Faults:

Minor oil leaks from engine.

Changed oil pump once because of engine noise.

General Comments:

This has been a very reliable car. And yes, it's a somewhat boring car. It has never given me any nasty surprises. It handles great, it's a workhorse.

This cars All wheel drive system works great together with the automatic transmission on snow and ice.

Part from normal maintenance it has needed very few repairs or new parts. 10 years old now, with 340.000 kilometers on the meter.

Biggest repair has been the oil pump, though it didn't get replaced because of wear. It seems that once the o-ring (gasket) between the crankcase and the pump gets old, the pump sucks air. This makes the valve- lifters collapse. Not a big deal, but it's very annoying - as most Subaru owners know. That's the most common problem with these cars, as I see it.

I have wondered about Subaru's recipe for the exhaust system. It looks stainless and expensive, and has never been replaced. If this quality goes for the rest of the car, well I'm impressed.

Because of rising gas prices I have seriously considered to try and convert it in to a diesel. I would love to cut the 9-10 l/100 km fuel consumption in to half.

Faults:

Emissions related sensor went around 100,000 and cost $350 to replace.

Axel-shafts, Subaru's all inclusive CV-joint and front axel combo's went at around 120,000.

Alternator went at 130,000.

Front seats lack support and are difficult to sit upright in.

General Comments:

Interior design could've used a bit more thought. The cup-holders are located where they block the AC and heating controls and the radio. It's OK at night since the illumination for the heating and cooling hasn't worked since I got the car so I can't see the controls anyway. The rearview mirror falls down a little bit with each bump you hit or each thump of the stereo's bass. Since the speakers are original this isn't too much noise I'm talking about. You have to reposition the rear-view about 10 times crossing the cross-bronx expressway unless you want to look at the back seat. Also since Subaru windows don't fit into the door frame there's an annoying whistle at highway speeds. The headlights, especially the low beams, are also pretty dim for my taste.

As a winter car this Subaru was superb. I have the 2WD model, which was discontinued in 96. Still, with good snow tires I drove around upstate NY and VT for three years and never got stuck in snow. It can plow through several inches of snow or sloppy slush with no problems. Furthermore, with a low center of balance you feel very in control of this car, much more-so than my friend's Explorers.

The car is an excellent highway car. I occasionally cruise over 90 MPH and the subaru is composed, though it is definitely doesn't have much accelerating power at those speeds. Now I've moved to Atlanta where I rarely get to break 9 MPH. The Subaru is fine, but the 1st gear in the automatic isn't low enough for when you want to do quick starts for merging into traffic. Also, there's a lot of space in the wagon to cool and the A/C is a little underpowered for hot summer days.

My biggest gripe with the car now is its abysmal city mileage, which is usually around 18 MPG with my lead foot. (I feel like that's AWD mileage in the 2WD car) Gentle driving doesn't help much, you might hit 20. On the highway I get about 26 averaging 80 MPH.

I'm frankly amazed with this car. I bought it used when I was a sophomore in college expecting to make it 2 years out of school without any serious trouble. I've given this car all kinds of abuse. I drive it to the red line all the time in city driving in August in Atlanta. I filled the entire passenger area to the ceiling with newspapers and done stop-and-go delivery in upstate NY winters for two years. When it wasn't loaded I'd do reverse power slides for recreation and hand brake turns in the snow. I've loaded the cargo area full of rocks for landscaping into the trunk. I've schlepped it around, dragging the undercarriage while off-road. I've used it to push disabled vehicles off the highway. I've given it no love other than maintenance. I'm religious about changing fluids and have always used full synthetic since I got my hands on the car. Despite my abusive driving it doesn't burn any oil. I've also changed the belts and hoses as needed. The only thing I'm irked about at this point is the EVAP pressure sensor ($350) that went at 100,000 miles. Everything else I had coming and would've expected even if I didn't abuse the car.

Right now I'm bored stiff with this car and want a new car. But being in grad school, without a full-time job, I really can't justify a new car I'd like, especially reading the reliability reviews of the used european cars I'm looking at, so I guess I should just consider myself lucky to have a reliable one.