new purchase recomendations ???

[bork]

My brother is not mechanically inclined, & I live over a thousand miles away. He's considering buying a new Subie, but I dont know what to tell him. I personally love my 99 Impreza L and 1995 Impreza OBS, but dont think an older car for him would work. Is there any new bad models I should steer him away from? Any preferable good ones? He wanted something roomy like the Ascent, & of course the dealer is probably pushing to make any sale. Being they just came out in 2018, I dont know if much good or bad history has reared yet? Anyone have any solid input?

[Suzam]

As with all car brands, first year models tend to still have some things that need to be shaken out. Plus those that want them will find it hard to negotiate a good price.

Unless the Outback is too small, that would be what I would have him look at first and see if that will suit him. All the "bugs" have been ironed out.

 

My 2 cents.

 

Edited December 26, 2018 by Suzam

[gbhrps]

bork,

I've owned one of each of the different generations of OBW since 1997, trading about every 5 years, and each new generation was better than the last. Other than usual maintenance (oil changes, wiper blades, brakes, tires, a light bulb/switch or two, one wheel bearing, one door speaker, and head gaskets on the 2002 fixed under warranty) were the only issues.

I'm on my 5th OBW a 2017 Premier with Eyesight and the full Tech package ... and its the BEST one yet! I just might keep this one forever.

If an OBW fits his family I say go for it. Only the Lexus models my wife drives have been as reliable in the 54 years I've been driving cars.

[idosubaru]

If he’s not mechanically inclined he can negotiate a good deal on the 100,000 mile no deductible extended warranty. They can be purchased for a little over a grand and it’s cheap compared to the cost of a new car.  

The cost is negotiable so don’t over pay  

You can add the extended warranty at any time before 36,000 miles or something like that so you don’t have to buy it new.  And you can, or at least you could if they didn’t change their rules, buy it at any dealer in the nation and some are more favorable than others. 

[1 Lucky Texan]

what has he been driving? How long did he keep it? How many miles does he drive annually? Does he have a history of keeping cars maintained? Does he have a favorite independent mechanic?

personally, I think he may be a good candidate to lease a car - possibly even a lease on a CPO - regardless of what make he gets.

 

[uniberp1]

It's all in how the car was treated and maintained and you have no way of knowing that.

The engines have aluminum blocks and heads, and even though they now have timing chain instead of belts, they still expand and contract with heat, and that can loosen them up.

The high-performance  ones are like all high performance cars, designed for thrills and who cares if they last.

You can't have everything. 

I like mine because I know them and can maintain and repair them, but it took me 3 engine/tranny installs (and numerous bearing, axle, struts) to learn those lessons.