jmj951

Not sure, but it has a 4.0L V6 with around 275 horsepower, so that wouldn't surprise me. I think she's already offset the carbon footprint by driving a Toyota Prius for the last two years

Thanks, we've been thinking along those lines. Some U.S. folks over there right now said that there are numerous Xterra's and there is local dealer support for them there. We didn't pack a service manual, but we did send a complete set of replacement bulbs, a few air filters, two brand new tires that match what's currently on it (and it already has two new tires and two barely used), jumper cables, air compressor, and several oil filters - all in the household goods shipment that left the day after she bought it. We just had the 60k service done as part of the deal as well, which includes replacement of just about every fluid in the car, including coolant, trans, differential, and 4x4 service. She'll only be there for a few years, and then she will definitely sell it there - she's been told that she will get far more for it there than she paid for it here, even after using it there for a few years.

Well, she ultimately went with a 2005 Nissan Xterra 4x4. We were trying really hard to get a good mid-to-late 90's 4Runner, but there was only one in the area that didn't have really high mileage, it was for sale by a private party, and they wanted $2300 more (over 25% more) than Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds Appraisal, and they wouldn't drop more than $300 off of their $8300 asking price, so no deal. Thanks again for all of your input. Subaru was a strong candidate in the beginning, but once I researched more and realized that there was no authorized dealer support there, and that a stock north American model probably wasn't a great idea for some of the roads outside of town, I had to take it off the list.

Wow, getting more feedback than I expected, thanks all. Thanks also for the comment about diesel vs petrol - I hadn't considered that yet. I know Petrol is available in town, but if she wants to travel around, that may be an issue. Sorry for being so vague earlier, I have a few more details now: *Exact location is Libreville, Gabon, Africa. Former French colony. Probably a lot of recycled French cars as mentioned in a previous post. *Most of the driving will be within the capital of Libreville - I didn't realize that's what she meant when she said she probably would never get above 40mph. The roads aren't that bad in the capital, but she wants to be able to head out of town to explore, and down to the beach. *One of her future co-workers (who is there right now) has a Subaru Outback and has seen several other Subarus around town, but didn't exactly clarify what kind of support is there for Subarus. It looks like the nearest 'official' support is in Kenya. Just guessing, but most likely the Subarus in Libreville were probably imported from France for the most part, and I would be that any parts the guys order there come through France (or Kenya). *She wants a vehicle that is as much like a car as possible. She test drove a Nissan Xterra and felt it was okay, but she liked a RAV4 much better. I didn't think I would recommend the RAV4, but then I visited a Toyota dealer's web site in Gabon (http://www.toyotagabon.com/eng/index.html) and I see some new RAV4's available on the site, so I guess that's a viable choice now - in fact it may be the frontrunner, but we're still going to be limited by budget and availability. Thanks again all!

Great, this is not what I expected to hear, but I'm glad to get this kind of feedback. I'm wondering why she was told by one of the folks aready working there that Subarus were one of the makes to get, I'll try to reach her and get more info on why they recommended a Subaru, and how widely used they really are in that location.

Hello all - newbie here, at least to Subarus. I have never so much as ridden in one, but a good female friend of mine needs my help to purchase one, and knowing how helpful the forums are for my own cars, I figured I would bounce some questions off some veteran Subaru guys (and gals) and see if you can help. I promise to stay with the thread and post pics of the one she ultimately buys. My friend is in the Navy. She has orders to a country in Africa (sorry to be so vague, I know it's a big place). She has been told that the makes in that location for which she can find parts and support are Nissan, Toyota and Subaru. She's heavily leaning towards Subaru. She must have all wheel drive, as it will be absolutely necessary in most places she'll drive. With the roads and road conditions they have there, she's been told she won't usually get above 40 mph. She wants to buy the vehicle here in the U.S. and ship it over there, because there is very little to no selection there. She wants to buy a used vehicle, and doesn't want to spend more than $15k. Hopefully, it will go two years with little to no problems, then she plans to sell it locally in Africa when she leaves. If she were to go with a Subaru, which model and years do you recommend? Of the ones you recommend, can you please provide a list of specific issues to watch out for on that particular model/year as we go over each vehicle? Other than basic maintenance, anything that you recommend be done to it or upgraded before it's shipped? Thanks in advance! John Jones Monterey, CA Update: Here is the info I have put in a later post: Sorry for being so vague earlier, I have a few more details now: *Exact location is Libreville, Gabon, Africa. Former French colony. Probably a lot of recycled French cars as mentioned in a previous post. *Most of the driving will be within the capital of Libreville - I didn't realize that's what she meant when she said she probably would never get above 40mph. The roads aren't that bad in the capital, but she wants to be able to head out of town to explore, and down to the beach. *One of her future co-workers (who is there right now) has a Subaru Outback and has seen several other Subarus around town, but didn't exactly clarify what kind of support is there for Subarus. It looks like the nearest 'official' support is in Kenya. Just guessing, but most likely the Subarus in Libreville were probably imported from France for the most part, and I would be that any parts the guys order there come through France (or Kenya). *She wants a vehicle that is as much like a car as possible. She test drove a Nissan Xterra and felt it was okay, but she liked a RAV4 much better. I didn't think I would recommend the RAV4, but then I visited a Toyota dealer's web site in Gabon (http://www.toyotagabon.com/eng/index.html) and I see some new RAV4's available on the site, so I guess that's a viable choice now - in fact it may be the frontrunner, but we're still going to be limited by budget and availability.