It's getting close to the time to replace my wifes 2000 Outback.She has loved the car so much she wants another one.Not being overly wealthy we by used.I have found a couple of low mileage 2005 ish OBW XT.My question is does the turbo compromise the great reliabilty of the 2.5 engine?Also is there a big difference in gas mileage?

bump

cant really answer the gas mileage question for you.... check out http://www.cars101.com maybe some info on there..

 

As for the longevity....as any car it depends how you drive it......most of the blown turbos we see are out of WRX's (kids street racing and such) ....ive seen a few of the 2005 Outback XT's with around 80-100k and to my knowledge havent needed a turbo yet.....it does help that all of Subarus modern Turbo's are water cooled as well as oil cooled.....

gas mileage will depend greatly on how heavy a foot you have.

 

on my wrx if you stay out of boost, it does pretty good. most highway driving will be out of boost and even around town unless you get on it.

 

keep in mind too the added cost of premium fuel.

I have an '05 Baja turbo. I don't know how directly applicable my vehicle's mpg would be to the Outback you're talking about. My mpg is significantly lower than what a naturally-aspirated Baja's mpg is. I get 20-23 under most circumstances. I will see it drop into the high mid teens when the weather gets REALLY cold. N/A Bajas seem to see mid to high 20s most of the time (all the time?). Interestingly, my mpg doesn't vary too much based on how I drive it. OTOH, I don't ever have occasion to really put my foot in it for more than a super-brief moment (i.e. less than 2 seconds) except when pulling a trailer. That sucks fuel like there's no tomorrow.

 

As for reliability, if we're talking very late '90s through to the mid-00s, I'll take a turbo Subie almost any day over the N/As. No head gasket issues with the turbos. Current-model stuff may not have any issues any more, so there may be no difference. The turbos themselves won't fail unless you do something truly stupid. Contrary to popular belief, turbos don't really 'wear out' any more or faster than any other part inside the engine. Maintain the engine properly, turbo or not, and it'll last a whole lot longer than most people will keep the vehicle.