[Pilot1226]

Hi all,

I frequent the LegacyGT and Outback.org forums - this is my first post here.

I'm a Subaru Ambassador in the the Northern NJ area, and I've been looking to upgrade my current Subaru - a 2011 Outback 2.5i - to something a little bit more fun to drive. Don't get me wrong - the Outback is a great car, super versatile and tons of utility. But, it is a little lackluster in the smiles per gallon department.

Primarily, I was looking at both the Legacy and Outbacks in the 3.6R trim - and it looks like 2019 will probably be the last year for that. They just discontinued the Forester XT entirely in 2019, and I'm wondering if they'll either just flat-out drop the 3.6 trim in the Outback or move the FA24DIT from the Ascent over to it in the 2020 redesign.

Very rarely, I still need the utility, so I wasn't even considering something like a BRZ or WRX because there is that small chance I needed something bigger. Funny enough, my WRX-driving coworker suggested I look into keeping the 2011 (which I believe is in great mechanical shape) and consider a second car, like the BRZ.

So, there you have it. My wife drives a Honda Pilot (we had a need for a third-row SUV. The Tribeca wasn't quite a true 7/8 passenger vehicle, and they were well out of production at the point we needed to buy...) so that SUV is our family vacation car.

The purpose of the BRZ (or WRX, if that's what you all suggest) is to essentially, occasionally, be my midlife crisis/solo drive car. When I go to work, and there's nobody with me, you bet I'd take the fun car. I have two small kids, 6 and 4, both in car seats. I know the BRZ's car seats are laughable - especially when the little ones get bigger - so when I drive them either to or from school (depending on work schedule), I'll probably take the wagon.

Again, I have been doing my own maintenance on the Outback for about a year now. Nothing special at 85k - but, I did hit up a rear differential fluid change, tire rotation, a couple oil changes (M1HM 5w30), and a new serpentine belt amongst some other weird repairs, like re-gasketing the third brake light with permatex...) and it seems to drive nice.

My biggest concern about the Outback is the CVT. I know they've had issues with them, and the torque converter is a ticking time bomb. That's the part of me that says "get rid of this while you can!" and jump into the 3.6R with the high-torque CVT which hopefully has all the bugs out of it.

But, there's a price to pay - the Outback 3.6R Limited will run me just about 40k. The Legacy is around 35k, but again, I think I need the occasional cargo space. I don't mind the fact that it's a wagon.

I love the Subaru brand, so I'd be happy considering the mish-mash of Toyotabaru parts, and I love their fuel injector setup to prevent carbon issues on the valves.

That being said, I'd definitely get the 6MT version. It's been a long time since I drove a stick - I did learn on one, but it's been probably close to 20 years since I did any type of real driving. The biggest complaint I've heard is that the clutch is hard and the shifter is notchy. Considering I learned on an old 1990 Camry 5-speed (I think?) I don't really know how to compare the two. I'm trying not to be a toolbag when I go in for a test drive. I posted this on Reddit a few days ago and people suggested things like removing the helper spring and turning off incline assist - but I might actually enjoy them since I would probably consider myself a novice. I did drive a stick Jeep last summer and I was okay except for a weird stall when my leg started getting tired and I clutched out too quick.

I'm looking at the Premium, since it won't be my daily driver as much as I'd like it to be. I might consider the Limited if the new year's design as something amazing to it. I use Waze which doesn't work with CarPlay right now so I don't need navi or anything.

So, the big concern is under-use of the car. A car is made to be driven. I'm sure that there are a lot of issues that will pop up if I don't drive this thing enough. I'm sure bouncing back and forth between the Outback and the BRZ won't help my "re-learning" of a stick, too. But I envision myself throwing a car cover on it when snow gets here, maybe digging it out once or twice every week during the winter. That seem plausible?

I live west of the NYC metropolitan area, so we do get some snowy winters. That would be the job for the Outback. It's also interesting to note I've never run winters. I've only had all-seasons on my Outback, and it's been fine for 7 years and a lot of snow/blizzard/unplowed roads.

Is it worth considering a certified pre-owned BRZ from a few years ago, or are the newer ones vastly improved to warrant the expense? What about a lease, while I learn to get my "feet wet" again? If I love it, I'll buy it outright at the end. If I don't, or if there's a new model, I can always slide over to that.

No modding - I don't track, I don't offroad. My commute is about 10 miles through a city - brutal on a stick - but I'd probably take a highway toll road route that will be about 20 miles each way to be easier on my left leg and my throw-out bearing.

Would something like the BRZ make sense here and be worthy of taking up that coveted spot in my driveway, should I consider something with more passenger room like a WRX? Should I just trade-in and get the 3.6 Outback?


Questions that popped up from Reddit:

Is the clutch hard to learn? Is it forgiving?
Should I consider another brand?
Are there any special maintenance or preventative maintenance things to watch out for?
Thoughts on changing the summer performance tires to an all-season tire?

Thanks... Pilot