Hi all
I have an offer at $15000 for 2013 Subaru Outback Premium at 35000 miles. Would you buy this car? I read many complains about Outback on excessive engine oil consumption and other problems. Is Outback considered as a reliable car? Should I get a Rav4 or CRV instead? Any comment will be very appreciable.
So many variables. Cheap car because it’s a salvage title? Or not? Always serviced? Or not? Ugly color? Or not? How does the price compare to other identical cars? Is that your only criteria? Price? Does dealer have identical cars with different prices? Why? With the Internet, you can compare a dozen cars.
How would I know? I have not seen the vehicle, nor driven it, don’t know service history or even if it priced like other vehicles in what ever area it is in.
Edit: Apparently you did not purchase the Lincoln you asked about Jan 5.
I bought a 2010 Premium, moonroof, bluetooth in 2013 with 50,0000 for $17000. A Subaru dealer was selling it just off lease. I had another mechanic check it first. It now has 160,000 and I have only had to put in a rear bearing, besides normal 100,000 mile tuneup. It has been a great purchase. Nothing better in the snow or crashes for that matter. :- )
Good luck!
No way. Keep looking.
I am currently driving my third Outback, a 2011 Limited model with the optional 3.6 liter six-cylinder engine. I wouldn’t have bought my second Outback if the first one wasn’t very reliable, and I certainly wouldn’t have bought the third one if the second one wasn’t even more reliable than the first one. So, if people tell you of negative experiences with their Subarus, all I can say is that my experience runs counter to that.
I never experienced oil burning with any of my Outbacks, but because I opted for the six-cylinder engine with the second and third ones, that might explain why I have not experienced oil consumption problems.
How does one define “reliable”?
Well, the second Outback (a 2003 model) needed two repairs in the 7 years/110k miles that I owned it:
A purge valve failed, and was replaced under warranty.
A belt pulley’s bearings went dry, and had to be replaced at ~100k miles.
That’s it. No other repairs in 110k miles.
The current Outback now has ~81k on the odometer, and it has had a total of one repair in the 7 1/2 years that I have owned it:
The windshield washer pump was replaced–under warranty a few years ago.
Nothing else–other than maintenance…
All of that being said, I would only buy one of these cars if it was equipped with the optional six-cylinder engine:
Superior power with only a miniscule gas mileage penalty
Incredible reliability–with no history of head gasket problems or oil burning.
As to the quoted price, I can’t comment.
@ Cavell, thank you for your comment. It has a clean title and all service records are there. Saw it and looks great. Nothing to blame. But I just concerns about Subaru’s reliability. Any thought?
@ Volvo_v70. No, I didn’t buy the Lincoln. I have seen the vehicle, nothing to blame. Service history looks good to. Thank you for your comment.
@lafn. Thank you so much for your comment.
@missileman. I see. It is under its KBB value. Can you tell me little more why you think this is not a good deal? Thank you.
@VDCdriver. Your comment is very helpful for me. I really appreciate it.
Consumer Reports says the 2010-2014 Outback has a better than average reliability score. The redesigned Outback started in 2015 and is average for 2015 and worse than average for 2016.
Edmunds has a feature called True Cost to Own. They buy repair information from a service that obtains repair info from mechanics that fix them. Edmunds estimates that repairs over the next 5 years for a 2013 Outback will be $400 more than for a CRV, and $200 less than for a RAV4. Note that these are averages and use dealer pricing. Subaru is a fine choice from a reliability perspective.
Black Book wholesale for clean condition is $12,000. Retail is $15,000. Therefore, this might be a good deal if the car is better than average, you like it, and it passes a pre purchase inspection.
@shanonia. Thank you so much for your comment. Good thing to know. Thank you
@jtsanders. This is why I asked people opinion, so I can get better idea that I didn’t see before. I really appreciate your comment.
@Ben_T_Spanner. I’ve seen the vehicle and had 1 hour inspection. It was a fine car without any blame. I was concerning about the oil consumption issue of 2013 outback since there was a recall for this issue. It provides its service history, it didn’t show any oil consumption issue though.
Nope.
But my advice to you is to not put money down and anything without test driving it and having it checked out on the rack. And try to get it well below market value. You can be certain that the seller priced it above its value expecting to negotiate.
@the_same_mountainbike. Thank you for your advice. I will definitely have a test drive and a good inspection with a mechanic. Thank you so much. Just wonder, why you think this is not a good deal though.