Faults:

-Alternator went at 140,000 miles, $300 to replace.

-Clutch went at 145,000- my own fault (taught my friend to drive stick on it) Still, impressive that a stock clutch would last 145,000 miles. Way to go Subaru!

General Comments:

Car handles like a dream, I will never own another non-AWD, and for that matter, another non-Subaru vehicle in my life.

Ridiculous power from a 4-cylinder. It says 150 hp on the dyno, but it feels like 200... very impressed with acceleration through all ranges except between 85-100 mph (a little sluggish there)

Superior winter driving- I prefer to drive my Subaru in the winter rather than my 4-wheel drive truck. AWD is hands-down the best for any situation, unless you like being out of control.

Faults:

Temperature sensor went bad in 2002 and was preventing the car from starting.

Fuel pressure regulator went bad in 2007 with only 57000 miles on the car.

Car shakes at stops, goes away if shifted into neutral.

AC/Heating console buttons stick.

General Comments:

I got this car in 2001 with only 18000 miles on it. In the past 6 years, I have only put about 40000 miles on it, so this is an extremely low mileage used car.

I love the car, it handles well in all conditions, and I find the seating very comfortable. My main gripes are it gets poor gas mileage (about 20 for me, but I do mostly hard back road driving), and that it is a total hog when it comes to acceleration. With air conditioning on and other people in the car, forget about passing people. It just isn't going to happen.

That being said, it has been very reliable, with only two non-routine repairs (the temperature sensor and the fuel pressure regulator). My main worry now is just as it gets old more and more routine stuff will need to be done and I'm just not sure if it's worth dumping money into.

Faults:

Hmm...what hasn't gone wrong with this car mechanically?

-3 of the 4 shocks were completely shot. Car bounced around like jelly and handled down right dangerously on the highway.

-Started having problems with the shift release mechanism on the transmission not releasing like it's supposed to when you apply the brake pedal. Car would be stuck in Park.

-Parking brake was completely worn out. Didn't hold the car worth a hoot.

-Engine had too many oil leaks to count, causing lots of smoking from under the hood. Looked like there was a bbq going on under the hood.

-Engine started tapping really loudly intermittently, which got worse over a 1,000 mile period, to the point the car would shake violently, choke to death, and die out.

-Coolant temperature sensor died.

-Oxygen sensor died.

General Comments:

Yes, I know the car had 190k miles on it. But I bought the car under the impression Subarus were great, long lasting cars. I have owned a Volvo and a Plymouth with high mileage like this Subaru, and both gave me a heck of a lot less trouble. Not to mention were cheaper and easier to fix. My particular Legacy was a pile of junk. Not to mention the seats were by far the most uncomfortable car seats I've ever had the misfortune of sitting in.

As you can see from the list above, A LOT of stuff went wrong within about 2k miles. I spent close to $2,000 repairing the thing, which is $400 more than I had paid for the car. Like I said, I've owned Volvos and Plymouths that gave me MUCH less trouble with close to or well over 200k miles compared to this Subaru, so I'm very unimpressed with the car. The hard tapping noise that really affected the performance of the engine ended up being a sticking lifter inside the engine. If you have this problem occur, DO NOT add Lucas Engine Treatment like I did. It made the problem 10 times worse!

What I can say good about the car is that it was impressively built. The only squeak or rattle was inside the driver's door. There was an occassional chirp, but that's it. Also impressive was the electrical system. EVERYTHING on the car worked. All the power windows and locks, cruise control, factory AM/FM Cassette/CD stereo, A/C, heater...everything worked great!