You may have heard Amy was in an auto accident in mid July. Her car, a 2004 Acura MDX, bore the brunt of the accident and protected her very well. But, 4 airbags were deployed and the insurance company totaled the car.
So, we began looking for a replacement. We’ve had our eye on the 2010+ Subaru Outback for sometime, but we couldn’t justify the expense since both of our cars were in working order. This seemed like the right time to begin really searching.
Although the 2010-2012 models look very similar to the 2013+ models, the newer ones have a completely different engine (FB25 vs EJ25). This is significant because the new engine has slightly more horsepower and better fuel consumption. It does this because Subaru has tuned the CVT transmission from their learnings over the previous years. Finally, a big plus for me, is the timing chain vs timing belt. Timing chains are virtually maintenance free. Whereas the timing belt must be replaced around 100K miles and is quite expensive.
We were fortunate to find a 2013 model in Plano, TX. Even better, it was our preferred color of Pearl White. The used dealership, Lone Star Cars, Inc., was very easy to work with and even paid for the replacement of the rear wheel bearings after we had already bought the car and driven it home. You may be wondering, 2013 and it needed new bearings? Yes, to stay in our budget we purchased a car with 90K miles. While apprehensive at first, an inspection by our local Subaru dealer, Adventure Subaru, ensured we had a reliable, well maintained car.
The Outback is doing great for us. Amy averages 28+ miles per gallon on 87 gas. This is a big benefit because her MDX averaged 16.5 mpg on 91 octane. While the overall length, width, and height of the car is smaller than the MDX we both feel the inside is more roomy. I don’t know how that works, but I’ll take it!