Faults:

Rear wheel/hub bearings at 48000 Km

Again at 85000Km

Replacements failed very rapidly after that.

All replaced under warranty.

Solution - Legacy Roller Bearings installed - Service Bulletin now exists.

Clutch replaced at 150000 Km. Always had slight judder when cold

Replaced with LUK unit. Performance OK.

Mass Air Flow Sensor replaced under recall. Car suffered poor drivability until replaced.

Tires have been replaced a couple of times. Currently running Dunlop SP 2s.

Handling and wet performance satisfactory.

General Comments:

Bought the car originally for me to travel year round between Toronto and Montreal.

Enjoyable to drive, good handling, no aches and pains after a 6 1/2 hour trip.

Has stood up admirably to Canadian hard climate and extensive freeway driving.

Faults:

Both rear wheel bearings had to be replaced at only 45000 miles. This is a known problem with the Impreza and Forester which are assembled on the same chassis. Unfortunately the repair was not covered by warranty, dealer cost quoted at $300 per side, but managed to get a former Subaru mechanic turned garage owner to do it for only $300 in total. This common fault with these vehicles and may be due to a defective wheel bearing design. The replacement bearings are of a newer "needle/roller" design.

General Comments:

Handling is great, performance in winter conditions also good.

Faults:

Mechanically:

No problems to date (I realize I am jinxing myself as we speak).

Comfort:

Road trips longer than a few hour are a literal pain in my ass.

Accessories:

Dounut-sized spare... full sized tire won't even fit in the tire well (this pisses me off).

Wheel covers seem to come off easily...I've replaced 2 so far at a cost of $55-75US each!

General Comments:

Engine/Transmission:

You won't win any races against true sports cars, but 3rd gear on M/T is surprisingly wide. Pehaps slightly underpowered... newer ones have 165HP.

AWD:

This car is actually well suited to dirt roads, snow, and wet pavement.

AWD is pure driving nervana!

Fuel Usage:

Very decent... upper 20's miles/gallon.

15 gal tank will take you 350 miles.

Suspension:

One of the best handling cars in its price range.

General:

If you take a measurement of enjoyment that your car gives you and divide that by its price, you get an ejoyment/cost ratio. In my opinion Suby's OBS is number 1. And, when you throw reliability in the mix, it's even more obvious.

Don't get me wrong, If I could afford a BMW 3-series (Specifically the 330XI with 260 HP, 6-speed manual, and AWD), I would buy one, but I would keep my Suby also!

Price paid: $16,999US + TTL... A STEAL!

This car is just like my old 1986 Hyundai Exel GL, except better in every way!

Faults:

Nothing, my only complaint is that I didn't get a Subaru sooner.

General Comments:

This is an all around great car.

Domestic cars are garbage.

Faults:

At ~21K miles the cam tensioner idler pulley went bad (cold start-up rattle). Fixed under warranty.

General Comments:

Superior handling enhanced after changing out the OEM tires.

Nice low end grunt.

Good car if you like to do modifications. Nice starting point to build on.

Faults:

No repairs required yet, predicted reliability is very high for Subaru.

General Comments:

Car purchased for its AWD feature and driving snowy New England country back roads. Performs well. Sensitive anti-lock feature kicks in often on winter roads.

Excellent, quick handling on dry roads. Fun to drive!

Seats are very uncomfortable. I use a padded seat cover. Non adjustable lumbar, low seating position, not enough leg room for 5'11" male.

Faults:

There was a squeal from the brakes after 3 months of driving. Mysteriously, this went away on its own about a month later. The dealer had no explanation.

General Comments:

The overall performance level is very good, especially the all-wheel drive handling.

However, the car could still use another 25-30 hp (currently at 165).

Ride is exceptionally comfortable for a performance car. Road imperfections do not upset the car, even when driven hard.

Good seats, great visibility.

All in all, a pleasure to drive, a breeze to maintain.