Faults:

This has been an extremely reliable car.

Brake pads, rotors, and brake lines replaced at 190,000.

Oil leak through front seal repaired at 110,000.

Catalytic converter replaced 2 days after the car was purchased.

Other than that the car has held up extremely well, only normal wear and tear items replaced.

General Comments:

This has by far been the most reliable car I have owned!!

Prior to the Subaru, I owned nothing but American made vehicles. This car is a refreshing change from spending 50% of the time in a garage having your car worked on.

Faults:

At around 130,000 my Outback started giving off this funny smell and running hot sporadically. I took it to our mechanic, and get a phone call saying that the heads are warped, they have to go to the machine shop to be re-surfaced, there is exhaust in my cooling system and and the entire cooling system had to be re-done. Along with the entire cooling system, I opted to go ahead and have all the belts changed, have a tune up and over all re-work my car so I can drive the wheels off. $2500 later. Fast forward 4 months, my car starts running hot sporadically again, I take it back to the same mechanic 5-6 times, as they were trying to duplicate the overheating. They replace the radiator cap, thermostat and finally the car is back right now having the whole cooling system redone again (exhaust fumes in the cooling system - seems like I have heard that before), fortunately for me at no charge because I have a great mechanic who stands by his work even though it might not be his fault...

I must also add that my mechanic now has two other Subaru's in his shop right now, having the same problems...

General Comments:

I am unsure if when I get this car back, if I should keep it and hold my breath for this problem to happen again, or can I go with my original plan to spend a small amount of money (as compared to the purchase of a new car) so I can drive the wheels off???

Faults:

Oil leak from front crankshaft seal (fixed when I replaced the timing belt at 61,000 miles) and just recently replaced the starter motor. Other than the above mentioned items, nothing else has been a problem.

General Comments:

Very dependable and fairly comfortable. The 2.2L engine has decent power and is OK on fuel mileage (average about 25 mpg). One thing I dislike is that the throttle is very sensitive when starting out. It seems that the 98 and later Subaru's have this in common. You just touch the gas and the response is almost too much. Other than that minor quirk, the car has been very reliable and enjoyable. The all wheel drive is a big plus in the New England Winters and the reliability has been very good.

Faults:

Power antenna broke twice.

Rear hatch works once in a while.

Air conditioning light on dash doesn't work.

Inside front fender lining comes loose.

General Comments:

This vehicle is slowly self-destructing.

The engine seems mechanically sound, but the quality stops there.

Interior comfort is at a minimum with arm rests as hard as a board.

The cup holder slides out between the radio and the temperature controls. When used, you can't get to either the radio or the heater. It also blocks the emergency flasher button.

The only drivers door switch that is lit at night is the drivers power window.

The automatic door lock button is obscured below the window controls and is impossible to find in the dark.