FF02,

3rd time Subie owner here. The 1985 square box was a cult vehicle, like a VW Beetle, but still fun for the granola crunching, Birkenstock wearing, cycling, skiing, fishing, and camping crowd, and pre-lesbo reputation model. I drove my 2000 Subie Outback 200,000 miles over 14 years, and it was larger, far more comfortable, and even more suited to the above activities while getting the same gas mileage. Had the 2014 Outback for a year and a half now. It's slightly larger than the 2000, has an inch higher ground clearance (good for boat launching at Knapton), and if Subie ownership was ever gonna' make me a lesbian, I'd be one by now.

I bought this one last year on one of those 0% interest deals, not wanting to pass up free money. As for buying a used Subie, it's not a bad way to go, but you don't save any $$. The price for a used Subie = price of a new Subie minus the $/mile charge they use for calculating used car prices. If you're gonna' drive it a 100,000 miles or more, which is always my plan, buying new is just as economical as used, if not more so. Only problem with new models is that the manual transmission is only available on the lowest end model, and eventually I'll stop trying to step on the clutch with my automatic transmission-equipped Subie.

If another car did all that the Subaru does for the same price, fuel mileage, and comfort, then I'd consider it. But at this point I didn't even look at other makes. And mine doesn't sport a single bumper sticker. So it can be kinda' hard to find it in a crowded parking lot some times.

Sg