12th May 2006, 22:05

If you found a Subaru to be too troublesome, I wish you luck with VW.

5th Jul 2006, 22:02

I must say, I agree with the above: I cannot believe someone would go from a car they felt problematic and then buy a VW.

I'm sorry to hear of anyone that has as much grief as you had with your Subaru.

17th Jul 2006, 00:18

There are some bad apples out there in the Subaru family. Read the comments on the 1998 Outback for example, including mine. I have poured money and time into new head gaskets, radiator, timing belts, thermostats, water pumps etc. (that's right, replaced twice) to try and fix my overheating woes to no avail. Even a mostly reliable company can still produce garbage once in awhile. I am ready to try a new brand just so my friends will stop laughing when I tell them I am stuck on the highway again.

20th Aug 2006, 19:45

I have a 1998 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon with 78,000 Miles and have had very few problems with this car. At 73,000 I replaced the AC compressor and a related hose. At 73,500 I replaced the inner CV boots. The car runs well and other than oil changes, tire rotation, and brakes, I have spent nothing on this car. I will purchase another Subaru.

4th Mar 2007, 23:46

I'm thinking about buying a 1998 Outback with over 170K miles. With everything I've heard about the "over heating" problems, I'm a little concerned about my purchase. How can I be sure that this car has not had 3 blown head gaskets or major problems?

4th Aug 2007, 17:24

I have owned 2 subies over the past 8 years, the first was a 1993 legacy wagon, I got it with 135,000 miles and got rid of it with 217,000 (only because of a accident to the front end) and I had NO major mechanical problems with the car, it ran like a champ! I recently bought a 1998 Legacy Outback Limited Wagon with ONLY 82,000 miles and have had it for about a year and a half... The car runs amazing, not a single problem to speak of, the previous owner never had any problems either... maybe you just got a bad apple, but you know what they say... one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch... good luck with you VW.

21st Dec 2007, 22:14

I bought a 98 Legacy gt brand new and have put over 215K miles on it with a minimum problems. I think the first 2 years I had the car, the air conditioner leaked, then there was the time I was on a road trip to the sierra nevadas and a bolt holding alternater broke. 6 years later the retractable sunroof broke, I consider all these minor. as far as major work, at around 185k miles I replaced the clutch otherwise I consider myself quite fortunate, not expensive to maintain.

23rd Jan 2008, 16:41

I have a 98 Legacy GT bought new in sep 97 189k and It runs great I've never had a single problem with it. nothing has ever over heated blown leaked or died. I changed the oil every 3k mobile 1 synthetic. new timing belt and brake pads are the only thing I've ever had to do and I'm gonna assume I'll hit 300k safely. I do however have the same problem of running 3500 rpm at 75mph. all good though keeps me from speeding. I'm sure the death of my car will come at the hands of some other driver probably struggling with the transmission in his jetta.

4th Mar 2008, 15:53

I'm amazed that you have had some many problems with your Subaru. The only problems I have seen is bad tranys, little bit of oil burn on start up, and EGR problems.

I have a 1998 Legacy 2.5GT Limited sedan that has around 188k. I have had it since summer and have had no problems except the EGR valve's. I love this car. I have owned over 50 cars in my life (I'm 26).

As for you deciding to go to VW. I will never own one. My family only has Toyota's, Honda's, and Subaru's. With saying that, I would recommend Toyota if you are going to change.

7th Dec 2008, 23:02

Wow, all I have to say is that I currently own a 98 Subaru Legacy and love it so much. It has around 75,000 miles on it but it runs pretty darn good.

It has a fairly new clutch in it and part of the engine is rebuilt, but other than that it works great, especially considering how much wear and tear I have put on my subie. I've taken it on officially 4x4 trails (stocked) and it ran great. Driven it on the beach etc, but it's a trooper.

Just take care of your sub sub and it'll take care of you. I change the air filters and oil often, and keep the tires properly inflated and fill her up, and she takes me places to where I need to be.

I've never read so many negative comments about Subarus but here, otherwise everyone else I've ever talked to loves their subby.

15th Apr 2009, 15:59

I had a 98 Outback that had 206,000 miles on it, 5 speed and it ran beautifully!!! I will never own anything else. Some punk kid, even younger than me smashed in to me and totaled it, I could go back and kill that little effer. Now I have to find a replacement, and the 98s cost just as much as mine did 3 years ago when I bought it. I guess that is the down side of your favorite vehicle holding its value.

2nd Jul 2009, 09:58

Some of those repairs could have been made about 75 percent cheaper by going to a scrap yard and getting parts there. I'm sorry you had bad luck with your Subaru, I have the same car, a 1998 Legacy GT Wagon 5spd and it has 265000 miles on it now. Still going strong..

6th Aug 2009, 16:47

I have a 1994 Subaru Legacy with 238,000 miles on that I bought a year ago for a 1,000 bucks, and it runs great. Even the A/C blows cold, so I don't know what anybody talking about. I do know this; the 2.5s have some problems, but other than that, the Subarus kick butt and that's what I know.

17th Dec 2009, 23:40

I've never heard of common shops not working on Subarus, nearly every garage I have gone to has serviced Subarus.

If you're angry about fixing things regularly, I wouldn't buy a Passat (and I'm a VW guy). VW's are wonderful to drive, but they do require more maintenance in general.

19th Aug 2010, 14:26

You may have jumped out of the pan and into the fire. Passat instead of a Legacy? Not sure about that one, but best of luck to you :)

5th Feb 2011, 01:09

All you need to do with Subies is VERY regular oil changes (all of them) and coolant changes. You don't do either, and you are asking for trouble. Great cars, tanks!! Great metal, great parts, that's why they are pricey. They could add a fifth gear in the automatics for even better fuel economy, but highway is really great anyhow for a 4x4 fulltime. Guys, (and galz) YOU don't DO REGULAR MAINTENANCE, YOU GET BURNED!!! And most people (86%) do NOT do it when they are supposed to, that is why they get burned. All it takes is once forgotten and you burn out the part, which leads to failure. Subies are GREAT cars, better than ANY V.W, FOR SURE!!! VW are good for show and tell, that's IT!!