How reliable are Subarus?

(2011-11-22 15:15:14)

1. Sean Says: I'm in the market for a used car and I really like Subarus because of their AWD, good gas, and just general practicality. But are they really as reliable as they say? Seems like everyone says they are good for 200k-300k miles easily.

I guess I am only asking this because my buddies experience with them kind of shook my faith.

He had a 02 Outback that conked out at about 134k miles, then he replaced that with a 98 outback that has 156k miles but gives him all sorts of problems (won't start, towed to shop, month or so later it won't start again...) it's died on him 4 times while driving, etc.

Just bad luck? I'm just nervous because it seems like all the used Subarus in my price range ($5,000) seems to have 150-175k miles on them. =/ I can't afford a car that's going to give me a lot of problems.

2. Joe Says: I put 226,000 miles on my first Subaru. In retrospect, I should have kept it longer. :-)

Got 175,000 miles on the second Subaru, so far.

Neither car was perfectly trouble-free, but no car is. On the whole, I'm quite happy with them.

If you're buying any used car, have a mechanic check it out. If I were buying a used Subaru in the mileage range you're talking about, I'd ask my mechanic to look for signs of head gasket leakage.

Good, solid cars, overall.

3. tylerkroh_13 Says: i bought a 2000 subaru legacy gt with 154k on it around april of last year for 4500 and it works pretty good. They do take a beating but all cars need to be taken care of so id have someone look over it pretty good and check into common probles on the model and year you are looking to buy.

4. pickmefirstplz Says: have the car checked out by a mechanic before you buy

5. luis_fonseca2 Says: I bought a 99 legacy gt with 165k on it for $4000 earlier this year and have not had any issues yet. It drives like it has 65k on it. High mileage isn't necessarily a bad thing at all, it all depends on how the previous owner(s) took care of the car. If oil changes and all regular maintenance are kept up on, cars will basically run forever. In fact, some cars with high mileage may actually be better than those that are driven sparingly. Low miles might mean it has been driven only short distances without time to warm up, which is hell on a car. I had a 1987 cavalier a few years ago that only made it to 55k before it was sent to the scrap yard as junk. Definitely get it checked out by a mechanic and buy from a dealer with some kind of warranty, even if its just 30 days, to make sure every issue you find is taken care of.