2003 Subaru Outback consumer reviews

I love this car. When my son was young, we used it for car camping and long trips. The past 6 years I've carried two bicycles for trips near and far. I feel safe and am never afraid that this 6 cylinder will fail me entering a ramp or up a hill. The visibility is great. I would still be driving this if I hadn't purchased a new Subaru to make this 2003 available for a family member.

This car is Soooo reliable. Never gets stuck. No major repairs or problems in 300,000 miles. Minimal maintenance. Love it! Will get another one.

My vehicle has over 220,000 miles and is still going strong. I bought this brand new and have serviced it at all the intervals and it looks and drives like a new car. I prefer this car to any other.

I have owned Toyota, Audi, Ford, Volvo, and VW, and none even come close to the reliability, practicality, and performance of my Subaru Outback. These older Subarus are amazing! I live where we have a high Subaru per ca-pita, and for good reason. Great gas mileage, affordable maintenance, great on bad roads due to standard all wheel drive, and they look great too. My Subi has 160k miles and going strong!

My husband and I have already had several issues with our purchased vehicle from Dan Deery Toyota not just a week after driving it off the lot. It was simply not serviced before it was sold; now needing fluid flushes, replacement parts, tires etc. costing upwards of $1500.00 which is over 1/4 value of the car itself. This is unsettling and upsetting - BUYER BEWARE

If this car were the automatic transmission I would have kept it. I only sold it because I am not good with a clutch!

I bought my 2003 Subaru Outback used 7 years ago, with 94,000 miles on it. I could have bought a new one for all of the money I have put into it. After 6 mos., and 2,000 miles later, I had to put in a new engine (had 21,000 miles on it). Less than a year later, with about 108,000 miles I had to have the transmission rebuilt. I've had to put new rotors and brake pads on it several times, and have had to change the tires every couple of years because they keep wearing uneven. I only average about 10,000 miles per year (only longer trip I was able to make, was right after I had the engine replaced, I drove from Michigan to Florida and back - other then that, I rarely drove it more than 15 - 20 miles because I simply did not trust it to not break down). The car now has 166,000 miles on the actual car (91,000 on engine and about 81,000 on transmission), and it has lost a lot of power for some unknown reason. The heat shield has been lose for several years (Have had it repeatedly refastened), and vibrates very noisily. Now the exhaust system is in 3 pieces, so my car sits in the parking lot, and I can't drive it because I am worried about sinking more money into it (plus I don't have the $) just to not be able to go anywhere because I worry about something else going wrong.... Otherwise, it is GREAT in the snow, but the cabin noise is extra loud.

I have the Vdc model. The AWD and Vdc system work great!! Great in snow. Can do Mild off-roading with ease. Rimless window noise is present, but can be shimed. Mine has new Struts all the way around, so rides firm. Takes highspeed turns without bodyroll or tire slip. The 200+hp engine does not jump, but is smooth enough to pass 80MPH and not really notice your speeding. Mileage is varied,...i get combined 23MPG, 70% highway, If driving Offroad, hard and fast, about 16-18MPG. I have 270,000 miles on mine,...If you take great care of this car, it will last a very long time. You will have rust by rear wheels, The Windows do make noise, The 4cyl may have a head gasket problem, The 6cyl feels underpowered, but,... Very safe, parts not hard to find, not a bugeye,lol, holds value if you take care of it, The Awd system is 25% power to each axle, untill one losses power. You only need to grab with one wheel to move, Great first car!!!!!

Cars.com helped to find the perfect car. I was able to limit my search to the general area, to the price and to the make and model I was looking for. Through them, I found a wonderful dealership that had not one, but two cars that fit my needs. Cars.com was essential in finding the car I needed in the time I had, since I lost my old car in a car crash.

The car is what I came for not so concerned about service, but they were nice and very accomodating. I hope to have this car for a very long time!