How was it purchased? Purchased Used from a Dealer
Has the reviewer attended an auto show in the past year? No
No, I do not recommend this product.
Pros Great in the snow. Comfortable seats. Love heated seats in winter. Plenty of room for dog, kids, road trips. I fit a twin mattress from Costco in the car and closed the trunk!
Cons The 2002 model was recalled for HEAD GASKET problems. Make sure before you purchase a used 2002 Outback that you have it checked out by a SUBARU dealer!!
General CommentsI have had a 2004 Subaru Outback since 2005, and then I saw a 2002 Red Outback for sale, with sunroof and leather seats and only 60k miles and I said, hey what a deal, I'll trade mine for that one. This was in November 2010. I had the car checked out by my mechanic who said everything looked good on it, just needed brakes. I looked under the hood myself the first time I looked at the car, and noticed the coolant was empty. Thought that was strange. Just figured it had sat on the car lot for awhile and didn't get filled up. No, it's actually a sign that the head gaskets were going, was that the coolant was leaking. I bought the car, drove it for a few weeks. I had a lot of issues with the car: the coolant was leaking, then the car had NO HEAT in the middle of December. Then the car started to overheat-- or at least the temperature gauge was going to H, (during the winter). Be cautious before buying a 2002 Outback . I even called Subaru and asked what the deal was. They said the 2002 had a recall on the head gaskets, but mine was never done in the 8 years that Subaru would have fixed the head gaskets for free??!! Why did they not take it in for a $2000 repair? So kept taking it back to the guys I bought it from (don't buy from the small car lots, go to a dealer) .They kept fixing everything in the car, the head gaskets, the timing belt, water pump, radiator, you name it they tried to fix it. But the thing kept overheating. I said that's it! I want my 2004 Subaru back! I did not have any problems with the 2004, and I still don't with 90k miles on it. Be very careful buying a used 2002 Outback. If you want a used one, I have loved my 2004 and it is SUPER in the snow. Wish the gas mileage was better on all the Subaru's-- all wheel drive makes the avg about 22mpg. I am going to look into the 2009/2010 PZEV models.
