What should I get?

[xdodgemanx]

I would like to purchase used one for daughter. What year/engine should I look for that's most reliable? Thanks

 

[14850]

Depends a lot on your budget and her use. But I am 100% inflexible about only buying older Subarus with documented history of having timing belt/head gasket/water pump service done. I just bought my 5th (6th?) Subaru today. A 2010 Forester with a manual from a guy who buys them does a massive service (above plus brakes and tires, etc.) and resells. All he does is Subarus, and most of what he does is 2008-2011 and selling in the $5,000-7,000 range. This was my target, and what I ended up buying. There were newer that looked nice, but had no maintenance records, there were cheaper, there was a CVT Outback that looked promising, but I am still not convinced.


Anyways, I feel that with a 2009 or 2010 with great service history, including recent gasket/timing belt and a manual or the 4 speed auto, you can have a reliable car for another 100K. If the kid is a car killer, won't check/change oil, won't drive smoothly, won't keep up on small fixes, then a Honda CR-V or a RAV4 is a good bet.