Great for snow! This car has gotten me out of many sticky, or should I say slippery situations here in Alaska. The car has never let me down in three years.

I have the 5-Speed and lived down in San Diego for a year. Must say, the stick doesn't like to be rushed and the clutch had to be pushed way back, which was bad in traffic jams. The engine/transmision combo can get loud and buzzy. If you have a choice, go with the automatic by all means. But I had no problem keeping up with traffic, weaving with the best of them in rush hour.

Of all the car's I've owned, the two listed above as well as an '86 Isuzu Trooper II (Junk!!) and a '67 Mustang (sweet car), this is by far my favorite for actual driving. It may not have lots of character but it is a smooth ride and quite good on the corners. It's very stable and predictable at higher speeds and seems to be fairly neutral when I push it into high speed turns (oops), though it does lean somewhat heavily. Mine's at ~130K miles and is going strong. You could do a lot worse for a used car.

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'87 VW Fox

I bought this car in October of 1999 brand new, black pearl, leather, wood trim, the alloys are beautiful and so is the rest of the car. It handles SO AWESOME!! This is a low to the ground car and I drive around in 10 inches of snow like its nothing. This car can handle all types of weather conditions. I also got clipped on the highway going 65Mph and there was NO damage to my rear fender or bumper. The other guy had a Toyota Corolla and his fender was smashed. Overall this car is a great car that handles really well in all conditions. Very reliable, but I feel that somethings don't make me happy with this car.

Well I have the 5spd and its not fast enough for me..It does the job, for now. Also I don't like the fact that when you use the cup holder you can't get to the cd player easily. Now this really ticks me off, when it rains hard, water leaks through the map lights and sunroof controls. The dealer claimed it was fixed, but it happened again this weekend and I didn't call him yet, I'll do that now. Also, Subaru doesn't offer road side assistance, whats with that?

I really would recommend this car for anyone who is younger older. My Subaru looks real sporty. I love the handling and control, braking is good, reliablilty is great.. Test drive one and take a turn that you would take normally in your car, then see how the Subaru take it.

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Isuzu Rodeo 1999---Had it for 8 months( Bought from Fred Beans in PA-Doylestown) This car was junk bought it new, the dealership is junk too, couldn't care less about my problems. I even wrote Fred Beans himself, spoke to his secretary, no response to my concern.. F THEM!!!!

Great AWD traction and handling in all weather conditions. Reasonable ride and good comfort but could be quieter. Very reliable, safe, and easy to maintain. Dealer service excellent (provided Frank doesn't leave). Decent size trunk. Nice sound system.

I hope the Legacy sedan gets the new flat six...it needs it! Lazy transmission from 2nd to 3rd; spongey brakes but stop the car with confidence; steering clunks when turning into driveways or over sharp bumps on road surface (just like my old '76 Maverick); poor cup-holder placement.

I would definitely recommend the Legacy sedan especially when it becomes available with the six. The car provides secure and nimble handling in any kind of weather and, HP notwithstanding, feels fairly quick when pushed. You won't find a more sophisticated and reliable AWD system in this price range in any similar class model. But Subaru better watch their pricing if they want to hold that edge. The new Outback w/six cylinder engine is way outta line at over $30k!

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XT6 (car from Mars)...miss the old Suby quirkiness; Acura Integra ... better build quality and performance but slippery on the wet.

Ride is supple and quiet for a smaller sedan. The automatic transmission shifts smoothly as well. Braking is adequite. The steering response and tire grip on the road is first rate with good tires. AWD helps very much in rain or snowy conditions. It is very user friendly, easy to read controls etc.

There was a recall for front tow hooks to be removed, becaused it was feared if these hooks hit the pavement it could enable the airbag system. I had to replace the catalytic converter at 94,000k, Subaru however assured me this does not happen very often, it was a government part, at a government price! Not as room spacious as the Accord or Camry. It is a bit underpowered, but once it accelerates it rides pretty quiet.

I give it high marks. Other than the Cat Converter I have had vitually no problems with the car. The body seems to be holding up as well. No rust on the body or undercarriage. A good solid used car if you are in the market for one. If you are in snow country, AWD is a plus to have. Anti-Lock Brakes are adequite as well.

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Better driving response than the 97 Toyota Camry (I test drove one), Quieter than the '96 Honda Accord ( I also test drove one of these)in this trim line.

Reliablity .

um.. does not apply

i come from a subaru family at the moment we own 5 subarus and 1 ford.
1 Subaru legacy bought new in 90 has 300,000 almost on it. runs everyday day in, day out. still has original exhaust on it. in a winter area (ontario). , also have a 90 Subaru XT6 bought used. great car kinda weird.. love that AWD, have a 92 Subaru SVX great power, looks AWD, Windows i just love this car!!!. and we have two Subaru Justys one just gave up on its automatic tranny so we bough a scrap justy to install a manual transmission. justy has 200,000 on it.

subarus make wonderful cars. unusually reliable id say the most reliable of all the brands. a simple yet well designed engine thats been refined over many years proves itself in reliability. same kind of engine porsche uses. and bmw motorcycles use. all very very reliable engines.

AWD is great subaru is great. GO buy one and thank me later

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Subaru Xt6, SVX, Justy all very similare

Although the Legacy wagon was not made for serious off-roading, I was able to go most places I would usually think of going only in a pickemuptruk.

Subaru uses .0012mm body metal. Lean against the door and you've got a $2000 problem. Solution--don't lean on the body. Also, the suspension is soft and the car shucks and jives when yanked around. However, I've not found this problem in the Outback. The Legacy Wagon is the Granny version of the Outback.

The Subaru company is in the business of making EXCELLENT vehicles. I bought the car from its first owner with 120,000 miles on it. In three years I added another 120,000 miles and had absolutely no problems with the engine. For me, the beauty of AWD and the spacious interior allowed five people, five backpacks, and a dog to fit comfortably on and off road. The 2.2 4cyl had no problems with the load.

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Outback, Impreza, Impreza Sport, Toyota 4runner

AWD is just wonderful.
The space inside is unexpected - seems enless - actually there is a limit but it took me a while and a five day camping trip to jam all the space out.

As I am shopping for the WRX now ... I noticed the post about the Subaru of Wakefield in MA post and I could not agree more with Paul. Buying the car is only one step ... customer service is 80% of the whole experience. I live in Wakefield, MA and had to buy my car and service my car in Arlington for the soul reason that Subaru of Wakefield is just your real Used Car Sales people and their service deparment actually made my friend pay over $1,000.00 worth of repairs on his new Forester which was btw still under Subaru Warrenty ... did not know how they pulled that one.

AWD just rules! Both in the city and outdoors. It actually saved my life a few times. I will never buy another vehicle without AWD. Yes, it might have a higher mpg, but the safety and handling far outweigh a few more dollars.

With regular 3000 miles oil changes and scheduled, I now have 25,000+ miles on it and have not had a single problem and do not think I would :)

Actually shopping for my next subaru vehicle and keeping this one for my wife.

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Reliability, looks, practicality, image, AWD ability, handling capabilties. Cost of parts (probably due to the high number of imports from Japan to Australia)

Fuel consumption on the SPFI and turbo models

My family owns three Subaru's, which have been very impressive. The first one bought was a Subaru Liberty AWD (aka: Subaru Legacy), with the 2.2 MPFI Boxer engine, which now has approximately 140,000kms. The car has been 100% reliable, never letting us down.

The second vehicle is a Subaru Legacy Ti AWD with the 2.2 SPFI Boxer engine, in which was privately imported from Japan to Australia. The car has 106,000kms on it, and has been great, however, I have found that it has not been as economical as the Liberty, due to the SPFI. Neithertheless, it has not caused trouble at all.

The final vehicle is own by my brother, and is the latest Legacy B4, also imported from Japan. Having only owned the vehicle for 2 months, he has not found any problems, apart from the rather high fuel consumption (like any turbo car)

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Subaru has delievered some of the best vehicles. With a handful of cars on the market that offer AWD, Subaru has created an affordable machine, to suit any kind of image!

Utilitarian, value-for-money, good driving performance and easy to drive. Lots of interior space.

Poor mileage. Paint chips easily. Dents easily. Low clearance for off-roading but then it is a family wagon. Spartan interior and inadequate storage space

(1999 Model) - Great car - if you know what you're getting into. I must be one of the few people who get an AWD car and then actually use it off-road. Best value for money in its class.

Gas mileage is better than most SUV's of similiar size or weight. I like the AWD system and the get-up-and-go is good with 1/2people in car...after that you need more horsepower.

The seating in the front,although power/heated seats, is not that comfortable...it actually kinda bothers me after an hour or so. Too bad for this nice of a rig.

(2000 Model) - Overall, this is a nice ""rig""....good gas mileage and great AWD system if this is what you want...doesn't have the image or capability of the Jeep but if you won't be going in 4WD Low any time soon you shouldn't be disappointed...and it's much more quiet than anything else out there.