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Should I still purchase the vehicle

Contemplating 2015 Outback Purchase with potential CVT ISSUE

2K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  backouturabus 
#1 ·
Im contemplating the purchase of a 2015 Outback with 17,000 miles but have recently learned about the warranty extension regarding the CVT. My issue is that I drive 25,000 miles a year and would therefore be out of the extended warranty in 3 1/2 years. If the transmission fails beyond that point I am looking at an $8000 repair. My intent is to drive the car for 200,000+ miles. Knowing that there could be a potential issue should I still make the purchase?

Please vote and provide feedback YES or NO
 
#2 ·
By "potential CVT issue", do you mean "it might fail at some point", or is there some specific issue with this particular car?

I generally plan to drive cars for 200,000 miles or more, too, but seldom make it. They wear out (or get destroyed in a collision) a little short of that most of the time. Of course, some of the problems are age-related more than mileage related, but that particular car would be only ten years old by the time you reach 200,000 miles.

Only you can decide what's right for you. With mine, I'm going to evaluate what to do in a few years, as it approaches the end of the extended bumper-to-bumper warranty. There are more geegaws in this car than I'm used to, not just the CVT, and I suspect many of them will be expensive to fix.
 
#3 ·
I should have clarified that it doesn't have any issues. It might fail. Which is true for any vehicle, but in this case theres obviously more of a potential problem. If I didn't know there was a potential issue then I would definitely buy it. Your right though. There is no right decision. Just what works for me.

Its a 3.6R Limited that doesn't have eyesight, nav or a moonroof so theres less crap that can break, but it does have the powered lift gate, which I wish it didn't have. I can definitely see that thing breaking. Just hope that when it does I can still use it manually. I Just like getting to the point where I don't have car payment for three or four years.
 
#4 ·
Lots of complaints about torque converter on both gen 4 and gen 5 forums. And difference between 2016 (that did not get the extended warranty) and 2015 is in guess what?
On the other hand, IMO chance to get high miles out of 2015 is by driving a lot of miles on highway in a short time period.
 
#10 ·
Let me get this straight...

You're shopping for a used car, and the manufacturer of one of your candidates just announced that they're giving a warranty extension on an expensive part... and you're more suspicious of it than you were originally?

When you make a plan to keep a new car to 200k, that's the moment when you are officially declaring that warranties aren't very important because you expect between half and three quarters of your total usage to occur while no warranty is in effect, given that most new-car warranties span 50-100k. You're accepting that risk at that point. With a used car, you don't usually even have that much coverage.

I can certainly understand your hesitancy to commit to these new CVT transmissions. They're expensive, relatively new, and essential to the car. All I can suggest is that you consider what it is going to save you in fuel. Granted, you don't have a choice of getting the old proven transmission and its reduced MPGs.

Over 200k miles, a 30MPG car will use ~1000 gallons less fuel than a 26MPG car.

Even if you look at a bad case- say it blows out the day after the extended warranty ends, halfway to your goal and let's say gas stays dirt cheap. You would have already pocketed a substantial fraction of what a trans replacement would cost. Not a total offset, but something to consider.
 
#11 ·
I drive as much as you and really need a the vehicle to last 250,000 miles. We will be out of the warranty period sooner rather than later and KNOWING there is already an issue, I would skip it. They are offering an extended warranty, but if you're already feeling iffy about it, just go with a different vehicle. There is always another Subaru.
 
#14 ·
Thanks all. I didn't buy it. Put a deposit on 2017 3.6R Limited Eyesight etc. White w/light interior. With 0% for 63 months it was only $3000 more than the 15 with 17,000 miles. Only $500 down. Used cars are pricey. I asked the salesman which outbacks were covered under CVT warranty extension. He said 15 early 16....We'll see. I'll know if a get a warranty extension too.
 
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