we have a 2004 3lt outback .lovely to drive. lots of space in it. tows a boat well. only down side is high fuel useage, but i had a bighorn before the outback so no difference really.
haventrader,
Mar 17, 3:07am
Thanks. Yes, 4 months on and I still have not found the right car. Glad you raised this though as have found a 2.5 (4 cylinder) that gets close to ticking the boxes. Any comments on the 2.5! Cheers
vtecintegra,
Mar 17, 3:36am
Such as!
The Legacies are very good value because they're so common
haventrader,
Mar 17, 7:23am
I think the Subaru's are brilliant value for money. Compare to an Audi Quattro of the same year and similar mileage, the Outback is much cheaper (note it's the AWD that I'm after). The Volvo's would cost more (and not really my thing) and the others who claim AWD really aren't up to the job. The next step is SUV territory, pushing costs up (again for the same year).
cfs,
Mar 20, 8:28am
I looked at all the choices of wagons available for under $20K. After 12 months of thinking about what to get - Subaru Outback 3.0 was what I bought. Excellent build, good power, reasonable economy.
happylad3,
Mar 20, 10:14am
Highly suggest to avoid the 2.5L. These engines have serious issues with overheating and blowing head gaskets and cracking heads if the cooling system is neglected. If you look at one. Make sure the cooling has been regularly serviced and looked after.
lusty9,
Mar 20, 10:35am
the symetrical 4 X 4 system is the best in its class. No other compares
noswalg,
Mar 20, 9:49pm
On earlier models yes but don't dump the EJ25 into one category, the newer versions are far more reliable than the late 90's / early 00 versions. IMO though the EZ30 is still a better option.
haventrader,
Dec 14, 8:02am
I'd be keen to hear from owners of Outbacks, with the 3.0l motor. I'm considering one. What I'd like to know most is fuel consumption, servicing costs, issues etc. It will be my daily driver, but also used for the odd trip away. What's it like around town and open road! Cheers.
grangies,
Dec 14, 8:17am
In my (biased opinion) I can't see the point of them, unless you live on a rural road in the outback of Australia or South Africa, South America etc. Where the slightly extra ground clearance and heavier suspension is necessary.
There's plenty of other station wagons around for less money that will do the job you need for town and the odd trip away.
haventrader,
Dec 14, 8:24am
Valid opinion. Thanks. I might however need it for the occasional rough road or ski pass, though rarely!
grangies,
Dec 14, 8:47am
Virtually all gravel public roads in NZ are passable by normal cars. If you live on them and do most of your traveling on them then a Subaru Outback will make sense. But if it's just once in a blue moon, then meh.
As far as snow in NZ goes (especially on North Island roads) . If the snow gets too deep for the average 2wd vehicle, the police shut the entire road off anyhow.
Even if you have a fully capable 4WD that could go virtually anywhere. The police still wont let you through if they have have shut the road due to snow .
michaelqian,
Dec 14, 11:50am
They are good cars. Very reliable and robust. Fuel economy should be decent if you do 50/50 highway/city.
ryanm2,
Dec 14, 6:53pm
Excellent cars for chch - our roads are so shot. We have an 02 gt30 legacy - same engine. We have no issues with it being to thirsty. Surprisingly similar to our 02 mondeo wagon. $98 worth (.25c off voucher) of 98 octane got us 450km all town / cold starts last time we looked.
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