Subaru durability

[treillw]

Not always. I’ve owned three. One I bought in 99. It was 96 legacy. Great car. Until a guy blew a stop sign and totaled it. I bought a 2001 with very low miles. Legacy GT. Incredible car. Drove it until 2007 when I inherited a 2005 legacy outback. So, I sold the current legacy at the time figuring the new one was a better car to keep since it only had 37,000 miles on it.

That thing was the biggest piece of crap on the planet. My wife put 175,000 on it. Two rear ends, two transmissions, and rebuilt the front end three times. I figured it up and had over $11,000 in that thing when I finally pushed it onto the car lot to trade in. Literally pushed it on the lot.

I don’t think I’ll ever buy another one.

But you had two that were great...

 

[treillw]

We bought a new 2014 Forester. It started burning oil bad after a couple months. Initially the dealer didn’t want to do anything, said it was normal. I knew that wasn’t the case.. Anyways, long story short, at 60k miles, and a bunch of frustrating trips to the dealer and phone calls with corporate, they ended up doing a short block replacement, which is basically an engine rebuild… at 60k miles…. Come to find out, this was a known problem, there’s even a class action lawsuit against Subaru for this problem. The thing that pissed me off the most was the dealer and Subaru corporate treating us as if we were to blame. They knew all along there was a known and significant problem with their motors but didn’t want to help. Needless to say after that experience, I am not a fan of Subaru. Oh, and I do not think they are really any better in the snow than most AWD crossover type vehicles these days. I think that reputation is a holdover from the days when they were one of the only AWD cars around. I’m not saying they are bad in the snow, but sometimes I hear people talk about them as if they are somehow on a completely different level and they are not.



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I can see them having an advantage that they run in AWD full time and most other systems only kick in when things slip.

I had a 09 Honda Accord that burnt oil too. Piston ring size issue, they issued a recall. I complained about it burning oil to the dealership before my warranty expired and they told me it was normal. Recall came out and Honda wouldn't do anything about it and I was barely out of warranty. Going 5k over the warranty limit didn't change anything with the fact that they put the wrong piston rings in the thing. They should fix it.

All cars suck. Honda is supposed to be up there in reliably - well I got a lemon.

 

[treillw]

I’ve owned a 2006 Impreza, 2009 Forester, 2012 legacy, 2013 impreza, and currently own and drive today a 2014 outback and 2016 forester.

The 2006 impreza started crapping out at 140k miles, and they were highway miles. Leaking gaskets and a funky fuel line leak that you could smell in the cabin of car during winter - the fresh air vent was right next to the fuel line that leaked when it was cold. Both these problems were common in subi’s back then.

The 2009 forester was a turbo. Never get the turbo! By 120k miles the problems started and never stopped…

2012 Legacy i had up to 200k. That thing was bullet proof. No issues ever. Even had a front end collision that required a new tranny, but that was it. Thing drove solid. Only reason I sold was the interior was worn bad (thanks kids and dogs) and the muffle rusted and cost more to replace than car was worth to pass inspection. So I traded it in my 2016 forester for a $500 value (the muffler and exhaust was 2k to fix).

The 2013 impreza was fun to drive, felt sporty, but lacked power for passing on interstate. Bought new and put 90k on it before upgrading to a bigger car (the outback) as I had my first child. But i loved that car and nothing went wrong. Great in snow!

The 2014 Outback (4 cyl CVT) ive had since 2016 and have gone from 70k to 160k mostly highway. It is the best overall subaru in my opinion due to its larger cabin and higher clearance. But Ive had to replace the rear bearings ($2k) and the transmission solenoid went bad recently ($2k fix also). Important to note we tow a small 1k lb teardrop camping trailer a few times a year. There was also a leak in the rear brake light that cause water to pool in cargo area after hard rains. I just sealed with sealant and fixed problem. The leak wasnt in the light just the mounting hole. Other then that, everything else works and it still goes strong.

2016 Forester. Ive only had for three years and put 20k miles on it. I bought it with 70k miles used. So far, nothing but a bad window switch which I bought online and fix myself for $100. The forester has the eye sight and it works really well!!

So thats what I can share. I think overall they are reliable. More so than any american car brand or german. Dollar for dollar, i think they have more to offer to people who drive in the snow. You cannot beat their AWD system with that low center of gravity boxer engine. Only time it failed me was trying to climb a steep as driveway that was a sheet of ice (my dumbass mistake). But it still made it half way up at a slow crawl. Throw snow chains on all fours and nothing stops it. It’s pretty impressive.

I also like their oil filter placement - sits on top of engine so I can use an hand pump to draw oil from dip stick and change filter without ever going under the car. Genius!

Gas mileage is about 24-26 avg. no matter who or what is said or advertised.

I wont be changing anytime soon to another brand unless I win lottery then Id buy a $80k trucked out tundra.

Tundras are dumb in that they don't have an auto 4wd (all wheel drive) setting for the highway. I was going to get one, but won't because of that.

I don't need to run the truck in full 4wd on slick roads for 100k miles getting 13 mpg.

 

[treillw]

Would take a close look at a Rav4

They really don't excite me. Interior is not impressive.

I know it's a stupid thing...

But compared to the competition for a new vehicle, they need to update it.

 

[treillw]

Would take a close look at a Rav4

Things are crazy expensive too most of the time.

 

[sneaky]

That’s crazy. I see so many of them with bad engines every week.

What year and models do you guys have for your fleet?

That might be good info for people to know.

Some engines just won’t quit like the 90’s 2.2 liter Subaru engines, the late 90’s early 2000’s Chevy v8, the 4.0 toyota, the v8 toyota engines from the early 2000’s

I'm driving the oldest one now, a 2008 Sonata with 453k on it, last one I had was a 2011 Accent that finally broke a timing belt at 572k. Other guys doing more long distance stuff than me are driving 2018 and newer Elantras i think, one of them may have a Sonata. They do about 2500 miles a week on them. Factory warranties don't last long at that rate. I used to have mine in every two weeks for an oil change. We had three 2011 Accents that went 350k plus, two of them were totaled from people running stop signs in front of them. We had more trouble out of Hondas than anything. Ball joints were the biggest thing on them. Heck, I had an old Mitsubishi Lancer that looked like it had been through the ringer, that was the best snow car of them all. Gave it to another tech and he finally totaled it hitting a deer at about 70mph one night. I bounced a deer off the hood and over the top with that same car. It was like Timex, took a lickin and kept on tickin .

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[Citizen]

Absolutely not you will not see more vehicles with engine out services than Subaru. Steer clear of Subaru unless you want a WRX and understand that it’s not as reliable as the average car.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

But you had two that were great...

I did. And, I’ve owned enough vehicles to know whether I like them or not. For me, I’ll buy something else. Because I’ve had just as good a car without the hysteria price.

Subaru threads are lije toyota threads. They are the greatest thing on the planet to the cult following. And, if you don’t buy one, you simply aren’t thinking right.

 

[Rick M.]

I have the 2023 Outback Wilderness. Picked it up on Halloween and have already hunted out of her.

 

[Sconsinbrown]

Absolutely not you will not see more vehicles with engine out services than Subaru. Steer clear of Subaru unless you want a WRX and understand that it’s not as reliable as the average car.

I think that really depends on the model and generation. I have a Gen 5 outback bought new in 2015 that has seen 1 non-maintenance issue over the past 150k miles - a frozen front hub that was replaced with warranty. They drive great, are roomy for BACKSEAT passengers (and front) and have ample space in cargo for dogs and supplies.

High enough ground clearance to get over most dirt road obstacles, and low enough to have an easily accessible rooftop box.

With snow tires in Wisconsin, i have never gotten stuck on slippery ice and snow when other cars in front of me have.

 

[anw0001]

I have a 2011 Outback that was a hand-me-down. I can tell the CVT is getting ready to give me problems, but other than that it is a descent vehicle.

 

[Rick M.]

I think some guys just don’t find Subarus to be “alpha” enough for them. They don’t wanna be mistaken for a crop-cut rock climbing gal with an Australian shepherd in the back. To those guys I say, you can still put a punisher sticker on a Subaru. A pair of truck nuts would be fine, too.

 

[Rick M.]

A good way to approach vehicle ownership, regardless of brand. A sample size of one, but another option is a post-2015 Mazda. My wife is an avid hiker/rockhound and thrashes her CX-9 getting to trailheads. Seems unkillable and is a just a little nicer maybe on the inside than most of what Subaru offers - plus no CVT.

Indeed. I can vouch for Mazdas as well. Actually traded in my CX-5 for my Outback. Great car, efficient turbo, but just too small. The CX-5 is built to European specs.

 

[tdhanses]

I have the 2023 Outback Wilderness. Picked it up on Halloween and have already hunted out of her.

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My buddy had one of these for about 8 months, 2022 model I assume, he gave it to his wife and traded in her 2017 forester on a Jeep Gladiator, probably didn’t help we all teased he drove a station wagon. I will say they are nice vehicles and I’ve pretty much decided when my daughter gets her license I’ll get her a crosstek.

 

[black dawg]

Absolutely not you will not see more vehicles with engine out services than Subaru. Steer clear of Subaru unless you want a WRX and understand that it’s not as reliable as the average car.

A HUGE part of that is that it is pretty easy to pull the engine, and a lot of guys just do it to make jobs easier, such as head gaskets.....pulling the engine is not needed, but you will find 99% of guys do it that way.

 

[Billy Goat]

Just a comment, it always blows my mind how people are so keen on Toyota. They had a fair number of years that the frame literally rusted into pieces.

There's no denying the reliability of the little Toys in the 80's, all the way up til almost mid 90's. I also know of a few little rangers that have outlasted any little taco I know of, something to be said for a little 4cyl that doesn't make enough power to break anything.

Not knocking Toyota necessarily, I think they are overall good vehicles, but I know of several new Tacos with problems, then the fuel mileage in any of the trucks is terrible. I think they bring a premium based on years past, and I don't know that they are that much better than anything else now.

 

[gbflyer]

My son bumped a curb with his Crosstrek. Basically totaled the vehicle with zero body damage. They fixed it but aftermarket parts had to be used in order to get it back into alignment. Apparently not an uncommon occurrence. They do fare well in a crash, his drunken ex-wife still is here because of the same car’s crash - worthiness a few months later.

 

[PNW bow hunter]

My son bumped a curb with his Crosstrek. Basically totaled the vehicle with zero body damage. They fixed it but aftermarket parts had to be used in order to get it back into alignment. Apparently not an uncommon occurrence. They do fare well in a crash, his drunken ex-wife still is here because of the same car’s crash - worthiness a few months later.

Your response seems a little vague.

What does “bumped a curb” mean, and what is “basically totaled”?

What had to be repaired?

 

[BRTreedogs]

Just a comment, it always blows my mind how people are so keen on Toyota. They had a fair number of years that the frame literally rusted into pieces.

There's no denying the reliability of the little Toys in the 80's, all the way up til almost mid 90's. I also know of a few little rangers that have outlasted any little taco I know of, something to be said for a little 4cyl that doesn't make enough power to break anything.

Not knocking Toyota necessarily, I think they are overall good vehicles, but I know of several new Tacos with problems, then the fuel mileage in any of the trucks is terrible. I think they bring a premium based on years past, and I don't know that they are that much better than anything else now.

No salt in Oregon.
Our 70s trucks our usually pretty solid. Maybe in the bottom of fenders w mud.
Anything 90 or newer I don't even think to look for rust.

 

[Billy Goat]

No salt in Oregon.
Our 70s trucks our usually pretty solid. Maybe in the bottom of fenders w mud.
Anything 90 or newer I don't even think to look for rust.

We really don't have that much rust problem here, I feel like anyways.

It was just a known problem that they did a recall on, and seeing some I was like WTF?