Used 2007 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
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Seriously reconsidering buying another Subaru
bigoske, 05/21/2015
2007 Subaru Outback 2.5i Basic 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
37 of 37 people found this review helpful
A little history, may family has owned Subarus since the 1980s and absolutely love them. Bought this 07 Outback in 2010 with 100K miles. Ran like a top for a year with just the basic maintenance, oil changes, etc. Timing belt needed to be replaced, which was expected. Then we've had problems ever since. Had to replace the Head gaskets, leaking on the coolant side, which blew a hole in radiator, fixed that. Then the car wouldn't start intermittently, turned out to be a bad O-ring on the fuel pump. Had to replace all struts as tires wore at an angle. changed O2 sensors, catalytic converter still needs to be replaced, CEL still on. Extremely Disappointed with Subarus reliabilty on this vehicle.
Rock Solid car with only few minor glitches
Thomas Leahy, 01/19/2016
updated 02/05/2021
2007 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Limited 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
21 of 21 people found this review helpful
I've owned the 2.5 XT Limited 5 speed manual for 10 yrs ( bought it new ), currently has just over 130k miles. During that time I've driven it HARD, towed 1 ton of hay behind it for about 10 miles ( no kidding I really have towed a trailer with about 1 ton of hay on board. Yes, it was overloading the car a bit, but it handled it fine, keeping the speed down of course ). I take it on gravel roads on camping trips regularly. It's very solid on wet roads in driving rain in the Pacific Northwest. It's solid in snow too, although I had not the best snow tires on it ( Hankook snow tires from Les Schwab, they were not great, don't recommend them, still needed chains to get up hill to my house ) Had one problem a few years ago where car would not start if the engine was hot : you run into the store for an errand and come out after 10/15 mins and car won't start. Wait another 20 / 25 mins and it starts fine. Happened intermittently. Took dealership a long time to track it down. Finally we replaced some sensor on the engine, I forget which one, and the problem has never re-occured. My wife doesn't like driving the car as she finds the position of the pedals very cramped and it forces her foot to an awkward angle for the gas pedal. Also, the back seats are pretty cramped. It's not really an ideal car for young kids in car seats as we found out. Agree with another reviewer that the roof rails are not the easiest to adjust. Was just barely able to make it work with a 16 cubic feet Thule cargo box. The gearbox is certainly not "smooth" but you get used to it and it does the job. Was told by the dealership when we bought it that it has a tougher gearbox and clutch to support the bigger engine on this turbo model so maybe that's why it's not so smooth. But overall if you like to "drive", it's a fun car to drive. You can throw it around twisty country roads and it'll totally hold the road and go where you want it to go with no hesitation. Had a few minor repairs, mostly things like rubber boots on CV joints, mostly items I considered wear and tear from the way I drive it. Fuel efficiency is about what could be expected from a 2007 vintage AWD. Easily get 28mpg on a long highway trip and average 23mpg in mixed driving. I have been diligent in doing all factory recommended servicing right on schedule, not sure if that contributes to my good results, but it can't hurt anyway ! Update 2/1/20 : At 170k miles, still have not had the clutch fail or any head gasket issues. Continue to average 23mpg in mixed driving. Does burn some oil at this point. Have to add 1 quart every 1500 miles or so. Still drives well, lots of power and good performance. Update 2/4/21 : Finished up doing a pre-emptive major over-haul last year at 172k miles. Pulled the engine, replaced clutch, head-gasket and timing belt, and completely renewed ALL rubber, hoses and o-rings throughout the engine. This addressed some oil leaks I was having. Unfortunately, after all this, it still burns oil at about the same rate ( 1 Q every 1500 miles ). We didn't split the case and pull the pistons and re-line the cylinders which we'd have needed to do to stop the oil burning. But I had enough money spent ($3800 ). Nevertheless, the engine should be good for another 150k miles now
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2007 Subaru Outback for sale
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The quality and love are gone!
bobg04, 10/18/2013
2007 Subaru Outback 2.5i Basic 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
47 of 49 people found this review helpful
I previously owned a '97 Outback, so when I got a deal on the '07 I was excited at first. I liked the high ground clearance, more horsepower, larger fuel tank, and roomy interior. Then I noticed the still weak fuel efficiency, cheap knobs, cheap and hard to clean interior fabric, and door windows that catch (like my '97). This was nothing when my head gasket went at 97.5 k miles, like my '97 head gasket that went at 105 k. Subaru said they fixed this, but too many others have had the same problem. It's inexcuseable. I think Subaru have lost their quality, and owe all of us the cost of the repair for their poor design. Next time I'm looking for another brand of car.
Love / Hate Relationship
Dave, 02/12/2016
2007 Subaru Outback 2.5i Basic 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
20 of 20 people found this review helpful
Reasons for Hate: "Inexpensive and Built to Stay That Way" Ha! Whatever happen to that philosophy Subaru? Well, my 2007 Outback has been one of the most expensive cars to maintain. I have spent over $12,000 dollars in maintenance costs over the last 9 years - not including tire replacement. Your engineers should really do something about the Head Gasket issue as well as the flimsy boots on the front axles that require the entire axle to be replaced - and all too often. Certainly there are longer lasting materials out there for boot covers, or at least find a reliable way to replace the boot and not the whole axle. I have also replaced the clutch assembly twice, which is an exceedingly expensive job! It would have been cheaper for me to just upgrade to the Automatic Transmission when I first bought the car. <br><br> Reasons to Love: Maybe I'm shallow, but the only reason I do not trade the car in on something else is the fact that it is the most striking wagon design in recent memory - if not longer - if you have a long memory! It's an All-Wheel-Drive Sports car that just happens to be a wagon. The car has no bad angles! I just wish that the newer Outbacks had not lost their wagon roots. Any Outback after 2010 just seems to be struggling with an identity crisis, although the newer [2015+] models have shed some of their awkward bulges in favor of more subtle curves. You may be on the right path with the newer Outback, but just get the mechanical issues right!
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Excellent Vehicle
BuffFan, 11/22/2006
2007 Subaru Outback 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
27 of 28 people found this review helpful
Purchased a 2007 LL Bean H6 Outback earlier this month, couldn't be happier. Build quality is excellent. More than enough power with H6 and auto transmission. Have used both heater and A/C in temp extremes, it works especially well. Large 2-stage sunroof lets in lots of light. Handling is very snug and car is controllable at its limits. Very pleased with the car overall.