Faults:

Only the usual wear and tear...

Tyres at 105k.

Drive shaft now at 112k.

.. and that's all!

General Comments:

Performance for a 'boring' estate car is fantastic.

Why compromise performance for economy. Let's face it, once in a while, we all want to have a little burn up, even if it's only for 500 yds, and this car will give you a grin, even over the shortest distance, and how many times have you been stuck behind an Escort, on the way to the beach?? This car gives you lift-off, when you need it, and I don't need it very often.

Essentially, these are cheap to buy, more expensive to run, but the performance makes up for that, and with this sort of car, you won't get bored as quickly as you would if you bought your... run with the pack type car.

Seats are rubbish. The stereo is an epic to replace, if you want a cd player in there, but apart from that, these are great cars, and fabulous value for money.

A year on, and my £1500 investment hasn't dropped at all, but the other run with the pack cars are all now cheaper to buy. That makes up for the running costs!!

Faults:

New water pump installed at 70,000 miles.

Timing belt replaced at 70,000 miles, but this was standard maintenance on this car.

Plastic seat belt restrainer broke, but this was a minor inconvenience.

General Comments:

This car ran and rode extremely well.

The engine was exceptionally quiet and smooth, especially at idle.

The four-cylinder engine handled air-conditioning great, with no decrease in performance when the air conditioning was running.

Highway mileage, with air conditioning running, was 35 miles per gallon!

Virtually maintenance free except for oil changes and new plugs.

Automatic transmission shifted very smoothly.

Road noise at high speed was somewhat loud, but interior was very comfortable with lumbar supported seats.

Faults:

1. The seat belt warning light kept blinking though the belt functions.

2. Several years later, the driver's seat belt stayed in one position and would not function.

3. The air conditioner in one summer day did not work, nor would the window. I had to take it in because driving in that condition got the temperature upto 120 degrees and higher!

4. Had the seat belt fixed after condition 3. But the dealer did not fix the blinking light. The reason, I did not tell them that it was blinking.

5. During the past 9 months, the car started leaking motor oil. Was told that Subaru had that kind of problem. Fixing it would be in a couple of thousand dollars or more. Instead of spending that kind of money, it is cheaper to pour in a quart every week.

6. For about two years now, there is an occasional chirping sound. No one can figure out where that came from. Seemed to occur more in cold situations than warm. Cannot produce it at will.

General Comments:

I like the handling of the car.

The car does not look ostentatious. Don't think anyone would want to break into it.

A decent car to go anywhere without a care in the world.