HELP! Need guidance on buying a Subaru
Hello!
My college daughter was just rear ended and car totaled. She’s been driving my 2003 Hyundai ELANTRA for eight years and has had no issues because I keep it well maintained and I am the only owner. Such a bummer it’s totaled because it runs great.
We now need to find her a car and have kind of a low budget, $5000 to $8000 if we don’t want a car payment. We live in Oregon so she would really like something all-wheel-drive and has been looking at used Subaru’s. Some of the ones that she has picked out either still have a timing belt that hasn’t been changed and mileage is over 100,000, or some of the newer ones she says are “kind of too big” lol. She’s tiny. But also some of the ones I have been looking at either are known for head gasket issues or oil issues….. and I am just trying to get some input from Subaru owner experts and what models and years they might suggest. We only need this car to last about 4 to 5 years to get her through college.
Thanks
Posted Jul 10, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC