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Interesting....I guess it comes down to preference. BTW comparing base model of each the Outback has more headroom (40.5/39.1)/legroom (44.1/33.9) and vs. Forester headroom (34.8/39.8)/legroom (43.6/33.7) towing capacity 2700lb vs 2400lb. The forester is not as long (6" less) or heavy (220lb less) and less expensive. thanks for the replies.

Just curious, I have a '00 Outback and a friend is thinking about getting a Forester, why would one choose a Forester over an Outback? A comparison of some the specs shows the outback has more headroom, legroom, ground clearance, cargo capacity, towing capacity, performance, etc. Is it a vehicle classification (i.e. small SUV), style...?

I use 303 Protectorant on my sidewall as well as the dash, door gaskets and other vinyl & rubber trim. It's more like sunscreen it prevent fading and brittleness, and on the tires it has a sheen but not that slick look of armor all. Take look at their website: http://www.303products.com/main.php they'll send you a free sample package of their products.

No one has used it or know of it, hmmmm....?

Does anyone know of this brand. Supposedly a high-performance after-market GL-5 MT oil, similar to redline (I was told)? Thanks.

1. subaru [outback] has a distinctive shape; particularly shape side and rear (I'll be on the highway doing 85mph and notice an outback 10 cars in front) 2. it use to be Paul hogan - crocodile dundee in the australian outback (rugged adventurous) now latest ads are targeting urban professionals with adventurous alter egos (Lance Armstrong) 3. sterotypes (from the point of view of a 35yr black male married in brooklyn, NY): a. forester - suburban type caucasian male/female 49-55yrs b. WRX - young caucasian or asian male 20-ish c. legacy - middle age caucasian male/female, married, kids d. outback - a mix of all the above (except young asian male) 30 - 50yr old male/female, active lifestyle/adventurous at heart, more environmental aware (i.e then suv owners) Again this is just from my experience, I've had my 2000 outback less than a year. When I go mountain biking in northen NJ I see 2/3 other subies in the lot, mid-age guys, and on race day see a lot more and young 20-ish guy in blue WRX's. In chinatown in the city I see the asian kids with WRX's. I'm sure those of you further up in the northeast and elsewhere will have different observations.

Just blew a tire (Michelin Symmetry H) w/approx 30k miles. Being that it's a '00 Outback can I buy one new tire (only Symmetry S available). How would that affect the AWD, should I replace all four even though they're good for 65k? Any recommendation on equivalent all-season replacements? Thanks. Patrick

Decided to enjoy the great weather today and took the subie to the beach. But the SUVs wore down the sand road so much that driving in their tracks sand underneath the car was at 7-8" and I stalled. Tried to start again but the wheels didn't even spin. As one of the guys I was blocking told me the chasis/differential was suspended and could not transfer power to the wheels. After two SUVs tried to tow us out, driving foward, and failed a 3rd, using reverse (more power), was able to pull us out to the point where we could drive through to the beach. Lesson learned: my Subie is not invincible (boo hoo), towing a stuck subie in reverse is better and don't let the conservative driving wife drive out from such road (got stuck again, twice, because she didn't rev the engine or shift quick enough to keep from stalling. The car is due for an oil change and tune-up any suggestion as to anything in particular I should have checked while I'm at considering the whole underside of the car was "drowning" in sand. Also the engine/clutch(?) was smoking during the time the wheels weren't moving. How much life has the clutch loss? Patrick.

I agree , so I'm taking my wife with me today. She'll not only get a feel of the sliding but also how well it maneuvers and how to get out of a slide.

What's better than an SUV on a former airport runway with 6" of snow...A SUBARU OUTBACK!!!! This afternoon I went to a former municipal airport (now a recreation area) thinking I could get in some snow time with the Outback. But when I got there it seems the road was plowed... but only partially, half the runway area was unplowed! As I hit the snow I passed a VW Jetta stuck in the snow spinning its wheel, I didn't have a tow line w/me to help. So it took about 5 minutes to get use to the feel of the snow, then I started doing imaginary cones (s-turns), then came the skidding and after a few skids a flat spin(?) 180 degree. And I got in a little drifting. Stop. Repeat. Stop. Repeat again, again. It was just pure fun!!! Especially watching the SUVs driving slow an steady in a straight line. Going back tomorrow for more. :-p

I have a 5spd MT '00 Outback and find that down shifting to first is difficult, until the car comes to a complete stop. I don't remember this happening when we first got the car (3 months ago). I think I started noticing it as the weather got colder? Could this be a clutch problem or fluids? Patrick.

Hey EOppegaard I did read those threads, but no one had a similar issue, expect for Skip, in this thread. BTW Skip did you adjust your lamps yourself

Does anyone find that the OEM headlights don't provide enough illumination? I'm thinking it's because the '00 Outback is higher than my previous cars (Accord, Volvo 240) and the light aims lower. I read some of the other post regarding headlights and I noticed some people replaced theirs with brighter bulbs, is that recommended? Thanks

Just saw this Nissan commerical awd when you need it: picture of all cars using tire chains on a sunny day in other words full time awd is overkill!? What are the benefits of "full time" AWD? Of course I've read everything on subaru site about AWD and know its good for adverse terrain (snow, offroad), exceleration (w/ 5mt outback not much advantage) what else?

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm glad to know that I can safely slam my finger in the door I'll treat the seals with silicone after I wash all that salt of the car, and make a note to do it on a regular basis.

Why don't subaru door window have "frames", the window glass has no support other than itself. After washing the car water is between the glass and gaskets (though it doesn't get in the car). And with my first snow storm as an outback owner it took a few minutes to open the door because the moisture between the glass and gasket and snow/ice on the outside nicely froze to form a tightly sealed door. The AWD, however was good. Was able to pull in/out of parking spaces over mounds of snow, no spinning

Before the purchase of my outback was complete, I had the seller's name/address and the VIN and since a mysubaru site wasn't setup I went ahead and set it up and was able to view the recall information and manuals online in addition to what subaru maintenance had been done.

I recently started using the 303 Protectant also. I find it's great on the dash and tire's. It doesn't have that cheap looking shine like armorall. According to their write-up it provides UV protection and restores built in protection in tires. I even used on my fading black moutain bike shoes and they haven't look that good in 2 years. I'll try it on the weather seals now. For those interested I came across a good site on car care (i.e. washing, etc) that's where I came across the 303 stuff: http://www.detailcity.com These guys are into cleaning their cars as much as we subaru owners are into subarus

I'm a fairly new '00 outback (w/23k) owner myself, but as far as the recall info. I logged onto mysubaru.com and registered using your VIN and you'll get the current recalls and whether or not it's been performed on your vehicle. I recently (3-4weeks ago) had the anti-corrison coating applied to the rear suspension assembly on recall and it has been updated to reflect it. As far as what to check, you'll get an answer from the more experienced people or browse through the post, there was a recent post asking for recommendations and there was some very good replies about what to expect. http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6834 http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7927

I haven't accumulated any subuaru friends yet, but I'm noticing them everywhere now (like the beautiful subdued mustard yellow WRX yesterday). And about the active lifestyle you're right, I see about 3-4 outbacks when I go mountain biking and besides it's only been about 2 months as subaru owners and winter's upon us. I was reading the post about the tire chains and snow (and your very informative response, as usual) and my wife's like we'll only be driving in the city where the snow will be plowed so how well it handles in the snow isn't an issue. I told her the fact that it handles well in snow will compel us to take out in the snow, the way I went out of the way to find a dirt/sand road leading to the water's edge at the beach. I'll have someone sit in the back and check the sounds like you said. (it's to bad you're not a subuaru spy, it would have been a smart move on their part) Thanks.

Well, I know my mechanic tightened the lever (it used to go up to 13 clicks, he adjusted it to 7 clicks as the maximum) and checked the parking brake shoes. I'm assuming he used the adjuster screws. I don't know if he tightened the brake cable however, I'll have to ask him. The parking brakes should be able to hold the car on a steep hill (15-20 degree incline)? Hey Alias, how come you know sooo much about subaru's. My wife thinks maybe you're a spy that's been planted here by Subaru Thanks.

I have a 2000 Outback 5MT and I'm having some issues with the side brake. I recently parked at the local donut shop at a very slight incline; put the car in neutral and put on the parking brakes. The car still started to roll back, so I had to put in 1st. The my wife was at a steep hill at a stop sign and attempted to use the parking brake method (I tell her that's not the best way, but...) but the parking brake did/could not hold the car. Has anyone encountered this problem with the side brake Patrick.

Just as I thought, the most important reason: IT IS MORE FUN!!! she was never against the MT, her first 2 weeks as a new driver was spent "chauffering" a friend around the streets of Tokyo (15 years ago). And being the frugal and practical person it was an acceptable choice. But now she may never appreciate the benefit (i.e. fun) since she's the conservative type driver who'll never see the pleasure of downshifting for power to pass when you want it and not when the transmission decides it's ready. She can however appreciate the better milage, around 300+ miles on a full thank and reduced desirability of our MT car. It's too bad there's no hill holder that would have done it for her.

I convinced my wife that a manual transmission was better than automatic (mechanically, mileage, control and cost) and so we got a '00 Outback 5spd. After a little over a month driving and one horrifying hill (30 degree incline with a 90 degree turn halfway up and stop sign) she see's no benefit. I for one like it 'cause it's sportier and it goes when I want it. And ever since I first learned to drive I consciously became a left handed driver to leave my right hand free for shifting and now 15yrs later (acutally I drove my brothers honda crx for about 6 months some years back) I'm shifting my own! :-p what are the benefits of manual transmission.

thanks for the link SubieGal. Nice car! what's the spec on your rally car, it's not an outback sport out of the box is it?