Faults:
Timing belt replaced at 160k.
Passenger side, front wheel bearing at 170k.
Starter at 190k.
Engine light frequently on due to EVAP sensor - ethanol induced benign issue.
Wagon hatch door handle spring was busted when I bought it at 155k. But it wasn't really a problem if you knew to push the handle back into position before closing it.
Wagon hatch door lock was finicky when I bought it, and stopped working at about 190k.
Rear window wiper motor burnt out at 200k.
Passenger side headlight had an electrical issue around 200k. A peculiar issue that I never resolved because the headlight still worked when brights were on (see below).
Other than that, only regular maintenance.
General Comments:
Fantastic car. Manual trans Subarus are fun to drive.
The AWD handles beautifully in the northern states' snow, ice, and rain. Only times I've gotten stuck (including Winter off-roading), have been because of the vehicle's low clearance. And I never used snow tires.
Before the ubiquity of ethanol in gas, this Legacy made 31 mpg on the highway. Post-ethanol it became 29 on the highway, 24 in the city, and 27 in the country.
Amazingly hassle free vehicle. Excluding gas, oil, and tires, I spent less than $1000 in three years and 65k miles. $300 of that was the timing belt. And the work I did myself - brake pads, rotors, starter, headlight housing - was about as simple and intuitive as you could ask even for a complete novice like me. Even with a little rust here and there, nothing was too frozen that it wouldn't turn.
Speaking of rust - very, very little considering this car spent nearly all its life in Wisconsin, and many tens of thousands of miles on the interstate. Body rust was only one golf ball sized spot over rear driver side wheel well.
The rear seats fold down nice and flat for plenty of hauling capacity, and just long enough for my six foot height to sleep in comfortably. I even lived in this car for a few months.
Here's what I can complain about with this Subaru:
The driver's seat is terribly uncomfortable. Horrible for my back on road trips.
The headlight housings cloud-up far too quickly and too much. This made the lights without the brights on more or less worthless. I had to run the brights as my normal lights, but because of the cloudy housings, oncoming cars never seemed bothered by the brights.
This was the *basic* Brighton model, so maybe I shouldn't complain, but the stereo consisted of two front speakers that blew out pretty fast.
Wonderful first car that suited my low budget needs perfectly.
