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tmidgett wrote:Subarus are the best snow cars on the planet. i drove a suburu outback for about five years up until last spring. i now have a very nice nissan maxima, but jesus, the snow issues...specifically on a day like today - i used to love telling people who were in my car "WATCH THIS" as i would park on the most insane snow piles...you could drive through anything.i miss that.andyk

I picked up a used 2006 Forester from Evanston Subaru this past September. Great car! I no longer have to shovel my car out in the morning. I just hit the gas and there she goes! She's not so much with the gas millage compared with my old Toyota Echo, but the Echo acted like a frightened turtle in the snow.

So, I just tested out a Forester and an Outback. The Forester was really nice, but the stereo system and the inside wasn't as cool as the Outback. The prices were pretty similar. I drove it on the highway and the streets... and best of all, we pulled them out of the parking spaces that were under a foot of snow with ease!I ended up going with a 2009 Subaru Outback 2.5i (base model), diamond gray with the silver trim. Looks niiiiiiice, drives awwwwwesome! There's a special going on at the dealer I went to. $1500 cash back plus 3.9 APR for 3 years (4.9 after). I haggled them down more until they wouldn't go any lower. I pick it up Monday or Tuesday. Can't wait!

I'm looking to buy a car and I have two in mind. I need something that could haul a small trailer full of music equipment. I was looking at the Subaru Outback and Forester. I've read and heard good things about Subarus, that they are easy to upkeep and last forever.Both cars have the same engine: 170hp (6,000 rpm)/170lb-ft torque (4,400rpm), 2.5L 4-cylinder engine, 4-speed automatic.The Outback has a towing capacity of 2700lbs. The Forester can handle 2400lbs. Does anyone have any experience with or own either car? I'm leaning towards the Outback. I was hoping to test drive them today, but it's snowing like crazy out.

My wife and I have an 2001 Outback with 279,000 miles on it. Just drove it over 40 hours over the holidays. (From Athens to Indianapolis and back, and then from Athens to Washington DC and back.)Everything still works on it. The air, the power steering, the cruise control, the stereo.Oh, wait, the little light that backlights the stations on the radio went out. It idles a little rich when the choke is engaged is supercold weather, and the transmission slips the first time it shifts down on really cold mornings, but not again after that. It's done that for 110,000 miles. Seems like it's not going to be a big deal.You could do a lot worse than getting a Subaru.

BadComrade wrote:bfields wrote:I no longer have to shovel my car out in the morning. I just hit the gas and there she goes!Yeah, I love about my STi as well. It's also fun to park on a mountain of snow and ice in a parking spot no one else would even think of trying to park in. Just don't drive around thinking that having all-wheel drive will give your car the same kind of traction it has on dry pavement, and you'll be fine. The only thing all-wheel drive is good for is if one drive wheel has no forward traction in snow, you've got 3 more that probably do, and they'll pull you through and get / keep you moving. Cracks me up when I see morons in SUVs spin out in the snow because they thought they could just whip the wheel in a high speed turn and be fine. I've known a couple of people who have owned Subarus that were 20+ years old. That was half the reason why I decided to buy mine. If you do buy one, just make sure you do all of the scheduled maintenance. There are extra things on an all-wheel drive vehicle (like front and rear differentials) that you might not think about, which require their fluids to be changed periodically.+1Also- lemur, my wife works all over the country with her acting gig, so she does a LOT of driving.

tmidgett wrote:Are you buying new? I have advice if you are buying new.You told me your new car buying technique once. I was trying to pass it on to my parents recently, but I couldn't remember the full story. Please repeat.

dontfeartheringo wrote:My wife and I have an 2001 Outback with 279,000 miles on it.Damn, dude, that's a fuckload of miles for 7-8 years.

my uncle has an outback that he has had for what feels like forever. he a has a good sized boat that he drags around with it. he is a complaining son of a bitch, but i havent heard him complain about his outback once.

I have a Forester. 70k mi on it, I think? No real problems--bad wheel bearing, that was about it.I used to have a WRX, which I sold. I regret selling it, somewhat. It was awesome to drive, but I didn't really need it.I'd buy another Subaru in a heartbeat. Subarus are the best snow cars on the planet. I have driven our Forester through two feet of snow, no problem.Subarus tend to be light on little featury doodads, which I appreciate. The boxer engine will run forever. They're a bit sluggish with the auto trans and no turbo, but it's workable. The WRX/turbo Forester are really quick and great fun to drive.The nice thing about the Forester is that you can fit an entire china hutch or an entire flat-packed IKEA kitchen or almost all of a band's gear in it, without towing.But they're both great cars.Are you buying new? I have advice if you are buying new.