Is Subaru now an after thought company?

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Is there a perfect automobile today? Has there ever been?


All manufacturers make at least one solid engine/car platform. I agree though, there is no perfect automobile.

If reliability is the main concern, just buy a base Toyota Corolla lol. Have fun.
 
On a positive note, Subaru has the best CVT and AWD on the market. You won't find any Subaru CVT failures and their AWD is superior to the rest.
 
Originally Posted By: buster
Quote:
Is there a perfect automobile today? Has there ever been?


All manufacturers make at least one solid engine/car platform. I agree though, there is no perfect automobile.

If reliability is the main concern, just buy a base Toyota Corolla lol. Have fun.


umm 1ZZ-FE engines were oil burners 2AZ-FE are oil burners and have head bolt issues..
 
Originally Posted By: SkyActivG
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
It's always entertaining to watch posters use facts and logic in a brand bashing thread, whether it's about Government Motors, Just Empty Every Pocket, or the beloved Toyota and Honda.

I can't ever remember a dedicated Subaru bashing thread here. My neighbor owns one. He is a left wing, old hippie from the '60's (he uses a Hookah). That explains enough for me.
wink.gif


Subaru may have engine problems, but their real downfall is their marketing choices:

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Subaru does seem to have the most pronounced Love-Hate paradox of all vehicles. When somebody here announces they bought one, everyone gives a hearty congratulatory pat on the back about the most reliable vehicle on the planet. When someone brings up a problem, people come out of the woodwork to proclaim all of Subaru's downfalls. Very interesting.


There's no brand bashing. The thread was to see what other bitog members think of Subaru's never ending oil consumption issues. If I were bashing. I would flat out say Subaru's are Junk and not to buy one. I've owned an Impreza with the EJ engine, which was very reliable to 70k. It was traded on a CR-Z
I think we know what "powered" Lance now.
 
[/quote] Perhaps your evidence is also anecdotal. I know folks who swear their Fiats never broke. [/quote]

Uh-huh! Must have been talking about a weekend rental...

And I had a buddy who bought (by the DOZEN!)and carried multiple (dual) point sets for his Fiat 131, claiming after the 1st year he could replace them (in the rain, in the dark without a flashlight) with only a feeler gauge)...

p.s. I didn't even know you could actually RENT a Fiat!

p.p.s. Remember the Fiat 131 vs. the Volvo 242 ad's? "SAVE $4000"
 
IMHO the 2014 Outback we bought last Summer was absolutely the best combination of quality, capability & value out there.

As for Subaru being an "after thought company", everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but...

Just take a look at their sales figures, the number of twenty+ year-old Subaru's out there, the scarcity of used one's, etc.

p.s. Consumer Reports ain't my automotive expert, either.
 
Looks like I need to start buying up mid-late 2000's Foresters & Outbacks with bad HG's again. Did that for awhile with late 90's, early 2000's versions. They're a fantastic car when maintained. Yes they have HG issues, but it's a cheap, easy repair for the DIY'er, and it's not horribly expensive at the dealer either. They seem to leak most at the first big cold spike every fall.
 
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I guess I should just abandon all hope with my 2014 WRX. Leave that sucker on the side of the road with a "FREE" sign. All because what I learned on BITOG. I'll put a little note on it: "Everything still works...just waxed", and "Amsoil fluids since OEM fluid change"

Please give me a call and warn me when the oil consumption is going to start, is all I ask, so I can tell the new owner, unless you want to call him direct.
 
Originally Posted By: krismoriah72
Originally Posted By: SkyActivG
The primary motive of this thread is the Oil burning issues. Subaru has yet to remedy the problem because it is apparent in the all new Legacy.


There is probably 100 other subaru oil burning threads and probably more toyota oil burning threads. Subaru like Toyota and other companies are cutting corners to keep up with technology and pricing. Yeah those companies used to focus on engines, but it became a war of who had the best/most cup holders, or bluetooth, or navigation, leather heated memory seats.. [censored] some people have to have the keyless ignition. The list goes on and on of what a modern car has to have to be competitive.

Is there a perfect automobile today? Has there ever been? Take a drive down the road and look at all the multimillion dollar service centers..every dealer has them..along with 10 or 20 mechanics that work 40 hour weeks.

Subarus from the 80s leaked oil and rusted like [censored], subarus from the 90s werent too bad. The 2000s gave us a thirst for power..so they created the 2.5...it all went down hill for subaru after that. As soon as they fixed the piston slap and head gaskets they decided to put a timing chain on it...now it burns oil. YMMV.







The decision to move from a glorified rubber band to a proper chain driven setup didn't cause the oil consumption.

It's a step in the right direction; if I buy one of these, I would only have to worry about adding a quart of oil. I won't have to worry about the rubber band or pulleys snapping and destroying the engine; I won't have to pay $1000 multiple times over the life of the car to have the rubber band changed; I won't have to drop loads of money having the head gaskets changed.

I'd trade a timing belt, known pulley issues and known head gasket issues for oil consumption any day of the week.
 
I'm of the opinion that the oil consumption issues are really just a very vocal minority. I know it's a small data point, but I've had 2 2010+ Subarus with the FB25 and no oil consumption.
 
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Originally Posted By: glock19
I'm of the opinion that the oil consumption issues are really just a very vocal minority. I know it's a small data point, but I've had 2 2010+ Subarus with the FB25 and no oil consumption.


That's my take as well although the only Subaru I've ever owned is 14 years old and has EJ25. Based on the most recent Buyers Guide from Consumer Reports, Outback MY's 2010-13 have next to perfect reliability. Now, CR might not be perfect, but I think it's a pretty good information source.
 
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Originally Posted By: anl0109
Originally Posted By: glock19
I'm of the opinion that the oil consumption issues are really just a very vocal minority. I know it's a small data point, but I've had 2 2010+ Subarus with the FB25 and no oil consumption.


That's my take as well although the only Subaru I've ever owned is 14 years old and has EJ25. Based on the most recent Buyers Guide from Consumer Reports, Outback MY's 2010-13 have next to perfect reliability. Now, CR might not be perfect, but I think it's a pretty good information source.
CR also rates Toyotas highly and plenty of folks whine about them as well. Sometimes CR creates high expectations which are aften followed by later disappointment.
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
CR also rates Toyotas highly and plenty of folks whine about them as well. Sometimes CR creates high expectations which are aften followed by later disappointment.


That could be but I don't look for information on Toyotas much. (I've never owned one and no one that I know of in the family has.) It seems though that just about all of my friends and acquaintances that have or used to have a Toyota have had positive ownership experience. But then again... this is anecdotal evidence and as such probably doesn't have much weight for general public.
 
I used to maintain a 2002 Forester, and besides having all kinds of hard to fix things, the brakes and ride were terrible too. It was traded on for $750 on a new Ford that the GF absolutely loves. The Subaru only had 133K miles on it and was more expensive new than the Ford that replaced it. I am so glad that Subaru is gone now!
 
Originally Posted By: Norm Olt

Just take a look at their sales figures, the number of twenty+ year-old Subaru's out there, the scarcity of used one's, etc.

p.s. Consumer Reports ain't my automotive expert, either.


I agree on the point about Consumer Reports, but not so much on the point about there being lots of 20+ year old Subarus. If there are lots of 20+ year old Subarus, that speaks volumes about how they were built 20 years ago, but almost nothing about how they are built today.
 
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I used to maintain a 2002 Forester, and besides having all kinds of hard to fix things, the brakes and ride were terrible too. It was traded on for $750 on a new Ford that the GF absolutely loves. The Subaru only had 133K miles on it and was more expensive new than the Ford that replaced it. I am so glad that Subaru is gone now!


Yeah, Subarus can get expensive around the 100K mile marker. I had to do timing belt (+ related components), two struts, CV boot, one wheel bearing, etc on my 2002 with 100K+ miles. Nothing unusual, I suppose, given age and mileage. The biggest bill was the headgasket replacement but that's not uncommon and should be planned for with the 2.5L N/A motor. Hope to get another 100K miles out of all of that though. Thankfully, ride, adverse weather performance and overall functionality have been great all along so the car is a keeper.
 
4 people I work with daily all have subarus 1-3 years old. None have had any problems with them. I sees track time several times per year. 2 have the H6, 1 has a N/A 4, one has the turbo 4. Oh and his wife has a newer forester (too new to have developed problems yet).

my family has had 4, 2 of them smaller than the 2.5. of the two 2.5's, one is around 200,000 with no trouble and the other croaked inside it's warranty after the dealer added 4.5qts of oil without draining the previous 4.5.

I read all about it on bitog, but just haven't seen many problems with them up from people I know.
 
Originally Posted By: anl0109
The biggest bill was the headgasket replacement but that's not uncommon and should be planned for with the 2.5L N/A motor.


A head gasket is not routine maintenance! Maybe on Subaru's and some Hondas (or so I understand) but otherwise no.
 
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