I bought my first Subaru, a 2.5 liter model, in 1997, and it proved to be the most reliable and most durable car that I ever owned. It was superior to everything else that preceded it, including a Honda Accord, a Ford Taurus, a VW Karmann Ghia, a Chevy Citation, a Dodge, and it was light years better than the worst car that I ever owned, a Volvo 240.
During the 5 years that I owned my '97 Outback, it needed only one repair--an alternator that failed at around 97k miles. Despite the fact that the car was out of warranty by that time, SOA provided a new alternator free of charge. So, my 5 years of ownership resulted in payment for only maintenance. No repair costs whatsoever.
The '97 Outback was so good, and the dealership treated me so well, that I bought a second Outback in '02. My brother bought the '97 model from me, and he soon found that it was more reliable than his other car, a '96 Camry.
He kept that '97 Outback for 6 years, and in that period of time it needed only two repairs--the dreaded head gasket replacement, and the replacement of a lower suspension arm. The head gasket job was done at ~110,000 miles, and the lower suspension arm was replaced at around 135k miles. SOA went "halfsies" on the head gasket replacement, so his total repair expenditures over those 6 years were actually far less than what he spent to keep his Camry going.
My '02 Outback currently has 101k+ miles on the odometer. The only repair that it has needed in 8 years is replacement of the tensioner and the idler pulley for the serpentine belt. No other repairs. Only maintenance expenses.
As a result of my extremely postive experience over a period of 13 years, with two Subarus, I will shortly order my third Outback. When I bought my second Outback, this marked the first time in my life that I had bought any make of car twice. I would not have bought the second Subaru if my first one had not been so reliable and so durable. And, needless to say, I would not be planning on buying my third Subaru if my experiences with the second one had not been so exceptional.
All of this being said, I have to point out that very good maintenance played at least some part in this stellar record of reliability/durability. Subaru owners who are slipshod with maintenance, and especially those who are careless by not running the car with matched tires, are not likely to do anywhere nearly as well as I have done with my cars. If you maintain them properly, and if you heed the cautions in the Owner's Manual regarding tires, you should be able to do as well as I have--and that is pretty darn good.