Faults:

Within the first year we had noticed that oil seemed to be disappearing too quickly. The dealership claimed it had a minor leak.. didn't leak fast enough to trigger the warranty. Knowing this I always kept the level checked.

At 95000 miles the radiator plugged and overheated.

It blew the head gasket. This was on the way to a transmission shop to find out why there was a lag in shifting into gear. It turned out that after the head gasket was replaced the engine was toast. While the car was at the mechanics, the transmission went t-u.

Still cheaper (tho not by much) to replace with "good used" parts, we spent over 5k to fix it.

Mechanics told us this was the first year with a double overhead cam and it was a year.

General Comments:

This was the first new car we'd ever bought. I expected at least 200k miles if not 300,000 miles before it died.

With exception of the oil leak and the engine & tranny blow up, it had performed reliably. (that's a big exception tho). The car felt solid and very comfortable.

It handled well tho a fast correction in steering would trigger a fishtailing. This car was perfect for our needs as you could pack a lot into it without having an suv or van. My bike fit perfectly into the rear (with the back seats down) so I didn't need a carrier for it.

I used to have a horse and and hauled gear in the back- the all wheel drive was good on gravel roads.

Loved the styling with the hood scoop (last year that had it).

I would probably go back to a Honda after this experience unless I could be convinced it was a fluke.

Faults:

The car has been relatively defect free since it was purchased. In 121,000 miles I have replaced tires once, brakes once, a right front axle and CV joint (never felt the same after that repair and despite whining about it for years and discussions with SOA, no improvement), a starter and a battery. This is in addition to the standard recommendations on belts and timing chain/belt, fluid changes etc.

Now, the big problems have surfaced. Had some trans slipping when hard accelerating from say 40 to 60. Took it in and they say new trans and you also need a power steering pump. Total cost: $4800. Now, the blue book is about $7000 so I am not inclined to complete the repairs. The car is immaculate, but can't making that investment. It will be a great parts car though!

My 1987 4wd wagon had 132,000 when I traded for the Outback. It had some issues too, but the Outback appears to be more repair intensive than my 87. I think when I trade or sell the Outback, I won't be purchasing a Subaru again.

Faults:

Head gaskets blew at 94000 miles, previous owner had oil pump and water pump replaced at 57,000 miles, and master brake cylinder at 76,000 miles.

General Comments:

I can't believe that this car wouldn't even make it to 100K without major issues. My Nissan pickup has over 150K on it and just ticks along like a faithful clock.

Faults:

At 98k miles, we replaced the left front wheel bearing, left DOJ boot, and valve cover gaskets. We had this car for five years and this was the first semi-major repair bill. The total bill was $2100 which included everything in the 90k mileage service, along with the left front wheel bearing, left DOJ boot, and the valve cover gaskets. The mechanic claimed that replacing the DOJ boot saved the axle because it was leaking grease.

General Comments:

All-in-all we are very happy with this car's quiet, solid ride and good gas mileage. The dog likes the back area. We are flat-landers so the AWD I believe really isn't necessary, living in South New Jersey. We initially were having trouble with the steering on wet roads at high speeds but buying 4 new tires (Michelin's) at around 50k miles fixed that. I have read about others experiencing head gasket troubles, but the mechanic said that as long as we back-flush the radiator and cooling system when changing coolants, we should not have that problem. Knock on wood.