1998 Subaru Outback review from North America
"Reliable, but expensive to repair"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
No A/C when I bought it.
Replaced spark plug cables twice in three month period at 178050.
Replaced clutch at 178000, when first bought.
Replaced CV Axel at 179500.
Brakes went out at 180200.
General comments?
Everything that went wrong with the car was because the dealer sold me a bum car. There were quite a few things wrong with it when I bought it that I didn't know about. I was stupid in not getting it checked out by a mechanic. The only thing that I knew about the car was that it had no A/C. I was able to live without that in Northern California.
After replacing everything that needed replaced, the car was very reliable. It has guts for a station wagon. Up hills it doesn't slow down, however it accelerates very slow unless you down shift into fourth. All my friends that drove it were surprised how much power it had, and said that they wouldn't mind owning one.
My only complaint about the car is that EVERYTHING is super expensive to fix. The reason is that it is All Wheel Drive. Every time I called in to ask for a quote on a part, the sales guy made a comment about Subaru parts being really expensive. Also, replacing things yourself with normal shop tools is a lot more complicated on a Subaru because of that reason.
Don't get me wrong, All Wheel Drive is hecka nice. The handling is top notch on the Outback, very tight, and you seem in control of the car, not the other way around.
All in all, if you have the patience and the wad of cash to afford a Subaru, then go for it. They are nice cars, but for a high school student who has to afford all the repairs themselves, it is very stressful and aggrivating.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1998 |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 Liter Manual |
| Performance marks | |
| Reliability marks | |
| Comfort marks | |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Distance when acquired | 178000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 182000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 31st January, 2007 |