Faults:

The car has been relatively defect free since it was purchased. In 121,000 miles I have replaced tires once, brakes once, a right front axle and CV joint (never felt the same after that repair and despite whining about it for years and discussions with SOA, no improvement), a starter and a battery. This is in addition to the standard recommendations on belts and timing chain/belt, fluid changes etc.

Now, the big problems have surfaced. Had some trans slipping when hard accelerating from say 40 to 60. Took it in and they say new trans and you also need a power steering pump. Total cost: $4800. Now, the blue book is about $7000 so I am not inclined to complete the repairs. The car is immaculate, but can't making that investment. It will be a great parts car though!

My 1987 4wd wagon had 132,000 when I traded for the Outback. It had some issues too, but the Outback appears to be more repair intensive than my 87. I think when I trade or sell the Outback, I won't be purchasing a Subaru again.

Faults:

Head gaskets blew at 94000 miles, previous owner had oil pump and water pump replaced at 57,000 miles, and master brake cylinder at 76,000 miles.

General Comments:

I can't believe that this car wouldn't even make it to 100K without major issues. My Nissan pickup has over 150K on it and just ticks along like a faithful clock.

Faults:

At 98k miles, we replaced the left front wheel bearing, left DOJ boot, and valve cover gaskets. We had this car for five years and this was the first semi-major repair bill. The total bill was $2100 which included everything in the 90k mileage service, along with the left front wheel bearing, left DOJ boot, and the valve cover gaskets. The mechanic claimed that replacing the DOJ boot saved the axle because it was leaking grease.

General Comments:

All-in-all we are very happy with this car's quiet, solid ride and good gas mileage. The dog likes the back area. We are flat-landers so the AWD I believe really isn't necessary, living in South New Jersey. We initially were having trouble with the steering on wet roads at high speeds but buying 4 new tires (Michelin's) at around 50k miles fixed that. I have read about others experiencing head gasket troubles, but the mechanic said that as long as we back-flush the radiator and cooling system when changing coolants, we should not have that problem. Knock on wood.

Faults:

Timing chain cover gasket went south at ~60,000 miles, not the end of the world. Replaced the timing chain, too, since they had it all apart. It's leaking again for the last 20,000 miles, not so bad that it's worth another $500.

Left front wheel bearing went out at ~90,000 miles, this was the beginning of the end. $250 at a local shop.

Broken left front axle left me on the side of the road at 8 pm on a Sunday night, $250 at a local shop, but lost a day.

Lost the left front wheel bearing again two weeks ago, in upstate NY in the middle of nowhere, lost three days of a five day vacation. $450 at a Midas shop.

I don't think it's asking too much for a manufacturer to make things like wheel bearings reliable.

General Comments:

In snow, it appears to me to be the best system out there. I've motored straight up a few hills past 4WD pickups and SUVs on the side of the road, it's never let me down.

Has a strong feel on wet roads, too.

Ergonomics are poor. The power window buttons are arranged exactly opposite to how the human hand closest to them is arranged. The door lock/unlock button is out of sight. Cup holders in front of the radio and HVAC buttons are absurd.