Subaru experiences/words of wisdom

[Wild Bill]

Thanks for all the input boys. After driving it we're leaning towards the Suby over the Jeep. I've already told her if we do purchase it I'll have to get her a "Hunt to Eat" sticker and conservation license plates. Hopefully I can throw a few antelope into it this fall and maybe an elk, if I'm lucky!

 

[Rancho Loco]

Good choice. As a point of reference, My BIL and SIL have been in Jeep/Chryslers for YEARS with the EP pricing, and they're fed up all with the problems they've had, and are taking a hit on the price and ditching the brand. Even without the knowledge of their problems, I don't know why anyone would buy a jeep.

 

[Wild Bill]

Good point Rancho. I forgot to mention we found out she has employee pricing through her new job but with Ford. Subaru dealership said they would match it without hesitation.

 

[JohnCushman]

I've heard nothing but complaints from people with Jeeps from the past couple of years. I had an 01 Cherokee Sport and put 150K miles on it after buying it used and never had an issue with it. I think Jeep tried to jump too far too quick to keep up with the crossover and newer SUV market and dicked themselves.

 

[cur dog]

I've owned a couple of Subarus that I use for my sales and service business. I change the oil when its due and tires when they wear out. Other than catching flak from my buddy, or the ocassional thumbs up from the hippie crowd, they are a solid trouble free car. I currently have a 2016 Crosstrek. Its got 29,000 on it already. No problems.

 

[T Bone]

Subaru, no question.

My experiences:
1984 GL 4x4 wagon. 1800 CC's of economical hunting. It was known as the "meat wagon". Bought it for $1500. Put 120k miles on it and sold it for $1200. Great little car!

1999 Forester. My son's school car. It went about everywhere most people take ATV's. With all 4 chained up, it pushed snow.

2001 Outback. That little car took me deer, antelope, and pheasant hunting all over South Dakota. Never got stuck in mud or snow.

I'll likely get another at some point.

 

[mtmuley]

Subaru donates monies to organizations I do not approve of. Then again, I don't care to buy foreign vehicles. I've had Cherokees and have had no issues. mtmuley

 

[Rancho Loco]

Uh, Chrysler is owned by Fiat.

 

[wolfpup]

We bought a 2014 Outback 2 years ago and love it. It is the best family car! Plenty of room and cargo space with cargo racks on top too. It handle icy / snowy roads better than any pickup or SUV I have ever driven. No joke, if the roads get bad, we take the Subaru over my Dodge 3500 any day of the week. My brother and sister bought the Jeep Cherokee but they are the entry level ones that have like a 2.4 liter engine or something like that and the Subaru has as much ground clearance and more room than they do. Not sure how that would compare to the Grand Cherokee. I take my pickup for most hunts for elk / deer, but the Subaru does excellent on prairie dog shoots, coyote hunts, and antelope. It does good in sand as well. Unless your towing, just put more weight on the skinny pedal and your going to go. This is all said with the understanding that I take my Dodge 3500 anytime I know the terrain is going to give a beating. Between and Jeep Cherokee and a Subaru, I pick Subaru everyday. Also the oil changes are amazing! Filter is on the top of the engine with no need for ramps to get to the drain. Truly a 10 minute start to finish oil change. That's all we have done with 28,000 on the ticker.

 

[airlocksniffer]

We have a 2004 Outback with about 103K. There were some model years that required head gasket replacement around 90K (ours did). Other that that, standard maintenance is all that has been required (brakes, plugs, struts, etc). It does seem to consume oil more than other vehicles (at least 1 qt low between changes). It's been great in the snow and for cross MT road trips. It will be my son's first rig in about 5 years and my wife will probably want another one.

 

[NoWiser]

My wife got a 2012 Forester new. The price was decent and we wanted something reliable that we could drive into the ground. We got rid of it about 6 months ago with 80,000 miles on it and will never buy another Subaru again. It burned oil right from the get-go and the dealer always said it was within spec. The last 3 months that we owned it I went through a full gallon of oil. I had to set my phone alarm to go off every Tuesday night so I could go add 1/2 quart. Of course, by then the dealer said we were on our own since the warranty was up. Anytime the temp hovered around freezing (32-36 degrees) the damn thing wouldn't start. We had it in multiple times and each time they reprogrammed the computer and told us we were good to go. Inevitably it would leave us stranded. Of course, once the warranty was up, they said "tough luck." We bought the vehicle partly because they supposedly held their value so well. That may have been true but once the oil consumption problem became public knowledge, it wasn't worth jack. Buying that vehicle was the worst financial decision I've made to date.

When it was running it got good mileage, handled well, and had great visibility compared to other vehicles in its class. We just had way too many problems with it and, with zero support from the dealership, had to send it on it's way. My father in law is a mechanic and agreed that our best option was to get rid of it ASAP.

Definitely research the oil consumption issue. An uncle of mine got a 2013 Outback and its burning oil bad as well.

We ended up replacing it with a 2014 Equinox and both like it much more. It's roomier, handles better, and is much quieter. The visibility sucks, though, and it has been burning some oil. Typically a quart between changes. I can deal with that as it's similar to my Silverado, which has burned a quart between changes since day one and hasn't gotten worse in 160,000 miles.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I've owned 3 of the newer Cherokees, and 3 subarus. Daughter has a Grand Cherokee so that's 4 I'm familiar with.
More room in the Jeep but either will haul an Elk back home. Semi older Subies need the timing belts changed at regular intervals and if in a front end collision, the motor will be toast if the valve cover gets hit. Can't speak to a new Subie but I would buy one without a 2nd thought, especially if you get snow.

Subaru is actually the state car of Oregon.

 

[SFC B]

Uh, Chrysler is owned by Fiat.

^^^^^^this^^^^^^......and take it from someone that lived in Italy for 4 years, when FIAT is who you look to as your savior that is a BAD sign.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

I have a '13 Impreza wagon, so the non lifted crosstrak and its be ok, but as had issues that you likely won't face. The Impreza line including the motor and transmission was brand new in '12 and the first 2 years have issues with oil consumption due to the piston seal design and 0 weight oil with a 7,500 mile oil change cycle. I've definitely experienced that issue needing to add oil between service. I lost the CVT transmission at 87k miles, but it was replaced within 30 hours by Subaru at no cost to me. They told me it was a fairly rare occurance, but the jury is out on CVT long term reliability.

The plus is in real world mixed driving I get 31-34 mph average on a tank of fuel. The cargo space is very large especially with the seats folded down and the armored truck. The whole car comes covered in rubber mats so clear up is great. I can fit 3 people and 3 bikes in the Impreza without putting a rack on. I know quite a few people with '14 and later Impreza's and Foresters and no one else has had my issues. I would attribute a lot of my issues to effectively being the first year of a new design which is never a good pick regardless of the manufacturer.

 

[Irish52084]

Two years ago my old Nissan Maxima started having transmission issues at 230k miles and I bought a barely used 2013 Subaru Legacy. 33k miles later and I'm very pleased with the Subaru. I drive about 50/50 highway vs city and I average 28.2 mpg. In mid July we drove 6600 miles on a cross country road trip and averaged 31.6 mpg.

There are some issues with oil consumption as mentioned earlier, but it seems to be fixed by 2014 models. I have a 2013 and do not have the major oil consumption issues others have reported. The 175 horsepower is a little lacking, but it's not terrible and the AWD is fantastic. If you are willing to do the maintainence yourself the 4 cylinder models are pretty easy to work on and there's a fair amount of space to work around in. Changing the headlights is a major pain in the ass though.

 

[chuckeglenn]

I've got a 2015 Subaru Crosstrek. I live at the bottom of a really steep paved hill. After a snow and an ice this past winter, I saw someone in a Cherokee at the bottom of our hill trying to make it up it. They kept sliding down and finally just turned around. I left the house a little while later in my Crosstrek and went right up the hill without any wheel slippage. It's been a really great vehicle for me so far. I would recommend one to anybody.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I can't recommend NOT getting a Subaru forester enough we have one and it's a POS, 2009 less than 150k burns oil like a SOB, had to have new bearings on all four wheels, water pump, ect. ect. Also because of a huge design flaw you can't roll one with chains and the gas mileage is horrendous we average 21mgp and it's the 4 cylinder non-turbo . I literally hunt out of my Corolla because it has better HP to weight and I can throw on chains and gets 32 mpg. There is no type of car you see more in the ditches in MT and CO then Subarus... well maybe Suburbans...

 

[Gunner46]

Soobie-Doobie-Ro !! I've had 3 Ru's, and if you think they are expensive to repair, try an alternator for a Grand Cherokee, from anybody who is not your dubious high school buddy Floyd !