Used 2002 Subaru Outback Wagon Consumer Reviews
Used Outback for sale
Reliability of McIntosh Stereo
jcborgeson, 06/25/2003
2002 Subaru Outback VDC AWD 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This is my first Subaru. Great highway cruiser, very quiet. I am puzzled by the reviews that complain of wind noise. Its quieter than my Jag XJR. I've measured with a sound meter to confirm. Reliability is good with 20,400 miles. Service has been excellent. The one problem has been the McIntosh stereo. We are on our third, waiting for the fourth. The system sounds great but reliability is awful. I've been told that it is really a Clarion head with McIntosh trim. On the plus side, the AWD system is superb, far better than the Volvo XC70 it replaces. I have been pretty amazed at the slop, ice and snow this car can move through safely.
So long, Subaru
Tsquared, 12/30/2004
2002 Subaru Outback AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This was my second Outback, my first being a '96 5 speed manual I traded for the '02 4 speed automatic. I wish I had held on to my '96. The '02 quality did not seem to be as good and was disappointing. Most recently, the engine sporadically idled poorly or hesitated on acceleration--even on the Interstate. My biggest concern was a leaking head gasket, which is apparently a common problem on 1999-2002 models and there was a recall for some--not all (Google "Outback head gasket"). The "fix" involved adding a conditioner to the coolant to seal the leak. Seems like a stop-gap to me. Between the head gasket and the sporadic acceleration problem I decided to it was time to trade.
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Gaik's Car
lemonstr, 08/29/2003
2002 Subaru Outback VDC AWD 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Purchased after extensive review of car's in class. Came down to Forester or Outback. Better ride and quieter than Forester. Forester will probably be my replacement for aging Civic. Would have been happy with a Limited but wife wanted power of H6. Good car, but minor issues. Glove box hard opening, McIntosh stereo crackels on right channel when adjusting volume, water leaks in from child seat strap in rear of cargo area, has had two recalls todate. Gas mileage is not worth the performance in my opinion, wife typically get high teens on a tank, I can squeeze out low 20s with effort, best tank 26 mpg on highway. Overall Good Car!
VDC - Very Dynamic Car
WRXSTi, 06/30/2003
2002 Subaru Outback VDC AWD 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This is my 7th Subaru, and by far the best made and engineered of all of them. No rattles, squeaks, grinding, smoking as of 32000 miles. The VDC is all about the motor, VERY smooth throughout rev range, boxer H6 like a "Porcha", tranmission well matched and downshifts without hesitation. Tip- take the spring on the muffler bypass and reverse it, it allows full flow of exhaust and gives you the distinct pleasure of hearing the engine note at all throttle settings, plus increases the MPG and acceleration.
Too many problems
StrictlyMediocre, 02/02/2009
2002 Subaru Outback AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I have 122,000 on the car. I plan to keep it until 250,000 if it will last. I am on my 4th set of replacement head gaskets (5 sets total). After the dealer did the first 4 HG jobs, I found a mechanic who says "use the turbo head gasket, it will never leak again." Question: why doesn't the dealer do that? Also replaced the pistons at 122K because originals had seized rings and were so noisy I couldn't hear myself think on a cold day. Now using 3rd party pistons as well. Car handles great. Reset the "learning" engine computer for better performance. Wind noise in driver/pass. window can be fixed by squeezing molding together where side mirror is mounted. This will probably be my last Subie.