Subaru Outback?

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The Knife & Gun Club

The Knife & Gun Club

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After 5 faithful years I totaled my beloved Jeep driving home late night after a swing shift. Like 55 mph-head-on collision, exploded front end totaled. Luckily the no one was hurt and other guy was found 100% at fault so I should be getting around 10k for my car from his insurance.

I’m thinking of getting a used Subaru Outback. Trying to decide if it’s better to get one closer to 90k miles for around $15k or spring for something closer to $23k with 30-50k miles.

If I get the cheaper car I could stretch the insurance money to cover my payments until I’m done with residency. If I get the pricier one I’ll have 6-9 months of PGY3 where I’ll have to use moonlighting money to help cover the payment...which means that’s money I can’t save to meet other financial goals like saving or loans.

Our residency has a few sites so a good 4month chunk of the year I’m driving 80+ miles/day for work. So reliability and the cars ability to absorb a ton of mileage is paramount.

So...how many miles is too many miles in a used car?
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I'm not the guy to ask about this; but I will say that BestBuddy from 6th grade (we're still friends) has an Outback and loves everything about it.
 
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Id probably do the one with less mileage even if pricier. It will get you something that will last a while. I personally think that most cars need a lot more maintenance and are likely to get issues after 100k miles.

A lot depends on your financial situation though. I don't really know if you have an emergency fund and some money saved up on top of that. Or if spending another 7-8k means eating peanut butter sandwiches for you. Personally 8k is less than 3 days of work for me so i know what id get, but i also have significant surplus income that you may not have as a resident.

I've personally always thought a car with 20-35k miles is usually as good as new without the new price tag.
 
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If you're trying to stretch your money and like the Subaru SUVs, what about a Forester or Crosstrek?
 
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Don't blindly accept the other drivers settlement for the value of your Jeep. Work with your insurance company and get more than $10K.
 
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The era of gas/diesel vehicles is ending. If you are at a point to need a new vehicle, it is time to pick electric.

Reports rolling in on early model Teslas in car fleets show they are pushing one million miles and virtually no needed repairs. Windows, wipers, tires, brakes. And have limited battery capacity loss. You simply will save money in the long term with marked decrease in maintenance costs.
 
Sushirolls said:
The era of gas/diesel vehicles is ending. If you are at a point to need a new vehicle, it is time to pick electric.

Reports rolling in on early model Teslas in car fleets show they are pushing one million miles and virtually no needed repairs. Windows, wipers, tires, brakes. And have limited battery capacity loss. You simply will save money in the long term with marked decrease in maintenance costs.
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Not sure I could’ve swung a new Tesla as an intern, personally... my 1993 Saturn SL2 was what I could afford.
 
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Sushirolls said:
The era of gas/diesel vehicles is ending. If you are at a point to need a new vehicle, it is time to pick electric.

Reports rolling in on early model Teslas in car fleets show they are pushing one million miles and virtually no needed repairs. Windows, wipers, tires, brakes. And have limited battery capacity loss. You simply will save money in the long term with marked decrease in maintenance costs.
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Dr Mantis Toboggan said:
Not sure I could’ve swung a new Tesla as an intern, personally... my 1993 Saturn SL2 was what I could afford.
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Yea the era of gas is ending. And that’s great.

Once I’m an attending and on track to be financially independent I’m gonna get a sweet Tesla.

But right now I’m not in the position to spend $40,000 on a car, even if maybe long term it’ll come out even when you factor in maintaining and gas.

Right now I’m still shopping in the department of “4 wheels that get me from point a (where I sleep) to point b (where I provide incorrectly dosed vancomycin and covid tests)” without breaking down.

Oh and it needs room for my paddle board and fishing rods cuz, you know, EM.
 
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We love our Subaru Outback and they regularly make the lists of cars that reach 200k miles. I would get the high mileage car that you can afford without moonlighting or affecting your other goals.

Having said that, there are used Nissan leaf and Chevy Bolt available in my area for less/similar to your lower budget Outback. I love my Chevy Bolt!
 
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Sushirolls said:
Reports rolling in on early model Teslas in car fleets show they are pushing one million miles and virtually no needed repairs.
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I'm not sure this is true, but then again I've never owned one. I can only go off the surveys and ratings. Tesla seems to get a lot of bad PR regarding quality of their vehicles. Vehicles rolling off the assembly line with major cosmetic flaws, malfunctioning doors, panel gaps, and other issues seem much more common than with other vehicles... not to mention the reports in the news of roofs randomly flying off new cars and windows suddenly falling off Teslas, which are obviously rare yet disturbing issues.

I've never owned a Subaru, but they do seem to have a few reliability concerns as well. I guess you could find negatives for every car though if you look hard enough. Just buy what you like the most and can afford without overstretching your budget.

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If you're looking for an affordable electric car, you could get a used Nissan Leaf. Those are dirt cheap.

If not, at least consider a used prius? you'll save on gas at least..
 
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Forster is definitely on my list. Crosstreks are cool but seems like a middle ground that doesn’t quite do what the forester or the outback can do in terms of space.

All electric one day is the dream, but I’m just a little worried about the chaos of the residency schedule and long drives. Plus service for hybrids and electrics can be a huge pain. Although I have heard the Prius is just as reliable as any other Toyota.

While I loved my Jeep it had non-stop electrical and tech issues. And trying to coordinate repairs as a resident is excruciating even outside of the financial implications. I want as few of “my ____ stopped working” issues as possible.
 
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In college my ‘03 chevys trunk latch broke. So for 6 months I drove around with a rope tied to the tow hitch to keep it closed.

When the Jeep’s power lift gate broke, it was just stuck permanently closed and cost $500 to eventually fix. I want as few of those issues as possible.
 
KGflyboy said:
I'm not sure this is true, but then again I've never owned one. I can only go off the surveys and ratings. Tesla seems to get a lot of bad PR regarding quality of their vehicles. Vehicles rolling off the assembly line with major cosmetic flaws, malfunctioning doors, panel gaps, and other issues seem much more common than with other vehicles... not to mention the reports in the news of roofs randomly flying off new cars and windows suddenly falling off Teslas, which are obviously rare yet disturbing issues.

I've never owned a Subaru, but they do seem to have a few reliability concerns as well. I guess you could find negatives for every car though if you look hard enough. Just buy what you like the most and can afford without overstretching your budget.

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I don’t trust any list that says a Land Rover is reliable

Edit: nm I misread that
 
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The Knife & Gun Club said:
In college my ‘03 chevys trunk latch broke. So for 6 months I drove around with a rope tied to the tow hitch to keep it closed.

When the Jeep’s power lift gate broke, it was just stuck permanently closed and cost $500 to eventually fix. I want as few of those issues as possible.
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Depending on what you need a Honda civic or crv might not be a bad idea either. Some awd versions of those exist. In the 20-27k range new and they are fairly reliable. Enough so that even used they tend to hold value
 
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Subarus are excellent. I vote that you spring for one with lower miles for two reason. First reason is that you want to hedge your bet that you won't run into any expensive repairs while still a resident. Second, start to think about this car as taking you until at least your 2nd or 3 year of attendinghood--that will help you better tackle the financial goals you talked about.

Shop around. You should be able to get a deal better than your estimate. A quick look on carmax right now shows you can grab a 2017 forester w/60k miles for 18k.

Also, if there's any chance you'll have to routinely parallel park it, get the Forester. The Outback is loooooooong.
 
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KGflyboy said:
I'm not sure this is true, but then again I've never owned one. I can only go off the surveys and ratings. Tesla seems to get a lot of bad PR regarding quality of their vehicles. Vehicles rolling off the assembly line with major cosmetic flaws, malfunctioning doors, panel gaps, and other issues seem much more common than with other vehicles... not to mention the reports in the news of roofs randomly flying off new cars and windows suddenly falling off Teslas, which are obviously rare yet disturbing issues.

I've never owned a Subaru, but they do seem to have a few reliability concerns as well. I guess you could find negatives for every car though if you look hard enough. Just buy what you like the most and can afford without overstretching your budget.
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Well if your roof flies off now you have a convertible!
 
KGflyboy said:
I'm not sure this is true, but then again I've never owned one. I can only go off the surveys and ratings. Tesla seems to get a lot of bad PR regarding quality of their vehicles. Vehicles rolling off the assembly line with major cosmetic flaws, malfunctioning doors, panel gaps, and other issues seem much more common than with other vehicles... not to mention the reports in the news of roofs randomly flying off new cars and windows suddenly falling off Teslas, which are obviously rare yet disturbing issues.

I've never owned a Subaru, but they do seem to have a few reliability concerns as well. I guess you could find negatives for every car though if you look hard enough. Just buy what you like the most and can afford without overstretching your budget.

2021010a.jpg
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Is this for real? How are the likes of Kia and Buick in the top 5 most reliable brands?
 
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New-ish attending here. I leased a Subaru Crosstrek all through residency and bought it out after. No regrets. Have had zero issues and there are 70k miles on it. My SO has an Outback and bought it used w/ 30k miles on it - has also had no issues in 4 years of use. One of my best friends finally had his 1990s outback die after around 180k miles. Capacity-wise I've never run out of space in my Crosstrek and I haul a decent amount of outdoors equipment in it - but the Outback does have enough room for a 6' tall dude to stretch out in the back if you end up camping during bad weather.
If you're planning on upgrading to something else after residency, I think I'd go with the higher mileage/cheaper option now, my n is small but I think you'll be fine for at least a few years, and likely more. If you're planning on driving it for some time, I'd invest in the lower mileage option and endure the short-term stress.
 
toyota tacoma. get the four-banger and run it to the ground.





not much has changed since these videos were made.
 
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I've only heard positive things about it, but it has to be one of the ugliest cars currently being produced.
 
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Great thoughts all around. I appreciate everyone’s input a lot, really.

Love hearing that some Subaru owners have been able to stretch the car for 150000+ miles. If I could stretch it 1-2 years into attending life that’d be ideal because then I can maximize a little extra savings those years.

Because let’s be honest once the time for an upgrade comes, it’s gonna be hard to get another beater when you’re taking home 300k+ (If the market holds 😬).
 
The Knife & Gun Club said:
After 5 faithful years I totaled my beloved Jeep driving home late night after a swing shift. Like 55 mph-head-on collision, exploded front end totaled. Luckily the no one was hurt and other guy was found 100% at fault so I should be getting around 10k for my car from his insurance.

I’m thinking of getting a used Subaru Outback. Trying to decide if it’s better to get one closer to 90k miles for around $15k or spring for something closer to $23k with 30-50k miles.

If I get the cheaper car I could stretch the insurance money to cover my payments until I’m done with residency. If I get the pricier one I’ll have 6-9 months of PGY3 where I’ll have to use moonlighting money to help cover the payment...which means that’s money I can’t save to meet other financial goals like saving or loans.

Our residency has a few sites so a good 4month chunk of the year I’m driving 80+ miles/day for work. So reliability and the cars ability to absorb a ton of mileage is paramount.

So...how many miles is too many miles in a used car?
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My wife owns a 2013 Subaru Outback and I hate it and she doesn't like it. She is comparing it to my 2018 Mazda 3 though and there is no comparison. (There is no comparison to any Mazda. Which is proudly the car maker of the year for Consumer Reports)

Anyway the one we have weight as much as a truck, has a TERRIBLE CVT engine which is such a boor to drive, and we already had to put significant (warranty-covered) work into it. I will not be buying a Subaru again unless they change it up. It's that CVT which is so terrible.

It is nice a roomy on the inside though. But for a commuter car it's terrible.
 
Sushirolls said:
The era of gas/diesel vehicles is ending. If you are at a point to need a new vehicle, it is time to pick electric.

Reports rolling in on early model Teslas in car fleets show they are pushing one million miles and virtually no needed repairs. Windows, wipers, tires, brakes. And have limited battery capacity loss. You simply will save money in the long term with marked decrease in maintenance costs.
Click to expand...

All reports suggest they break down and have problems more than the average car!!!
(Might save money on gasoline though)

EV's are great, and I'm staking 10% of my retirement portfolio on EV growth. But it's probably not a good thing to buy as a resident.
 
KGflyboy said:
I'm not sure this is true, but then again I've never owned one. I can only go off the surveys and ratings. Tesla seems to get a lot of bad PR regarding quality of their vehicles. Vehicles rolling off the assembly line with major cosmetic flaws, malfunctioning doors, panel gaps, and other issues seem much more common than with other vehicles... not to mention the reports in the news of roofs randomly flying off new cars and windows suddenly falling off Teslas, which are obviously rare yet disturbing issues.

I've never owned a Subaru, but they do seem to have a few reliability concerns as well. I guess you could find negatives for every car though if you look hard enough. Just buy what you like the most and can afford without overstretching your budget.

2021010a.jpg
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Yea man it's not surprising. Toyota and GM (Buick) have been making cars for 50+ years. Tesla just started. Hopefully Tesla will get better and I assume they will.
 
Gotta love this forum.

OP questions older used Subaru because newer used Subaru might be too expensive.

Advice given: buy Tesla.

🤷
 
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namethatsmell said:
Have you looked into the Lordstown Endurance? I hate the grill, but the windows may be more reliable than the Cybertruck...

www.lordstownmotors.com
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Yes, but I don't believe they are doing retail sells to individuals. I think it's only sold for fleet sales.

To be honest, my plan was to buy the first electric truck to hit the market, but it turns out I'm more picky that. I thought. The Hummer EV is way to expensive and not super appealing to me. The Rivian has a bed so small it's mostly useless. Right now I'm considering the R1S, not actually a truck though, and the Cybertruck. I think the R1S will be first to market.

I'm excited to see the electric F150 in the works, but they haven't announced a release date or price and specs. I think multiple companies will have an electric truck in the hands of buyers long before Ford.

If Tesla keeps it's promise to deliver a 500 mile Cybertruck for $70,000, I'll be happy with that.
 
I owned a 2006 Subaru Outback for about 10 years and I'm in a 2013 Crosstrek now. I was/am very happy with both. I'm not sure if it's already been mentioned on here, but beware that some of the old-ish Outback engines commonly had head gasket problems. If I remember correctly, I think I had to pay to fix or replace mine twice, which wasn't cheap. If you buy used, just make sure that it's already been replaced. Otherwise, it's a fantastic car. I got 220+ K miles out of my Outback before I sold it.
 
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KGflyboy said:
Yes, but I don't believe they are doing retail sells to individuals. I think it's only sold for fleet sales.

To be honest, my plan was to buy the first electric truck to hit the market, but it turns out I'm more picky that. I thought. The Hummer EV is way to expensive and not super appealing to me. The Rivian has a bed so small it's mostly useless. Right now I'm considering the R1S, not actually a truck though, and the Cybertruck. I think the R1S will be first to market.

I'm excited to see the electric F150 in the works, but they haven't announced a release date or price and specs. I think multiple companies will have an electric truck in the hands of buyers long before Ford.

If Tesla keeps it's promise to deliver a 500 mile Cybertruck for $70,000, I'll be happy with that.
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I can understand part of the appeal of the Cybertruck...but man when I look at it I can't help but think that the guys who made Total Recall and Robo Cop got drunk together and were then given permission to design a truck.
 
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namethatsmell said:
I can understand part of the appeal of the Cybertruck...but man when I look at it I can't help but think that the guys who made Total Recall and Robo Cop got drunk together and were then given permission to design a truck.
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...and maybe mad max...
 
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namethatsmell said:
Is this for real? How are the likes of Kia and Buick in the top 5 most reliable brands?
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It's real. Kia and Hyundai have been very reliable over the last 3-4 years. This isn't just a fluke for one year. They both come with 10 year 100k mile warranties as well.

Genesis which is hyundai's luxury line is being highly ranked and reviewed as well
 
I loved my Forester - bought it used and drove it in every condition - had nearly zero troubles with it for 10 years, was still running great when we traded it in FWIW
 
Get a Tacoma as they're dependable, and have room to haul things.
 
Rekt said:
Lord that grill is atrocious. If they fixed that, it would actually be the best looking EV on the market.
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Yup. The only things that grill will be good for is being a nice flat surface for rocks to jump up and crack and bugs parts to collect on.
 
d2305 said:
Get a Tacoma as they're dependable, and have room to haul things.
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Problem with the Tacoma is they’re pricy. Even the used ones at close to 100000 miles are still well over 20k in my area for a 4 door.

I guess they’re pricy because they’re dependable, but over 100k is a lot of miles
 
The Knife & Gun Club said:
Problem with the Tacoma is they’re pricy. Even the used ones at close to 100000 miles are still well over 20k in my area for a 4 door.

I guess they’re pricy because they’re dependable, but over 100k is a lot of miles
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When it's still rolling at 300k miles you'll be happy you got it
 
Umm. . . My wife loves her Subaru Impreza. They are good cars.

My advise would be to pay cash for a vehicle. An older Honda with few miles and some exterior damage would be perfect.

The people who think that gas cars are going extinct any time soon haven’t looked at the price of gas recently. It’s been cheap for years.
 
I just did a quick search and you can fast-charge the equivalent of 100 miles in about half an hour. Does this sound accurate to you EV owners?

If they can get that down to at least the 10-minute range, it will remove the biggest barrier to adoption for most people (certainly mine).

Are there any technological advances in the horizon that make this possible in the near future?
 
Franzd'Epinay said:
I just did a quick search and you can fast-charge the equivalent of 100 miles in about half an hour. Does this sound accurate to you EV owners?

If they can get that down to at least the 10-minute range, it will remove the biggest barrier to adoption for most people (certainly mine).

Are there any technological advances in the horizon that make this possible in the near future?
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Tesla superchargers can do ~200 miles in 15 minutes.
 
Things medical students need to stop saying:

“Can’t wait to ditch my Outback and see what exotics the attendings are talking about on SDN!”
 
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I've owned or driven three Subaru Outbacks in the family over 20+ years.

No issues.

If you drive it and you like it, it's the right car – easily for the next five years, anyway, until your budget and technology change. I wouldn't worry about the mileage, specifically, unless they've been hard miles.
 
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The Knife & Gun Club said:
I’m thinking of getting a used Subaru Outback. Trying to decide if it’s better to get one closer to 90k miles for around $15k or spring for something closer to $23k with 30-50k miles.

So...how many miles is too many miles in a used car?
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Depends on the car. A 10 year old Toyota Pickup is about 35 in human years in at 150,000. A 10 year old Benz is in the nursing home. A Subaru is somewhere in the middle. At least some Subarus have timing belts and interference engines. If you don't replace the timing belt in an interference engine and it breaks, you'll really damage the engine.

dannysengineportal.com

Interference Or Non Interference Engines, Timing Is Everything

So, the term, interference or non-interference engine, makes a big difference, if you ever have a timing problem. And, if you ever have a broken timing
dannysengineportal.com dannysengineportal.com

I'm not sure what their timing belt replacement schedule is, but at 90k you're close if not already there. That's not a cheap fix, figure $1,000+. $15k seems high for most things with 90k miles.
 
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