Used 2009 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
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Continuous costly repairs
Mark, 11/05/2015
2009 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
26 of 30 people found this review helpful
This was my first, and last Subaru, I bought. I thought the car would be reliable after reading and researching prior models. This car is the closest thing to a lemon I could think of. After 6 months of ownership the interior of the vehicle was breaking apart. Small holes in the stitching in the doors and the center counsel lid broke. Subaru repaired the lid and it soon broke again. Very cheep. The handling and engine performance became horrible after a couple of years. As of today, the power steering unit is shot - not sure what this will cost yet to replace. I recently had the transmission leak and the thermostat sensor replaced at the dealership ($600.00 plus). Then a month later the valve cover gasket broke causing oil to run into and foul out the plugs. This repair cost over $850.00 once they figured out what was wrong with it. I'll sum it up here, this is a terrible car. Don't buy one, it's no Toyota. It gets horrible gas mileage and over time has no engine power. It just screws you over with repairs.
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7 years and counting....
satisfied owner, 06/21/2016
2009 Subaru Outback 3.0R Limited 4dr Wagon AWD w/Nav (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
Bought this car at end of model year at a good price with the exact features, trim, and color that I wanted. I have never fallen out of love with this car -- the looks, the handling, the 6 cyl engine, the comfort and seating position, the harmon-kardon sound system, the overall performance, reliability, and integrity. Semi-luxurious car-like transport that can also be your truck when you need to haul lots of stuff in back. Well, regarding reliability, although I only have 36,000 miles on it, the front CV boots failed and the CV joints were worn and needed replacing recently. Seems too early to have a problem like that, but I guess driving the gnarly and pot-holed big city streets can do that to a front end. Glad I never do any real off roading! No other problems with it so far. I thoroughly enjoy this vehicle.
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Surprised by Subaru
Bird man, 07/07/2016
2009 Subaru Outback 2.5i 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
Engine quality is terrible in these 2.5 engines. Please read all the reviews before you buy one. Blown head gaskets are the norm and repairs are $2500-3000 or a new engine for $4500. even at 110K the engine is gone. maintained regular and treated the car good but the seals in the engine went out earlier causing bad oil leaks then a cam issue and finished off the fun with a blown head gasket. Would not buy another Subaru ever
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Wish We'd Learned About Head Gasket Problem
Subie Driver, 01/25/2016
updated 01/28/2019
2009 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
23 of 27 people found this review helpful
We bought the car used with around 60K miles. At 125K, we encountered a major problem that despite all of my research prior to buying the car I somehow never heard about: head gasket problems. Apparently some head gaskets for this model are prone to fail, and ours did - on a road trip, no less. The car was failing, with major oil seepage both into and out of the motor, and we couldn't schedule an indie shop for a repair in time, so we had to have it repaired at the dealership (ouch). While we were assured after the repair it was good for 100K miles or more (a better head gasket was installed), we decided to jump ship. The car, after all we put into it, basically had no resale value for us - we could only hope to recoup what all we'd spent on it. So keep this defect in mind if you're considering an Outback of this model year. In all, we spent $25,000 total for a car that lasted us 70K miles. Not a good used car purchase at all. Before the catastrophic failure, the car was quite good. We had driven the next generation, but thought it rode too truck-like, and was kind of noisy, with an unrefined drivetrain. It was also hard to see out of and had uncomfortable front seats. This generation was more car-like and the better for it. It was incredibly versatile - drove like a sedan (and was fairly luxurious with the heated leather seats and wood trim), but had more cargo room than similarly sized/equipped SUVs of the time. The downside was the drivetrain, which, though not as noticeably as the same-level one in the next generation, was still unrefined; it was a bit noisy and had some vibration. At lower speeds the transmission would frequently pause before engaging, clunking abruptly when it finally did. Also the dual climate control didn't work well, leaving both front seat occupants unhappy. Overall, though, the car was comfortable and efficient both in town or on the highway and was like a Swiss pocket knife in terms of usability, perfect for hauling everything from furniture to dogs to groceries, while still being easy to park and decent on gas, and it was completely reliable before the head gasket failure. Build quality was excellent, too, with interior and exterior materials holding up fantastically. A big issue was finding people who knew how to work on it. If you're far from a major city, you may have a hard time finding people who understand this relatively rare car and how to properly outfit it with brakes, tires, etc., as well as service things like the differentials. Not sure what happened with this model, as Subarus are generally known for being exceptionally reliable. It was a big factor in our decision to buy it. Our experience has, understandably I think, soured us on Subarus. Rationally are not, this is the kind of thing that takes years to overcome (decades, in my case) before you're willing to plunk down that much hard-earned cash for something. We ended up buying an Acura TSX Sportwagon. While the visibility and cargo capacity aren't as good as the Outback's were, the build quality is noticeably better - and that's great peace of mind.
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Will drive forever
Zachary, 06/30/2016
updated 01/06/2017
2009 Subaru Outback 2.5i Special Edition 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
10 of 11 people found this review helpful
This car is the most reliable car I have owned. I have not had a single problem with it yet. It plows through snow and accelerates on icy roads without a problem. I have never had a vehicle grab the road like this one. Also, it is perfect for an occasional off road excursion to find a new fishing or hiking spot and holds all of my equipment perfectly. I will never let go of this car.
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