I'm looking to buy a used Subaru Outback and can only afford to spend $4,000 to $6,000 or so on the car. This means I've been looking at the cars years 1995-2001 give or take a year or two. I've heard rumor of various problems with the cars from these years--especially those that have reached 100,000 miles. I haven't found a car with less than 100,000 miles and most have 130,000+. I'm going to be buying the car in Connecticut where icy roads are managed with salt in the winter but I will be driving the car in the inter-mountain west during the winter so I really want 4WD/AWD. I'm looking for advice on what to be cautious of and how to best avoid buying a fairly inexpensive used car and then facing high repair and maintenance costs in the next two years. Is this possible in a used subaru? I'd also take advice on what years and prices would be best to consider for a Subaru Outback even if they are out of my price range.
