Fun and more importantly easy to drive in all types of weather. Good cargo space.

Engine!!!!!

I like this car but I no longer think it has the reliability that I thought I was getting. At 76000 miles it blew a head gasket and under further inspection it was determined that I might consider a new short block. Cost me 2200(subaru helped with $1000 even though my car was out of warranty) and I just wonder if the new engine is only going to last another 76000 miles. I was planning to run this thing until the wheels fell off and I may still but I think something is going on with this 2.5 liter engine. Consumer Reports has recently given the 96 outback a solid black circle. Note: I've babied this car from day 1.

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GREAT IN SNOW. COMFORTABLE SEATS FOR LONG HAUL DRIVING.KILLER SOUND SYSTEM (FACTORY UPGRADE).

COULD USE ANOTHER 50 HP

LOVE THE CAR.GREAT DRIVING ALL YEAR ROUND.

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1998 LEGACY. WAS A GOOD CAR BUT DONT COMPARE TO 2000 MODEL

A little pricey but worth it after you know what you bought. Handling in bad weather. Looks.

Premium gas. No tinted windows offered at the time I purchased. Shifting pattern. I find myself in 3rd gear quite often. Seats are hard. Cargo area sidewalls are not quality material and damaged easily. Bottom trim paint, when scratched or hit, peels easily. Minor issues that can be corrected if Subaru puts it's problem solving team to work.

Had previously owne d a 1990 Legacy, which is still running after I sold it. Had driven Fords since then. Had a Taurus Wagon. Good operation, poor visibility. Waited for a 6 cylinder Subaru for a long time. Bought the 2002 after reading about and talking to 2001 owners. 15,000+ miles later not a problem. Premium gas should be used for best performance and economy. Handles like a sport/wagon, which it is. Excellent in rain/snow. Acutally, I was very surprised how it handled in bad weather condtions. Many comments on its looks. Would recommend it highly for it's safety and performance. Will be looking at a 2004, without question. Would like to see a Forester with a 6 cyclinder. Maybe, next time.

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Ford Taurus. Nice car a lot of power. Used regular gas. Not as fancy as the Subaru. Vision on side and rear vision was terrible.

Quiet

All seals

A pile of junk. Every seal as gone bad. We bought the car at 67,000 and have had the valve cover gaskets replaced, both cam shafts seals replaced the oil pump seal replaced the separater seal replaced and the alternator(which was under silent recall)replaced.

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I have owned a 1991 subaru loyale and it was incredible. Went for 90,000 miles and no problems. Hence we bought the 96. big mistake.

AWD capability is good when functioning. Interior and exterior materials holding up well.

Appalling unreliability. A basically good design let down by cheap and cheesey part quality. Rather a lot of road noise in the cabin, but not much more than a Honda Accord of the same vintage. Seats crippling after an hour of driving. I will never buy this brand again.

Truly a hunk of junk. We bought it new, and after 45,000 miles of easy use and regular maintenence we've had the following problems: Leaking alloy wheel (actually had a pinhole in the casting which I'd never even heard of before); lug wrench broken when I tried to change the wheel, replaced with another factory lug wrench which also broke (finally replaced with an aftermarket wrench); warped brake discs reground (at 20,000 mi); cold start sensor failure (replaced); alternator failure, stranding us on a snowy mountain road requiring tow to dealer (replaced with a rebuilt unit); water pump failure (replaced); rear seal failure (replaced); center differential failure (requiring rebuild). Total cost of repairs to date: $2000+. If this car had 145,000 miles on it I might be more understanding. As it is I will never buy another Subaru, nor will any of my friends if they take my word for it.

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Full time all-wheel drive, quality built, all weather package.

Uncomfortable seats, squeaky brakes.

Never owned an all-wheel drive vehicle before this one. It feels like it's glued to the road, whether you're driving on snow, gravel, or wet pavement. I feel safer and more in control than with any other car I've ever driven. The 4 cyl 2.6 engine is surprisingly powerful at highway speeds but a little balky off the line. No major problems or defects. My biggest complaints: the brakes squeak loudly every morning as I back out the driveway, and the seats are uncomfortable on trips > 2 hours. Dealer looked at brakes twice but couldn't find any problem. Overall, it's a well put together machine and everything still works like new. I highly recommend the Subaru, especially if you live in the snow belt or mountains. I have the All Weather Pkg which includes heated seats, side mirrors, and wipers plus a weather band radio. Winter is a lot more enjoyable now that I drive this Subaru!

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Everything but the following weakness

Interior size for taller people

Hello there, I would like to start out by saying that I recently enjoyed a ride in a 2003 Subaru Outback form the local dealership. I found many features that I liked about the car, as well as it's smooth ride and quiet engine. The dealer invited me to change seats with him and drive the car back to the lot. When I attempted to get into the driver's seat, I was upset to find that even with the seat all the way back and down, I was barely able to fit into the car. I told the salesman that there simply wasn't enough room for me, and that I would not be able to test drive the car. I am currently driving a 1990 Subaru Legacy, which surprisingly has more room for the driver than the Outback, even though the legroom/headroom measurements suggest otherwise. I am 6'2" tall and was amazed that the Outback was too small for me. I am sure there are many other people who would rather drive this particular type of vehicle over a mid or full-sized SUV. I really like the Subaru line of vehicles, however, I also need to fit in them to drive them. I am writing this in hopes that you would share this letter with others and that this small problem will become well-known enough for Subaru to increase interior size in the Outbacks. Maybe if Subaru receives enough pressure, they will increase the roominess, much like the case with their smaller, 2.5 engines now competing with their 3.0 liter motors. Sincerely, A saddened would-be Subaru purchaser.

Car got excelent gas mileage 28 mpg. Handles well on back roads in all weather conditions.

Recall notices have been few but the major problem we have had is the engine seals after 36000 miles have gone bad .The warrenty covers them but you have to think if they go bad that early what will happen next after the warrenty runs out . My family has bought a few subarus and never had this type of problem with them before. This might have been a fluke but talking to the dealer it seems that this has been and ongoing thing with the 2000 outback subaru.

First 6000 miles we went on vacation every thing went well. the car was bought mainly for my wife to drive to work. Pennsylvania has some bad weather in the northern counties where we live and the car performed well on icy roads.

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none

AM/FM Radio and Casette, and a Weatherband radio all in the same unit!!! AWD heated seats

Hangman noose center seat sholuder belt- Subaru should know better on where to anchor the center passenger sealt belt- in the seat, NOT from the roof!! Daytime Running Lights- one day I will have those disconnected! Go to www.petitiononline.com/ANDRLs or www.lightsout.org for further info!

My sister bought a 1999 Legacy Outback wagon to replace her 1990 Camry. I bought a 200o Legacy Outback Wagon to replace my Mercury Mystique..er...MISTAKE. A good wagon, and a good car

So, after all of this why do I love this car? My husband and I have 2 black labs and love the outdoors and this car suits our lifestyle. We added a Yakima rack to it and it hauls bikes, kayak, snowboards, and us and the dogs to wherever we need to go in comfort. Also, we live on the coast in a city with poor drainage so when it rains you are driving through a lot of water and this car has always felt safe and secure. It also handles mountain/snowy roads very well.

Obviously replacing a car's engine is a weakness which is why I gave the Outback 3 stars for a value rating. Also, the cup holder location is annoying for dealing with the temperature controls and there are no lights behind some of the temperature controls so, for example, if we are travelling at night and want to go from heat through the upper vents to heat on our feet - we have to turn on a light to see which button to hit.

I have had problems with my Outback but perhaps I should have expected this since I bought one of the first made (it is a 96). In light of these problems, I still love this car and hope to get many more miles out of it. I bought this car in 96 but it had been driven, on a lease, for one year and had about 20,000 on it. While it was under warranty I had one major problem, the engine seals had to be replaced. Other problems I've had: 1) Around 80,000 miles the steering wheel would shake at low speeds on sharp turns. Turns out this is a transmission issue which is a non-issue as long as I have the transmission flushed on a regular basis. 2) The factory CD/Cassette stero just sort of quit on me but this gave me the opportunity to replace it with a better CD player only. I had the CD player put in the bottom of the void created by the factory stereo so now I'm not having those annoying cup holder/stereo competitions anymore. 3) I had to have the alternator replaced at about 145,000 miles (I have 150,000 on the car now). 4) And the BIG one - I had to replace the engine when the car had only 105,000 on it. The engine started making a clanking noise - apparently one of the engine rods was bent. I think my local dealership is fair and honest with me. They were very shocked by this and worked with me to get a re-furbished Subaru engine installed for what I think was a very fair price. Due to this (since I really need to get my moneys worth out of this car now) I plan to drive this car until it can't take any more.

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