and had zero problems. If you go used, try to purchase from the original owner if possible and do some research regarding price (Edmunds.com is a good start). Subaru builds a great vehicle - that's what brought us all together! Good luck with your search and be patient - your Subaru is out there!

Tony Quintero

Where in Oakley are you? I live on Malicoat, we should get together. . .

 

I happen to have a 93 Legacy L Wagon for sale with a brand new clutch in it. The car is in good shape all around and runs quite well. At just under 200K miles it is just getting broken in. Body is good with the only rust being on a few scratches (all but zero rust). THis is an AWD with a 5spd. PM me if you are at all interested. The engine in this car (EJ22) is considered one of the best engines Subaru has ever made. Certainly one of the most reliable. . .

[SubieNubie]

Personally I would avoid the 2.5l engines like the plague. If you want an outback the only one I would consider is a 96 5sp. For absolute dead pan reliablity you cannot beat first gen legacys (90-94). As for clutches that may be true but its still cheaper to fix than an auto. Plus I like the control in the snow and hills affored by a manual. Personally I have 124K on my original clutch and many people on this board have run their's even farther. I know Mattocs got 190K out of his.

 

Side note: Do you consider albany up-state? I would think that's more mid-state. My sister use to live in Norwich and that was mid-state. Now she lives in Potsdam...now that's UP-state.

Why would you avoid the 2.5l engines? My Mom says that I ride the clutch too much, but I won't be driving it much. It'll be my husband's car more than mine.

 

Response to side note: I think the sense of what is Upstate has a little to do with population density and a lot to do with I-90. There are more than 8 million people in New York City and their choices in elections, for example, greatly influence statewide results (NY has a total population around 19 million). Potsdam is definitely above the I-90 line and almost into Canada, Syracuse and Albany are on it, and Norwich is below it. Albany is more than 2 and a half hours north (150 miles) of New York City, and, actually, I live north of Albany, but very few people would recognize the name of my little town.

 

Here's a way to tell if a person is or isn't an Upstater:

 

Jeff Foxworthy on Upstate New York

 

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Upstate New York.

 

If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because Saranac Lake is the coldest spot in the nation, and Syracuse gets more snow than any other major city in the US, you might live in Upstate New York.

 

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you might live in Upstate New York.

 

If you instinctively walk like a penguin for six months out of the year, you might live in Upstate New York.

 

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't work there, you might live in Upstate New York.

 

If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead, you might live in Upstate New York.

 

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you might live in Upstate New York.

 

If your town has more bars than churches, you might live in Upstate New York.

 

If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Upstate New York.

 

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE UPSTATE NEW YORKER WHEN:

 

1. "Vacation" means going South past Syracuse for the weekend.

 

2. You measure distance in hours.

 

3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.

 

4. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.

 

5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.

 

6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings).

 

7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

 

8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend / wife knows how to use them.

 

9. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

 

10. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

 

11. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction.

 

12. You can identify a southern or eastern accent.

 

13. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.

 

14. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.

 

15. Down South to you means Corning.

 

16. A brat is something you eat.

 

17. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new shed.

 

18. You go out for a fish fry every Friday.

 

19. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.

 

20. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.

 

21. You find 10 degrees "a little chilly."

 

22. You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Upstate New York friends.

 

 

#2 thru 5 apply to me, as well as #8 thru 12, 16 thru 18, 21 and 22. So that’s 14 points out of 22 (64%), and 8 out of 9 of the non-numbered points at the top of the list, I think I qualify as an Upstater. Would you agree?

[operose]

holy cow! people know where potsdam is!!!! that's where _I_ live! crazy...

[ron917]

"Whoop-die doo for my Subaru" is from some sort of commercial, but I can't recall which one. Been a few years at least! Car insurance maybe?

Chain of muffler shops, probably Midas. The quote was spoken by a little old lady, like the "Where's the beef?!" lady in the Wendy's commercials. The same commercial had a stodgy old guy saying "Victory for my Volvo". The point was that they had mufflers that specifically fit all the weird foriegn cars, instead of having to force-fit a generic muffler. Cut to a shot of the competitions shop, mechaninc holding a giant muffler, and even bigger hammer, saying, "I'll make it fit!"

 

I have no idea why I remember that commercial so vividly. It was a long time ago - early '80s, I think. Probably because I've always thought Subarus and Volvos (the old ones) were cool.

[schspeedster]

I am looking for a 2nd Subaru also, in Eastern PA. Legacy 2.2 automatic, "needs work" condition OK if the price is right.

 

Any Subaru enthusiast websites with for sale listings?

 

Is pricing seasonal, maybe more deals on AWD to be found after winter's over?

[ballitch]

people that say "you need to avoid the EJ25 (2.5 litre subie motor)" need to do some resaerch first, not trying to piss in anyone's cereal here but subaru has made HG changes and doesnt seem to have any problem at all with the new gen HG's, yes its true they are open deck designed motors, but the fact remains that alot of people had problems with the generation previous to this one's 2.5 litre HG's acting up and going bad, but dont let one rotten egg stink up the whole farm.

 

 

 

~Josh~