Not sure on a 2014.
My 2018 Legacy 2.5 is just about to roll 100k & runs great.
But, I don't push it hard.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
I drove a 2014 Outback today. It’s got the 2.5i motor.

I know Suburu had oil consumption issues because of ring specs. I’m going to have my mechanic look at it. My worry is I’m a bit of a spirited driver. It’s got 91k on the odometer. I don’t need problems

Am I pushing my luck with this year/engine combo? Or should my mechanic be able to find if it has issues?

I had a 2014 Outback that I bought new, and kept for nine years. Put about 120k miles on it. It didn’t burn oil or blow head gaskets. It also had timing chains instead of belts. I didn’t have too many problems with it, except for a very expensive rear wheel bearing assembly that went bad (it cost about $1,000 to replace at a local independent shop). The CVT performed reasonably well. I would not go older than 2014. The earlier models had more problems. I would also never buy one with the giant screen that controls everything (the recent models).

quote:

Is the 3.6R

I cannot express this in strong enough terms,

DO NOT BUY THE 3.6 it is a bad engine.

quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:

quote:

Is the 3.6R

I cannot express this in strong enough terms,

DO NOT BUY THE 3.6 it is a bad engine.

Never a problem with ours, nor others we know.

If the new Outbacks are slow sellers it is for one reason only. That ugly ass remake they just did style wise. It is awful. I was contemplating a move up to the turbo Outback from my Crosstrek. Not with the new styling. It’s atrocious.

Not an Outback but the sedan version. I had a 2015 Legacy 3.6R. Other than a weak battery and weak windshield, that car ran like a champ. No oil leaks, no oil consumption. Other than oil changes and brakes, I ran that car up to 80k like I normally do and got another car.

My daughter's 2020 Impreza is at 77k now and it also had a weak battery and now the starter just went out. I got a new starter enroute. No issues with oil either and the cvt has been fine.

I might have to rethink my choices. Watching how much of a pain in the ass it is to install a trailer hitch on an outback, and to have the plug just hanging out of the hatch really has me turned off.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
If the new Outbacks are slow sellers it is for one reason only. That ugly ass remake they just did style wise. It is awful. I was contemplating a move up to the turbo Outback from my Crosstrek. Not with the new styling. It’s atrocious.

I have an '18 and really like it. Yea, the front end on the new one is pretty bad.

So many better choice's than a subie. The time or two I thought about one I came to my senses.

I owned a 2022 Limited XT for about 6 months and was glad to ditch it at a loss. While it was a nice car, mechanically the CVT was not calibrated enough to compensate for the huge amount of turbo lag from the engine. The biggest problem was constant infotainment failures that would not only lock out your climate controls (hope you didn't leave the heated seats on), it would also disable every EyeSight function in the vehicle kissing to about 6 different failure messages in the gage cluster. Even when it worked, the screen was extremely dim and washed out in the sunlight making it unreadable.

I'll say one thing about the current Outback, the infotainment can't be as awful as the one they ditched after 3 years.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
If the new Outbacks are slow sellers it is for one reason only. That ugly ass remake they just did style wise. It is awful. I was contemplating a move up to the turbo Outback from my Crosstrek. Not with the new styling. It’s atrocious.

Crossing that $45-50K threshold didn't help either. I never went over $30K for any of mine...........

quote:

Originally posted by coyotedude:

quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:

quote:

Is the 3.6R

I cannot express this in strong enough terms,

DO NOT BUY THE 3.6 it is a bad engine.

Never a problem with ours, nor others we know.

Ahh so you're data point of what, 5 cars? beats out 20 years of mechanic's saying it's crap.

gotcha.

I bought the Outback.
Took less than 30 minutes. That’s 2 easy car buying experiences in a row. That’s just not normal, but it is welcomed. Thanks for everyone’s help.

Congrats, hope it serves you well.

Your rainbow sticker and Harris '28 shirt should arrive in 4-6 weeks

Alternatively:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXBI3HGgBX2/?l=1

I can’t wait!

quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:

quote:

Originally posted by coyotedude:

quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:

quote:

Is the 3.6R

I cannot express this in strong enough terms,

DO NOT BUY THE 3.6 it is a bad engine.

Never a problem with ours, nor others we know.

Ahh so you're data point of what, 5 cars? beats out 20 years of mechanic's saying it's crap.

gotcha.

Look, you have your opinion, I have mine based on ownership.. your's on what? Google is your friend, lotta' postive stuff on the 6cy. Have a nice day.

Congratulations on your new ride!

Also, there is a lady across the street with a really nice, apparently well maintained, Outback with the H6 engine. AFAIK, she’s had it since new.

Because of this thread, I haven’t noticed any oil stains under it on my nightly walks. I now want to ask her about her experience, but I haven’t caught her out and about yet. If I do run into her, I will give an update.

Once again, congrats!

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
Took less than 30 minutes.

That's awesome! Congrats on the new ride.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
Took less than 30 minutes.

That's awesome! Congrats on the new ride.

Yeah, mine was almost 5 hours. Short staffed in the finance dept, on a Saturday, on the last day of the month.

I don’t think I could have dealt with 5 hours. I probably would have gone home and said call me back when you need a signature.

On a side note, I tried looking for a console vault for the Outback. I only found one company making a vault for a 2014. It’s so small that it’s does not justify the price. I really wish I could find something better than a box cable tied to a seat. It’s a decent solution but certainly not ideal. Why on earth car manufacturers are not taking advantage of this market is beyond me. Even those who don’t carry have occasions where something valuable needs to be protected from smash and grabs.

I’ll take any suggestions as to helpful gadgets for it. I always get Weather-Tek floor mats for my vehicles. Is there anything else you have found useful?