Why are Subarus so popular?

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5280Tim
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Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 9:33 pm

Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by 5280Tim »

I bought an outback when we moved to Colorado, it was the worst car I’ve ever owned. Only kept it a few years, but had 3 CV boots fail which required a new axle shaft and boot. Head gaskets failed around 100k miles, then again at 121k miles. Neither the dealer that replaced the gaskets nor Subaru America would do anything about the 2nd failure. It was clearly poor workmanship when they replaced the first set. I sold it after the power steering rack went bad. Absolute pile of junk. I also had an oil change where they overfilled the car by 1.5 quarts. It caused so much oil blow by that it fouled the O2 sensors and put the car in limp mode. The dealership argued with me about how much oil was supposed to be used (They were looking at the specs for a different generation of car). Incompetence on their part.

I’ll never buy another one.
Dottie57
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Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by Dottie57 »

retiredjg wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:59 am
Sandtrap wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:56 am
retiredjg wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:46 am I had one for a year. Handled well, comfortable, well made, AWD, good on snow/rain, etc.

However, I didn't like the CVT (transmission) and the car sits too low for me. So I got something else that my knees like a lot better. :D
Thanks for the "knees" advice.
I've been considering a 3rd "car/suv" (tired of driving a pickup my whole life).
Subaru is off the list for those with long legs and bad knees?

j :D
It was for me. I had an Outback. I think the Forester sits higher. And mine was about 2012 model - may have changed.
I know two guys (6’ +) where a forester worked well.
Calico
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Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by Calico »

I just bought a Subaru Crosstrek last month. It is the first time I bought a Subaru. I picked it because I needed AWD because of unplowed roads where I will be living in a year, it was highly rated (reliability) from Consumer Reports, it had all the stuff I wanted, tons of safety features, and I got it for a great price. And it has so many great features that my 16-year-old daughter asked me if Subaru was a luxury brand, haha.

My mom just bought a Subaru Forester this weekend. It's her first one too. My brother and I took her out car shopping and she test drove her beloved Buicks (three different models), but the seat height was not high enough in any of them. Even with the seat adjusted all the way as tall as it could go, she had to crane her neck to see out the front window (she's short and all the new Buicks are SUVs with a very high dashboard). When she sat in the Forester and adjusted the seat, she could see. She decided even before the test drive, just sitting in the seat it was better because she has much better visibility. She said it was like being in a "fishbowl" vs the low visibly (for her) in the Buicks. And the Subaru ended up being $6K less than the Buick (even with a GM employee discount). She also wanted AWD and a lot of safety features and the Subaru met that too... oh, and it has a CD player (haha, that really was a big selling point for mom).
I am a mere Boglehead apprentice... even after all these years.
friar1610
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Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by friar1610 »

dukeblue219 wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:24 am
coalcracker wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:18 am Subaru, the unflavored oatmeal of cars.
Something else comes to mind looking at all the Outbacks in my neighborhood - It's the alternative to minivans for the legions of younger Gen-X and older Millennials who grew up in uncool, underpowered, and unreliable American minivans of the 80s and 90s.
It’s also a popular car with older folks (like me) who prefer a station wagon to an SUV. Volvo no longer makes the XC-70/V-70 wagon. (There is a V-60/V-60XC but it’s kinda small). So there are very few choices for those of us who prefer decent sized wagons without going to luxury names. 2 years ago I looked very closely at new Outbacks but opted for a used XC-70 instead. If I live long enough to buy another “family car” I would certainly look at Outback’s again.
Friar1610 | 50-ish/50-ish - a satisficer, not a maximizer
socaldude
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Joined: Fri May 05, 2017 9:27 am

Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by socaldude »

Agree with poster above, I had same problems with 2 head gaskets ( thousands $$$) and "security module" ($$$) and struts/shocks ($$$) Subaru parts can be expensive !! I still like the brand overall but the Outback I had was a "bad year" 2009 and it cost me $$$$$. My next car is a Honda CRV 2019, many friends drive them for 200,000 plus. I did just learn that they have a problem with gas in the oil (China is refusing the "Earth Saver" (?) engine from being sold in China) and you need to change your oil every 4000 not the suggested 7500. No perfect cars out there.
hi_there
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Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by hi_there »

Leesbro63 wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:53 am We recently purchased a 2021 Crosstrek. I also own a 2020 Lexus RX350. The Crosstrek was about half the price and is 85% the vehicle. Yeah, I know it's an apples to oranges comparision. But my point is that it has Toyota quality, AWD utility (we're in Pittsburgh...'nuff said") and state of art Toyota electronics...the Crosstrek has the same basic electronics as my RX.

The bottom line answer to your question is "utility, quality and value".
If this is true for Crosstrek, couldn't the same be said for most non-luxury vehicles?
alfaspider
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Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by alfaspider »

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:38 am
alfaspider wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:24 am
folkher0 wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:56 am

I’ve liked them but electrical problems in our ‘18 outback means I probably won’t get another. When I was a kid I always wanted an STI, but I never got one. I don’t think any other vehicle ever matched it for a price to performance ratio.

This was more true back when the STI was first brought to the U.S. in 2004. The car hasn't gotten much faster since then, but its competitors have. They are supposedly updating the STI for next year with a new motor, which should finally provide a significant performance boost. The Evo VII-X were also quicker than the STI (and were easier to make bigger power out of), but had terrible interiors and daily driving characteristics.
Doug Demuro did a recent review of the STi and said exactly what you did about the performance not increasing over the years. Keep in mind that when the STi came over to the US, the Evo was really the only competition. Adding similar cars along the way, the Mazdaspeed 6 was also available in a turbo 4 with AWD and was dropped after 2 years. The Golf R32 was a very cool 2 door AWD turbo that went away. Followed by the Golf R and Focus RS. All of those cars are gone. The closest thing is.....I don't even know at this point. A GT-R is much more expensive, bigger and no manual, a 718 Cayman is also much more expensive and RWD. A Mustang GT has similar performance in a very different way and is only RWD. Audi's dropped manuals from performance cars and BMWs have always had RWD with M cars and a manual. So while the STi hasn't caught up, it's the last survivor out of the challengers along the way.
The R32 was AWD, but it had a vr6 (basically a hybrid between a flat 6 and a v6) - no turbo. It was quite a bit slower than the STI from the factory, but a more comfy cruiser and better sounding. The R32 could be beasts with a turbo kit though.

STI still has competitors. The Golf R is still around- the MK VIII is coming immanently (reviews are already out). There's also the Civic Type R - not AWD but performance is a bit better than an STI on track (if not a straight line from a dig).
Leesbro63
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Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by Leesbro63 »

hi_there wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 12:38 pm
Leesbro63 wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:53 am We recently purchased a 2021 Crosstrek. I also own a 2020 Lexus RX350. The Crosstrek was about half the price and is 85% the vehicle. Yeah, I know it's an apples to oranges comparision. But my point is that it has Toyota quality, AWD utility (we're in Pittsburgh...'nuff said") and state of art Toyota electronics...the Crosstrek has the same basic electronics as my RX.

The bottom line answer to your question is "utility, quality and value".
If this is true for Crosstrek, couldn't the same be said for most non-luxury vehicles?
Many, if not most 😀
alfaspider
Posts: 4816
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 4:44 pm

Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by alfaspider »

socaldude wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 12:33 pm Agree with poster above, I had same problems with 2 head gaskets ( thousands $$$) and "security module" ($$$) and struts/shocks ($$$) Subaru parts can be expensive !! I still like the brand overall but the Outback I had was a "bad year" 2009 and it cost me $$$$$. My next car is a Honda CRV 2019, many friends drive them for 200,000 plus. I did just learn that they have a problem with gas in the oil (China is refusing the "Earth Saver" (?) engine from being sold in China) and you need to change your oil every 4000 not the suggested 7500. No perfect cars out there.
Subaru parts aren't any more expensive than other Japanese brands. They are typically a lot cheaper than German brands, though not quite as cheap as most American brands.
fsrph
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Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by fsrph »

In the Fall of 2010 I bought a Forester because it was the only small SUV with manual transmission and a huge sunroof. Never had a Subaru previously. Fast forward to today. I am very impressed by the ride quality and visibility. Amazing in winter weather. It's been a great purchase. Just needed normal maintenance service. I'd buy another when the time comes.

Francis
"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." | Dale Carnegie
alfaspider
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Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 4:44 pm

Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by alfaspider »

5280Tim wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 12:04 pm I bought an outback when we moved to Colorado, it was the worst car I’ve ever owned. Only kept it a few years, but had 3 CV boots fail which required a new axle shaft and boot. Head gaskets failed around 100k miles, then again at 121k miles. Neither the dealer that replaced the gaskets nor Subaru America would do anything about the 2nd failure. It was clearly poor workmanship when they replaced the first set. I sold it after the power steering rack went bad. Absolute pile of junk. I also had an oil change where they overfilled the car by 1.5 quarts. It caused so much oil blow by that it fouled the O2 sensors and put the car in limp mode. The dealership argued with me about how much oil was supposed to be used (They were looking at the specs for a different generation of car). Incompetence on their part.

I’ll never buy another one.
Sounds like you had bad mechanics more than a bad car.
hi_there
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Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by hi_there »

hi_there wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 12:38 pm
Leesbro63 wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:53 am We recently purchased a 2021 Crosstrek. I also own a 2020 Lexus RX350. The Crosstrek was about half the price and is 85% the vehicle. Yeah, I know it's an apples to oranges comparision. But my point is that it has Toyota quality, AWD utility (we're in Pittsburgh...'nuff said") and state of art Toyota electronics...the Crosstrek has the same basic electronics as my RX.

The bottom line answer to your question is "utility, quality and value".
If this is true for Crosstrek, couldn't the same be said for most non-luxury vehicles?
I thought it would be fun to share this review I read recently.

"2021 Kia K5 GT Review: Kia's 3 Series Is Better than BMW's—and $10,000 Less: Had to happen sometime."
https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/38602 ... 10000-less

Obviously, this is just one author's opinion, but it's interesting to consider how competitive cars have become recently.
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Re: Why are Subarus so popular?

Post by LadyGeek »

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