By Jeff Glucker
An older Subaru Outback seems like a great kick around-town sort of car. An escape to the mountains for the weekend sort of machine. A let’s head into the desert for some camping type of ride. And this 2002 Subaru Outback wagon I found on Craigslist is just that car.
Here’s the full text from the ad:
2002 Subaru Outback AWD 5 speed manual transmission. Rare only 144k original miles. Clean title and smog certificate to transfer to new owner. Runs well. Normal wear and tear.
Have another car so I haven’t really used it much for the past 3-4 years and it just collecting dust. Parking is pretty had around here so its always a hassle moving it for street sweeping all the time.
New paint and clear coat a few years old.
New battery
Clutch about 1.5 years ago.Also has NEW TIRES installed July 2020; – cause you know, COVID, and I thought it was the end of the world so just in case I needed to get away. It was over $1000 alone. Since 2020 they only have about 2k miles on them.
Plus new breaks and rotors.
Cold air conditioning.Power door locks with remote and alarm system (two sets).
Roof racks.Registration is up to date, Fresh smog done for sale/transfer.
Asking $4,900 OBO
Sure, it has 144,000 miles but these days that sort of mileage isn’t quite as scary as it once may have been. Hell, I have a car with 133,000 in my garage parked next to one with 334,000. And the asking price here is far more realistic than other cars currently for sale in this hellscape of buying in which we currently exist.
Do you think the car deserves some love and do you think the price isn’t far off from what it’s worth? You can find the full ad with more pictures by clicking here: https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/d/tustin-2002-subaru-outback-sp-manual/7445656931.html
No Subaru is worth any price. Ask the man who’d been through hell (in 4 years) with arguably the best looking and driving model (2007 Outback 2.5i MT). Such a shame.
I don’t know about “any” price. I’d pay, oh, at least a couple of hundred dollars for this one:
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/seattle-1971-subaru-360-modified/7439480371.html
you’re breaking my heart! as a teenager a 1600 x 1200 Legacy GT wagon was my desktop background for years. years!
Well, as a 12 year owner of a 2007 LGT wagon, I can say they aren’t ALL bad. I’ve not had any trouble beyond what any normal car would have had. Of course, keeping the mileage low has probably helped that immensely.
Damn, that’s a gorgeous wagon. That was my favorite generation, right there. Such great lines and proportions.
Lovely cars when they’re working right… but when they turn on you, kiss them goodbye, and quick!
It’s strange, I did not expect to see a time when used cars on this side would seem expensive to my high-taxed Nordic perspective. Nice to see one of these very well maintained though.
Crack pipe!
I like the car (not as much as the generations that immediately preceded or followed it, though) and the manual is its saving grace, but that’s still too much money even in the current market. It’s 20 years old, it has almost 150k miles on it, and it’s a Subaru. I’d risk it for maybe half that.
Dude, when is that Kia van of yours nearing salvation?
Haha! My Sedona is apparently going to live forever, because it’s an un-cool minivan.
I’m not sure there’s anything out there at $2,500 these days. Not my favorite Subaru, but this strikes me as a decent deal in this market.
The market is awful. We’re looking for a car for my 19-yo son, and our options are pretty limited. Good cars are either bought-up or ridiculously overpriced. Less appealing options are priced at roughly 150% of what I’m willing to pay for them.
I’m not saying this Subie isn’t a good buy for someone, but it’s not appealing enough for me to drop $5k on it.
I feel for you. I bought 4 ~$2K cars for my kids over the years (3 Proteges and an Escort). One of the Proteges was $1,700 and it still going. If I had to do it now, I’d probably have to spend double that.
Ugh. I’ve never hated any vehicle more than the ’02 Outback that I owned briefly, a few years back. It seemed to be designed to suck all joy from the experience of driving.
It’s still chugging along, asking for little more than gas & oil changes, in the hands of a friend who doesn’t enjoy driving. Her biggest complaint is that sometimes it’s tough to find in a big parking lot – Portland’s reputation for being full of Subarus is absolutely true.