Reason to stay away from Subaru

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Originally Posted By: glock19
I hope you're successful in convincing people they're junk. Maybe it'll be cheaper when I buy my next one.


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I've had a total of three Subarus personally; a close family member had one.

My 98 Outback leaked so much oil it wasn't even possible to diag where the leak was coming from; the whole front portion of the subframe was rust-free where it had been preserved by oil leaking for who knows how long.
My 2000 OB was much the same.
My 04 was dry underneath.
The 2010 Impreza in my family developed a minor leak somewhere rear of the subframe jacking point; it was minor and I never investigated further before it was traded in. Valve cover gaskets/tube seals were fine; spark plugs done early and everything was dry at the time.
 
We've had many Subarus in the family since ~1988. From what we've experienced, they do get a bit oil leaky around the 8-10yr, ~150Kmi point. Right about when they're rusted to pieces. Not many issues up to that point though.

Subarus are great because of their AWD system, great safety, decent economy and reliability. If you don't live in a snowy place, there's other better choices IMO.
 
My 2000 Forester was one of the best vehicles, I've ever owned. Sold it at ~ 130,000 miles and never needed a major repair. I was unhappy with the suggested cost of replacing the timing belt, water pump and idlers, so I did it myself. Now they use a roller chain. Ed
 
He just basically said this anytime someone post anything about Subaru's.

We get it you got a bad deal...[censored] I did too but I'd still buy another.

If one bad car ruined the brand Toyota's stellar reputation would have been ruined decades back.
 
Originally Posted By: SkyActivG
I'm sure Toyota isn't happy with the leakage issues.


You do realize Toyota for a time made sludge monsters - the 1MZ-FE V6 in the Camry/Avalon/Highlander/Solara/Sienna and Lexus ES/RX...
 
Originally Posted By: nthach
You do realize Toyota for a time made sludge monsters - the 1MZ-FE V6 in the Camry/Avalon/Highlander/Solara/Sienna and Lexus ES/RX...


"Sludge monster"? Really?
 
Yes, Subarus DO leak oil like a mofo once they get old. I've had dealt with 3 Subarus already and 2 of them leaked oil. First was a 1999 Forester. Had 79k miles when brought, over heated for some random reason at 86k(coolant disappeared) and the engine over heated, and leaked oil shortly after. Sold it at 90k miles.

My current beater car, 04 Outback(250k miles), also leaks oil through the HGs.

BUT my 08 WRX is leak free with 62k miles. The only mechanical issue I've had with it was with the intake manifold gaskets not sealing against the head. Got it replaced with a redesigned gasket and it's all good now.

Newer Subaru engines don't tend to leak oil if you go through normal maintenance. Old ones(2009 and older) tend to have HG issues. 04/05 was when Subaru got their sh*t together and fixed the common problem with the 2.5L, but again, HG problems were still around and probably still are today(though not as many).

The only reason people buy Subarus is because they offer AWD standard. If it wasn't for that they'd be like Mitsubishi or Mazda(ie. nobody cares about them). They aren't super reliable either. I've been on the Subaru forums and some people have issues with their head units or CVT transmissions etc. Stuff Toyotas don't typically have.

But they ARE comfortable cars and handle snow well. The engines are a pain to work with. Everything looks like a f-ing mess. And they run the fuel lines over the intake manifold so unless you're gonna deal with that whole mess, the manifold isn't coming off if you want to do some upper engine work. Also the timing belts are a pain too.
 
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