We just replaced our '97 Legacy wagon with a 2006 Outback (ex-Hertz, 19K miles). It has the immobilizer system, but only one working key (a master or sub-master from the pictures in the manual) and no key number or security ID plates. We need at least two ignition keys, and the (rather inexperienced) salesman said an extra chipped key would run us $100. According to what I've read since, we will also need to have whatever number of keys we wind up with reprogrammed. I already hate this system, and wonder whether the immobilizer can be disabled. (I also hate the oversize keys that don't fit the keyring I've carried for 40 years.) Or do I just bite the bullet and accept one more refinement I would not have paid for if it had been on a list of new-car options? (For the record, I find the remote door-lock/locator keyfob genuinely convenient. Just not a key with a mind of its own.)
On a different subject: The finance guy pitched the Subaru-backed extended service deal (as he is required to, I guess), which would give us 7-year/100K miles coverage for $1150 and include non-wear & tear repairs, AAA-style road service, emergency replacement-car rental, and so on. I've learned that extended-service deals are just about never a good deal, but my wife was a little tempted by the completeness and length of coverage. I tend to think about how little work we had done on our '97 (and on the two Toyotas that preceded it) and see it as an unnecessary expenditure (though better than the usual consumer-electronics deal). Any experiences or wisdom to offer?
