Faults:

Oil leak, leaky sunroof, broken electric antenna motor (at time of purchase, 270 000 km).

Front outer CV-joint (280 000 km).

Radiator leak (290 000 km).

Rear wheel bearings (a few times).

General Comments:

Very nice car technically, excellent 4WD, it will NOT get stuck.

Bad brakes.

Was used as a daily driver as well as an ice track racer (it's fast on the ice!).

Never let me down, would always start in all temperatures (-25 C).

However the engine would not hold oil pressure, and at 320 000 km it was in need of an engine rebuild or swap. It was sold instead. I now miss my car very much and I'm looking for another one in better condition.

Faults:

Minor oil leaks from engine.

Changed oil pump once because of engine noise.

General Comments:

This has been a very reliable car. And yes, it's a somewhat boring car. It has never given me any nasty surprises. It handles great, it's a workhorse.

This cars All wheel drive system works great together with the automatic transmission on snow and ice.

Part from normal maintenance it has needed very few repairs or new parts. 10 years old now, with 340.000 kilometers on the meter.

Biggest repair has been the oil pump, though it didn't get replaced because of wear. It seems that once the o-ring (gasket) between the crankcase and the pump gets old, the pump sucks air. This makes the valve- lifters collapse. Not a big deal, but it's very annoying - as most Subaru owners know. That's the most common problem with these cars, as I see it.

I have wondered about Subaru's recipe for the exhaust system. It looks stainless and expensive, and has never been replaced. If this quality goes for the rest of the car, well I'm impressed.

Because of rising gas prices I have seriously considered to try and convert it in to a diesel. I would love to cut the 9-10 l/100 km fuel consumption in to half.