Subaru Outback or Forester??

[PrincesCJM]

I love my 2011 Forester. It is great in the snow. I looked at getting a RAV-4 or a CRV but the Forester gave us more (like AWD) for less than or equal to the cost of the others (with only 2WD). The only thing that I don't like about it is that is must get synthetic oil. Synthetic oil changes are about twice as much as a normal oil change but does last longer.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Another Outback lover here! I have a 2001 4 cylinder Outback Wagon. Its a great car. 160,000 miles with no major problems, just the regular things a car that old needs changed over the years. Its great in the winter (I live in a snowy, hilly area). The back of the wagon has plenty of room for things.
Its really a great car. Even with the mileage and age, it is very dependable.

 

[MinnieForMe]

My husband's commuting car is an Outback. It's a 1998 with just under 200K miles. He still loves it! It has had minor repairs over the years but is one of the best cars we have ever owned. It's replacement will be a Forester.

You can't go wrong with either car!

 

[debster812]

2004 Forrester owner here. 150,000 miles on it, and I still LOVE this car, and will probably get another one when it's time. We live in NE, and I do love the AWD in the snow, slush, and rain. Love the back cargo area, as we do a lot of traveling with DS's soccer team, and it's perfect for hauling around our kayaks as well. We have 1 Yakima and 1 Thule rack, and both boats fit on top of the car.

 

[Psychodisney]

We have a 2004 OUtback with 170K miles on it. It's a great little car but doesn't get great gas milage. Ours also leaks oil a little bit but otherwise keeps on ticking!

 

[SandraH]

We have a 2010 Outback and are very happy with it. There is plenty of room inside (my husband is 6'5" and the rest of our family is all 5'10" and over). In the snow, it drives like a hot knife through butter! The 2010 Outback won the Car of the Year Award. We get about 20.5 mpg around town.
We have the 3.6 liter engine but have driven the smaller engine as loaners when ours was being serviced. If we bought again, the smaller engine would be fine. We plan on keeping our car for a very long time.

 

[Tower]

I have my 2nd Subaru Legacy vehicle and love it! The 2nd car is the Outback 2001 and drives and sounds great! I use it for business to access sites that are under construction and I can reach them easily along the various access roads.
I looked at the Forester too, same engine, but less leg room for those in the back. The Outack is built on the Legacy frame, the Forester is on the Impreza frame. If you're doing a lot of driving with more than 2 people, I'd seriously recommend the Outback.

 

[GraysMom]

I moved from a VW Jetta 1.8T to a 4 cylinder Subaru Outback wagon when DS was born so it was easier to get his stroller in/out of the trunk. I've been very happy with the Outback and as others have said, it goes through snow very well.

DH had a 2003 Outback wagon that he loved, and that's why I ended up getting one as well. It was great at hauling mountain bikes, trail building tools, etc. He actually drove it up a ski slope in the summer while we were building new mountain bike trails and it had no problems at all with the terrain.

 

[M5ward]

I'm on my fourth Outback...it's my fourth out of my last five cars. I love it! I had a different make car between my third Outback and my current one. I really missed it when I didn't have it. Right now I have a 2012 Outback.

 

[mfp]

We are a big subaru family. I just sold my '98 Subaru Legacy sedan in less than 12 hrs last yr on craigslist. Ppl were FIGHTING over it! It didn't have a single bit of rust on it and still worked and looked great (but was a carseat installation nightmare). DH currently has a 2001 WRX, BUT we cannot fit 3 kids in it with carseats (which is why I am on my second Odyssey minivan, you can say we are a honda and subaru kind of family). DH is finally outgrowing his teen boy car (at the age of 41 , keep in mind, I cannot drive his car, since I cannot drive stick shift), and has been itching to get a subaru outback next. My Ody will be paid off in about 3 yrs and I told him at that time we will consider looking for a new (used) car for him, but for now, he's babied his WRX so much (only has 40K miles on it, he mostly used the subaru legacy as his commuter car, but has probably dumped another 10K into it to soup it up, much to my annoyance), I see no reason to get rid of it. I'm more interested in the outback (legacy platform) vs. the forrester (impreza platform, so smaller). The only thing that stinks is that the closest subaru dealership is an hr away, so a PITA for us if we need to get service. Really, if subaru would have made a minivan (and no, I don't count the tribeca as a good option), I would have bought that in a split second, over my honda ody, even though I love my honda ody (on my second one).

 

[vicki_c]

Really, if subaru would have made a minivan (and no, I don't count the tribeca as a good option), I would have bought that in a split second, over my honda ody, even though I love my honda ody (on my second one).

Really - what was/is up with that dumb Tribeca? Do they even still make that? That struck me as the Subaru epic fail - I would have never bought one of those!

 

[Ginny Favers]

The check engine light comes on in mine if the gas tank isn't tightened with at least 3 clicks, it's a built in emission notice, but runs under the check engine light. Alot of people get confused by this.

Great reason why if you live in NJ, it makes sense not to have one. Because I'd hate to be getting out every time to make sure that the attendant tightened my cap right. Mine was very finnicky, too finnicky to allow others to work with it.

And it doesn't explain why my Forrester lost power and began to roll backwards down a hill. Scariest moment of my life!

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

I love my '04 Forester! The only problem I have ever had with it was 2 years ago when something in the driver's side door lock broke off and the door wouldn't open. They had to cut the door off! They gave me a '10 Forester as a loaner, and I think there had been a re-design, because it didn't feel the same.
It sure does handle well in our snowy winters, though. DH is looking for an Outback now (replace his Camry).
DD had a really old ('97) Legacy sedan that she traded in 2 years ago. It was kind of beat up, and the dealer told her it was pretty low value. A few months later, didn't she see her old Subaru parked in a shopping mall lot! She recognized all the dings she had put in the body...I guess it wasn't "worthless" after all!

 

[mfp]

Really - what was/is up with that dumb Tribeca? Do they even still make that? That struck me as the Subaru epic fail - I would have never bought one of those!

I know, IDK if they still make it or not, but last yr as I was comparing prices of used outbacks and tribecas, they were basically the same price, which is crazy, since I believe tribecas cost more new. DH and I think it was a dumb move, the tribeca and outback basically compete against one another. IDK if the tribeca still offers a 3rd row or not, I thought that at one pt, they added or got rid of that feature. However, I truly believe that if subaru made a minivan, they would give honda and toyota a run for their $ regarding competition. I know many ppl who want AWD (and yes, I know that you can get AWD in the toyota sienna, but it's basically the only option for a minivan) and that is what has turned them off to minivans and had them go the suv/crossover route instead. Even if subaru made a smaller minivan, kind of like the mazda 5, but with the obvious plus of AWD, I think it would do very well. I would get it. I even told the subaru salesman 9 yrs ago, that if subaru made a minivan, I'd be on the waitlist.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

IDK if the tribeca still offers a 3rd row or not, I thought that at one pt, they added or got rid of that feature.

The Subaru salesman showed my DH the Tribeca, and he said that it does have the 3rd row. I didn't get in the Tribeca with him.

 

[mfp]

The Subaru salesman showed my DH the Tribeca, and he said that it does have the 3rd row. I didn't get in the Tribeca with him.

Yeah, our friends have the version with the 3rd row. DH got in the 3rd row and basically it's only appropriate for small children, so IMO, just not that practical. They got it so when his parents came to visit, they could just take one car. Their two young daughters ride in the third row, while his parents (who are both rather tall) ride in the middle row.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I kind of like the Tribeca. One thing I'm on the fence about is the new Outback design. I think I liked it better as a straight up wagon.

 

[hipporina]

We have 2 Outbacks and love them. Our first is a 2002 that we passed to my oldest and our second is a 2011. They are great cars, very reliable and comfortable.

 

[natfrac]

We have a 2011 Outback and like, not love, the car. It's a great road trip car--very comfy, spacious, decent gas mileage. But the car has some bad blind spots, to the point that we rarely drive it around town. We also found the paint to be soft (I've heard it's a Subaru thing) and the car scratches very easily.

 

[Swimalie]

We have a 2011 Outback and like, not love, the car. It's a great road trip car--very comfy, spacious, decent gas mileage. But the car has some bad blind spots, to the point that we rarely drive it around town. We also found the paint to be soft (I've heard it's a Subaru thing) and the car scratches very easily.

That's interesting to hear about the paint. My car is new as of June, 2011. So far I have 1 major scratch on it and yet I never park next to anyone nor near any bushes that could scratch it. The car is parked in the garage as long as we are home and yet I can't figure out where the scratch came from.