wannasubaru Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Just curious, I'm pretty sure I want a Subaru OUtback. My reasons are gas milage, sporty look for the $ and over all I *hear* they run for a long time. Care to share why you own one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 AWD Tank just OK gas mileage (great for AWD) Its pretty. And a giant lego on wheels. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Over nearly 25 years have had four Subarii in the family, all with manual transmissions and all purchased used. My "new" Subaru is a '95 Legacy L wagon, our son drives a '92 Legacy sedan. Just love the way they handle, the ruggedness, the dependability. I think the opposed cylinder engine layout is a piece of genius. Plus we feel pretty comfortable working on them even though neither of us is a great mechanic. And I swear they will run forever--provided you just pay attention and keep up with basic maintenance. Oddly enough, much as I love Subaru I have steered friends away from buying them since 1997. The first version of the 2.5 engine was a disaster in my eyes. Understand that the newer ones (since '03?) are okay though. Best of luck with your decision--I think you'd enjoy driving a Subie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Over nearly 25 years have had four Subarii in the family, all with manual transmissions and all purchased used. My "new" Subaru is a '95 Legacy L wagon, our son drives a '92 Legacy sedan. Just love the way they handle, the ruggedness, the dependability. I think the opposed cylinder engine layout is a piece of genius. Plus we feel pretty comfortable working on them even though neither of us is a great mechanic. And I swear they will run forever--provided you just pay attention and keep up with basic maintenance. Oddly enough, much as I love Subaru I have steered friends away from buying them since 1997. The first version of the 2.5 engine was a disaster in my eyes. Understand that the newer ones (since '03?) are okay though. Best of luck with your decision--I think you'd enjoy driving a Subie. I totally agree, friends ask me about certain year cars between and 97-02 and I try to steer them towards something else... Either way these cars are well built, boxer motor, handle great, and AWD is very great to have. Even if you are not in a snow belt, having the control accelerating is very convenient! They usually have pretty cheap insurance to from my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Leaves more 97-98's for me nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Leaves more 97-98's for me nipper I am sure if you had a farm you would plant 97-98 legacy's and outback's all over, and they would all have new headgaskets. Then one day they will all be sold with the new headgaskets. Call it "Nipper's Headgasket Repair Farm" ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc526 Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I got mine because my 1997 Hyundai Accent HB got totaled ( I was rear ended ). My budget to replace the car was $4K. $2K from my accent + 2K play money in the bank. Replacing the Accent with another one was out since I have a daughter on the way, so a bigger car was needed. My dad happend to see the '97 Outback on a dealer lot for $3700 and called me. I met him out there and looked it over and test drove it. 1 hour later it was mine. I have always liked Soobs but never had the cash. Mileage is ok considering I was used to getting 38mpg consistently from the Accent. Ride is awesome and it was setup with everything I wanted. That is my story. Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Considering that most other people in the mountains in CO are driving jeeps or 4wd trucks, the subaru does pretty well on the dirt roads and snow, while delivering quite a bit better mpg. That's why there so darn many of them in Colorado. I have a few old 4wd trucks too, but honestly 90% of my miles are on the subaru (or the VW rabbit in the summer). And yeah, they will run nearly forever, with suitable maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'84 Flat-Four Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 cause I needed a car and it was $500. But now I would never consider buying anything else... got the illness I guess... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I am sure if you had a farm you would plant 97-98 legacy's and outback's all over, and they would all have new headgaskets. Then one day they will all be sold with the new headgaskets. Call it "Nipper's Headgasket Repair Farm" ? Actually that is what my pace is like. There are 2 sitting out back waiting to be done now. I do a ton of 96-99 outbacks. A lot of them just get swapped to an EJ22, some get new gaskets. I've made a lot of money off these cars. I can't see driving anything but a subaru anymore. My everyday car is a wrx wagon and I have the 360. The wrx does it all for me, it's fast, handles awesome, look good, hauls tons of stuff and even small trailers. Most people I know drive them too. My mom has an OB limited, the neighbors have an outback, my brother in law has an OBS, my sister is thinking of losing the minivan for a Tribeca. A bunch of people in our town and friends, relatives, etc. have bought used Outbacks from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 SO does that mean we may have our very first tribecca off roading? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 SO does that mean we may have our very first tribecca off roading? Doubt it. She's not the type. I'll see if I can get my neighbor or bro in law to come along offroading next time. We are all going to the SPTR rally next month with all the subies in the neighborhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannasubaru Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 Thanks! 'm in Southern California. Topanga Canyon. We don't get snow, but I do a lot of camping in the mtn's and we live up in the canyon (lots of windy roads). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manarius Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 All Wheel Drive is a must. I've driven 2WD cars before and nothing beats the traction of AWD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubiPilot Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 AWD, tough, reliable, safe! I stick to the 90s EJ22 models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 If I didn't need AWD I'd probably have something else. The weight of the car is it's biggest downside, it hurts the power to weight ratio. My 98 OB weighed something like 3400 lbs. Being an automatic, the acceleration was far from being exciting...(the reviews called it "only adequate"). I find my 5spd Impreza much quicker and way more fun to drive...although it's no rocket. That being said, I can't think of a better all weather car for the money....and yes, they do seem to run forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene J Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I was given a Subaru Legacy by the auto rental place during a bad snow storm that closed the airport. The AWD handling in the bad weather was amazing and I had to have one. So soon after we bought our 98 Legacy GT wagon which we still have. The handling is amazing and it gets a few HSAX sessions per year at the track. The reliability is not at Toyota levels with HG and electrical problems etc but is isn't bad. I would like to buy a new Legacy wagon but they are not available in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 The reliability is not at Toyota levels Sorry Gene, but that makes me giggle. A single lady friend of my wife bought a Lexus (Toyota engine) so she could feel secure in that "Toyota reliability." Beautiful car--but I wouldn't trade my trusty old 2.2L Legacy for it. Has had mechanical problem after mechanical problem for the 5 years she's owned it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 My first was a 97 OBW LTD. It just looked like nothing else, caught a lot of attention in its black (really a deep garnet) and silver paint scheme with the polished and gold accent wheels. I bought it because there were none in the area where I lived, and it stood out. Little did I know that with snow tires the darn thing was unstoppable. Later in the great ice storm of 98 (eastern Ontario and the northern US) I was one of the few able to get through the worst hit areas that were under 8 inches of ice on the roads and everything else. No white-knuckled driving. I was then completely sold! Traded it on an 02 OBW LTD which was even better, and then onto an 07 OBW LTD which is prooving to be the best of the three. And when the urge strikes again ... I'll own another one .... and then another one ... and then ... Along the way their reliability, bad weather capabilities, versatility and my praise have brought another 05 Forester and a 98 Forester into the family fold. I've been told that there will be another OBW in the extended family very soon as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 My first was a 97 OBW LTD. It just looked like nothing else, caught a lot of attention in its black (really a deep garnet) and silver paint scheme with the polished and gold accent wheels. I bought it because there were none in the area where I lived, and it stood out. Little did I know that with snow tires the darn thing was unstoppable. Later in the great ice storm of 98 (eastern Ontario and the northern US) I was one of the few able to get through the worst hit areas that were under 8 inches of ice on the roads and everything else. No white-knuckled driving. I was then completely sold! Traded it on an 02 OBW LTD which was even better, and then onto an 07 OBW LTD which is prooving to be the best of the three. And when the urge strikes again ... I'll own another one .... and then another one ... and then ... Along the way their reliability, bad weather capabilities, versatility and my praise have brought another 05 Forester and a 98 Forester into the family fold. I've been told that there will be another OBW in the extended family very soon as well. I remember back than when I was really young my dad took the 93 legacy out in that storm. So much fun, that car NEVER got stuck no matter how packed or deep with blizzak snow tires. I miss those days. Now the car is rusty and doesn't drive as great as it did, because of crappy mechanics and neglect to rust proofing Its a new start with my 94 legacy turbo though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Why Subaru for me? Let's see: More bang for the buck. Plus AWD. Would I buy another? In 2010 (God willing) I'm trading in my 2000 Forester L on a newer used Forester. ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch de la Brat Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Because I always wanted a 4x4 car. And because my dad told me not to I always thought it would be cool to have a car that had 4 wheel drive and was easier on the gas budget than a truck or suv. My first car was 90' lego with 280k on the clock. It runs like a champ at almost 285k, but is currently parked because of the 4EAT blunder. Then came along a brat... Need I say more? And another because I loved my brat and wanted another for parts. Little did I know at the time that there were more than one generation of brats... So I have a 1st gen and a 2nd gen brat and a first gen lego. And I loooooove my AWD/4WD. I couldn't live without it. Twitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86HatchShelby Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Because I always wanted a 4x4 car.And because my dad told me not to I always thought it would be cool to have a car that had 4 wheel drive and was easier on the gas budget than a truck or suv. My first car was 90' lego with 280k on the clock. It runs like a champ at almost 285k, but is currently parked because of the 4EAT blunder. Then came along a brat... Need I say more? And another because I loved my brat and wanted another for parts. Little did I know at the time that there were more than one generation of brats... So I have a 1st gen and a 2nd gen brat and a first gen lego. And I loooooove my AWD/4WD. I couldn't live without it. Twitch And if Ben would buy mine... He would be the owner of a Hatch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I think everybody should read this post. :cool: My first car was a Subaru. It was a '93 Loyale 2wd 3at. Slow, smelled bad, shifted rough and was loud as hell. It was given to me by my dad so I didn't really care about it. Thrashed on it pretty hard; jumping tracks, crossing fields etc. It never let me down the 2 years I owned it. Next car, 1990 Honda Accord. WOW, THE POWER!!! Power windows that worked, cruise, cupholders, comfortable, great on the highway, great gas mileage... I was sold. I told myself I would never buy another Subie again. Even HATED the old Loyale after getting accustomed to the Accord. Then the ground clearance started getting to me. No more rampaging down gravel roads. Forget getting airborne, first set of tracks REALLY messed up the oil pan. For the first time in my life, I had to be careful when pulling up to curbs. I couldn't stand it. So I bought an '87 GL d/r wagon. Ahhh, that's more like it!!! Sideways in the mud, shortcuts through the woods, roof racks... that's what I'm all about. I don't follow the herd, I turn the mundane commute to work into an everyday adventure. The Japanese live life themselves in a very similar way. They take what we may see as an inconvenience (driving to work) and turn it into a more pleasureable experience. They savor every bite of their food, appreciate and take care of the land they live on, and take great pride in their work. Not saying America doesn't do so, but I think the Japanese have it down to an art. Subaru as a car company reflects them better than any of their other car brands. Men are, by nature, adventurous. It's in our blood to explore new ecosystems and terrain, that's what hominids do and have done for hundreds of thousands of years. Subaru encourages people to do so with their outdoorsy advertising and utility-based design. If there was ever a machine built specifically for the desires of man, this is it. THAT is why I drive a Subaru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Why Subaru For Me? #1...All Wheel Drive #2 have built a phenomenal reputation over the years in terms of reliability and longevity #3 Unique design of the Boxer Engine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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