21st Jan 2011, 14:50

I have a JDM 3.0R, and occasionally experience the same range of issues already described above... HOWEVER I find that they all disappear when using the sport shift like a manual transmission, rather than just cruising in auto... if you ask me, Subaru's shouldn't have auto transmissions anyway! :-)))

15th Mar 2011, 07:06

Have only had this car for 1.5 months, came from a 1.6L Ford, so having 3X the power is a bit of a treat! 4wd works extremely well of course, love showing my mates what it can do, heading into corners at pace and seeing them reach for the dashboard to brace themselves for the crash, only to have the car squish them against the side window as it rips around, great fun.

As for the quirky gear box, I find mine seems to have two modes, lethargic, slower than my old car's mode when I am trying to drive sensibly, and squeeze the throttle a fraction more and suddenly the car gets excited, and the big cam comes in, the gearbox drops into 2nd or 3rd and pins you in your seat. I would prefer something of a normal speed in the middle!

I have found it is possible to trick the gearbox into changing down when I accelerate hard to get in a gap, then the car decides to change down just as I lift off again, this can be quite weird, but I'm sure it's more driver error than the car's fault, I tend to drive it in manual when I need to accelerate sportily anyway, so I know what gear I will get at all times.

Just recently my car (54,000km) has developed a clunk in the front end, it only occurs when accelerating from a dead stop, especially when pulling out of a T intersection, (accelerating and turning.) Apart from the sound, there is no other negative sensation, so I am waiting until it next needs a service at 60,000 to have the shop look at it. I have a 3 year mechanical warranty which covers that sort of thing anyway, so I'm hoping I won't get any nasty surprises.

Lastly, it can use a bit of gas! My digital display will show 160L/100km when I pin the gas! It does largely come down to how you drive though, and with practice I have got my day to day average down to a hair over 11L/100km, which I'm fine with.

22nd Mar 2011, 06:07

Visiting this thread again - I was the original starter.

For the last month the clunk down into 3rd and 2nd is occurring at 40 KPH and is getting quite disconcerting. I aim to take it to the gearbox shop. Anyway - re the clunk in your front end, my mechanic found the front bushes in my lower control arm (or was that steering arm) were worn so worth a check. It also explained why it had a slight pull to the left that two wheel alignments couldn't fix.

Still got the car after nearly 7 years and 137,000. No point in getting anything new as it is used to take the dogs to the beach. Just replaced the Potenzas after nearly 80,000 but she took it to the wrong place and they put $250 Michelins on it.

Was thinking of taking it down the Birdsville Track in August and having a couple of weeks in central Australia. That might be a bit adventurous though if the gearbox is going to play silly buggers!

5th Jul 2011, 05:36

Hi there all,

I just went out and bought myself a 2004 Outback Premium R with the boxer six and all the bells and whistles.

During the test drive, I did notice the occasional clunk in the gearbox between the gears, especially the low gears, however it really is a minor issue for a buyer paying $15,000ish for a car, which was in the mid 50,000's when new.

I bought mine with 120,000ish kms on the clock and one owner. They are a lot of car for the price now, and they really do hold their value.

I had a 2000 Outback before this, and have had many sports cars, both Japanese and European before that.

Like the original contributor, I also have a 1990 MX83 Toyota Cressida Automatic with the 7MGE engine and beautiful blue velour interior. I refuse to get rid of this car as it really is a benchmark to compare even modern cars to. Having said that, overall I love the fact I can cruise at the speed limit past cars when there is torrential rain on Australian roads, whilst others struggle to turn a corner at minimum speed. Something I definitely can't do in my Cressida.

Thanks to the original contributor for the valuable contribution covering years of his ownership.