Subaru Quality, LOL

[Lonewolf]

So the wife and I went car shopping yesterday on a clear, cool afternoon. She's looking for a midsize suv or crossover type deal.

We test drive a bunch of different vehicles from different makes, and I convince her to stop by the Subaru dealer to test drive a brand new 2013 outback 3.6R. I figure, hey, if I'm going to spend all this money, I'm going to push for an suv with awd and decent power.

We hop in the 3.6R with a gregarious salesperson and proceed to drive around a bit. No less than 2 blocks from the dealership, I notice that some type of engine temperature light pops up on the dash. As soon as I see that, my wife comments that the throttle is suddenly sluggish and the steering is tight.

Almost immediately a check engine light pops up to say hello. I tell my wife to pull over and pop the hood. At this point I'm thinking, oh, it's some kind of fluke or something...this shouldn't be happening. If this had a turbo motor I have would have been a bit more worried, but the 3.6R is naturally-aspirated and it couldn't have been more than 55 degrees outside.

The salesman and I proceed to check the oil and coolant levels. Both check out fine. We look for leaks, busted belts, anything that could provide a clue-nothing.

So I suggest that we baby the car back to the dealership (as I am sure it is in limp mode). We get back in and...........the car won't start.

I mean nothing, it won't crank, not a damn thing. The salesperson then calls for a porter to come pick us up and take us back to the dealership.

When the porter drops us and the salesman off at the dealership, the salesman knows not to bother with a follow-up, lol. We thank him and the porter for their time, and start walking back to our car. As we are leaving, the salesman shouts, "I hope that this doesn't make you think that Subaru's aren't reliable!"

I turn around and smile, and the wife and I get in the car and head home. Between this experience and the FRS/BRZ first-year issues, I am now more hesitant than ever about buying something built and assembled by Subaru.

[Neziah]

Your loss.

[Lonewolf]

Originally Posted by Neziah

Your loss.

Okay...thanks for the input

[ttknf]

Hmm, this honestly sounds like a fluke (or a car that has been beat on by some people at the dealership). I've have firsthand with experiences with Subarus for over 15 years and I can say , they're incredibly reliable and long-lasting cars.

[Lonewolf]

Originally Posted by ttknf

Hmm, this honestly sounds like a fluke (or a car that has been beat on by some people at the dealership). I've have firsthand with experiences with Subarus for over 15 years and I can say , they're incredibly reliable and long-lasting cars.

That's what I am hoping. I have been on countless test drives over the years, and never had anything like this happen. Oh well...

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf

I am now more hesitant than ever about buying something built and assembled by Subaru.

Because one car broke down?

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by bestwheelbase

Because one car broke down?

People and their large overarching statements.

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

People and their large overarching statements.

Breaking down on the road, and the stranded feeling that comes with it, makes for a strong emotional response. Perhaps once he steps back from the situation he will realize a sample rate of one is insufficient to base any determination, good or bad, about the entirety of Subaru workmanship.

[OrbitalEllipses]

It wasn't even a stratified sample!

[fatoni]

from my limited experience, i have never been impressed with what that company has done as far as reliability/maintenance

[WingsofWar]

Originally Posted by fatoni

from my limited experience, i have never been impressed with what that company has done as far as reliability/maintenance

iv just been never impressed on how dealers in general keep their cars in the lot well maintained. a friend of mine who worked at a BMW dealer as a porter said plenty of the new model BMW you see at the lot dont run. I never understood why.

Something about sometimes the batteries drain because of non-usage for months sitting in the lot, they have to jump start it and sometimes replace the batteries before moving it.

and sometimes the engines lubricants have been sitting for to long in a brand new engine that has very low miles **below 30miles**. and doesn't properly sit well, and reps/salesmen don't warm up the car before taking it out on a drive.

which ever the case, shouldn't be any different at a Subaru dealer. Makes me want to confirm by going to any dealership, and asking about a model in the very back that has been sitting for a long time. then asking for a test drive and see what the sales rep does. Odds are the brand new car will break down.

This only happened to me once, when i went to test drive a brand new 02 Nissan Maxima for my sister, car stalled after 3 blocks and wouldn't start back up.

[Chimpo]

This reminds me of a quote my friend (mechanic/tech at various domestic and foreign car dealers over the years) told me:
"There wouldn't be a service department if they weren't all junk."

He seemed a bit jadded, but apparently he's on to something.

[dsgerbc]

Meh, people in 99% of cases overestimate importance of their own personal experiences over more general statistics. This goes both ways (assessing manufacturers as reliable or unreliable based on small samples). It take a consious effort to ignore personal tiny sample. That said, Subaru is about average in terms of reliability. I don't know enough about 3.6 engine though, previous 3.0 h6 was pretty reliable though.

[Huehuecoyotl]

awd cars and turbos can be inherently more complex, but no that is no excuse,
we know what we are buying, its not supposed to be porsche or a lexus now is it for $25-$28k?

http://content.usatoday.com/communit...1#.UQgDGkp2GCU

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/17/j...t-b/#continued

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelp...-jd-power.html