Faults:

The brake lines were rusted and the rotors were worn out. The exhaust is rusted bad. The body is pretty scaly.

General Comments:

This is a car that is reliable, comfortable, easy to pimp out, easy to work on, easy on gas, tough as hell, goes like a tank, 4wheeldrive is a jewel. Transmission shifts smoothly.

Motor is strong, climbs hills going 55 and 60 m.p.h. The next muffler I put on it will be a glass pack which I am going to install in the near future.

Holds the road real good.

Faults:

I had zero problems with the car until the last few weeks when several events occurred.

The vacuum modulator pump needed to be replaced, followed by another more major problem.

The head gasket broke down leading to a leak of coolant, and the cost to repair was 1800. No thanks!

General Comments:

Great car when it ran. Lots of space with the fold down seats, and four-wheel drive worked fantastic.

Was very happy overall, just happened to buy it when she clunked out.

Faults:

Distributor-side timing belt breaks. This stops the car immediately, so I suggest new belts more often than manual states, maybe as often as every 50000 miles.

General Comments:

Service-wise -- in ten years I have had to replace a couple of clutches, the hydraulic lifters (expensive!), trans-shafts/CV-joints, brakes, the AC filler valve, a dipstick (!), a few sensors and the exhaust system. Please note that I feel that these are all reasonable wear-and-tear items.

The car was economical to buy and run -- it cost me about $11K new and gets 30 miles/gallon in my daily use. I have spent maybe an average of $300-400 a year on maintenance at a respected non-Subaru repair shop in town.

The 4wd feature is indispensable in my Idaho panhandle location and serves well both on icy roads and when traveling off-road. Just watch snow that is overly deep, it is easy to get high-centered and those four wheels spinning won't help if they cannot reach a reasonably fixed surface!

The seats are adequate for many 3-4 day trips I have made, and when the rear seat is folded down an average height person can sleep diagonally in the back.

Having so many standard features at such a low entry price made choosing this car a no-brainer and I have not regretted my choice in ten years.

Faults:

The radiator was plugged and had to be replaced. The dash lights don't work (maybe due to the previous owner putting in a cd player)

General Comments:

I've always had high performance cars or Jeeps. I just got this car and love it to death. It has near glacial acceleration and needs a wee bit more power, but I went and bought my wife an Outback because I love this car. It is great in snow/mud (live in northern New Mexico) and has the best heater I've ever seen. MPG is about 28 and I had to adjust the timing as I live at 7500 feet. I put in Bosch platinum plugs and got about 8-10 mph faster up the hills.

Faults:

CV joints (common for this model over 100,000 miles).

Leaks a little oil.

General Comments:

This was my first Subaru and has convinced me that to buy any other car for my lifestyle would be a mistake. I love Subaru's and will be a loyal owner from now on.

I am a cross-country skier and live in the Rockies. I have been in some major snow storms and this car has never let me down. I know I will always be able to make it home after geting to my favorite skiing spots. That's what it's all about; Security.

This is not a race car and Subaru's are a little underpowered, but I would love to challenge any Mustang, Corvette, or Viper in the deep snow. This car also is well balanced and hugs the corners especially downhill on mountain roads like I travel on.

I can't say all that I like about this car because there isn't enough room. After driving through Telluride, Colorado in a snowstorm, I decided not to buy an Volvo (expensive to fix, but a good car) and look for a Subaru for my wife. Everyone drives them out here who isn't stupid enough to buy an SUV, The trendiest lemming car on Earth, which is also the most unsafe as people who get past the car companies false representation will soon find out.