I can't believe my oldest son is nearing driving permit age. Due to where we live, 7,400' elevation, he will need 4WD/AWD. We ski & snowboard in the winter and get 15 - 20 "powder days" each year. Driving over mountain passes in snowpacked conditions. I think a Subaru would serve him well as a first car. Possibly an Impreza in the 2002 and newer range. Maybe even a Crosstrek, but those are newer and not sure if we will find one in our budget.

Looking for online Subaru resource recommendations. I've found a few Subaru forums, but nothing that has really impressed me. Many seem to be model specific. Looking for general Subaru knowledge, such as years and or engines to stay away from, etc...

Any good forums or Youtubers?

NASIOC was the standard of Sube knowledge. Don’t know if it still is.

https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/index.php?styleid=1

2.5l through at least the early 2000s will fail at the head gaskets. But they’ll have done that already and been fixed/replaced or died.

Winter tires should begin and end at ‘Nokian’ (or Nordman, their older and still good designs).

Have you checked Reddit?

As much as that place is a cesspool in many areas, subs discussing cars are still surprisingly sane

I had a 2006 Outback, base model with the 2.5 that I bought with 200k miles on it. Drove it for a year or so, then didn't really need it anymore and sold it.
Just some observations on common problems at that mileage that wear out:
Catalytic converters
Power steering pump
Wheel bearings/hub assemblies
Shocks/struts
Auto trans start shifting pretty soft at that mileage
Drivers door window regulator

For what it's worth, 2006 was a good year for the Outback. Engine issues were fixed by then. Easy to work on, I would buy another if needed.
No road salt here, if you have to deal with rust, might be more problems than I'm aware of.

There's always cars101.com. there might be a Tangerine Crosstrek out there within budget .

Yeah, the 2005-2009 H6 Outbacks are hard to come by.

https://www.cars101.com/crosstrek.html

quote:

Originally posted by rizzle:
No road salt here, if you have to deal with rust, might be more problems than I'm aware of.

I grew up in NJ and most cars rust out relatively quickly. I moved to CO in 1995 and I was amazed how rust free the cars are here in CO! They only use sand on the roads, no salt. I flew back to NJ last September and picked up a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 my dad basically gave me. That truck has rust issues. Paint is fine, but the frame is fucked. My son wants that truck, but I may actually sell it to fund the Subaru purchase.

My 2004 Chevy Silverado Duramax is pristine, as well as my 2010 Tahoe. Old cars, from the 1960's and forward are still in great shape!

Finding a rust free Subie shouldn't be a problem.

We recently went through a similar (three month long) vehicle shopping experience looking for a AWD/4WD vehicle for my daughter (wound up with a 2016 Jeep Patriot), and I often read what was presented in Edmunds, KBB, J.D. Power, and U.S. News -

https://www.edmunds.com/subaru/crosstrek/2016/review/

https://www.kbb.com/subaru/crosstrek/2016/

https://www.jdpower.com/cars/2016/subaru/crosstrek

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-t...ubaru/crosstrek/2016

The popular on-line car listing web-sites also offer reviews on the vehicles.

The head gasket thing seems to be the biggest bugger i can recall on the 'normal' Subarus.

My did just did spark plugs on their Outback & said it's a tough job with a couple special tools needed.
Could probably do it a bit quicker now though

My parents have an Outback Onyx, sister has a non-turbo Outback.
I've had an Impreza hatchback for a rental & nearly bought an Outback at one point.
Test drove a Forester, but it felt a lot cheaper than the Outback, but I did like how it drove.

If I were buying today, it'd probably be an Impreza hatch, with a manual [which would mean used, CVT only now].

My BIL lives in the mountains outside Salt Lake City. He is at 8,500 ft and lives to ski. He is on his second Subaru Outback, this one is a Wilderness model. I have ridden with him through some pretty sketchy weather and the Outback with Blizzaks pulled through. He lives in the heart of ski country and Outback, Crosstrek, 4Runner and Tacoma are the vehicles we see in the neighborhood.

My BIL is not a car guy so the Outback gets the standard services and keep going.

CVT transmissions are an issue. Stay clear of them. Have a buddy with a 2015 outback and his failed at 104.000 miles, his previous Subaru was a 2011 and it had head gasket issues. He won't buy another one.

I've long heard Subaru does the CVT best, with Honda close 2nd.
The Nissan CVT is the worst I've driven, the Subaru unit seems to work well without the rubber band effect most seem to have.
My dad made sure to get an ext warranty on theirs, just in case, but it's been trouble free so far.

quote:

Originally posted by SPWAMike0317:
My BIL lives in the mountains outside Salt Lake City. He is at 8,500 ft and lives to ski. He is on his second Subaru Outback, this one is a Wilderness model. I have ridden with him through some pretty sketchy weather and the Outback with Blizzaks pulled through. He lives in the heart of ski country and Outback, Crosstrek, 4Runner and Tacoma are the vehicles we see in the neighborhood.

My BIL is not a car guy so the Outback gets the standard services and keep going.

First ski trip in our 2016 Outback we go to leave the hotel parking lot one morning. About 1/4 inch of solid ice. Could hardly get to the car without falling down it was so slick. Fire it up and clear the window ice and proceed to drive uphill slightly for about 50 yards to the exit.
I couldn't believe how well the AWD handled it.
It now has 95,000 miles and all we have done is replace consumables. It does seem to eat batteries at a rate of about 1 every 2 years or less no matter how well I maintain them.

I was a mechanic the first few years out of high school, so I always do all of my own repairs. I was trying to find in-depth knowledge of common engine issues, etc... I was hoping to find the SigForum of the Subaru world. Apparently the EJ engine was used for many, many years and Subaru switched to a FA/FB engine within the last decade. I'm still trying to figure out the differences. As far as I can tell now, they've always had head gasket issues around 150,000+ miles. I have zero knowledge of Boxer engines, which is what they use.

I am going to try and find a manual transmission. One, for theft deterrence and also to avoid the CVT issues. I have heard Subaru has the best CVT as well. My budget will be in the under $10,000 range, so I'm thinking early 2000's to maybe early 2010's. Just casually loking around FB Marketplace used ones can be found pretty cheap...compared to 4WD SUVs...maybe there's a reason for that! Buyer Beware!

I did find 1 Youtube guy, MrSubaru1387. He appears to be a long time Subaru mechanic and I've watched several of his videos.

My son doesn't get his permit for a few more months. Here in CO they MUST have their permit for 365 days before he can get his license. I think it only applies to those under 18. I'm just starting my research now.

^ I'd think a manual Impreza or Outback should be doable in that budget.
There were a few years where the Forester was available with a manual as well.

I tested a a 5MT XV Crosstrek when they first came out & didn't care for it. Pretty gutless & the shift throws were comparable to a 3/4 ton truck [really long].

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
<snip>
... Pretty gutless...

Sounds prefect for my son who will be 16 when he gets his license!

He makes comments all the time about a WRX. he ain't getting one of those for a few reasons... Most notably price and power.

quote:

Originally posted by 1967Goat:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
<snip>
... Pretty gutless...

Sounds prefect for my son who will be 16 when he gets his license!

He makes comments all the time about a WRX. he ain't getting one of those for a few reasons... Most notably price and power.

Can't argue there.
My first car was a 1982 Mercedes 240D. Non-turbo diesel with about 64hp on tap when it was new.
It had over 300k on it when I got it. Perfect for a new teen driver.

quote:

Originally posted by Calif Phil:
CVT transmissions are an issue. Stay clear of them. Have a buddy with a 2015 outback and his failed at 104.000 miles, his previous Subaru was a 2011 and it had head gasket issues. He won't buy another one.

People complain about CVT's but there is nothing wrong with them. Any mechanical device can fail.

I have a 2015 Forester. Love the thing. comfortable roomy. very easy to see around ie no blind spots. The AWD is phenomal. add some good quality snow tires and you will be amazed at what it can handle!!

quote:

Originally posted by 1967Goat:
He makes comments all the time about a WRX. he ain't getting one of those for a few reasons... Most notably price and power.

...and insurance. I've been driving an 03 WRX for over 22 years, and if I'd have had that car at 16 I'd be dead.

As for reliability I don't have too much to complain about. Turbo went at 62,000 miles and took the up-pipe with it. Basically gave me a good excuse to do some mild upgrades. The car is coming up on 190,000 and I've never done a head gasket. I've heard the turbo EJ20 is better with head gaskets than NA engines, and at least in my case that holds true. I've had a couple adventures with the cooling system. Stuck thermostat, ruptured hose, that sort of thing. In both cases I simply stopped driving it, then limped it to the shop while being careful not to overheat the engine. It helped that both times it happened in winter.

I will also say teaching people to drive stick in my car, which has a short throw shifter, is a harder path than learning on an old pickup or Honda Civic. The shifter is crunchy if you're not careful.

A guy at work has a 2006 Outback with 150k on it that I'm considering for a new driver. Current owner is moving cross country this summer and doesn't trust the car for a long drive. I don't know what problems it may have, but at the price he's asking there's little risk on my part.

We had a 2011 Outback that we really liked until the head gaskets went at 100K. Did get around great in the snow though, especially with snow tires.

I have had a slew of Subies. 02 WRX, 04 STi, Saab 9-2 Aero, 04 Forrester and currently drive a 15’ Forrester XT(turbo) w/ 170k. What the others said… head gaskets, on the early 2.5’s, timing belts. They are phenomenal in the snow with just good all weather tires. I always thought of them as the Saab of Japanese cars.