Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Subaru Legacy/Outback

1163164166168169230

Comments

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Pat: there was a recall for a later model year Outback's brake master cylinder, so that might be it. Subaru also recalled '98 Foresters for the same reason, for example mine was replaced (though it showed no symptoms).

    Search for a TSB for your specific model on NHTSA.gov.

    Also, make sure your tires are worn evenly, and rotated regularly. Differences in circumferences might confuse the ABS sensors.

    vtec_2003: your mileage is atypical. If it's new, most of them tend to improve with age, usually by about +2 mpg.

    You should be able to negotiate the price on that warranty down to about $1300, FWIW. Try those links above.

    Doug: sounds like you're already doing the things you should. The next big service is the 60k miles (96k KM), and that's when I'd start doing more in-depth preventative maintenance.

    -juice
  • dougb10dougb10 Member Posts: 185
    At 96km, you say I should be doing "more in-depth preventative maintenance". I will probably sell the car before I put on another 36km, but what kind of stuff are you thinking of?
    This car could easily end up with one of our 5 kids, so I would want to ensure that things were done first.
    Appreciate your expertise.

    Doug
  • kullenbergkullenberg Member Posts: 283
    Thanks, everybody for your replies. The car was flat bedded into the local Subaru dealer, and guess what? They couldn't find anything wrong. They were given a complete description of the event - brakes were not hot, so not fade, event started right after the first turn going down; good pedal pres, but to no effect. Use of gears ( mt ) and emerg brake helped keep some control. At the bottom of the hill, brakes again seemed normal. (perhaps we should name the car "Norma" - wasn't that Stephen King's possessed car?) Anyhow, the service adviser (good guy) has taken it home for the weekend, and will do some driving in the hills to try and duplicate. It's a 99 OB with only 21k miles on it.
    Cheers
    Pat
  • leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
    was the name of the possessd car, a '58 Plymouth Fury, I believe.

    Len
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I assumed you heard this story but I'm not tired of telling it yet :-)

    This was a variation of your "find an older couple" trick - we had planned a trip to AK in March to visit and then I remembered an old friend who had gotten an Outback for a retirement gift. So I had seen the car when it was one week old and sort of knew its history. I called her but she hadn't considered selling it.

    But the hint worked, and she went to the dealer the next week to check out new ones. Negotiations ensued, successfully (TMV, "verified" by Terry over in Real World Trade In Values), and we wound up taking an extra week of vacation and drove it 3,000 miles down the Alaska Highway to Boise. The studded tires came in handy in Alberta the first week of April!

    So it had a bit less than 34,000 miles on it when I bought it; almost beat your record, LOL. Limited, with heated leather. And it's that's bright red, my lucky car/canoe color - same as my 17 year old Tercel was.

    Steve, Host
  • ncvolncvol Member Posts: 196
    Is the new 2005 Legacy design shown in these articles and on the Subaru global website going to be implemented on the Outback trim lines as well? Will it be coming out for MY 2005 as well?
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    but I've read the Japanese version may not be introduced until next November. In any case, we won't be getting either the new Legacy and Outback until next spring.

    Bob
  • ncvolncvol Member Posts: 196
    Good, that's probably about as long as I'll be able to hold out before buying my next car. From what I've seen it's definitely worth waiting on, at least to take a look at.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I'm betting the new Legacy and Outback will be a big leap forward from what we currently get, especially in terms of power.

    Bob
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Interesting that you won't see the new outback/Legacy until early 2004. The suggestion from the fleet guy at tmy dealer is that they will probably hit Australia in about October/November. Subaru Australia are currently selling Outbacks and Libertys (Legacys to you) with all on road costs included which is very abnormal. Subarus are normally waiting list only in Australia. That is probably to clear the supply chain of 03 stock before releasing the new model.

    I've half decided to roll my lease over for 6-12 months and look at the new Outback against the Forester Xt which will be released here in July.

    Of course, the key difference is that Foresters for US are sourced from Japan where as Legacy/Outback is made in USA so the factory will have to retool for them. May explain why Australia will see the Outback first.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    for those who haven't seen it. We'll get it as an '05 model, next spring; and with a 2.5 engine (turbo & non-turbo), not the 2.0 engine that the Japanese get.

    http://www.subdriven.com/index.html

    It's a winner, for sure. :)

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Doug: since it's a long-term keeper, I'd do all the scheduled stuff at 60k - plugs, plug wires, air filter, fuel filter, PCV valve, oil and filter change, radiator flush, brake bleed, and the accessory belts and hoses. I'd also do the tranny oil and rear diffy oil.

    Basically all the maintenance and wear and tear stuff.

    -juice
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,396
    Bob thanks for the link. Really like the nose on the white B4.

    Jim
  • dougb10dougb10 Member Posts: 185
    Thanks for the feedback on the long term service stuff....will follow up when we reach that mileage.

    Doug
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Yes - that metal tang/tab/bracket whose attachment point requires removal of the grill is a feature of the new deflector design.

    Steve
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    In a 4 channel ABS system, failure of a single wheel speed sensor could indeed look like a skidding wheel to the system, but it would only drop pressure to that one caliper. The other three should still act normally. If it were a front brake (which do most of the work, especially on downhill with the forward weight transfer), total stopping power would feel substantially reduced, but not absent.

    Steve
  • otis123otis123 Member Posts: 439
    The 10 page .pdf press article on the site was good. Sounds like it has everything I'm looking for in the next H6 generation...wider, curtain air bags, etc.

    Just didn't see mention of memory settings and monotone black paint...

    SOA, don't forget the driver memory settings for the USA version AND monotone paint (the two-tone paint is soooo 90's)!

    :-)

    Ralph
  • tfoshbonetfoshbone Member Posts: 18
    Just bought a 99 outback legacy wagon. 55,000 mi.. Think I did ok on it $$ But have questions?? #1 how to tell double over head cam vs. single engine. #2 The rear hatch rattles is there a way to tighten it up? #3 The steering wheel has a little shake (or shimmy) at 70 mph is this common balancing or alignment problem? any help would be appreciated. Thanks T.
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Try having the tires balanced (and perhaps rotated depending on wear). That should solve the high speed shake. I would only get an alignment if the car has a hard time going straight on a level road or if the steering is sloppy.

    Craig
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    '99 Outback has the 2.5 DOHC. You can tell it's DOHC by looking at the front of the engine. The black plastic timing cover will have two impressions one above the other on both the left and right side (one for each camshaft). SOHC only have one impression on each side.

    FYI - '96 Outback MT has 2.2 SOHC. '96 Outback AT & '97 to '99 Outback have 2.5 DOHC. '00 to '03 Outback H4 have 2.5 SOHC. '01 to '03 Outback H6 have 3.0 DOHC.

    DaveM
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yep, DOHC Phase I 2.5l engine in the '99 OBs.

    You can also tell by looking at the redline. DOHC had it at 6500rpm, while the SOHC engines go to 6250rpm.

    My way's easier, Dave. :P

    -juice
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    Yeah, but one guy put a SOHC in his '97 or '98 and the tach still has a 6500 redline. ;-)

    OK, your way is easier.

    DaveM
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    His engine swap is not complete - he should have done the dash too! ;-)

    -juice
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
  • outback_97outback_97 Member Posts: 130
    T: Had similar problem at freeway speed recently, fixed by balancing both front wheels. What was odd is that it happened immediately after having my rotors turned. Maybe they knocked a weight off?

    Hatch rattle: Had this for many months, drove me nuts. I finally fixed it by inserting washers to move one of the brackets w/ the sliding spring loaded block towards the hatch. They're supposed to contact the hatch when closed. Four washers (two per bolt) = no more rattle on mine. I think the bolts were 10mm head, IIRC.

    utahsteve
  • otis123otis123 Member Posts: 439
    Oh SOA, don't forget satellite radio, too (with the new Macintosh system). Sweet....

    Ralph
  • weppersonwepperson Member Posts: 9
    It's a 2003 H6-3.0 VDC Sedan, but I don't see a sedan group, so here goes.

    The power is fine, but the handling has always been disappointing when compared to my previous Audi A4, much less my wife's WRX. Too much sway/body roll for how good the car is in other ways.

    But the most bothersome thing is that the tires "cup" wear badly. I'm becoming convinced this is a characteristic of the Subie AWD system. Our old '97 Legacy did it badly, our '03 WRX does it to a degree, and my VDC with 15K miles on it has road noise that can't be drowned out with the McIntosh cranked up. Any remarks/suggestions?
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    My '96 Outback H4 AT went 69k miles on the original Michelin XW4's and 58k miles on Bridgestone Dueler H/L's (tires probably had another 10k left but I traded the car in) and never experienced any cupping.

    My '03 Outback H4 AT has 13.5k miles on the original Bridgestone Potenza RE92's and appear to be wearing evenly.

    I rotate the tires (front to rear / rear to front) every 7500 miles. Are you rotating your tires?

    DaveM
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Will the new Legacy coming out next spring be a 2004 model or a 2005?

    Anybody know if we will get a 20% increase in fuel economy like the Japanese version? That would put the Legacy from 28 highway to 33 or 34. Right up there with Accord and Camry. With the added advantage of a wagon and AWD I would probably be swayed. If mileage stays at 28 though - I will probably go with the Mazda 6 wagon(which the legacy wagon looks quite a bit like).
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    The Legacy coming spring / summer '04 will be MY2005. I've heard that the new model will debut at the North American International (Detroit) Autoshow in January 2004.

    DaveM
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    First off you are trying to compare a-near SUV to an A4 and WRX? That is kinda like comparing the handling of an H2 to a corvette. The OB is supposed to have that wheel travel etc. for light offroading that your A4 and WRX would never be able to handle.

    As for the cupping, I doubt it's the system since your older subie and the VDC use different AWD systems. My family has serveral subies all AT and none have cupping over serveral years serveral tire brands, and serveral driving styles.

    -mike
  • joeydavidjoeydavid Member Posts: 1
    Our dealer is having trouble finding the Legacy GT Sedan in white that we want, but He came back to us and said that he has a 03' Outback Sedan H6 on the lot, sticker is $29,545. The only option that is has is the rear spoiler. He said he can go to $25,343..Does this sound like a good deal?
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    CarsDirect.com has that H6 Outback Sedan MSRP at $29,545 w/ spoiler (as you stated). Invoice comes out to $26.9k. So, the $25.3k price they gave sounds decent.

    Keep in mind that the Outback's don't get the sportshift AT that the GT's get. The H6 is a smooth & quiet motor. Take it for a drive before you decide.

    -Brian
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,396
    I believe there are significant handling differences between the Outback and GT, with the OB being much softer.

    As Brian said, be sure to test drive it first. My guess is that you'll love the power of the H6 but prefer the handling of the GT.

    Decisions, decisions...8~)

    Jim
  • vamoodysvamoodys Member Posts: 6
    Hello,
    Longtime lurker here. Have been car shopping off and on for about three years - my husband's Accord just keeps going and going and going. We've finally decided to go ahead and buy, and the final decision is between the Outback (base wagon) and the CR-V EX. I would say that our heart is telling us Outback, but our gut is telling us CR-V. The reason is our complete satisfaction with our two Hondas. They've been so reliable, with only minimal repairs and routine scheduled maintenance. I'm wondering if the Outback will live up to that Honda reliability? I know Subaru's have a good reputation, and Consumer Reports says the Outback is just as reliable than the CR-V. But my very unscientific observation is that there are FAR more postings in the Subaru Legacy/Outback Wagons - Problems & Solutions discussion than the CR-V Owners: Problems & Solutions discussion. I'm hoping that you loyal Subie fans will be able to give me some insight into the disparity. Thanks so much!!
  • K9LeaderK9Leader Member Posts: 112
    Bear in mind that gauging the number of postings on these boards is an extremely unscientific way to compare (but you seem to already realize). There are so many other variables that have to be considered, such as:

    Number of vehicles sold -- a vehicle that over the years has only sold 100,000 units will have fewer postings than one that has sold 750,000. I don't know the volume of CR-Vs to OBs. My observation is that there are probably a good deal more OBs out there than CR-Vs. Now, if you were comparing OBs to Civics or Accords . . .

    "cult" following -- some vehicles have a greater base of aficianados who tend to focus much more on their favored vehicle, so post more. Some cars are merely transportation, with a much smaller or non-existent cult following so have fewer posts. Subarus in general, and the OB in particular, tend to have a fairly high, and vocal, cult following in relation to the total numbers sold. I do not know about the CR-V.

    I'm sure others on the board can come up with other reasons, but these two are the ones that immediately come to my mind.

    I also have had good experiences with my Hondas (two Acura Integras). I've also had good experiences with my Mazdas (2), Toyota (1), Nissan/Datsun (1), Subarus (2). Neutral experience with Lincoln (1), slightly negative with Dodge (1) and Ford (1), and really terrible, awful, horrible with Jeep (1 and never again).

    The CR reliability ratings are valuable and worthwhile. Just don't make the assumption that a good reliability rating from CR (or any other source) is some sort of a guarantee. Even a highly rated vehicle will have some units that have problems. Hondas do have some problems (automatic transmissions, most notably), but at a still acceptably low rate. As you can see from this board, Subarus, too, have some problem areas (transmissions, head gaskets). Of course, these are problem areas for many manufacturers, and at much higher problem rates. Just check out the Chrysler minivan boards about transmissions or Ford Windstar boards about head gaskets.

    Whatever you decide, good luck!

    --K9Leader
    2000 Outback Ltd. wagon (35k miles and so far, so good!)
    1998 Toyota Sienna (83K miles and so far, so good!
    1994 Lincoln Mark VIII (103K miles and a few frustrating problems, but man is it sleek and fast and smooth!)
  • vamoodysvamoodys Member Posts: 6
    Thanks for your input, K9Leader.

    Yes, I know this is very unscientific. And I know that reliability ratings aren't guarantees - I could go out and buy the CR-V tomorrow, and end up with a lemon...

    Interesting that you observe there are more Outbacks than CR-Vs on the road. I'd guess the opposite. Maybe it's the geography... I don't live in the Rockies or New England, where I'd suspect OBs far outnumber CR-Vs. (Actually, I live in the Washington DC area, so I suspect we have a lot more Outbacks here than in many areas of the country.)

    I had also thought about the "cult" following among Subarus making the numbers appear higher on the Subaru boards, and had talked about this with my husband, but I didn't articulate it as well as you did. I'll have to show him your post.

    Thanks again - would still welcome input from others on the board as well!
  • jay_24jay_24 Member Posts: 536
    I would guess the number of postings has to do with the members here. For every problem (mostly being minor problems) there are many resposes.

    In general all the subaru related topics have very high number of postings. the "Meet the Members" has almost 15,000 postings. "Future Models" and "Foresters" are also over 10,000 postings. This Outback wagons topic is over 8,000. Mostly with messages like this.

    The Legacy/Outback wagons Problems topic is one of the least posted of all the subie topics.

    I think we just like to talk/write and happen to enjoy reading/posting on these boards.

    --Jay
  • bkaiser1bkaiser1 Member Posts: 464
    Both makes tend to rate highly by consumers, and they are both great (if different) vehicles. Before my 01 Outback (which I purchased new in 1/01 and currently have 51K miles on) I owned 3 Hondas...88/91 accord and 99 civic, and my ex has an 01 CRV.

    Over the course of the first 50K miles, I've had WAY more headaches with my Subaru than all of my previous cars combined. The dealer has been able to fix most of the problems, but it hasn't always been easy to get things fixed.

    Most notably, the clutch problem took a full 2 years to get corrected, the paint problems left me without a car for 5 weeks, 2 window regulators have failed. No car maker is perfect (but Honda is close) and I won't say that this experience will prevent me from buying another Subaru, but MY experience with this Outback has been less satisfying than it could have been.

    Others here with similar mileage have had no problems with their vehicles, so it's hard to really gauge how prevalent some of these problems are. I only throw my experience out for comparison's sake, rather than to try and talk anyone out of a Subaru. I do think, however, that the Subaru's made in the USA (like mine) tend to be slightly less solid than the ones made in Japan and will likely gravitate towards a WRX or Forester next time around.

    Brian
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I'll believe 20% better fuel economy when I see it. I bet that magazine was comparing the old 2.5l to the new 2.0l model.

    vamoodys: as always, YMMV, you've had good luck with Honda and I can't blame you if you stick with them. However, let's look at a few things.

    CR ratings for the Outback this year are actually slightly higher than the CR-V's ratings. Small difference, but still. More importantly, Subaru offers a 67% longer powertrain warranty. I still don't get why Honda offers just 3 years, and by the way no roadside assistance either (Subaru gives you 3 years of that).

    Also, the Civic had something like 6 recalls. The CR-V is a newish design based on that Civic, and that probably explains why the reliability ratings dipped down.

    But forget all that. You said your heart says Outback. Get the Outback. So what if you have a couple of minor problems to deal with, maybe the car spends 2 days at a dealer per year (worst case scenario)? As long as you are happier the other 363 days?

    Would you prefer to have a perfectly reliable car that you know you won't like as much, 365 days of the year? Not me.

    Pardon my rant, some times I think people get a little carried away about reliability. Liking the car overall is far more important.

    Just my opinion.

    -juice
  • twhantwhan Member Posts: 45
    I am shopping for a new car too and have test drive both. My 2c:
    Outbacks have better handling and are more comfortable and quiet. But a little pricy. A the same money ($21000), you got a base outback, but you can get a CRV EX with moonroof, cd-changer, security and side airbag. I don't care the moonroof, but I think the base outback should have had at least side airbags. CRVs definitely have more value in the same price range. One thing I don't like CRVs are the body-roll in curve roads, this is probably a common SUV thing(I never drove a SUV before.) The CRV engines are kind of loud compared to subaru. In terms of reliability, I met two guys the other day when I had my car(still in the shop now)repaired, one has a 89 Legacy(maybe), the other has a 98 outback. 89 legacy has a bad head gasket, the 98 has a problematic transmission. The mechanic said to me he recommended to buy a honda if I plan for a new car. I still think about outback, I like the look, AWD(may not be neccessory in here(Sacramento,California), but we do have rain here)). Well, the decision thing is driving me crazy. :(
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Hmm, go price a 5/60 warranty on the Honda, that's about $500 right there, and heated seats are a good $400 also. Temp gauge, weather band, heated mirrors, heated windshield, on OB N/A on CR-V. Plus the cargo liner, cover, little stuff like that. Plus the alloys are 16" instead of smallish 15"s on the Honda, and the AWD is only part-time vs. Subaru's full-time.

    The OB has a lot of hidden content that you might not notice until you've lived with it for a while.

    CR-V has its own set of issues: PTTR, driveline noises, seats that rock in their base, etc. They're still reliable. Keep in mind people with problems tend to seek out boards like this, so you'll see more than your fair share of problems.

    -juice
  • otis123otis123 Member Posts: 439
    I own a 96 Honda Accord LX (107K miles) and an 01 LLBean H6 Outback (44K miles).

    Accord had new front pads at 30K (not covered), air conditioner re-charge at 35K (not covered), muffler and part of exhaust at 40K, pass. side front wheel bearing at 55K, driver door lock mechanism at 65K, glovebox doesn't shut right (started at 40K), driver weatherstripping cracked at 50K, no radio display since 75K, new radiator at 106K, dashboard temperature control knob has broken 3 times! = average reliability in my book.

    LLBean had new front pads & rotors at 22K (covered by warranty). That's it. = excellent reliability in my book, so far (knock on plastic wood).

    Ralph
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    and an '02 Honda Odyssey EX with 19k miles. Both have been the model of good behavior. Check back with me in 5 years and I will tell you which one wins the reliability derby!!!

    Steve
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    you don't think that maybe Subaru owners are a bit more OCD about cars and notice every TINY variation from perfection do you?

    <ducking and running for cover after that post>
  • tfoshbonetfoshbone Member Posts: 18
    Been out of hat for a couple of days. Almost couldn't find responses. Thanks Craig, David, A.J., and S.J. . I'll try you-alls suggestions. Also S.J. bought mine at Nate Wade Price was a little high but, Lane is a good guy as far as car sales people go. Again Thanks!!to all of you.
  • idahodougidahodoug Member Posts: 537
    Way cool -got a low mile creampuff PLUS a nice adventuresome drive from Alaska! Pretty cheap motoring when you do something like that, eh? Every time I fill up, I smile when I think of what the Sequioa I cancelled to buy my used creampuff would have cost me by now. Let's see, 12 payments of $600 equals $7200, plus $200 more in fuel, plus another $500/yr to insure comes to approximately $8000. Since I paid $9200 for the Sube, that means I essentially drive free starting in about 3 months.....heh.

    IdahoDoug
Sign In or Register to comment.