Anyone here ever owned a Subaru Outback or Forester and if yes, what year and trim level? What are they like? They seem reasonably priced but the incentives and deals aren't great. Are they good value for money? Is servicing expensive? I notice the Subaru UK site doesn't mention any fixed price servicing so I guess it's up to the dealer so could be very varied... Any other thoughts?

 

Thanks!

Friends have so I can give you some 3rd party opnions.

 

Mate of mine likes Forresters. He's had a couple. He likes older big 3.0 NA motors and accepts the biblical fuel costs happily despite doing 30k+ a year and he'll run his cars well over 150k each. He swears by Subaru reliability but curses the price of repairs when they happen. He doesn't like the current models much and wonders what to get when his current motor gets moved on but thinks it's likely to be another Forester or maybe a Landcruiser. He's big on country pursuits (huntin, shootin, fishin) and not much less than a Defender or a 4x4 pickup would suit. He uses a trusted independent that is known for subaru work.

 

My Dad's mate was less of a fanboi and had a Legacy. Lovely car but very expensive for parts. He damaged a wing mirror and was well over £1k to replace it. He liked the car but eventually move it on when the exhuast developed a hole in an awkward place. The position meant it couldn't be welded and to replace was again over £1k. He likes to change his cars so this was his excuse.

As purely an opinion, I’ve always regarded them as being a nice bit of engineering for those who have to have AWD and can afford the fuel and maintenance costs whilst putting up with the somewhat clunky, boring styling.

Where would you go that (using less fuel) a 3008, as an example, wouldn’t.