Would you buy your Subaru Outback again?

buy it or another...any car if well maintainrd and you take care of it will take care of you !!

Mark, me no way with the issues that this brand has had it has to be no. I maintain my cars, but dont want any issues that I haven't created...

joemom, I guess that you could say that 17 percent of disgruntled clients are the ones making negative comments on this forum. However, based upon the number of vehicles sold each year, this is a distinct minority. Sure, any car that's well maintained should last a long time and it kind of makes me wonder about some people who really don't want to do the schedule maintenance and then gripe about the car after it breaks down. There's statistics and reports for every car on what it costs per mile to drive. And, the Outback is around 50 to 60 cents per mile. Some really expensive cars are over one dollar per mile. And, the least expensive cars on a cost per mile basis , like the Toyota Prius are under 50 cents per mile. Private cars cost a lot of money to operate and maintain, there are no longer any "cheap " wheels, like the old VW Bug from the 60s. BUT, you can increase your odds by picking a car that as gotten good recommendations by a variety of sources, including Consumers, Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Auto Blog, etc., then choose what makes sense for you. If fuel economy is your number one priority, then, one of the hybrid cars is definitely, in my opinion, the way to go. Do you really want to choose a car from the lowest satisfaction rating and the worst repair record. Look, it's extremely expensive to buy and maintain cars, if certain manufacturers want people to give them a second shot, they have to prove that they've changed their game and up the performance and sustainability record for being a good car.

Subaru experiences are bimodal on the love-hate axis, as luck has much too much to do with longterm durability. Fun to drive...but eventually exasperating to own for too many. As an example, even owners of sloppy-handling 2010+ OBs and any Foresters "like" their Subies, but once their CVT fails their opinions sour. Try to understand the difference between initial quality control (for which Subaru has reached the top), and long term durability (for which Subaru is marginal because of cost- cutting cheap metalurgy, for one). Think of a box of matches wherein EVERY one lights perfectly, but after a calculated mean life time they all fail (MTBF). Will the slight improvements in materials inherent in the 2015+ Leg/OB translate to improved longevity? We'll see. Right now we're all in the grand CVT experimental life-curve miasma.

I think that time will tell. And, a major factor is how you drive, maintain and use your car. If you're driving like an Indy driver at the track, you may have more problems. All cars require maintenance and repairs as they age. If you don't have the tempermant and tolerance for this, maybe you should be taking public transportation. Look, regardless of the metallurgy factors of the car, or the superior or inferior handling characteristics debate, the fact remains that every single Subaru had an 80 percent or higher score for people who were satisfied with their cars and would buy them again. I'm not making this up, this is documented evidence. And, the Subaru Outback is the 9th most satisfying car across all cars. Finally, there's been plenty of reports besides Consumers Reports on this car, here's one for your perusal, http://www.motortrend.com/news/2010-subaru-outback-2-5i- limited-verdict/ And, here's an excerpt from an article written by car and driver, "But if it was relatively benign on the road, the Outback came alive off-tarmac, where our path was covered with millions of softball- sized rocks and deep zigzagging ruts. Bombing down such roads, we observed little to no head toss, great wheel control—particularly on rebound—and a very stiff structure that betrayed no creaking or groaning. We also had a ton of fun with lift-throttle oversteer, which threw the Outback into controllable rally-style slides. The steering felt better here, as the sawing back and forth required to avoid larger obstacles mitigated the problem with fine-tuning inputs on pavement. A drive that by all rights should have left us dialing up our chiropractor instead had us heaping praise on the car’s light-on-its- feet feel and ability to soak up impacts without transferring them to the occupants. Credit the suspension tuning, 8.7 inches of ground clearance, and the tall sidewalls of the 225/60-17 Continental ContiProContact tires." The actual Car and Driver article is below, http://m.caranddriver.com/reviews/2010-subaru-outback-review

So they LIKE the floaty ride off-road. Whoopee...sounds like a lunar hovercraft description rather than a sportwagon, eh?

Wow, I read that they found the "off road" experience more well controlled, when they said, " But if it was relatively benign on the road, the Outback came alive off-tarmac, where our path was covered with millions of softball-sized rocks and deep zigzagging ruts. Bombing down such roads, we observed little to no head toss, great wheel control—particularly on rebound—and a very stiff structure that betrayed no creaking or groaning. We also had a ton of fun with lift-throttle oversteer, which threw the Outback into controllable rally-style slides. The steering felt better here, as the sawing back and forth required to avoid larger obstacles mitigated the problem with fine-tuning inputs on pavement"-----really, are we reading the same passage here.

What part of "great wheel control " sounds like a floating hovercraft to you?

Mark. You just don't get it. Even a BOAT can have a nice steering wheel...and that's what the newer OBs handle like, despite the renowned nice steering box.

TheSubaruGuruBoston, maybe I don't, hmm, let me see if this makes sense, Motor Trend magazine thought that the car handled well off road and here's the operative language below, "we observed little to no head toss, great wheel control—particularly on rebound—and a very stiff structure that betrayed no creaking or groaning." And, ... it was relatively benign on the road, the Outback came alive off-tarmac, So, you're telling me that you don't agree with them either. I understand that you know cars, but, what are these guys, chopped liver? Not to mention that the 2010 Subaru Outback Limited was their pick for Sport Utility Vehicle of the year. Looks to me like they kinda liked the car. http://www.motortrend.com/news/2010-subaru-outback-2-5i- limited-verdict/

The newer OB's sloppier suspension works ONLY off-road. Think of it as a tall moving mass with soft wobbly legs. Fine for straight- line bump-steer comfort, but lousy as a sport wagon. You seem constitutionally unable to understand the difference between good steering and body control as they pertain too handling, so I'll enlighten you by suggesting this good comparison you can perform yourself: Go to a Subie store and ask them to demo ANY 2010-2014 Legacy Sedan, preferably with 17" wheels (like your OBs so you don't start looking for false test noise; they're on the Leg Limited). Then drive both YOUR OB and this Sedan back to back TWICE through a known circuit of very fast hard twisties. Invite a passenger along if s/he dares. Since you know your OB as a given, try a B/A/B/A/B test pattern to give the Leg 3 sessions. After your dropped jaw is hoisted back up above your neck tell me how shocked you are. If this doesn't work then you'll probably never understand the difference between fine handling vehicles with proper body control and sloppy SUVs. Have fun. But realize that your options for improving the wayward handling of the OB involves either stiffening the wheel/tire profile with shorter 18" wheels (not too pricey), or dropping your chassis considerably on shorter profile 17's. But these mods will only get you about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way to the Legacy, as the OB's struts are too long and their springs too soft. But that's what Toyobaru wants for middle- America.... I'm hoping the stretched next ('17) Impreza has enough creature comforts and size to fill part of the gap left by the long-lamented 2005-2007 Leg Wags and 2006-2009 OBs. (For that matter you could also compare your '10 OB with any '06- '09 OB with decent tires and likewise be surprised at the huge difference in body control...WITHOUT compromising ground clearance! So it's NOT just about center-of-gravity. But the Legacy-OB test will offer you a comparo using IDENTICAL bodies and drivelines, and will be extremely illustrious for you.) Have fun as you learn the difference between a steering box and a suspension.

I live in western mass I like the Subie because of all the snow we get and yes i would buy another one

Boy, that is a loaded question. We bought a 2015 premium for my wife and it does provide basic transportation and does well in all weather conditions with the correct tires. As far as the awd drive system, I have been driving in the Northeast in very harsh conditions for years. Tires are so much more critical than any drive system. So awd is nice, but with the terrible bridgestones the outback came with the CUV was dangerous in the snow imo. Once snow tires where installed the outback performed wonderfully. Maintenance for doityourselfers is a mixed bag- One must understand that boxer engines generally consume a certain amount of oil due to their design. Therefore, oil changes are critical to keep up on. The oil filter is right in your face when you open your hood so it couldn’t be any easier. In addition, if you add a fumoto valve for draining oil you are talking about 20 min oil changes which is great. Changing spark plugs though can be a bit complicated due to the design of the engine (have to lift the engine slightly, disconnect motor mount, get creative with socket extensions and articulations, etc). Rear diff fluid changes are simple, front diff fluid changes are doable, though a little more involved. CVT changes I leave to the dealership. In all it certainly comes to down to personal preferences. My wife loves the car. She loves that amount of space it provides and feels safe in it which is the quite important. For me however, I would personally not buy another. I never liked the way car felt on the road, as it just felt very soft and bit of a 'sloppy ride' to me. Needless to say, you MUST test drive this car.