Interesting conversation/discussion here.
On the Subie experience, @Philpug for the win. Just a few cars!!
When it was time to buy our daughter her first car, she {a ski racer doing a LOT of driving} wanted an Outback. We found a one owner CPO 2002 H6 VDC. 32K miles. It turned out to be a tremendous car. I bet it would still be going strong, were it not for our discovering a badly rusting {inside out} rear crossmember five years later.
At about the time that we bought that i needed a car that for me leaned toward the appliance. And an AWD wagon. I bought a CPO 2005 LGT wagon. Standard. Among the 60+ cars that my wife and I have owned that one is near the bottom of the least. I could not believe the problems, the cost, and the truly crappy build quality. I hated the transmission, the clutch…the car.
Our daughter replaced her car with a 2008 Outback XT. Our son’s GF had a 2006 3.0R, as did my sister. All bought expecting decent reliable transportation. Not even close. All very costly.
In our extended family we now have 3 latest generation Subies and so far….everybody is pleased. So that’s a plus.
Now during the same years, we have owned a number of now older Toyotas. My wife and I have a 2003 Land Cruiser. Number 4 to us. The last one we gave to my nephew at 400K miles.
My wife is a landscape designer, and a year ago we replaced her much beloved Gen 1 Highlander at 350K miles. “The office” ran pretty well, but it was on borrowed time. Incredibly inexpensive to own. Work truck for her.
We replaced that with a very lightly used Gen 2 Sequioa. Private sale. Cheap. I think we scored a home run on it.
My brother has both an Element and an older Pilot that live as extra vehicles at either their ski or summer homes. Simple, reliable, utilitarian…cheap.
Their daughter has a brand new Pilot and “the jury is out.” One more failure and it’s going back. Dealer also owns Hyundai/Kia stores. They think they should have gone that route.
They still have a Sienna AWD. The bike/sports van. 250K+ hard miles. Runs like a top.
I won’t get into other brands. We own a lot, German cars, many with very high mileage. My brother and I are car guys, and love to do our own work. The older ones are better than the newer ones….simply put.
I guess my big headline is to NOT make any brand assumptions, GOOD OR BAD, based on prior 25, 20, 15 maybe even 10 year old experience.
I still see 25 year old Subies, with duct tape covering rust, all over Northern New England. Huge mileage, still running. And for my money and much experience, the 2005-2009 Legacy wagons and Outbacks were great looking cars. And after that……
I also wholeheartedly agree that most newer cars are quite complex and don’t seem to be destined to have really long reliable lives. So much that I think is unnecessary and just has “fail” written all over it.
A close dealer friend says that his brands….high end….are built to be leased…then sold after 3 years, CPO. No interest or care in the real longevity. No focus. Very different.
My brother swung by his local Audi dealer to pick up some parts for his S8…..driving his 1995.5 S6 Avant. Which is an amazing example. The service manager saw him, said Hi and had 6 or so of his techs come check out the car. Which led to them drawing straws to see who got to take it for a spin. Driver was blown away.
The car is older than 4 of the 6 guys. Build quality is off the charts, along with materials. It is SO obvious.
I’m looking out my window, and can see a bunch of neighbors cars. New Outback, an S5, MDX, QS5, Tacoma, Volvo V90. CRX, and two Lexus RX’s. No question these will be “good cars” for a lot of miles. How long??? Dunno. And how many will keep them past, say 150K? My guess is none…maybe the Tacoma.
Different world. I liked the old car world. When people held onto cars. Before the two year lease, run through any and all businesses!!!!
Grumpy old man!!
On the Subie experience, @Philpug for the win. Just a few cars!!
When it was time to buy our daughter her first car, she {a ski racer doing a LOT of driving} wanted an Outback. We found a one owner CPO 2002 H6 VDC. 32K miles. It turned out to be a tremendous car. I bet it would still be going strong, were it not for our discovering a badly rusting {inside out} rear crossmember five years later.
At about the time that we bought that i needed a car that for me leaned toward the appliance. And an AWD wagon. I bought a CPO 2005 LGT wagon. Standard. Among the 60+ cars that my wife and I have owned that one is near the bottom of the least. I could not believe the problems, the cost, and the truly crappy build quality. I hated the transmission, the clutch…the car.
Our daughter replaced her car with a 2008 Outback XT. Our son’s GF had a 2006 3.0R, as did my sister. All bought expecting decent reliable transportation. Not even close. All very costly.
In our extended family we now have 3 latest generation Subies and so far….everybody is pleased. So that’s a plus.
Now during the same years, we have owned a number of now older Toyotas. My wife and I have a 2003 Land Cruiser. Number 4 to us. The last one we gave to my nephew at 400K miles.
My wife is a landscape designer, and a year ago we replaced her much beloved Gen 1 Highlander at 350K miles. “The office” ran pretty well, but it was on borrowed time. Incredibly inexpensive to own. Work truck for her.
We replaced that with a very lightly used Gen 2 Sequioa. Private sale. Cheap. I think we scored a home run on it.
My brother has both an Element and an older Pilot that live as extra vehicles at either their ski or summer homes. Simple, reliable, utilitarian…cheap.
Their daughter has a brand new Pilot and “the jury is out.” One more failure and it’s going back. Dealer also owns Hyundai/Kia stores. They think they should have gone that route.
They still have a Sienna AWD. The bike/sports van. 250K+ hard miles. Runs like a top.
I won’t get into other brands. We own a lot, German cars, many with very high mileage. My brother and I are car guys, and love to do our own work. The older ones are better than the newer ones….simply put.
I guess my big headline is to NOT make any brand assumptions, GOOD OR BAD, based on prior 25, 20, 15 maybe even 10 year old experience.
I still see 25 year old Subies, with duct tape covering rust, all over Northern New England. Huge mileage, still running. And for my money and much experience, the 2005-2009 Legacy wagons and Outbacks were great looking cars. And after that……
I also wholeheartedly agree that most newer cars are quite complex and don’t seem to be destined to have really long reliable lives. So much that I think is unnecessary and just has “fail” written all over it.
A close dealer friend says that his brands….high end….are built to be leased…then sold after 3 years, CPO. No interest or care in the real longevity. No focus. Very different.
My brother swung by his local Audi dealer to pick up some parts for his S8…..driving his 1995.5 S6 Avant. Which is an amazing example. The service manager saw him, said Hi and had 6 or so of his techs come check out the car. Which led to them drawing straws to see who got to take it for a spin. Driver was blown away.
The car is older than 4 of the 6 guys. Build quality is off the charts, along with materials. It is SO obvious.
I’m looking out my window, and can see a bunch of neighbors cars. New Outback, an S5, MDX, QS5, Tacoma, Volvo V90. CRX, and two Lexus RX’s. No question these will be “good cars” for a lot of miles. How long??? Dunno. And how many will keep them past, say 150K? My guess is none…maybe the Tacoma.
Different world. I liked the old car world. When people held onto cars. Before the two year lease, run through any and all businesses!!!!
Grumpy old man!!
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