Well, in the 2 to 4 months or so I'll probably get a new car. For a while now I have been leaning heavily toward either the Outback or the Forester. I really like them. Might buy new, might buy low mileage used. Not sure yet. I just like that car. Picture it with mud tires, paint it olive drab and add fog lights. That would look sharp. Or....maybe I'll leave it stock. Anyway, anyone have stuff to look for....avoid...exeriences, etc on either of these two cars? I'm just starting to do my homework on these. TIA, W
The Forester and Outback are two very different wheelbases. For me, I needed to carry a lot of stuff, so I opted for the Outback. The longer wheelbase gave me a lot more useable room than the Forester did for the stuff I transport. I also liked the longer sleeker look of the Outback verus the taller Forester.
I too had dreams of a late model used Subaru. What I found is that I couldn't find any because Suburu owners appear to be cradle-to-grave nuts and rarely sell their friggin cars, much less sell them in the first couple of years. :-) I also found that the resale value for the late model used Subes was so friggin high that Subaru depreciation appeared pretty linear--and as such, you don't lose anything by buying new. At least that's the mental math I did to justify buying new.
You get the benefit of commodity shopping pitting dealers against each other on the exact same car, take advantage of incentive financing, and all the goodies of buying new without taking it in the shorts with the steep depreciation that seems to befall other makes of car when you drive off the lot. ANd, having a new car is just so damned fun.
Have fun!
Best Regards,
-- Todd H.
2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA
I just had the "Fun" of selecting, and negotiating for a new (ish) car. I have an 86 GL and a 90 Legacy, both wagons. My natural instinct was to go Subaru yet again. My target car, so I thought, would have been a new or
2-3year old Legacy GT Wagon. As you have already found out, prices for good used Subarus make buying new a strong option. Once I decided to go new, I tested the 2004 Legacy L Premium. The L premium is, in my opinion, the best all around value compared to the GT. I also tested other wagons, namely, Volkswagen Jetta TDI, and the Mazda6 Sportwagen. Both the VW and the Mazda were very fine cars, though different in their concept. Just before I actually made a decision I test drove the 2004 Forester XS. I hadn't considered Forester because I never really liked the SUV look. I always considered a touring wagon to be my vehicle of choice. But when I drove the Forester, the choice was clear. As a side note, the Forester is built in Japan, while the Legacy is built in Indiana. Here's a tip. Do your homework. I bought Phil Edmonstons, Lemon-Aid for new cars and mini-vans, Plus the Consumer Reports Magazine new car edition. They helped. Also go to:
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They have an excellent tutorial about dealerscams and pricing. I got my Forester XS for $55.00 over dealer cost, yesthat's $55.00 over dealer cost, thats more than $2600.00 less than MSRP.Note, these figures are in Canadian Funds. I got the Dealer cost info fromthe net, I had to pay for the info but it was worth it. When you considerthe added cost of financing the savings are even greater. Good Luck, I am picking up my new Forester on Friday, Woohoo.
I wouldn't put much weight into this factor. I think the manufacturing defect level of the Indiana-built cars is very low. Virtually all the Outback problems such as oil leaks and rear wheel bearings are engineering flaws rather than assembly flaws. Don't go blaming US workers for something that isn't their fault. BTW, I drive a 1999 Legacy Outback that has 96k miles and has had zero assembly flaws. If I could choose between a US and Japan built Subaru, I'd take the US built.
Do your homework is good advice. I agree also that there are design/engineering flaws responsible for some bearing and gasket issues. (These include the Forester, by the way.) I differ quite strongly with the rest of your reasoning. Maybe you have some homework to share that can prove your point, but all I have to do is look around in this country: I'll buy Japanese made and assembled autos every chance I get. America is suffering terribly from shoddy workmanship issues, in every sector I have contact with. Lately, it has been with construction, and I'll tell you, it's scary how little folks care about their work. I see it at almost every level of craftmanship: folks just don't give a rip. So many do absolutely horrendous work, and not only do they not care who sees it or suffers from it, they don't even think you have a right to expect more than that, and they'll gripe and moan if any kind of financial demerit is leveled on them for their inept behavior. Sorry if maybe I'm a little extra sensitive about this right now, being in the middle of yet another construction project and learning again just how bad it can get. I don't have any idea how some of these folks can answer their own consciences, or lack thereof. I was driving to the next town over a while ago and had to pass over a construction site where a set of two 2-lane bridges is being rebuilt. All I could think of was how disastrous could be the consequences if they have morons working there at the level of NON-concern that many workers have shown me the last few years. We are a nation in trouble and it is our own damned fault. We instill next to nothing in the way of values and work ethic in our young people. We reward criminals favorably as long as they are famous. We pay professional athletes OBSCENE amounts of money. And the music industry? We treat some of the most dishonorable persons within society as though they are something wonderful because they make "music" to some persons' ears and shout obscenities from stages. We reward the news media by watching (over and over again) things that just plain suck. They (and we?) justify this by quoting the right to free speech, and we say this helps our government be accountable. Bullshit. We ALL know there are things that should just not EVER be revealed in the public media because revealing these things will do no good whatsoever. Case in point: In my opinion, there was never and will never be any justification for all the media coverage of the crimes against Iraqi prisoners. This could absolutely help nothing that couldn't have been accomplished just as well via private inquiry and private punishment. The cost in my opinion is huge, including but not the end of which was the loss of a young man's life via beheading. I personally hold the media completely and ultimately responsible. I'm sure that's going to get a few folks churning, but that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Reply if you wish, but don't expect me to respond. I'm not out to convince you if you can't see it already. What a sorry state of affairs. God help us. Alright, I'm stopping now. Just who was it that got me started??? Something about cars, right? Back to the mountains I go.
Buy what you want. I'm totally pleased with Subaru/US quality. I'm driving my homework right now and I couldn't be more happy with it. I gave honest advice based on nearly
100k miles of experience. I didn't rant or insult like you. I've driven about 500k miles total on US, German and Japanese made cars. The US made Subaru is unquestionably the best. If you don't agree, fine, just try to treat others' opinions with a little respect.
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