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Looking at 2007-2009 3.0 Outback

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2.5K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  asjoseph  
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#1 ·
Hi people :D

Looking at getting my first Outback, this will be third Subaru having just sold my 2001 GTB E Tune. So I'd like to ask a few questions for the experts out there.

I'm in New Zealand so we get alot of used Japanese Subaru's. I took a 2005 3.0L Outback for a run today and was left pretty satisfied. For some reason I want a 2007+ years so I get SI Drive, so my first question is it really worth it?

My second question is how many gears are the autos? My previous cars have all been manuals so haven't paid the autos any attention before.

Righto onto the third question, what fuel are people using? I read somewhere that the H6 3.0 can get heat spots if running on low octane, in NZ we have 91, 95 and 98. I ran my GTB only on 98 as it gave far better fuel consumption etc but ideally I'd prefer to save a few bucks and run just 95 I cringe when I see people fuel up Subaru's on 91.

The last question is how many airbags can I expect to get? Should have had a better look today and quizzed the dealer but I did only see the front two, no other tags on seats etc...

I understand that you probably get a lot of these basic queries from newbie :D so hope

Look forward to your replies.

Cheers
 
#2 ·
The '07 3.0 has a 5-speed AT with a lockup converter. The SI business is clever, I agree.

The 3.0 is considerably more tolerant of low octane than the turbo 4, but 98 would still be preferred.

A US-built 2007 should have 8 airbags: front dash, front curtains, front seat sides, rear curtains. Dunno if the Japan-built models differ.

Welcome & good luck!
 
#3 ·
SI drive is definitely worth it. I just purchased an '09. You will get better mileage and better performance, it's really handy and it is well suited to the 3.0 when you can only get the auto. I wouldn't probably want the flat 6 without it.
 
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#6 ·
... wonderful cars. Very comfortable. Once upon a time Subaru boasted the most lightweight 4WD vehicles. Not anymore. Once upon a time Subaru boasted the most loyal ownership following. Not anymore. Subarus are infamous for (1) awful fuel consumption, (2) overheating, and (3) dealership abuse (e.g., presenting your Subaru for service, they treat like their personal ATM machine).

Driven gingerly, my 2007 Outback averages 22 miles per gallon. It gets such awful fuel consumption, I can barely afford to drive it. The worst of the worst, Subaru's three liter, 6-cylinder variant gets such awful fuel consumption, it's typically measured in YPGs (e.g., yards per gallon).

Every other service, "... it's time to service the diff, sir." Because differential service isn't covered under routine maintenance, that will set you back an additional couple hundred, over and above routine maintenance. Every 40 thousand miles, "...it's time to change the timing belts, sir." Not covered under routine service, timing belts will set you back a cool thousand bux, over and above the cost of scheduled service.

Buy a Toyota...


Samuel, '07 Outback
 
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