02017 Subaru Impreza

[s219]

Our family owned 5 Subarus between 1999 and 2009 and none burned oil that I ever noticed. All were very good cars in fact. These were all sold or traded around 80-100K miles, so it's possible we just didn't own them long enough to get into problems. Three of the cars had 2.5 H4 variants, one was a 2.0 Turbo, and one was a 3.0 H6.

I looked at the all-new 2017 Impreza last week and was really impressed. Really nice styling and design. I suspect it will sell well. Also saw a 2017 Outback 3.6 Touring model and boy was that a sweet car.

I have about $2000 in Subaru bucks left from a previous Subaru credit card, and am contemplating replacing one of our current cars with a Subaru before the bucks expire.

Have also owned a lot of Honda products and they have been great except for two things -- first, styling and personality on some of them has gotten very bland in recent years, and second, I loathe Honda's warranty practices. They worked very hard to get out of a warranty claim and left a bad taste in my mouth.

My 2000 Subaru Outback, which I later sold to my parents, needed a new clutch around 90K miles, well out of warranty. Subaru covered the cost voluntarily with no pressure from us, and I was really impressed. The difference between their attitude and Honda's was remarkable. Subaru isn't perfect but they seem to do right by customers when there are problems.

 

[RichZ]

Thanks for all the replies. I bought my 2004 Outback 3 1/2 years ago at 140,000 miles for $3500. It now has 230,000 miles, and it's been a great car, except for lack of comfort, but I can deal with that. The seats are not very comfortable, but I'm willing to give that up for reliability and economy. It gets 30 mpg (the vast majority of my driving is highway, there's no city where I live). I bought it from a used car dealer with bad cats, but he promised that he would have it warrantied by Subaru, and they replaced both cats for free. During the 90,000 miles I've put on it, I've replaced battery, tires, starter, did the water pump timing belt maintenance at 200,000, and I just replaced the power steering pump and rack and pinion. Considering the mileage I put on it,, and that I bought it for all of $3500, I'm pretty happy with that. It runs flawlessly, and I fully expect to put at least another 100,000 miles on it. It doesn't burn any oil and it has no rust despite living in snowy upstate NY. My wife will be getting a job with at least as long a commute, as I have, so the Impreza will be for her. As I said, I'm expecting to get at least another 100,000 out of my outback. MY mechanic has 2 other customers with the same make and model as mine and one has 400,000 miles on it and the other has 500,000 miles. I've seen both of them and spoken to both owners, and both use them similarly to me. To me, Subarus are the perfect car for a northeast climate.

 

[square1]

Of all the research I did before deciding on the Crosstrek the thing that stood out most was used Subarus with 200k~300k miles being offered for sale at eye opening prices. No car I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot, has ever gone 200,000 miles. I generally sell vehicles for scrap value when I'm done with them. That, I'm sure, is in part because of low annual miles driven, usually they're mechanically strong but the body / frame is shot and / or electrical gremlins are causing a lot of issues.

 

[California]

Did I post this already?:

Aside from that stereotype about Subaru owners (and I don't give a darn) the most unique and unusual characteristic of Subaru owners is the high number who pay cash to buy them new.

To me that looks like an extreme vote of confidence that the car will last for years.

 

[Oaktree]

Aside from that stereotype about Subaru owners (and I don't give a darn) the most unique and unusual characteristic of Subaru owners is the high number who pay cash to buy them new.

To me that looks like an extreme vote of confidence that the car will last for years.

Not sure I follow the logic here. How is paying cash an "extreme vote of confidence"? I wasn't aware that a significant percentage of sales were cash, tv ads all push leases. Any modern vehicle, even the cheapest econobox should last 10+ years no problem if taken care of.
That having been said, Suburu owners do seem to be repeat buyers and I do see more old ones than other Japanese brands. The ones I've driven (never owned one myself) have been a bit too cramped and uncomfortable for me.

Curiously, what is this stereotype you reference? Maybe 30 years ago they had the image of being the car of choice for hippies, or your neighborhood leftist but I don't really associate them with that anymore. Maybe it's different out your way, I'm in northern New England where an AWD car is a definite plus in the winter. Not as big a deal if you live where winters are mild or non-existent.

 

[Milo]

The good thing is there are a lot of good smallish AWD cars offered now. The wife drives one and when we went looking to replace her 2005 Forester we naturally looked at Subarus, Outback in particular. We liked it ok (I didn't care for the CVT though) but decided to keep looking. Plus as mentioned I'm still not convinced they have the oil consumption remedied in their new motors. Honda has the problem as well on some of theirs. We've owned two Subarus. I love the practicality and awd. Compared to the other Japanese brands they seem to be one generation behind in interior layout and comfort, and in my experience tend to have more problems after 60K than other cars we've owned. AC evaporator and main seal in the 05, head gasket leaking and brake rotors in the previous Outback.

 

[KennyG]

At the risk of being non-politically correct (Oh, heck, I'm always non-PC), the Subaru stereotype is Lesbians. This is not a rumor or myth. Years ago, Subaru was looking for a way to expand their market in the US and found that Lesbians were a significant demographic that couldn't find cars they liked. They tended to have disposable income, an active lifestyle but did not like 4WD trucks or full size SUVs. Subaru started advertising in publications and in areas that appealed to lesbians and saw a significant sales increase.

It's no secret. Subaru has been public about it and I recently heard a story on NPR about it.

I've never owned a Subaru but this wouldn't stop me. After all, I like women. :cool2:

 

[TSO]

My wife and I are considering getting a new car for commuting (57 miles each way), and we're considering the Subaru Impreza, because it gets good mileage (38mpg hwy) and is AWD. We have a 2004 Outback that's been great. But I've heard that new Subarus have problems with catalytic converters at about 80,000 miles. Does anyone know if this is still an issue? Does anyone have any experience with the Impreza?
Thanks!!

My wife's family has switched almost exclusively to Subaru's. They have been nearly as reliable as our Toyota cars, with the added benefit of AWD. We shopped Outbacks but went with our Prius V instead. On paper, the Outback and Prius V are nearly identical in interior space. Putting them side-by-side (and yes we literally did this, side-by-side, jumping into each vehicle) the Prius V offers a little better headroom and hip room.

There were some similarities between them, fit and finish was very high for both. Toyota actually owns some of Subaru (or more accurately, Fuji Heavy Industries, which is the parent of Subaru...And actually, both automakers partially cross-build some vehicle components for eachother).

Anyhow, even though the AWD is attractive, it really only comes into play (for us) about 10-20 days out of the year, when the roads get really terrible and the plow trucks haven't made it out yet. But in truth, that's somewhat nullified by a set of really good A/S tires (or dedicated winter treads).

Ultimately we went with the Prius V, both because of the better fuel economy (this car is our "commuter" car and light family trip car) and the excellent ownership experience we had with a previous Prius (traded it at around 170k miles, never a single problem)... As well as our other Toyota vehicle experiences.

Based on my wife's family's real world experience, you won't see 38 mpg. Even her father, who drives like a 112 year old, can squeak in 35 highway and 28 mpg average. That's actually really great mpg numbers for that car, considering what average users are reporting on Fuelly. I've attached a screenshot from Fuelly for the Outback (for those that don't use Fuelly, it's a great way to track, post, and research real world mpg)...

Our Prius V averages around 41 mpg summer and 38.5 mpg winter. Our previous Prius (the mid-sized one) averaged 44 mpg summer and 40 mpg winter.

.. OK disregard the screenshot, it's not allowing me to post it, says improper png file extension or something. Here's the link:

Subaru Outback MPG - Actual MPG from 2,979 Subaru Outback owners

 

[Garandman]

Not sure I follow the logic here. How is paying cash an "extreme vote of confidence"? I wasn't aware that a significant percentage of sales were cash, tv ads all push leases.

Subaru succeeds by knowing its customers

"Our customers were not affected by the recession," he says. "They have a better financial situation."

....They are a thrifty lot, traditionally buying less car than they can afford. Some 36 percent pay cash.

I was talking to a Boston "Power Couple" at a charity fundraiser: he is an executive at a financial services firm. She drives a Mercedes AMG SUV, and he drives an Audi A8. When I told them I drive an Outback (and a WRX) he said, "That's funny, all my bosses drive Outbacks too!"

Curiously, what is this stereotype you reference? Maybe 30 years ago they had the image of being the car of choice for hippies, or your neighborhood leftist but I don't really associate them with that anymore. Maybe it's different out your way, I'm in northern New England where an AWD car is a definite plus in the winter. //

How A Revolutionary Ad Campaign Helped To Turn Around Subaru : NPR

What I find amusing is that when I go to high-power, CMP or other rifle matches, there are tons of Outbacks there. New England as a whole has 5X the number of Subarus, Colorado 6X, and Vermont, 8X compared to nationally.

 

[California]

... what is this stereotype you reference? Maybe 30 years ago they had the image of being the car of choice for hippies, or your neighborhood leftist but I don't really associate them with that anymore. Maybe it's different out your way, I'm in northern New England where an AWD car is a definite plus in the winter.

Here on the West Coast where going up to see the snow is an adventure, not a living environment, Subaru ownership still includes the demographics you mention but as part of a broader group that likes to get away to wilderness as much as possible. The people who only want to look outdoorsy or spend a lot of money at ski resorts tend to buy larger SUV's, while the Subaru owner knows he has all you need when the objective is simply transportation to a trailhead or campsite, back in somewhere you could never take an automobile.

I don't know if it's true nationwide but Subaru's advertising that we see includes a subtle reach-out to the kind of outdoorsy women who would rather go alone or with another woman. And I see that stereotype, or vehicle choice, reflected here so I think that marketing avenue is working. This is different from another phenomena I've noticed , girly Jeeps driven by young women as a lifestyle statement which seem to be a 'look at me' vehicle choice, totally different from Subaru owners.

But as you noted, the core value respected by all Subaru owners is the ability to provide transportation with minimal drama when driving conditions are poor for a lesser vehicle.

I specifically bought mine to replace a Trooper for getting into (or more important, back out of) our gold mining claim in the Sierras. A nasty last quarter mile down to the creek (photo), 20 miles of unmaintained logging trails, 50 miles of winding paved-over-deer-trail mountain roads, then an hour of freeway to get home. The Subaru is adequate for the worst part and better than anything else I've owned for all the roadway parts. Subaru is a big player in the rally world and it feels right, on these back roads.