Faults:

Since I've had the car, my main problem has been the brakes. They have become very mushy and every attempt has been made to adjust them (e.g., bleeding the lines). The engine also seems to have a mind of its own sometimes and downshifts or revs up while I'm driving. You can literally see the RPMs on the tachometer jump up and down.

Everything else has been very minor. I have had to replace all my wheel covers because the stock covers had plastic tabs which easily broke. They would fly off when I was driving (almost caused an accident once) I have seen many of these cars without wheel covers. I have had to put seat covers on the front seats because the fabric was starting to wear badly (this was within the first two months of having the car). One running light and the interior ashtray light are out.

General Comments:

Overall, I have found this car to be very reliable. Very few problems. So far it has been low maintenance.

I have had many people comment on the sporty good looks of my car. I've noticed that if you don't take care of the exterior (washing, waxing, etc.) it can tend to start looking pretty shabby.

The windows tend to leak air and can make a lot of noise in the passenger area. They also let in water when it rains. They don't have a very good seal.

Great little commuter car--it gets excellent gas mileage and the small size means I can park just about anywhere.

Faults:

The car is very parts specific... It MUST have a 55mm offset on the rims otherwise a 215/45/17 tire will rub with any less. This is an example, however it's also recommendable that you use higher octane gasoline (90+) the injectors have a tendency to get sticky. The power steering pump is weak and the clutch is a disaster, a little TOO sporty for daily driving in traffic (the clutch that is).

General Comments:

A great car, the AWD really makes all the difference, the car sounds great, holds the road fantastically, and where there's snow, it's no longer a barrier, but an invitation.

As other's have noted, the car is seriously easy to modify, it's almost as though it was built to be turned into a race car, be it on or off road.

Faults:

So far, nothing that required major service.

The headlamps do burn out rather quickly, but that's an easy, cheap fix.

General Comments:

This is a fantastic car. It's incredibly fun to drive in all conditions. In the summer, with a set Z rated tyres, it handles like it's on rails, and in the winter, with a good set of snows, it's a blast. We had record amounts of snow this past year, and had no trouble getting around. In fact, I tried to find unplowed roads to cruise on.

Very quick, though the manual version is geared quite short. It also doesn't lack power at speed -- passing at highway speed up on an uphill is no problem.

My only real complaint about the car is the transmission. The clutch is incredibly touchy, especially when it's cold and/or wet. That said, once the car is warm, or it dries out a bit, the shifting is fine, and the pedals are configured well for heel-toe/left foot braking techniques.

Faults:

There have been 5 transmission failures.

First failure began at 9 thousand miles.

At 38,000 miles I had to purchase a new transmission. Subaru refused to warranty the transmission even though there were 4 prior failures, and the car was well within the 60k mile power train warranty.

General Comments:

Subaru has given me different reasons why the would not warranty the vehicle. The first is that the car had mud on it. Secondly, they said that the car was put in reverse while moving forward. As this was not the case I complained to the dealer about the reasoning. The chief mechanic stated that the Impreza has a reverse lock out and cannot be put into reverse while moving forward. Lastly, they said the car would not be warranted as I had an Exedy clutch installed. This is a stock replacement clutch that was made by the original supplier of Subaru clutches. I have contacted Exedy, and they stated that their clutch would not cause a transmission to break. Also, keep in mind that the original failure happened at 9k miles, long before I had a clutch installed.

Now with only 50 miles on the new transmission, I am getting a loud clattering from inside the transmission. A new transmission is down, and I have been without my vehicle for a total of two months, spending close to $4,000. I cannot afford to keep this vehicle, and I should have never bought it.

Faults:

Relatively nothing, but the passenger door latch broke, I don't know how, and the dealer only said that it is very rare.

General Comments:

I love this car, it's fast, it handles like a dream and has taken anything I have thrown at it, off road to tight turns, and quick acceleration.

Faults:

Fog lamps blown out while driving through the rockies. But they were under warranty.

General Comments:

This car crushes! Totally good opportunity to trick the car in any way you'd like.

Super fun to drive.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Great engine. The steering and suspension are fantastic. Great package of extras... and at an affordable price.

Don't be put off by Subaru's image of the Outback. This car rocks! The premium sound system w/CD will prove it!

Faults:

Nothing, the car is great.

General Comments:

Very fun little car with the security of all wheel drive and a great reliability record.