Hi fam, looking at used cars. Have come down to a Mazda 6 Wagon, Subaru Outback or Subaru Forester.
Not particularly fussed about diesel or petrol, but would love to know what current Subaru owners thought of their vehicles.
Are services expensive? Car pretty reliable ?
What max Km's do you think I should set the limit at? I have seen some Foresters from 2013/14 with around 150-160,000 km's but wondering if that's just a tad too high?
Thankyou for any advice/suggestions!
If you don't drive much, annual servicing should be fine anyway tbh.
Also generally with the Boxer engines fuel economy isn't as good as other cars, but then Subbies do have very good safety features and the AWD system. Just find a car that has been well serviced and had its major services done properly.
Mazdas: good car, don't get the diesel. Lots of issues with Mazda diesels.
Outback or Forester: great cars, have driven both.
diesel Subaru: is a fantastic engine to drive, effortless power and amazing economy. Can also have a concern around diesels - Diesel Particulate Filter issues. I've driven a few that have had issues with those. I'm not sure if they have fixed it by a certain year model or not, but do your research.
Petrol Subaru: I own one! It's a thoroughly underwhelming engine - does the job and that's it. Enough power and that's it. But I'm 99% sure that 2013+ models have the newer version of that 2.5L flat four engine which is reworked - previous models had head gasket issues. Petrol Subarus are largely indestructible if treated right. I get about 7.2-7.6L/100km with mostly highway driving, doesn't change too much with a few people or luggage in the car. Closer to 8.5L/100km if I did a full tank of urban driving.
Overall I'd look to get the lowest km outback or forester you can afford (as per usual). Higher trim models get a better stereo (worth it), infotainment (not worth it), leather electric seats (worth it), and a leather wrapped steering wheel (wouldn't buy a car without one, particularly a used car).
If you're choosing between forester.and outback, I'd get Forester for mostly city , Outback for mostly highway - longer wheelbase car is better on the highway, shorter better for parking and manoeuvring.
Subies are a bit more expensive to maintain but not by much. Reliable as long as you service them on time and look after it. The average person does about 15K kms/yr so the examples are about right. I remember reading that Subaru considers 250K ks as the life of an engine but realistically it should go more with proper care. Get diesel if you do lots of freeway driving otherwise get a petrol.
Maybe I'm in the minority, and yes I've owned a Subaru, but I'm of the opinion that the boxer engine is more susceptible to problems than your vertical 4 or V6.
Underpowered.
Weak head gaskets.
Carbon build up.
Hard to work on engines.
I had a 2011 Outback and it was a great car - rock solid, really comfortable, tons of space to carry things in the back. The 2.5 engine was a little underpowered but I really didnt have too many gripes with it at all. Sold it to a family member (which I never would have done if it was a dud) and I believe it's been without issue ever since.
I hear good things about Foresters as well, but I can say for sure that Outbacks are great cars in general.
I have my 3rd Suby Forester and am really happy with it. The first one went to a kid that lasted her through 5 years of uni with never a hitch (got a well paying job and upgraded) but the timing belt was changed at 100K which I believe was a pricey fix but as she is not mechanically minded in the least was worth the $$ to keep it going. My current Turbo is around 9yrs old bought second hand with 3 years remaining warranty and currently serviced by a local mechanic who did apprenticeship with Subaru.
Hi,
I have a Outback and love it to bits. I chose it over a forester for the space and handling. It’s lower weighted than a forester so it corners better. I take it on 4WD off road tracks and it works a dream.
You’ll get more opinions and advice over on the Subaru Outback Owners AU Facebook page. They’re a very knowledgeable bunch that’d help you out heaps. Be sure to give your question a search first as it may have been answered in the past but don’t be afraid to post, they’re a friendly bunch
I have a 2012 Subaru Forester S-Edition with a 2.5L 5 Speed Automatic Petrol.
Great car to drive and lots of power. I average around 9.5L/100km with a heavy foot. The car has just hit 200K kms and still going strong, as long as you service them on time, they should be fine.
If the car is sitting at 150Kms, make sure the timing belt has been changed beforehand otherwise it will cost you around $800 and you will be good for another 100K kms.
3rd Subaru, reason I keep buying the damn things.
Subarus tend to run and run forever if adequately serviced. Years ago I went from Sydney to Alice Springs and back in a friend's Subaru (a Liberty I thinK) that was already over 150,000km. One downside is that most of the models you're looking at will require servicing twice a year. From about 2017 onward, Subaru managed to reduce the service interval on newer models to once a year (like my 2018 XV). The Forester was the last to be updated in this regard. Note: many owners of older Subarus are perfectly happy with this situation and baffled by my distaste for twice-yearly servicing.