Used 2003 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
Used Outback for sale
Would not by another Subaru
G Frank, 05/28/2008
2003 Subaru Outback Limited AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
Negatives:The head gasket went at 73,000, just past the warranty. I went online and there were 450 complaints on one website about the head gaskets on Subarus, yet never a factory recall. At 75,000, a fuel injector had to be replaced. Mileage on car is lousy -- as low as 19 mpg in town. Car leans a lot on turns and dealers said that is characteristic of the car. Turning radius is poor and is therefore dangerous when making a u-turn.
It's been really good to me
Velella, 11/22/2008
2003 Subaru Outback L.L. Bean Edition AWD 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
I am at 167,000 miles with synthetic oil and it is still clear and engine is going strong. Average 22 MPG in Los Angeles with mixed freeway and street and some offroad. Only failure was an air conditioning hose. Michelin Hydroedge replacements went 105,000 miles. The interior shows little wear and leather seats are still in great shape. Put on new tires and intend to keep it going until it dies... and then I might rebuild the motor and keep on.
2003 Subaru Outback for sale near you
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I love my H6 green bean
Amf97, 01/03/2020
2003 Subaru Outback L.L. Bean Edition AWD 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I have owned my 2003 H6 3.0 L.L Bean Edition for a year now and I’ve got to say that I’m in love with it. I purchased it with 198,000 miles and now I’m at 210,000...It’s a great car that has given me no problems (besides a few worn out pieces that needed replacing, as is expected from a 16 year old car...power steering O-ring, tie rods, axle boot). Every morning it starts, heats up quickly and gets me wherever I need to go every time. The AWD is fantastic, I’m never going back to FWD. I’ve been through last years and this years winter in Upstate NY and let me tell you it makes all the difference. It stay right where its supposed to be in the road, it plows right through everything thrown in it’s way. I feel so secure driving when the roads are bad where previously I was terrified every winter and my car would always slide and swerve. This is especially nice as I am working a very early morning job so I am driving at 3am and the roads are not always plowed. The sound system is great. It’s gets really loud without any distortion to the music and the sound is very clear and of a high quality. The dual moon roof is a great feature too, I’ve always got the shades pulled and when the weather is nice the roof is open too. It gets so bright in the car, the moon roof and all the large windows attribute to that. I feel that the ride is mostly comfortable. Of course the roads are very holey and bumpy where I live so maybe I’m not the best judge for a smooth ride. I don’t think anyone really gets a smooth ride around here...The amount of cargo space is great. I was able to bring home a 7 ft tall bookshelf in this vehicle...and I could close the hatch with it in there! You can fit a lot of stuff in this car, if that’s something you need/want then you’ve totally got it here. My short list of cons: Not very fuel efficient, but I expected that from an older AWD vehicle. I average around 20 mpg. Mostly backroads/city driving. Acceleration is a bit slow, if you are used to a smaller zippier car be careful. You are not going to be able to make those risky turns or zoom around someone super fast. You’ll need to be a more careful driver, you won’t be making those risky moves anymore. Maybe not a bad thing truly but it was jarring going from a light, tiny, FWD drive sedan to this and not having the same accel. There is wind noise, it was really bad when I first got it but I found a little hack off of Subaru Outback forums for that: cut a few pieces of door edge guard and stick them onto the black sheath the window slides up and down in (around the side mirrors) this closes the gaps and wind doesn’t come in through there anymore. It’s an almost perfect fix Beware of non-H6 outbacks, they are known for having head gasket issues so if you are considering one without this type of engine make sure the head gaskets have been serviced before you buy or haggle it down and take care of it soon yourself. Basically if you are looking for a really pleasant, secure driving experience this car is great. It has every feature I could want. It’s rugged, but also adorable looking with a very nice interior. Reliable with a a lot of great features! I would totally recommend this vehicle
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Best Subaru Yet
Fastmover, 08/15/2003
2003 Subaru Outback L.L. Bean Edition AWD 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
This is our second Subaru Outback. This car is built so well, no problems, always reliable. I love the handling, the feel of the steering, great brakes, wonderful amenities. I highly recommend this car. This car is refined enough to take to the city for the latest opera, yet tough enough to cross steams and go where I really waant to take it.
Head Gasket built to fail
gib, 06/25/2010
2003 Subaru Outback AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
19 of 22 people found this review helpful
it started off as Beautiful Relationship. but the honeymoon ended quickly. 1st the Air conditioner dropped to about 10% output, then the Brakes needed a complete remake, rotors pads fluid, all went bad, then the radio, and now after only 40K the Head Gasket is leaking. This is a "known" problem and there have been many recalls but when i contacted Subaru they took the position of," it's 1yr out of warranty". i agreed, but anyone who knows anything about cars knows a 40K engine should never have a HG failure. Subaru makes TERRIBLE Head Gaskets, look it up on-line BEFORE you buy one. the 1 piece of misleading information out there is that many more HGs have failed than have been written about!