Subaru Outback ?'s

[bogeyk]

My 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee is at the point where the amount of money to get it back on the road is enough to warrant moving on in my eyes. Right now I'm looking for new car options and the Subaru Outback seems to have a lot of the features I'm interested in. It has awd, reasonable fuel consumption, enough storage for multiple sets of clubs, isn't huge, and it has a nice safety rating. I'm curious as to what the membership has for opinions good or bad about the Outback and maybe recommendations of other cars that I should check out.

[dcmidnight]

My 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee is at the point where the amount of money to get it back on the road is enough to warrant moving on in my eyes. Right now I'm looking for new car options and the Subaru Outback seems to have a lot of the features I'm interested in. It has awd, reasonable fuel consumption, enough storage for multiple sets of clubs, isn't huge, and it has a nice safety rating. I'm curious as to what the membership has for opinions good or bad about the Outback and maybe recommendations of other cars that I should check out.

 

No personal experience but my dad - who is one of the biggest car nits I know - absolutely loves them. I think he is on his 4th in a row and my mom - after having 2 - went with the Crosstek this time around. He's had nothing but great things to say about them, especially if you live in a part of the country where the AWD/safety features are worth it. The Crosstek is a pretty nice ride as well, a little smaller than the Outback but definitely not small and rides great on the highway.

[RIRider]

I have a 2011 Outback that my wife drives and wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another one to replace it. My daily driver (Honda Civic Hybrid) is nearing it's end of life and I'm giving serious consideration to replacing it with an Imprezza, or possibly a Legacy.

[Petethreeput]

We had a 2001 that we traded out in 2015. Not one thing went wrong with it. Just was time to change. It was a wonderful car.

 

Our club pro is a ping guy, and he said that in all industries Ping has the second highest loyalty rating. #1? Subaru. That was a statistic he heard at a PGA meeting.

 

Great car. Reasonable pricing. I don't think you can go wrong with it.

[deadsolid...shank]

We had a 2001 that we traded out in 2015. Not one thing went wrong with it. Just was time to change. It was a wonderful car.

 

Our club pro is a ping guy, and he said that in all industries Ping has the second highest loyalty rating. #1? Subaru. That was a statistic he heard at a PGA meeting.

 

Great car. Reasonable pricing. I don't think you can go wrong with it.

 

Does he have everyone at your club in Ping clubs yet? I still see numerous bags here that he set guys up with.

[arbitrage]

Don't have personal experience with the Outback, but my wife has a 2010 Forester. One thing I learned through my mechanic (non-dealer), when my wife was complaining about something loose in the undercarriage, is that ALL Subaru's have steel plates protecting the undercarriage. These plates are locked in place by (cheap) bolts that will rust over time. As they rust and get looser, the steel plates start flapping creating the noise that my wife was complaining about. There is nothing wrong with the car, but the noise will get worse over time. He advised to always do regular undercarriage baths when getting a car wash to get rid of all the salt that quickens the rusting. This is just my experience with my wife's car, and it has given me second thoughts about replacing my current car with a Subaru. Just my 2 cents.

[Petethreeput]

We had a 2001 that we traded out in 2015. Not one thing went wrong with it. Just was time to change. It was a wonderful car.

 

Our club pro is a ping guy, and he said that in all industries Ping has the second highest loyalty rating. #1? Subaru. That was a statistic he heard at a PGA meeting.

 

Great car. Reasonable pricing. I don't think you can go wrong with it.

 

Does he have everyone at your club in Ping clubs yet? I still see numerous bags here that he set guys up with.

 

Close but not quite. You did hear he won the NW PGA professional of the year? I play Mizuno just to spite him.

[deadsolid...shank]

We had a 2001 that we traded out in 2015. Not one thing went wrong with it. Just was time to change. It was a wonderful car.

 

Our club pro is a ping guy, and he said that in all industries Ping has the second highest loyalty rating. #1? Subaru. That was a statistic he heard at a PGA meeting.

 

Great car. Reasonable pricing. I don't think you can go wrong with it.

 

Does he have everyone at your club in Ping clubs yet? I still see numerous bags here that he set guys up with.

 

Close but not quite. You did hear he won the NW PGA professional of the year? I play Mizuno just to spite him.

 

I did. Nice post about it on Facebook. That's funny about playing the Mizuno. I never played Pings either (at least while he was here).

[Bob Cat]

Buddy has had multiple Subaru's and swears by them.

I've had a Jeep Liberty and now my daughter has one. Mechanically, I'm not a fan, but she rolled mine three times and walked away so, yeah, we got another one for her.

[JasonFL]

Can't go wrong with Subaru. The flat four is bullet proof. I had a 190k on mine and never changed a single mechanical part before I traded it in.

[OrangeCrush]

The newer (2015-) are the ones to look at as the Gen 4 Legacy's 2010-2014 (same issue on the Outback) have an oil consumption issue. I have a 2013 Legacy 2.5i and I need to add oil about every 2000-2500 miles. I drive 30k miles a year so it's getting REALLY old to have to keep checking the oil especially on an 8* N.E. winter day. The Gen 5 2015-current don't have that issue so I am HOPING to get one by the end of the year but we'll see.

[Imp]

I've always been a big Subaru guy. Sold many people on them. And over the years, very happy with how they've done from a small marque to a much bigger name. However, the one model which would do great in the US, SOA refuses to bring. The Levorg (WRX Wagon).

 

Had numerous Subarus over the years, currently on the '17 Impreza Sport (9th Subaru) which is just to hold me over until they bring over a more powerful wagon - which I would have been fine with the Levorg, but Tom Doll refuses to allow it to be sold in the US. There are many wagon enthusiasts that would like to see him relieved of his duties at SOA.

 

So, when the Buick Regal TourX comes this fall, I will be getting one. AWD, turbo, and about $7k cheaper than the Outback 3.6R (which is an engine that's about 8+ years old without any improvements over its life - never mind the 2.5L currently being used).

 

The 3.6R Outback has 256hp, 247tq from a N/A flat 6. Starts at $37k.

The TourX will have 250hp, 296tq from a turbo 4. - Which will be better on gas too. Starts at $30k.

 

--kC

[bogeyk]

Thanks to all who have responded so far. I'm happy to hear good things about a car I'm interested in.

[ws6]

I ordered a 2018 Crosstrek, it should arrive the first week of September. I was looking for an economical car, and I started out looking at Toyota Corollas and Honda Fits. The Crosstrek was more, but not a lot more. IMO, Subaru's value for the price is outstanding.

[ohioglfr]

The newer (2015-) are the ones to look at as the Gen 4 Legacy's 2010-2014 (same issue on the Outback) have an oil consumption issue. I have a 2013 Legacy 2.5i and I need to add oil about every 2000-2500 miles. I drive 30k miles a year so it's getting REALLY old to have to keep checking the oil especially on an 8* N.E. winter day. The Gen 5 2015-current don't have that issue so I am HOPING to get one by the end of the year but we'll see.

I can relate. I had a 2011 Forrester that I had to top the oil level at least once between change cycles. Aggressive driving and mountain driving doubled the consumption. Other than that, it has not been in the shop for anything at all. Got full trade allowance on it when traded in. My wife has a 2015 Crosstrek which does not have the oil consumption issue at all.

 

The only thing you might consider is that (along with many other manufacturers) Subaru has gone the CVT route for transmissions. From what I've read in blogs, etc., Subaru CVT's are decent, but you really can't tow much with them. So if you tow a bass boat or something, the Outback might not be for you.

[OrangeCrush]

No towing for me and I am not a huge fan of this CVT at all, my first one. I have to warm up the car even in the summer a few mins to get the trans fluid warmed up or it runs real sluggish for the 1st two miles. My development entrance is on the highway and I NEED to be able to get up to 65-70 quickly so it's a PITA for sure!

[ronnbee]

Have 2016 legacy 6cyl,eye- sight great on gas nice car had Camry before no complaints, but would get another subaru

[ode1]

I've always been a big Subaru guy. Sold many people on them. And over the years, very happy with how they've done from a small marque to a much bigger name. However, the one model which would do great in the US, SOA refuses to bring. The Levorg (WRX Wagon).

 

Had numerous Subarus over the years, currently on the '17 Impreza Sport (9th Subaru) which is just to hold me over until they bring over a more powerful wagon - which I would have been fine with the Levorg, but Tom Doll refuses to allow it to be sold in the US. There are many wagon enthusiasts that would like to see him relieved of his duties at SOA.

 

So, when the Buick Regal TourX comes this fall, I will be getting one. AWD, turbo, and about $7k cheaper than the Outback 3.6R (which is an engine that's about 8+ years old without any improvements over its life - never mind the 2.5L currently being used).

 

The 3.6R Outback has 256hp, 247tq from a N/A flat 6. Starts at $37k.

The TourX will have 250hp, 296tq from a turbo 4. - Which will be better on gas too. Starts at $30k.

 

--kC

 

Regal Tour X looks nice, who would have thunk, GM coming out with a full size wagon!

 

You must post real pics and review after purchase!

[bogeyk]

Thanks for all of the comments. I ended up getting a Forester and so far I like it quite a bit. Through the first two tanks of gas I have averaged 32 mpg which is way ahead of the 18 I was getting with my Grand Cherokee V8. It also handles quite a bit better to boot. The early returns are very positive.