Subaru Outback 3.0

Author
Discussion

Mr.Nobody

Original Poster:

875 posts

55 months

Saturday 16th March
quotequote all
Any help or advice on a Subaru Outback 3.0? I’ve always liked them and you don’t see many of them on the road. Plus I’ve never owned a Subaru.

Krikkit

26,984 posts

188 months

Saturday 16th March
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Which generation?

My Mrs has had the 2.4 NA of all generations and the only thing I ever wanted was some more power. Great cars.

Mr.Nobody

Original Poster:

875 posts

55 months

Saturday 16th March
quotequote all
Krikkit said:
Which generation?

My Mrs has had the 2.4 NA of all generations and the only thing I ever wanted was some more power. Great cars.
It’s an 06 plate.

Cambs_Stuart

3,113 posts

91 months

Saturday 16th March
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I've got a 2006 3.0 legacy, which is a very similar car, albeit with lower suspension. Rust is the big killer, but common issues are wishbone and ARB bushes, wheel bearings, and the coolant cross over pipes. The pipes are a pain the change, but most parts are easy to get hold of and they're fairly easy to work on.
Rear brake pipes can rust and fail, and that's a big job to fix.
But they're a brilliant family car, quiet and comfortable, they feel really spacious due to all the glass. My children have the least amount of car sickness of any car I've owned. The boot is huge and they can swallow bikes, drum kits and masses of luggage. They are also very enjoyable to hustle along. The AWD system is fantastic and the 3.0 engine just brilliant. But they are very thirsty.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Davie

4,991 posts

222 months

Sunday 17th March
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I've procrastinated on and off about a Spec B Legacy with the 3.0 but have never pulled the trigger as the cool kids say. Potential corrosion concerns was the biggest hurdle to get over but I believed they can be quite spendy if certain key parts fail. So the advice seemed to be to spend more to bug the best example possible as, much liked many cars, a perceived cheaper one could prove costly to put right.

pti

1,744 posts

151 months

Monday 18th March
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Not an Outback but I always fancied a 3.0 Spec B Legacy. The thirst, tax and potential rust put me off.

So I bought a JDM 2.0 GT Spec B instead. Half the tax and zero rust (imported 2019). Still likes a drink mind.

Roger Irrelevant

3,109 posts

120 months

Monday 18th March
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Cambs_Stuart said:
I've got a 2006 3.0 legacy, which is a very similar car, albeit with lower suspension. Rust is the big killer, but common issues are wishbone and ARB bushes, wheel bearings, and the coolant cross over pipes. The pipes are a pain the change, but most parts are easy to get hold of and they're fairly easy to work on.
Rear brake pipes can rust and fail, and that's a big job to fix.
But they're a brilliant family car, quiet and comfortable, they feel really spacious due to all the glass. My children have the least amount of car sickness of any car I've owned. The boot is huge and they can swallow bikes, drum kits and masses of luggage. They are also very enjoyable to hustle along. The AWD system is fantastic and the 3.0 engine just brilliant. But they are very thirsty.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Yup. I had a 2005 3.0 Outback and the above pretty much nails it. I always say that if you're doing low-ish miles and need/want something genuinely good off-road then they're brilliant. However doing circa 17k miles p.a. I did find that I was replacing bits a bit too often for my liking. I didn't find the fuel consumption too bad for a 3 litre petrol AWD slushmatic - mid to high 20s was the norm, sometimes saw saw 30, but a lot worse than my current XC70 which has just as good 'real world' performance (but in fairness my XC70 cost a lot more). Mine was scabby as hell underneath when I got rid, I can't believe there will be many left that are too different, plus the VED on later ones is a bit mad.

Krikkit

26,984 posts

188 months

Thursday 21st March
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Always seems odd as our UK Outback was in very good condition rust-wise when we sold it at 160k miles and 14 years old.