Hi there,
I'm new here. I've always been partial to Japanese cars and been through a string of Toyotas and Hondas in my life. Current vehicles are a Toyota Sienna and a 2002 Forester that I inserted a few years ago with low mileage and from a dry climate with basically no corrosion. It's my commuter car and I also use it for hauling music gear and bikes when the Sienna is tied up otherwise or schedules don't line up for my wife and me.
I'm pretty sure the Subaru may still have some life in it and hey, it's free except for the occasional rather minor repair so far. It's not the most comfortable ride for somebody who is 6'2" since - as so often these days in the US - the seats don't go back far enough really. But overall it's a fun drive, love the all wheel drive here in New England, and extra bonus, it has a manual transmission. Bunch of stuff gave in, such as the moonroof (don't like those things for that reason), radio (swapped it out for another CD radio), cruise control (no need for that either). All good.
However, the time will come when I'll need to replace it. Looked at the Jeep Grand Cherokee (nice styling, enough space in front and back). Have a Ford Explorer on my list. Toyota Highlander. BUT: went to the local Subaru place to check out the Forester and Outback - and was positively surprised that the Forester has more space now in front AND manual transmission still!
So there is certainly a viable option to cover my almost-perfect-car-needs (perfect for day to day use that is...): space, all wheel, manual transmission, CD player (!), enough space for my bikes and guitar rigs, leather seats and a few niceifications available. No 6 cylinder though.
Which brings me to the Outback: overall the nicer and better equipped car - I was surprised to learn that since on the road it looks like the smaller, more basic car compared to the Forester. But no manual transmission any longer - which on a car like this makes absolutely no sense to me.
So with that in mind: what are my options? What was the latest US model Outback that is still available with manual transmission and the 6 cyl engine? And how about buying new from Canada where it seems to be sold still in the 2017 model? Must be possible somehow since I had a used Canadian Toyota before that I bought in the US (found that out later when figuring out the DLR settings).