I know NOTHING about autos.

It was used, only 2 years old, low mileage, great condition with a spare set of tires. Such a great deal that someone else snatched it first.

love my DK Crosstrek.

Will drive this car until either I or it dies.

I have a 2010 outback sport (Impreza) and she has 2012 sport premium. We love them!

If I get another Subie, it will be my fourth. One interruption with an Honda Odyssey when I was hauling a ton of kids around.

Hers might have a tiny bit more interior space, mine more horsepower.

I have spoken to former longtime Subaru and Volkswagen owners who swore by those brands but both say that recent models, even though they have lots more features, have a noticeably "cheaper" feel. Like they're not as well made. Probably has a lot to do with the plastic-like materials used for the dashboard.

Just anecdotal.

If you put any stock in the JD Power and Associates annual dependability ratings, Subaru and Volkswagen now rank in the bottom third.

http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2016-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds

I'll look at it.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-trouble-with-jd-powers-initial-quality-study-feature

They mail this massive survey (228 questions!) about your new car to people who have owned their car at least three months. The JD Power methodology is to give every question equal weight...which means "don't like the arrangement of icons on the infotainment screen" is as bad of a problem as "engine fell out while I was driving down the freeway."

German cars have a huge problem on the JD Power survey: every German car I'm aware of has seat cushions that are as hard as a rock. That's how Germans like them. Americans, who prefer softer cushions, mark as a problem that the seats are too hard. They also get downgraded for brake dust on the wheels. Really good German brake pads put out quite a bit of dust. To JD Power, that's a problem.

The reality is, all the cars being sold today are serviceable so get what you like and, with the exception of the NHTSA's safety star system, don't worry too much about ratings.

Thanks! I didn't realize that JD Power gave equal weight to all categories. Seems silly. Some things are so trivial while others can be crucial to performance.

If there's some grating little problem with a car (radio hard to use?) it will grate the whole time you have the car.

Since I don't have big money and JD Power is entrenched, I can't start a competitor, but if I could I would use a rating system as follows:

Safety issues: 5 points.
Mechanical issues that could strand you: 4 points
Other mechanical issues : 3 points
Quality control issues: 2 points
Personal preference issues: 1 point

In the Yelp era, when someone can kill a restaurant for no good reason, customer reviews need to be taken with a 50 pound sack of salt.

http://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/car-brands-ranked-by-satisfaction/

It's smaller than an outback, but good for me and my 50 lb dog. It's rather low to the ground,vs the Crosstrek, but gets decent had mileage and drives well. I originally wanted an outback, but could afford this.

Look for something just off lease to save a bit of money.

This being Boulder (well, Boulder county) there is occasionally DEEP snow. I've never gotten stuck in any car but I do keep that in mind. I did read that the Impreza didn't have loads of power, so it probably doesn't do well in the mountains. But the thing is, I rarely go up to the mountains anymore, maybe once a year. Sad, really.

Crosstrek is taller, but gets slightly less gas mileage because of that. If you're driving in deep snow, check the charge.

I know nothing about cars! Thanks.

It's annoying

First was a 1997 which I bought in 2001 with 70,000 miles on it. I live in upstate NY did you say SNOW!?? I drove it to about 215,000 and only sold it because of rust..

Current one is a 2003 which I bought in 2010 with 75,000 miles.. Now has about 160,000.

Both these cars would go through anything. They ARE a little lower than the Outback,, if that matters...

Twice I've owned Subarus and both times they went belly-up in weird ways. Despite that, I do recommend Subarus to others, in the hope that the Subaru gods will smile upon them.

On a more serious note, I'm one who would discourage you from a minivan even if you had several children you needed to transport to sports events. Minivans simply aren't very good for those things.

The downside of Subarus is that they really are quite expensive. I'm going to suggest you look at Hondas (my personal favorites) or Toyotas. At the risk of incurring a lot of wrath here, the American cars still aren't all that good.

Also, PM me if you're interested in my thing about buying cars. It is NOT predicated on a particular make or model or even kind of car, but is a guide to shopping and negotiating. Some day I should turn it into a pamphlet or book.

01 Forester-my son has it now, 229k still running fine

04 Outback- had to do the pricey head gasket repair, later totaled in an accident

13 Impreza-the only complaints is that it is a bit underpowered and rear visibility constricted somewhat

15 Forester-no complaints, CVT gives relatively good mileage for an AWD vehicle

and very safe

It used to be my dream car. I especially Like the XC70. I suspect the gas mileage is not as good as the Subies?

one but since we're on SS we can't afford one.

Unless it's a very old one, and that kind of defeats the purpose of another car. I bought my current 2004 Subie, two years ago quite used. I want something newer with no more than 30-or-40K on the odometer. Hard to find.