Used 2003 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
Used Outback for sale
A Lesson Learned The Hard Way
machineryman, 07/29/2013
updated 09/27/2013
2003 Subaru Outback AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
12 of 16 people found this review helpful
I bought my Outback two years ago with 115,000 miles on it. In over 200 cars that I've owned I've never owned an Outback, but everyone that I talked to that had one loved it. This car ranks as one of the 3 worst cars that I've owned. It's the only car that I've owned that would break just sitting in the driveway. It's been a real money pit. With the chronic head gasket problems I'm surprised that anyone buys these. I sure wish that I had researched it before I bought. This was definately an expensive lesson learned the hard way.
Guess I got the lemon
Jane, 10/31/2009
2003 Subaru Outback H6-3.0 AWD 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
14 of 19 people found this review helpful
Immediately post-purchase, I noticed the car hesitated on acceleration & had slow & clunky gear shifting. I was told that was just "the boxer engine"?! The car chews thru the brakes - been replaced & repaired every year. Wind noise has been a constant irritation & I can't read stereo settings on bright days due to glare. Today, I was told that the head gasket is blown and the brake pads are gone again. In spite of having routine maintenance, this 6 year old car has had a long history of expensive repair, gets poor mileage & requires more expensive gas. I would never buy another Subaru but from others' revus, clearly I'm in the minority?! Must have been the lemon?!
2003 Subaru Outback for sale near you
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Loving Subaru! I do not want to drive anything els
Denise, 01/21/2016
updated 08/01/2017
2003 Subaru Outback L.L. Bean Edition AWD 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
13 of 18 people found this review helpful
We have enjoyed this car, bought in 2006 at 130000 miles. Now we have 284000 and it is still driving like new. I sold my sweet 2003 at 288.000 miles. Never had one problem. We bought a 2016 brand new! Although the car is new and the technology is great it does not compare with my 2003. The old car was an LLBean Legacy Outback with leather interior. CD player (5 CD changer) which really was wearing out. Separate Moon and Sun Roofs. No navigation system. I used a separate GPS System. The new 2016 is an Outback. The ride in the 2003 is way smoother and the engine is so much quieter. The navigation system really ... well ... sucks. Everything I said before still goes about my 2016 Subaru. I have to really say that the navigation system in the car is hard to use! What I do not like about the whole system in general is that it takes over and does not allow you to do anything while the car is in motion. Or even sitting with your break on in Drive. Even the passenger cannot make any changes to the route or look up anything. The mapping program is archaic to say the least. Why can't Subaru integrate a system that matches what you have on your cell phone. You are used to looking at that screen used to in putting the data or information. I use a couple of mapping programs. The only thing good about the mapping program in my car right now is the graphics are good. But it's so difficult to put an address in and the first time I tried it I kept putting the address that I wanted to go to as my home address because you can't tell what it wants and then you find out that you've put your home address as an address you're trying to navigate to. I really don't use it much it's a waste of time for me. I also do not like the sound Radio / whatever it's called. You can't take stations off that you don't want on there. I took Sirius radio off there because it's seriously not worth the money. But I can't get the Sirius channels off. I've tried going in and just putting another channel on top of that one that works but it's very time-consuming it needs to be more user-friendly because you have to sit out in your garage for hours the program it. Subaru please send us a fix... I need a computer upgrade this year one that is not 20 years behind the times. I have leather seats my car does not smell like leather my husband said well they're not really leather... I did not know that when I bought the car... Well I can live with it but it's just one of those frustrating things if you know what I'm saying. When I come up to my car and it's locked I have a car full of groceries and I have my key in my purse I can open the doors no problem but I cannot open the tailgate it will not open for me. I have to unlock my car and then open the tailgate. It won't even unlock with the remote. , so far this car drives like a dream... I have no complaints about the car just the computer system that runs the mapping program and the child guards apparently that I can't turn my radio off when I'm backing up since someone left it on parked it I turned on the car put it in reverse and then all the sudden the radio comes on and just blasting scared this scares the heck out of me and I have to stop backing up put my car into park to turn the radio off. Just those little aggravating things they super add up. And the little drop-down for the sunglasses that is in the ceiling of the car up close to the front windshield pops down put your sunglasses in... No sunglasses will fit in there it is so freaking small. Just saying
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
13 years old and going strong
Mike Fisher, 03/27/2016
2003 Subaru Outback AWD 4dr Wagon w/Premium Audio System (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
7 of 9 people found this review helpful
Really does great on bad roads and steering control is excellent. Visibility is also excellent. Like all Subaru Outback's, excellent storage space very good seating space. With current estimated value about $4000, this car's average annual depreciation is little more than $1000 per year --- pretty remarkable. Only downside is that it has never been "great" in going uphill in the mountains (underpowered a bit).
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Wife loves it
Leo, 08/16/2010
2003 Subaru Outback VDC AWD 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
Purchased used 1 yr old. 120K miles on the car so far. Never had mechanical problems. Wife loves it. Replaced McIntosh head unit after warranty ran out with aftermarket radio (First time replaced under warranty). Auto transmission jerks when downshifts from 2 to 1 gear at stoplight. Dealer inspected, no issues found. Average 25 MPG mixed driving. Replacing front brake pads every 20K miles. Wind noise is annoying after 65MPH even with replaced window seals. Needs more luxury features for $30K vehicle. It was my second Subaru after I loved WRX but probably will not be buying again. Better choices available for the money.