How many miles on YOUR Subaru?

[Jim85CJ]

87 Ford Taurus - 70K when head gaskets blew. Replaced and sold with
over 100K (had a weird short issue I couldn't resolve)

 

[Michael R Kirschner]

2002 Outback 46k miles. Fla twice mountains to go sking in the winters
.. Best all around sport utility wagon.
Mike in South jersey

 

[Betsy]

That's pretty much what I was looking for when I started this whole thing,
just an idea of what the readers of this newsgroup have experienced with
their Subarus. It's not scientific, but it's info from real people and that
counts for something.

Thank you to everyone who responded....it's great to know there are so many
high-mileage Subarus out there. I hope my Forester lasts is still going
after 200K!!

Betsy

 

[Debra Co]

89 Toyota Corolla had 77000 miles after 12 years. Nothing was wrong with it
mechanically at all. The biggest repair job was replacing the timing belt at
60K miles. I just got sick of manual windows and rust. The crappy tires kept
going flat for some reason even after I bought new ones. So far no flats after
3 years with my Subie and much harder, agressive driving.

 

[mikey]

You're right. It would be much more interesting to see how long
(short?) people's previous non-Subaru's lasted.

'93 Ford Taurus, 88k miles, head gasket. Our mechanic did *not*
want us to pay him $2,500 to fix it. He said it would just
break again.

'95 Ford Contour, 93k miles, transmission fried for the second
time. The first time was at 42k miles --- 6 months after the
warranty expired.

My current '03 Forester X has only 15k miles. I'm hoping, knock wood, it
does better.

-R.

1990 toyota corolla 217,000 miles still going strong.
2003 subaru forester 9,500 miles hoping to last a while.
mikey.

 

[Hallraker]

It looks like I will not quite make the 500,000 mile mark in my 1985 XT
Turbo Coupe. I'm today 133 miles short and it seems I have the first
major problem with the car that I have ever had. On the trip back from
the lake this past weekend we got about half way home when the heat gauge
climbed into the quite warm range, not so any red lights came on but into
the hot by one bar. We stopped and cooled the engine down at the side of
the road by leaving the electric fan running till we could remove the
radiator cap. Refilled the coolant into the radiator from the overflow
tank and drove it in the remaining 80 miles we had to go to home without
air conditioning. It looks like the overflow tank is filled with foam and
it pushes out more coolant than the tank will hold leaving the radiator
short of coolant when it sucks the coolant back into the system. To me it
looks like a head or a head gasket may be gone. I think I'll try to have
it repaired as the car uses no oil yet and is just the most excellent auto
I have ever driven. I bought the car with 8 tenths of a mile on it so
have personally put every mile on the car since it was new. Still sounds
good but running hot is a poor sign! I can't smell antifreeze in the
exhaust but there still is something wrong.

I blew a head gasket in my Ford and drove it well over 100 miles in that
state! Surely a Subie can go at least two or three times that distance with
a blown head gasket!

-Matt

 

[Rick Courtright]

While it is my wife's car, I find it very difficult to drive smoothly.
It has been like this since new. The engine does not have enough
flywheel and stalls easily if you get sloppy starting out. It also has
absolutely no torque below 1500 rpms. When shifting, the engine takes

Rob,

I can't speak to all the issues you mentioned, but would any of the
difficulty in driving smoothly have anything to do with the fact it
sounds like you've got the engine idling down the road? It's not
SUPPOSED to have any torque <1500 rpm!

Subie engines aren't exactly like some other 4 cylinders in response or
driving style. You might be able to putt about with a Nissan or Toyota
truck, but a Subie's gonna wish you'd just be kind and shut it off below
about 3000. And it won't cry if you hit close to redline once and a
while getting the spiders out of the exhaust.

Try keeping it wound up a bit and give us a report back if that makes a
difference. I'm kinda curious...

Rick

 

[Hal Whelply]

Maybe so. But the other piece of the puzzlement is that Subaru, which I hope
for the sake of my '04 Forester XT is a very reliable car, is not the only
car on the market that will go long distances with relatively few--or
no--mechanical problems. Most any Honda or Toyota, given decent care, will
do so. The nearest Acura dealer recently had on display a first-generation
Legend that had gone over 300K. Volvos purportedly run an average of 22
years in service (though, as owner of a Volvo, I find that statistic
suspect). For that matter, my son-in-law has an old Chevy truck with
160,000+ miles and no major repair. I know people who swear by Oldsmobiles,
or Buicks. So, I still don't really get the point of this survey. I'd be
much more interested in which repairs costing over $100 (not routine
maintenance, brake pad replacements, etc.) have been needed, and at what
mileage.

HW

 

[name]

Rob Munach wrote:

flywheel and stalls easily if you get sloppy starting out. It also has
absolutely no torque below 1500 rpms. When shifting, the engine takes

Try higher octane gas. There might be light pinging, and the computer
is retarding the spark, which kills the torque.

 

[Rob Munach]

Rob Munach wrote:




Rob,

I can't speak to all the issues you mentioned, but would any of the
difficulty in driving smoothly have anything to do with the fact it
sounds like you've got the engine idling down the road? It's not
SUPPOSED to have any torque <1500 rpm!

Subie engines aren't exactly like some other 4 cylinders in response or
driving style. You might be able to putt about with a Nissan or Toyota
truck, but a Subie's gonna wish you'd just be kind and shut it off below
about 3000. And it won't cry if you hit close to redline once and a
while getting the spiders out of the exhaust.

Try keeping it wound up a bit and give us a report back if that makes a
difference. I'm kinda curious...

RICK

Rick,

Of course I don't drive around at 1500 rpms, but there are times in
first gear that it is below 1500 rpm (especially when the clutch
chatters )and it doesn't like to accelerate. It just ain't very forgiving.

Take Care,

Rob

 

[Rob Munach]

Rob Munach wrote:





Try higher octane gas. There might be light pinging, and the computer
is retarding the spark, which kills the torque.

You may be correct about the computer. I have since noticed that the
lack of torque does correspond with some pinging.

Take Care,

Rob

 

[worzacct]

Currently driving a '92 SVX with 142k miles
My wife drives a '00 Outback wagon with 63K (not one repair in 4 years
other than one spark plug need replacement after the 30k service)
My son drives a 95 Legacy wagon with over 140k miles (gave it to him
after putting on the first 126k miles)

 

[Rick Courtright]

Of course I don't drive around at 1500 rpms, but there are times in
first gear that it is below 1500 rpm (especially when the clutch
chatters )and it doesn't like to accelerate. It just ain't very forgiving.

Rob,

Sorry if I misunderstood what you were telling us! I've known a LOT of
people who DON'T keep their 4 cylinders wound up enough: they insist on
shifting too soon, so they actually DO have the engine down around 1500
rpm in actual driving situations. Most of 'em are scared they'll blow
things up if they run the engine "too fast."

And then there ARE engines that will pull from very low rpms: I had a
Toyota truck that would actually take off from a level stop without much
complaint in 3rd gear (don't ask how I learned that--someone musta been
asleep at the wheel that day!) while I've yet to see a Subie that
doesn't like some "encouragement" from the throttle to get going in
first as you've noted! Live and learn, eh?

Rick

 

[cgilb]

1997 Outback Wagon AWD: 107,000 miles
1993 Impreza Wagon 2WD: 82,000 miles

1997 Outback: Short block changed at 80,000 miles and transmission vibrating
while turning to be fixed in the near future.

Claude

 

[Richard Chang]

My 2001 Forester has 51,000 miles. While it hasn't needed any repairs,
it just does not feel like it is going to go the distance. The shifter
is getting sloppy and the clutch is chattering when cold.

Could this be the well documented clutch shuuder/judder problem?
Better have it looked at before the powertrain warranty runs out:

I have also noticed on 3 or 4 occasions that when pushed to the limit,
the car wants to oversteer badly. It came as a huge suprise as I
expected the front end to push way before this happens. Has anyone else
noticed this?

I didn't buy a tall wagon for its cornering abilities, but I did
notice that the tail steps out during turns in the snow. I read
somewhere someone described the handling as understeering into the turn
and oversteering out of the turn. I guess this surprises drivers used to
front-wheel drive and those used to rear-wheel drive.

-R.

 

[GT]

"Diva" <(e-mail address removed)> a écrit dans le message de I am just enjoying reading the different mileage totals on different

June

Same for me.
G. Tarantino
Switzerland (no Subaru yet)

 

[BlueSTi]

'04 STi with 9,000 miles. I traded a '90 RHD subaru Legacy wagon
with 200,000 mile on it that was used on a mail route.

I bought the STi in January and only drive it about once a week. I
have no idea how I'm been averaging about 1000 miles a month! I ride
my Honda ST1100 over 800 miles a month.

Curtis




BlueSTi
"Scary-Fast"

 

[Tommo]

2002 OBS 48K

 

[Rhesus Monkey]

2005 Forester 600 miles

 

[H]

1986 GL - 223,000 miles
1990 Legacy - 161,000miles
2004 Forester - 9,800miles