Faults:

The automatic transmission died on the way back from Sacramento to Jackson, WY. Had to leave the car with dealer in Reno for 11 days. Mileage was about 55,000 miles. New transmission installed. No explanation of defect from dealer.

Wind noise in front windows could never be addressed by dealers.

At 85,000 miles, transmission starting to slip again. Local Jackson dealer could not explain why. Recommends replacing transmission again. This time warranty does not apply despite it only being 30000 miles on the 2nd transmission.

General Comments:

Reliable car that has a very unique look. When purchased back in Ohio in 99, everyone was asking what car it was.

Well equipped except for heated seats which came in 2002 for the Legacy. For some reason, these were only available in the Outback 2000 models.

Fun to drive in any condition. Sure-footed and resisted hydroplaning when hitting puddles. Moved to Wyoming in 2002 and was the staple car brand in Jackson. Legacy Sedan still unique in the sea of Outbacks.

Underpowered off the line which is addressed with the new 05 turbocharged model.

Faults:

After the first oil change, the dealership rotated the tires. After that, I noticed a vibration & noise whenever I made a slow left turn. They adjusted some power steering hoses, & the problem disappeared. When I got the new front brakes put on however, The vibration & noise was back, but worse than ever. I was told that there was nothing they could do. This car still makes the vibration in the steering wheel, & the noise is still there when I make a slow left turn. Also when the wheels get hot, the brakes squeal & when you apply brake, it goes away. Again, I was told this is normal. I have had brakes replaced on just about every car I owned & this hasn't happened before. Also, the panel on the rear hatch kept falling out, but my dealer fixed it for free even though the limited warranty was expired.

General Comments:

I love the car, it handles great, but doesn't get the gas mileage you would expect from a foreign car (averages 20 MPG with both in town & highway mileage). The only complaint I have against the car is that the front bumper on 4 out of 5 of these cars I have seen has a crack in the left side of the bumper, in the underside. Factory defect? The car virtually has no blind spot, and is easy to get in & out of. It has a great takeoff power, and you can't spin the tires out, saving money on tires.

Faults:

Electric window motor went at 40,000 because a door seal got loose and let some junk into it. Dealer refused to refit the seal - it was eventually secured with RTV. This cost $400.

Clutch failed at 53,000 miles, along with flywheel, throwout bearing, pressure plate, rear main seal, you get the idea. $1200. If this one goes, an entirely new Cobb Tuning clutch unit will be installed.

General Comments:

It's a bit slow at lower revs in higher gears, but that's to be expected from a 150-ci engine in a 3000-lb car. The dealer says it'll do 130 MPH and I don't doubt him. More muscle under the hood would still be appreciated, though.

Handling is terrific especially with some decent tires on it (Yokohama AVS Intermediate or ES100). I've won autocrosses in worse-handling cars. It has huge amounts of grip and defaults to easily-controlled oversteer when you go past the limits. The car doesn't rotate easily, which prevents it from snap-spinning, but turn-in isn't bad - see "huge grip" above. You just have to throw it into the corners. I can't believe I'm saying this about the handling of a station wagon.

The ride is very good. Sure, it lets you feel the road a bit, but it's damped very well, and on bumpier roads it doesn't oscillate much. If a car rides softly, the passengers get carsick and the driver gets fatigued from the motions.

The seats are very good. They're very comfortable on long journeys and hold you in very well under cornering. Again, I prefer a firmer seat as a softly-sprung, plush seat bottoms out easily, lets you sink in unevenly, and gives you constipation.

Fuel consumption was and remains unacceptable. It gets what it says on the EPA sticker - in the hands of three drivers who usually beat EPA figures by double digits. At 80 miles per gallon, it barely breaks 27 miles per gallon. Nothing's mechanically wrong with it - I conclude that it's simply a case of poor friction-reducing technology: it has plain journal bearings where Honda or Toyota would have a roller bearing, it has an over-complex and inefficient gearbox, it has complex drivelines to reroute shafts around other vehicle systems, everything uses VERY heavy oil save perhaps the engine. The whole drivetrain with the exception of third gear and the clutch's friction plate is tough as nails - it's just inefficient overkill for a car that'll never be used to tow a 5000-lb trailer, on gravel, with 1500 lbs of gravel in the back.

A suggestion for Subaru: The last-generation Legacy would make a great pickup truck - if you cut the sedan's body off behind the FRONT seat so you can actually have and 8-foot bed, and shoved a nice, efficient diesel under the hood.