Should I Buy a Subaru?

My buddy recently got rid of his 2000 Outback, thing was a fucking tank. Over 230k miles.

>>13876897
Why are you worried about insurance premiums on a 12 year old NA wagon? I've got a 2005 turbo Outback and even with an accident on my record and being a male under 25 with no wife and no dependents I pay a whole lotta nothing for my insurance.

I will tell you though that they're not fun to drive. Not sure who told you this, but the NA Outbacks are very slow, very heavy, and the brakes feel spongy as a spent cock. Now if you do a decent amount of softroading or snow/ice driving then they're fun, but on tarmac it handles the way you'd expect a raised, heavy wagon built for offroad comfort would handle. It rolls and wallows through corners and doesn't give you the kind of confidence you'd need to push it harder.

Can confirm tank-status though. 200k+ on mine with original turbo.

they last forever, until they don't.
head gaskets break, then it goes to hell from there.
friend has one at 230k miles, couples broken head gaskets, catalytic converters broken. he's going to get a new one.
honestly, though I can't stand that you have take off the exhaust to change the spark plugs. I know it's just my autism, but that just really irritates me.

>>13877003
>he's going to get a new car

>>13877007
y he do dis? Doesn't he care about depreciation and new Outbacks looking like an automotive prolapse?

Late 90s outback legacy llbean edition here. Got it used with ~130k on it. Just a touch under 180k now. Only things wrong with it were a big dent below one of the tail lights (apparently he backed into a mailbox), a broken electric rear view mirror (permanently stuck in night mode, but I don't care) and some minor leather cracks on the interior.

Car is an absolute tank, and the bean editions have the big engine so they can accelerate on the highway nicely. Handles fantastically, even in the snow. I'll drive in slush without even thinking about it. If things are especially slippery it does fish tail, but because it's AWD it does it in a weird way. Takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do sliding up steep hills in the winter isn't a problem. Lots of interior space. Very comfortable seats. Ride is very smooth and surprisingly quiet.

Onto the bad, and just less than good/great.

Does it handle like a sports car? Fuck no. It's high off the ground, and doesn't have a great weight distribution. But it has tons of internal space, decent ground clearance, and will drive in any conceivable road condition short of 8 inches of water/snow without. It fogs up incredibly badly until it comes up to temperature, and it's perpetually damp on the inside before it gets up to temperature. I've checked. There doesn't appear to be any sealant leaks, it's just a car that fogs horribly. Fuel economy is ehhhh. I can get 25 on the highway at 63-64, and like 28 cruising at 40. The electric seat heaters are pretty useless. By the time they are noticeably warm, the car is up to temperature and the cabin is getting toasty. Nice if it's seriously fucking cold, but pointless to bother with otherwise.

Thing has way more power than I routinely use. If I don't have a pace buddy and am cruising solo on the highway I often find myself doing 80. Besides just generally being far faster than I need to go, that just shits on your fuel economy. The ride at 80 feels like my sister's corolla at 55.

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>>13876897
Do it. Mine is fantastic. If you don't need the ride height, get the GT for the tighter suspension, quicker steering, and limited slip rear diff.

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>>13877526
This

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>>13876897

Depends on model year of Outback, if it's a BH5 like the one in that image, try to avoid the Automatic Transmission, unless the car is a 6-Cylinder.

Otherwise BH5 is confirmed to be hard to kill, someone down the street from be drives one that doesn't even look road worthy. Thing sounds awful, but I've seen it several times on the interstate, doing 75 mph with no issue. (pic related)

>>13877651
All the 4EATs are shit. Definitely avoid any of them with a 4 speed auto.

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>>13877661

Agreed. The 5EAT was a much needed revision.