If you have a Subaru, when do the maintenance problems start?

[PeterPan]

I kinda feel like I'm going to the Dark Side here even asking... I mean it almost seems impossible. Dealers, people online are saying these cars last 300,000 miles. We've had two vehicles in our family, both the same manufacturer, and although they ride really nicely, we don't expect either of them to last past 150,000. The one is 185,000 and it's literally leaving me stranded on the side of the road over and over. It was a great car till it crapped out. And at 100,000 these vehicles needed a complete transmission overhaul, which the dealer (a friend) warned us about upfront.

So what goes wrong with these Subarus? I'm looking at the Outback. I also liked the Buick TouringX, drove both today. The Buick is slightly slightly more comfortable, but the Subaru has better safety features, better gas tank. But nobody in my dh's family has ever had a Subaru, meaning this is kinda going out there to suggest it. What is going to go WRONG? When will it need major repairs beyond normal maintenance? When will the repair frequency pick up? I mean it just blows my mind. These two cars would start the same price but per the claims the Subaru would last twice as long. Am I reading that right??? There's a catch or miles 200,000-300,000 are nasty and filled with repairs?

Dish me some dirt. And if you don't have dirt, then which would you chose, the Buick TouringX or the Subaru Outback? 

[wathe]

I had a 2003 Impreza that I just replaced this year.  It had just over 200 000 km on it.   Most of those were winter driving.  Things started to go wrong over about the past year - Air conditioning broke, antilock brakes broke (regular braking was fine) and the strapping that holds the gas tank rusted off  - not a surprise given the winter driving conditions that this car saw.  No other issues over the life of the car.  I liked it enough to replace it with another newer Impreza.  They really can't be beat for winter driving (on regular roads, no mountains or off-roading or anything that would need a truck).  We are fastidious about regular maintenance. 

[AmandaVT]

What year is the Outback? DH and I have had a bunch of Subarus. I had a '98 Legacy that lasted until close to 200,000. Rust was the main problem I had with it, but we live in VT and have crappy, salt/sanded roads all winter and cars rust quickly here. I know a number of the Outbacks in the '04-'05 range had issues with head gaskets. My Forester, '15, had oil leak issues and they were apparently pretty well known for that.  

[TechWife]

I decided against a Subaru a couple of years ago after talking to a Subaru mechanic. He stated that they are good cars, but they have to be babied a bit. Change the oil earlier, make sure all of the routine maintenance is done just ahead of schedule. I decided I didn't want to fool with it and went with another Honda. Our 1st Honda CRV had 175,000 + miles on it when my ds totaled it and we had no problems with it, so we went with the known.

[PeterPan]

49 minutes ago, TechWife said:

I decided against a Subaru a couple of years ago after talking to a Subaru mechanic. He stated that they are good cars, but they have to be babied a bit. Change the oil earlier, make sure all of the routine maintenance is done just ahead of schedule. I decided I didn't want to fool with it and went with another Honda. Our 1st Honda CRV had 175,000 + miles on it when my ds totaled it and we had no problems with it, so we went with the known.

That may explain the odd comments I'm hearing over and over about remembering to do maintenance. My dh puts synthetic oil in our vehicles and they just work.

[Ausmumof3]

I have an 03 Forester with around 240,000km.  It has a leaking head gasket apparently which is supposed to be common with the older Subaru’s as they age.  Supposedly Subaru changed the head gasket used in newer models.  We did some expensive repairs around 18 months ago and decided not to do the head gasket due to the cost being more than value of the car.  However 18 months on its still running.  So we shall see how long it goes for.

 

[Carol in Cal.]

My friend who is really into cars thinks that Suburus start needing big repairs around 100000 miles now.  Since we generally buy used cars, she steer me away from them toward Hondas or Toyotas.  She thinks that the Toyota AWD offering is as good as Suburu’s despite being late to the party.

[PeterPan]

10 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

My friend who is really into cars thinks that Suburus start needing big repairs around 100000 miles now.

That seems to fit with what people here are saying. It doesn't seem like they're lasting particularly longer than my big label american car. (20 years, 185k miles)

[Violet Crown]

We just bought a 2017 Outback, rather than replace the suspension on my beloved Mazda5 a third time. Consumer Reports may be worth looking at. Subaru remodeled the Outback in 2010 after lawsuits over the head gaskets and their record is supposedly very good since then. Best of all, the back cargo fits a full-sized cello without having to put the seats down. 

 

[SereneHome]

OK, here is your dirt! 🙂

We had many Subarus over the years.  None of them went anywhere near 300K.  Not even to 200K.  The ones my parents had - they did more regular maintenance.  I am the opposite.  Except for oil changes, I don't do "maintenance" which drives my husband insane.

So, 1987 Subaru GL was awesome, so was 1992 Subaru Loyola.  1997 Outback was great,  so was 2004 Outback.  2008 Outback was a piece of garbage (we had two of those). 2011 Outback is OK.  We are at 100K and already had to change tires twice.  The first time Subaru actually split the cost with us bc I threw a little hissy fit.  I think we had some exhaust issues.  We are on our 2nd or 3rd set of brakes. We've had it for almost 9 yrs and spent $2300 on total repairs during that time

My 1997  nissan has 197K miles on it and no way it will make it to 300K. But in the last 21 yrs I spent a total of $8200 on repairs for that car. I consider that spectacular.

When I look at the numbers, I would absolutely get another Subaru.  But I expect it to last about 10-12 yrs and no more than 150K miles.

Oh and except for 1987 Subaru, all other ones we bought new

[Targhee]

I only have experience with older Subis.  A 90 and a 97. They are long running cars when you maintain them. The 90 we sold and the 97 was totaled (t-boned at a blind intersection by a car going 50 and all it’s passengers walked away) at 120k miles. No major repairs and served us very well. I would have expected it to keep going many, many more miles.

  I don’t think that any car will run problem free for very long. Maintenance is important but there will also repairs along the way.  When I hear a car will run to 200k or 300k I assume it is meant the body (and interior) is durable, the engine will keep running well *if* you take care of it (and that it is easily serviceable), and your tranny will go at least half the life of the engine. Not that you won’t have to do some repairs.  

I have owned 4 FJ80 LandCruiers.  The first was at 175k (no major repairs needed) when we traded it in for dh’s pickup.  The next two were in AK and we left them there when we moved back to the lower 48, giving one with 225k (only needed O2 sensor replaced which is time consuming in these vehicles), to a friend and he still uses it as a daily driver, 8 years later. The other needed transmission work (not a new transmission though) so we donated it to our friend’s automotive skills program (he taught this at the high school there).  My current one has 180k miles on it.  It had a head gasket repair at about 100k miles (previous owner) and since I’ve owned it has only needed brakes, shocks, some hoses, and some minor interior stuff done - all things that wear out. Plus the routine maintenance including alignment. It’s 22 years old and I still love it! These vehicles do really go 200-300k miles if maintained.

I guess what I’m saying is that you need to put some effort into any car. Some cars will last a long time/high miles if that effort is put in.  

[Rachel]

Do a google search for “known issues” for  the model and the year you are considering. That should give you a heads up of specific problems owners typically have with any vehicle. 

Edited May 24, 2019 by Rachel

[PeterPan]

Thanks ladies!! I'm still trying to get him to at least go LOOK at the Subarus. We'll see. Drove a much more $$ car today (Cadillac XT4) and I was like yeah, but the Subaru Outback rides better, has better safety features, and is almost half the price, lol.

[BlsdMama]

On 5/22/2019 at 8:28 PM, PeterPan said:

I kinda feel like I'm going to the Dark Side here even asking... I mean it almost seems impossible. Dealers, people online are saying these cars last 300,000 miles. We've had two vehicles in our family, both the same manufacturer, and although they ride really nicely, we don't expect either of them to last past 150,000. The one is 185,000 and it's literally leaving me stranded on the side of the road over and over. It was a great car till it crapped out. And at 100,000 these vehicles needed a complete transmission overhaul, which the dealer (a friend) warned us about upfront.

So what goes wrong with these Subarus? I'm looking at the Outback. I also liked the Buick TouringX, drove both today. The Buick is slightly slightly more comfortable, but the Subaru has better safety features, better gas tank. But nobody in my dh's family has ever had a Subaru, meaning this is kinda going out there to suggest it. What is going to go WRONG? When will it need major repairs beyond normal maintenance? When will the repair frequency pick up? I mean it just blows my mind. These two cars would start the same price but per the claims the Subaru would last twice as long. Am I reading that right??? There's a catch or miles 200,000-300,000 are nasty and filled with repairs?

Dish me some dirt. And if you don't have dirt, then which would you chose, the Buick TouringX or the Subaru Outback? 

We've had cars last over 200,000 and one over 300,000.  (I have no experience with Subaru but the Outback has my vote for DH's next vehicle - it's between that and the Avalon.)
We look at it this way - repairs past 200,000 are often less expensive than car payments.  We had a rebuilt transmission put into DH's truck and I think that was about $1800.  

I'd compare both on Consumer Reports.  If you know you want one of them to go 200k+ (not unreasonable at all) look at their history of repairs.  Then consider this  - if both are very similar in expectations, will one be less expensive to repair?  We've found DS' Malibu to be less expensive with repairs (215,000-ish miles) than DH's Honda.  The Honda needed fewer repairs in its lifetime, but the Malibu was always less expensive.  Just one consideration.  (I'd still rather buy Honda or Toyota, but that's just me and my own experience.)

[BlsdMama]

21 hours ago, SereneHome said:

OK, here is your dirt! 🙂

We had many Subarus over the years.  None of them went anywhere near 300K.  Not even to 200K.  The ones my parents had - they did more regular maintenance.  I am the opposite.  Except for oil changes, I don't do "maintenance" which drives my husband insane.

So, 1987 Subaru GL was awesome, so was 1992 Subaru Loyola.  1997 Outback was great,  so was 2004 Outback.  2008 Outback was a piece of garbage (we had two of those). 2011 Outback is OK.  We are at 100K and already had to change tires twice.  The first time Subaru actually split the cost with us bc I threw a little hissy fit.  I think we had some exhaust issues.  We are on our 2nd or 3rd set of brakes. We've had it for almost 9 yrs and spent $2300 on total repairs during that time

My 1997  nissan has 197K miles on it and no way it will make it to 300K. But in the last 21 yrs I spent a total of $8200 on repairs for that car. I consider that spectacular.

When I look at the numbers, I would absolutely get another Subaru.  But I expect it to last about 10-12 yrs and no more than 150K miles.

Oh and except for 1987 Subaru, all other ones we bought new

I'm curious why they didn't reach 200,000?  Did they need major repairs?  Or you sold them for a different car?  Around here, it seems that Outbacks are a challenge to find and when I do, they are over 200k.

[PeterPan]

22 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

I have no experience with Subaru but the Outback has my vote for DH's next vehicle - it's between that and the Avalon.)

A friend was just telling me to go look at the Avalon. I think the complication is that the nearest Subaru dealer is 40 minutes away, while the Toyota, GM, Honda, etc. are 5-10. 

23 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

If you know you want one of them to go 200k+ (not unreasonable at all) look at their history of repairs.  Then consider this  - if both are very similar in expectations, will one be less expensive to repair?

See I had this attitude about our current car, a 1999 DeVille that I was willing to drive into the ground. Thing is, at 20 years old it's literally just falling apart from age. The fabric came down from the ceiling and things are just progressively wearing out. It left me on the side of the road when our traffic is 70-85 mph. It's just exceptionally dangerous at this point and I can't do that. I also don't want to plan on that again. I didn't mind when the gas gauge went out or even the radiator. But the mysterious stopping that left me on the side of the road, I'm just done with it. So I'm thinking we don't drive enough to wear out the vehicle before it ages out. Well by the math we should, but it just varies. Once we had ds our driving picked up considerably, going this therapies. 

Maybe I can hit the Toyota dealer today, and I think the local GM dealer was going to bring in the TourX wagon for dh to see. I saw it almost an hour away in the big city. Ds still tears up vehicles (and property and people) when he gets angry, so we have this quandry of whether to go with a new vehicle or something used or something in the middle. We don't really have time/energy for repairs, so we just need it to work. That's why I was thinking a mid-price new vehicle like that TourX wagon or a used nicer vehicle. But I'm kinda stupid picky or spoiled. Well that's not true, I get horrible headaches from noisy cars and I get worn out with road fatigue. So some of the vehicles I liked in theory (small crossovers) just aren't going to work. I wanted to like the Subaru Forester but that would be a mistake for me. That Avalon could work if it's comfortable. I like how the TourX, the Outback, etc. feel when you sit, a little more up. 

[PeterPan]

29 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

I'm curious why they didn't reach 200,000?  Did they need major repairs?  Or you sold them for a different car?  Around here, it seems that Outbacks are a challenge to find and when I do, they are over 200k.

I suspect there are different tolerances for what people want with repairs. I took it to mean before you get a frequency of repairs that are like car payments. I was told that in college, like drive it till it dies, just repair it, and my dh really doesn't see it that way. And I was willing to push it till the car left me in a dangerous situation with zero warning. I guess it matters what you're driving in. I have to drive pretty significant amounts now and the traffic is fast. My car can't be stranding me repeatedly. I literally missed important therapy visits because of it.

I suspect if we had driven the car this aggressively the first 10 years (before ds was born) we would have hit much higher mileage. I think we barely were at 100,000, only maybe 80k, when he was born 10 years ago. Now I have an additional 100k on that vehicle *and* another 100k on another big SUV we keep for the winter on our hills. So that's 200,000 in 10 years, where before we were averaging 8k a year even with trips to visit my mother, etc. That's a huge jump. 

So if I play with the math, it's probable we'll stay at least 15k a year till ds is 18, and we may actually be closer to 20k as we're doing more trips. If I have to enroll him, that would bump our mileage even higher, way way way higher. So 20kX8 means I'm going to completely wear out whatever I buy in the next 8-10 years probably. And that after cars lasting me 20k. So if the car has more life, yeah it might go longer because the body would be young enough to go longer with some repairs. And we still have the SUV. But yeah, the longer lifespan could actually benefit us on *this* car because we'd be driving so much.

It's a lot to think about, but you're right by the math it's a 10 year decision, not a 20.

[SereneHome]

2 hours ago, BlsdMama said:

I'm curious why they didn't reach 200,000?  Did they need major repairs?  Or you sold them for a different car?  Around here, it seems that Outbacks are a challenge to find and when I do, they are over 200k.

Both of the outbacks were my parents'.  I think my parents didn't want to continue doing repairs and spending time in the shop. They could afford to replace it with new cars, so they did.

On '97 Outback, the transmission went out.  On 2004 Outback my mom just had the car die a few times and she was done!!

I am an accountant by trade and will tell anyone who will listen that it's almost always cheaper to repair than to buy another car.  Like 99% of the time! 

I am in New England and I see people drive old outbacks a lot.  It's interesting bc we have very stringent inspection rules, including no rust, etc and it seems people are keeping the cars.

Anyway, sorry for not very coherent answer, but I hope it helps.

[bethben]

I don't know about Subarus, but we have a Honda CRV that has 200K miles on it and hasn't required anything more than normal wear and tear - like brake pads needing replacing and stuff that you would expect to wear out.  The only weird thing we changed was the windshield because it started to get speckled and you couldn't see through it as well.  The way it's running, we would expect to use it with teen driver #2 to teach him to drive also.  

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, bethben said:

I don't know about Subarus, but we have a Honda CRV that has 200K miles on it and hasn't required anything more than normal wear and tear - like brake pads needing replacing and stuff that you would expect to wear out.  The only weird thing we changed was the windshield because it started to get speckled and you couldn't see through it as well.  The way it's running, we would expect to use it with teen driver #2 to teach him to drive also.  

That's very wow!