Subaru Outback???

[Whip]

I'm going to look at one today for Mrs Whip.

 

Anyone got anything bad to say about em???

 

I wanna get the 3.6 V6 Limited. It needs to tow my trailer and bikes.

 

$30,000

 

They seem to have a lot of great reviews and customer satisfaction is very high.

 

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

[David]

Great car. My only complaint was that it was a tad noisy on the highway, and the mileage wasn't super, but it's a terrific value.

 

We rolled one at the race track two years ago, and it did really well in that test, too.

[Whip]

Great car. My only complaint was that it was a tad noisy on the highway, and the mileage wasn't super, but it's a terrific value.

 

We rolled one at the race track two years ago, and it did really well in that test, too.

 

Noisy isn't good.

 

I will have to take it up to highway speeds and check it out.

 

Thanks

[EffBee]

My wife will drive nothing but a Lexus RX and is due for a new one. She tried the Honda, the Acura, the Infiniti, the Volvo, everything. She said no. She wants a new Lexus.

 

Then I asked her to try the Outback. For $15,000 less than the Lexus, she said Yes. The problem is, finding one. And up here, they stick an extra $1500 on as a "PNW adjustment." I may be buying one where it's warmer. She wants the V6 Limited as well. Wanna go in and work a twofer deal, Whip? I'll fly her in and she'll drive it home.

[markgoodrich]

Whip, contact Coarsegoldkid. Call me if you need his contact info.

[Whip]

My wife will drive nothing but a Lexus RX and is due for a new one. She tried the Honda, the Acura, the Infiniti, the Volvo, everything. She said no. She wants a new Lexus.

 

Then I asked her to try the Outback. For $15,000 less than the Lexus, she said Yes. The problem is, finding one. And up here, they stick an extra $1500 on as a "PNW adjustment." I may be buying one where it's warmer. She wants the V6 Limited as well. Wanna go in and work a twofer deal, Whip? I'll fly her in and she'll drive it home.

 

They have plenty of the 2.4s.

 

I will have to order one and wait about 6 weeks. When I called they didn't want to come off MSRP. I had a friend call for me.(Fleet buyer) The best he could do is $1500 below MSRP.

 

I am sure they would be happy to do a two fur deal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DavidEBSmith]

Car Talk ranked it the number one lesbian car. You can decide how you (and Mrs. Whip) feel about that. (from someone who drives the number two ranked lesbian car).

[Whip]

Car Talk ranked it the number one lesbian car. You can decide how you (and Mrs. Whip) feel about that. (from someone who drives the number two ranked lesbian car).

 

I think that is a positive endorsement.

 

Thanks

[Foot]

Got an older Subaru with 248k. I said I would junk it when it dies, but I can't kill it!

[upflying]

I actually want a Forester. Great car and very similar to the Outback which is based on the Legacy.

[Selden]

Great car. My only complaint was that it was a tad noisy on the highway, and the mileage wasn't super, but it's a terrific value....

Noisy isn't good.

 

I will have to take it up to highway speeds and check it out.

The older Subarus had frameless door windows, which were difficult to seal. They finally went with framed windows with the latest models, which are supposed to be much quieter. Gas mileage remains an area where they do not excel.

 

I don't think you will find a Subaru with a V6 engine, more likely a flat six boxer, a la Gold Wing.

 

We gave our 2003 Forester to our daughter last year at ~120,000 miles. I had the water pump replaced at 110,000 miles. The only other failure was a fog light bulb. AFAIK, Subaru engines still use timing belts, rather than chains, so these are part of the routine maintenance schedule -- but replacing the timing belt ain't cheap; figure around $500.

 

Subarus, more than most Japanese cars, seem to come from an engineering culture (rather than a marketing culture). Except for changing spark plugs, they are extremely easy to work on -- everything is in your face and generally can be worked on without specialized tools. In an age when many engineering teams seem to be discouraging owners from working on their vehicles, or where design is optimized for assembly line efficiency rather than ease of maintenance, the straightforward Subaru design is a welcome relief. Subarus are "different," but in a good way.

 

[upflying]

I know I am stereotyping but Subaru's tend to be seen with road/mountain bikes, kyacks and snowboards strapped on Thule or Yakima racks. Persons driving them seem to be athletic, educated, yuppie thirty somethings without kids. Can be seen eating brie/wine/Starbucks at local chic hangouts in high income neighborhoods. Clothing store of choice is REI. Their other car in the garage will probably be a Prius. I think snob or elitist are the words I am looking for.

None of those descriptions apply to me but I still want a Forester.

[ghaverkamp]

I know I am stereotyping but Subaru's tend to be seen with road/mountain bikes, kyacks and snowboards strapped on Thule or Yakima racks. Persons driving them seem to be athletic, educated, yuppie thirty somethings without kids. Can be seen eating brie/wine/Starbucks at local chic hangouts in high income neighborhoods. Clothing store of choice is REI. Their other car in the garage will probably be a Prius. I think snob or elitist are the words I am looking for.

None of those descriptions apply to me but I still want a Forester.

 

I think whether some of those descriptions apply depends on whether the rest of the descriptions were the pejoratives they sounded like.

[Lone_RT_rider]

Got an older Subaru with 248k. I said I would junk it when it dies, but I can't kill it!

 

That's a heck of a recommendation considering Alan's driveway.

[Kitsap]

I know I am stereotyping but Subaru's tend to be seen with road/mountain bikes, kyacks and snowboards strapped on Thule or Yakima racks. Persons driving them seem to be athletic, educated, yuppie thirty somethings without kids. Can be seen eating brie/wine/Starbucks at local chic hangouts in high income neighborhoods. Clothing store of choice is REI. Their other car in the garage will probably be a Prius. I think snob or elitist are the words I am looking for.

None of those descriptions apply to me but I still want a Forester.

 

Yes on the mountain bikes, kyaks, athletic and educated but add skis and a top box and then toss the rest out. The Outback is a great little swiss army knife of a vehicle. It's a goat in the snow that just won't quit. We will be replacing our current one with a Forester when it comes time to shoot the poor thing.

[FlyingFinn]

The Outback is a great little swiss army knife of a vehicle. It's a goat in the snow that just won't quit. We will be replacing our current one with a Forester when it comes time to shoot the poor thing.

 

You elitist snob.

[Lets_Play_Two]

My wife will drive nothing but a Lexus RX and is due for a new one. She tried the Honda, the Acura, the Infiniti, the Volvo, everything. She said no. She wants a new Lexus.

 

Then I asked her to try the Outback. For $15,000 less than the Lexus, she said Yes. The problem is, finding one. And up here, they stick an extra $1500 on as a "PNW adjustment." I may be buying one where it's warmer. She wants the V6 Limited as well. Wanna go in and work a twofer deal, Whip? I'll fly her in and she'll drive it home.

 

I thought you had to live in the PNW to qualify to buy a Subaru!

[litigator]

We have owned 6 Subarus over the last 20 years. I never put my sons in anything else. They managed to total 3, but were never injured. They give you more bang for the buck than any car I know, and with every safety feature, including AWD on every one. Go for it.

[Whip]

AMAZING!

 

I have never seen so many BMWST board members agree on anything.

 

Subaru should be very proud.

 

 

[mbelectric]

Ya said ya wanted to tow?

 

How much weight ya gonna haul? Is the frame ok and the tow pkg

that attaches to it big enough?

 

I'd be asking those questions 'fore I bought one.

 

MB>

[markgoodrich]

It would be false modesty for me to refuse to take credit for this sudden turnabout in the Whipster's killing of the planet, going from a Suburban to a Subaru. A half-step, certainly, but a step nonetheless. It would never have happened had I not given him a ride in this (click it):

 

 

No need to thank me, World, happy to help.

[Whip]

Ya said ya wanted to tow?

 

How much weight ya gonna haul? Is the frame ok and the tow pkg

that attaches to it big enough?

 

I'd be asking those questions 'fore I bought one.

 

MB>

 

They claim 3000 pounds. Is there reason for me to be concerned?

 

My trailer and track bike weigh about 2000 pounds.

[CoarsegoldKid]

We have two Subies. An '05 LL Bean Outback 6cyl and a '05 Legacy Turbo Limited. Both have about 60K miles. Fuel mileage could be better. The Outback averages about 21 miles per gallon around here. The Legacy about 24 mpg. Highway mileage is about 5-6mpg better. Everything else makes these a good car. Each has about 250HP and 250 lbs of torque. Spinning up the turbo is fun.

Cautions:

AWD cars require that all four tires are replaced at the same time. Just the way it is.

Subies cannot have snow chains installed. Cables okay room permitted. Spyder spikes will not fit on a Outback 2005 or later unless they changed wheel well opening on the newer models. Older ones had a smaller diameter tire size and could use Spyder spikes.

 

[DavidEBSmith]

I towed a Kendon trailer with two bikes on it to the Eureka Springs Un and back with our Forester with no issues.

 

At 140K miles and 11 years on the Forester I only have two complaints. One, the bulbs behind the controls in the dash are burning out. Two, the older Foresters are prone to having rear wheel bearings go bad and it's a 20 page service bulletin with many special tools to replace them.

 

We're on out third Subie. The first one got totaled when somebody ran into it, the second one got run into three times before it finally died.

 

Subaru has a history not unlike BMW - started out as an aircraft manufacturer, lost WWII, famous for Boxer motors, also make dead-reliable commercial motors for pumps, etc.

[Uncle Beemer]

I've heard lesbians love them. Just sayin'.

[mbelectric]

I've heard lesbians love them. Just sayin'.

 

WTF does THAT have to do with anything?

 

Just sayin'

 

MB>

[mbelectric]

Whip, I was just sayin' check it out. Prob no issues, but would hate to see anyone make a big purchase and find out they couldn't haul what they wanted.

 

I know some SUV's have small hitch assys...more a toy than anything worthwhile.

 

Get Mrs. Whip a red one.

 

No doubt she'll look good in ANY color...

 

MB>

[Lets_Play_Two]

It would be false modesty for me to refuse to take credit for this sudden turnabout in the Whipster's killing of the planet, going from a Suburban to a Subaru. A half-step, certainly, but a step nonetheless. It would never have happened had I not given him a ride in this (click it):

 

 

No need to thank me, World, happy to help.

 

My GMC Yukon HYBRID gets 21 mpg and can tow 6000 lbs.

[Whip]

We are cgonna heck out the Volvo XC60 and the Audi Q5 before we make a final decision.

 

They both have a bigger towing capacity with the Q5 having 4400 pounds.

 

 

[Albert]

Mark, does this mean you're coming out of the closet and declaring yourself a lesbian?

 

It would be false modesty for me to refuse to take credit for this sudden turnabout in the Whipster's killing of the planet, going from a Suburban to a Subaru. A half-step, certainly, but a step nonetheless. It would never have happened had I not given him a ride in this (click it):

 

 

No need to thank me, World, happy to help.

[BFish]

had one, loved it. sold and got wifey a porsche. don't get the turbo.

[philbytx]

Whip,

We as a Subaru endorsement, we just did a 4000 mile tow to the Un with our Forester LLBean (2.5L flat 4) towing the RT on a Kendon with a Thule box on the roof rack. We averaged 21mpg and when not in the mountains and twisties, we were cruising at 70/75mph!

FYI - the flat 6 motor in the Outback is improved and now has timing chains and is very good for hauling.

I would buy one in a heartbeat if I was in the market for a new towmobile. Seriously, take one out for a test drive as I believe Louise will really like it (well, doesn't matter what you think anyway )

[philbytx]

At 2000 lbs - NO concerns Whip

[tobyzusa]

At 2000 lbs - NO concerns Whip

 

Whip can't be more than around 165 lbs!

[philbytx]

I was including his wallet Brad

[Mike]

We don't have an Outback, but we do have two Subies in the family. My son traded his WRX for a BMW 135i a few months ago.

 

So, for a while we were an all-Subaru family, which tells you something: either we're all lesbians, or we like the cars. They've been remarkably good cars, though my wife's Legacy GT did require a new rear wheel bearing at about 22,000 miles. That struck me as an unusual failure for that mileage, but I found that the previous generation Legacies are prone to this problem (hers is a 2008). Overall, our Subies have been extremely reliable and the maintenance costs have been minimal.

 

I know other AWD cars share many of the qualities I like about the Subaru, but their AWD system does seem to outperform others that I've driven. There's no sense of power being shifted between the wheels or of the car making adjustments for traction variations; a Subaru just feels "planted" all the time. As noted a couple of times above, the full-time AWD system does exact a penalty, in terms of a hit to gas mileage, but mileage isn't shockingly bad. I'd put it at 2-3 m.p.g. less than a comparably-sized FWD car.

 

Right now we have a 2008 STi (my car) and a 2008 Legacy GT Limited (my wife's). The Legacy is reasonably quiet on the road, but the STi was, frankly, pretty noisy. A lot of noise intruded on the cabin, particularly when driving over rough pavement surfaces. I invested a few bucks in DynaMat, lining the door panels and the floor of the cargo area. That made a remarkable difference, considerably quieting the car, but the criticism of noise levels, while perhaps not universal among Subarus, definitely applied to the STi.

 

Overall, I'd give the brand strong marks. Mechanical problems seem to be few and far between; they perform well over a wide range of on-road and off-road situations; and their design, while not Jaguar-beautiful, is functional and efficient. If I were in the market for a small SUV/crossover, I'd start my shopping with the Outback.

[Redbrick]

We have an '05 LL Bean Forester with about 85M on it..Got it primarily for occasional trips on dirt roads fishing the Sierras.....Standard 4 cyl.....Good, tough vehicle built very well.....Mileage could be better (about 24 mpg) and passenger front seat is not comfortable for any extended time (don't understand that)....And noisy, but short of $40,000 vehicles I think noise is an issue with most cars....

Kathy's vehicle and she likes it...........

[philbytx]

Great minds Phil

We also have a 2005 Forrie LLB with 63k on it and it is Deb's vehicle. We are both sold on Subies. She loves it (even more so than the loaded Audi A4q she had before it!) and we would both buy another in a heartbeat. I find it very easy to work on and maintain too .

 

Our mileage is about the same as yours and, yes, we do experience some noise, especially on chip and seal roads. We installed the tweeters and bass unit which helps to lessen the noise issue .

 

Oh! And we cured the seat issue by installing sheepskin covers on them

[WURTY]

If Mrs Whip gets a Red Subaru and then switches Teams I want pictures

[philbytx]

Oh yeah! Especially if she installs Sheepskin seat covers ???????

[Uncle Beemer]

I've heard lesbians love them. Just sayin'.

 

WTF does THAT have to do with anything?

 

Just sayin'

 

MB>

 

The OP asked for our thoughts. That's WTF!

[Mike]

I've heard lesbians love them. Just sayin'.

 

WTF does THAT have to do with anything?

 

Just sayin'

 

MB>

 

The OP asked for our thoughts. That's WTF!

 

I'm proud to be a honorary lesbian, then. A brief sidebar: I don't think there's anything inherently appealing in the design or features of the Subies to folks of any particular sexual orientation. However, they've astutely positioned themselves as being supportive of gay/lesbian causes, outdoor sports, and bicycling, among other causes and interests.

 

It doesn't make any diff to me either way, though I claim to have the greatest circle of gay friends of any straight, conservative old guy in the United States. What is interesting, is that Subaru has effectively reached out to all these discrete groups as part of an effective overall marketing effort. However, what matters to me more is the fact that they are quality vehicles that provide a lot of value.

 

Incidentally, my little STi, while hardly modified to the level of many others, kicks booty. I've freed up the intake with a Perrin setup and dialed up the boost/recalibrated the fuel delivery via a Cobb AccessPort, pumping up the horsepower a bit over the stock 305 bhp. It's a lot of fun to drive, but I won't be entering any fuel economy contests.

[Matts_12GS]

Whip,

We had an outback legacy 2.4 about 10 years ago. A nice car, but it was about 6" too small in every dimension for me to be comfortable in it for a days drive.

 

It was a great car and I've given the newer ones thought.

[tallman]

How did my F150 make the list?

 

 

Matt,

My sentiments.

Most of the vehicles aren't made for mansized folks.

[Matts_12GS]

That's why I'm driving a town car now Tim.

[eddd]

My money is on the Volvo.

[philbytx]

Yup! It would be

If you bought one you would find all your money is going on repairs !!!

[upflying]

I know I am stereotyping but Subaru's tend to be seen with road/mountain bikes, kyacks and snowboards strapped on Thule or Yakima racks. Persons driving them seem to be athletic, educated, yuppie thirty somethings without kids. Can be seen eating brie/wine/Starbucks at local chic hangouts in high income neighborhoods. Clothing store of choice is REI. Their other car in the garage will probably be a Prius. I think snob or elitist are the words I am looking for.

None of those descriptions apply to me but I still want a Forester.

 

I think whether some of those descriptions apply depends on whether the rest of the descriptions were the pejoratives they sounded like.

That's the beauty of vague and ambiguous comments. I never mentioned anything about the protected classes such as sexual orientation, race, religious preference, ethnicity and age. Yet what I said is inferred as a pejorative?

[dba]

We have owned 6 Subarus over the last 20 years. I never put my sons in anything else. They managed to total 3, but were never injured. They give you more bang for the buck than any car I know, and with every safety feature, including AWD on every one. Go for it.

 

+1. I've owned six also, three Legacy Outbacks, two Impreza Outbacks and an old DL. Minor problems if any and the dealer was always glad for the trade in. One salesman bought one of our trade ins.

 

Now I have a V8 Toureg that goes through gas like a frat boy at a kegger party. I miss 27 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg in the city and inexpensive (relatively) repairs. Cheapest thing on the Toureg is the driver.

[hANNAbONE]

i gOT me a 2006 Outback 2.5 XT (250 hp turbo boxer 4 - AT5)

 

I can hunt BMW's with the mill if i wanna...or cruise fully loaded with all my PA/Piano gear to points states away without drama.

 

You will fit in the leather seats better than I - you slim trim boy you.

 

The lack of interior lighting sucked, but fit and finish and drive train is outstanding.

 

I just turned 60,000 miles (*bought it new 11.4.06) so it's 4th birthday is weeks away.

 

I always smile when I climb in it - kinda like the old ball mitt - it just fits right.

 

Stomp the right pedal and the proverbial "off you go" is more like "sh!tski, hold friggen on..day-yum!!!"

 

Mine also has the shift thumb buttons and can be manually shifted from the shifter or the steering wheel.

 

It's a grand ride - no need for me to trade....still very happy.

 

=====================

 

My Daughter Kate (* the one who just made me a grand-dadda*) was in a 2007 L.L. Bean wagon like mine. They just traded it off for a 2009 Subie Tribeca which they LOVE.!

 

Kelsey Lynn is also in KC now and got a job at a high ranking firm and once that was secured leased a brand new 2010 Subie Legacy with the CVT tranny.

Got 1000 miles on it and decided to TURN A LEFT IN FRONT OF SOMEBODY THAT T-BONED HER BRAND NEW RIG!!!

Kelsey walked away from the accident without a scratch. Subie has been repaired and it's like it never happened.

 

Needless to say - She's sold on the Marque...