Subaru Liberty Questions & Answers (page 2 of 2)

Hi Michelle.

If your wagon has 1 or 2 other anchor points they should be located either straight on the back of the rear seats on the floor of the boot, otherwise there is only the one hanging from the roof...I know my sedan has 3 which I find strange but can't be helped :)

Hello,
I am sorry I can't help you with your decision about which 2016 vehicle. My Subaru Liberty is an older 2002 RX model which now done 270,000klms.
It may help to say that my Subaru is the best car I have ever owned from the point of reliability.
It seems you are looking to a vehicle with all wheel drive and you will find that the Subaru symmetrical AWD is a better system than Honda AWD.
You may find that Subaru vehicles are more expensive to maintain as far as parts and service but if given the option to buy a newer vehicle,the Forester would be my choice.
Subaru also make the smaller XV which is also an SUV.
Hope this helps.

Hi, I am currently driving a Subaru Liberty 2.5i sedan which I have had for 12 months and am overall very happy with the vehicle. It is a good balance between vehicle size and internal space. Would pay a lot more in other vehicles to get the safety features of the Liberty. Good leg room in the rear. Good fuel economy around town and on the open road. The "S" button to put the gerabox into sport mode gives the vehicle a noticeable pick up in performance. Paddle shifters good as I like to use the gears rather than let the CVT gearbox do its own thing. Car has done about 18,000ks mostly around town and has had only need for routine, scheduled servicing. Nothing failing, feels solid. Boot size is pretty good, only 3 litres less in capacity I believe to Holden Commodore. Would like seats to have electric adjustement compared to manual lever particularly when others drive the car and leave seating position the way they want. Digital clock is very small and somewhat diificult to read as closer to passengers side. Car looks good with 18" wheels and 225x50 series low profile tyres. AWD great in the wet. Ride can be a little firm at times with the low profile tyres but handling very good. Safety features excellent with iSight pre collision warning and lane deviation warning. Plenty of air bags for front and rear occupants. Rear view camera which is standard has a clear image and better than other more expensive vehicles. I had rear sensors fitted as they are not standard on the 2.5i model. Doors feel solid when closing. My wife and I test drove the Forester 2.5i and settled on the Liberty as we did not need a SUV. We felt the Liberty was nicer to drive, was more comfortable and better appointed inside. Having said that, would probably buy a Forester if looking for a SUV. I would rather purchase the Liberty compared to a C Class Mercedes or BMW 3 series. The latter are more expensive to purchase, depreciate rapidly after a few years and the diesels once the kilometres rise get very expensive to service/maintain if go through a dealership. What you might save on fuel is swallowed up in servicing costs. Mercedes expensive when buying spare parts.

Hi, we've had our 2015 liberty 2.5i premium for about 18 months, just clocked up 19000km and are very happy with it. We traded a SUV and were debating between a liberty and a forester, but decided to go with the liberty. Very impressed with fuel economy, ride and general feel of the car. Leather heated seats are comfy for long distances( which are 8 way electrically adjustable) and have 2 memory positions which is very handy. We had a slight problem with a spongey rear end when loaded, but our local agent upgraded this for us at no charge and now its great. I've heard the 2016 models come standard with this upgrade. Safety wise the isight system is very good, already helping prevent a rear end collision in city traffic and assists with cruise control on the open road. This model has had 2 minor recalls but only for adjustments to computer programming for issues that may develop. All up it's not perfect but it is a very nice car.

Hi Van,
All Subaru boxer engines have a rubber timing belt, not a chain. Subaru recommends that the belt be changed every 100,000 Klms.
Hope this helps. Maurice K.

However Subaru have now gone to timing chains as from late 2014, hey no more scary timing belt stories at 100k to make you pay big $$$

Hi,

The answer to your question really depends on many things. The tires, and your personal opinion of what is quiet and loud can be very different. Which Liberty is it? Generally though the Liberty is quiet, there are quiter cars but it for the most part it's great.

Hi, before buying my 2015 liberty, I test drove a 2015 Mazda 6 and a 2015 VW passat. In my opinion the liberty is equal to the passat in quietness at low speeds and better than the mazda. At highway speed the passat was best, followed by the liberty and then the mazda. Noise can vary depending on the road surface, with the coarse bitumen surface producing quite a hum at higher speed, though you can still have a normal conversation without raising your voice. Tyre type and pressure can also affect the amount of road noise produced. Hope this helps a bit.

Sorry I dont have any personal knowledge of older model libertys as Ive just bought a 2015 model. Its fantastic but hard to compare with a car nearly 10 years older. All I can suggest is that you read up on any faults or recalls on motoring forums & make sure you check its a service history. They seem very good cars as no-one wants to sell them.
garry

Thanks garry!

Hi Paul,
You will find that Subaru's are a very reliable car.Mine is a 2002 Liberty RX manual which has now done 260,00klms and is regularly serviced by my local Subaru dealer.
I have replaced the alternator and 170,000,the rubber boots on the front drive shafts at 180,00,the timing belt at 200,000 and the clutch at 240,000,mainly because the throwout race collapsed.Check that your potential purchase has had regular services because Subaru's don't like dirty oil which clogs the oilways in the upper engine and over heating tends to blow head gaskets.
Hope this helps,Paul.

Buy it! The Liberty’s especially the 2.5l units are extremely reliable engines, no defects or recalls on these models to my understanding. Owned a 2013 Outback 2.5l with CVT, awesome car… Just sold to purchase a Liberty GT with a more engaging engine and manual transmission. You can’t go wrong with these cars, we also owned a 1999 RX 2.5l and it lasted over 250,000km. Best of luck with your purchase. Cheers.

As far as I am aware,there has been no recalls on this model Liberty,Denis.If you need reassurance about the Subaru 2.5 engine,I can tell you that my 2002 Liberty RX has now done 250000klms with only the scheduled every 1000000klms timing chain change.Be sure to change the engine oil every 12000klms because Subaru engines don't tolerate dirty oil because they build up sludge in the upper oilways.I had a 1991 Liberty which had this problem because it's previous owner neglected giving it scheduled oil changes.Hope this helps.
Maurice.

Yes, the H6 3.0l Liberty's are a very reliable unit. What happens is the larger the capacity the engine the longer it is usually going to last because the engine doesn't have to work so hard. In your case however I would be considering selling up. Spending this type of cash for a 10-year-old car seems silly, I owned a 1999 Liberty and the transmission gave up around 260,000. It could have been repaired for 2-3k and I have no doubt the car would have kept going, however when issues like this begin it usually means time to sell. To answer your question, it is a reliable engine, however it is notorious for the issues you listed (as it seems your mechanic has told you), and unless your that keen in keeping the car for another 5 years than think about selling. Again though there are two big factors to this decision, I could make a more informed opinion if. How many km's has this car driven and how hard has it been driven? Towing, heavy loads, or even off-road? Hope this helps, look forward to a reply.
Regards, Daniel

Hi Jason,Can't comment on the H6 engine but I had 1991 Liberty 2.5 4cylinder which blew a head gasket after 300000klms.But I have to say that that the previous owner neglected to use the correct coolant.I sold the car because the best option was a replacement engine which would have cost me more than what the car was worth.

They are very heavy on fuel and prone to a range of issues including oil consumption. But something else

3 infa secure kompressors caprice.

Yes easily, it fits 3 large teenagers comfortably, it's a great car for touring with the family, you shouldn't have issues. Hope this helps. Daniel

Hi Anne, I can do this... I own a 2011 GT Premium. But it's a sedan and the trunk doesn't fold. Could I still help? Daniel

Sorry mate. I don't know.

I think it could... Same models.

Yes they fold flat by pressing a button next to the headrest. The back seat splits in half

Mikemini1997 is right. You can also fold the seats flat with a lever located both sides in the boot. They do with my 2011 liberty.

Would you know if this is the case with any Liberty model 2003-2014?

Check lower control arm bushes

I'm not sure if it can be lowered or not. Personally I wouldn't like to lower it as it is already quite low and would make going over driveway entrances etc and parking in spots with cement wheel stops difficult as it already scrapes on the front bar already at times.

That sounds dangerous as it cause a fire / my suggestion is that you take it suburu Australia or a quality trustworthy honest and reliable mechanical shop or you could try taking it to a auto electrician though as you stated you smell a petrol burning smell it could be the starter motor or the spark plugs

It could also be the fuel pump / just better to stay off the roads until you get the problems in the car fixed

in what regard?

no I don't find a problem with suspension, if you have problems, perhaps the shock absorbers need replacing? or the coils are worn? take the car to your mechanic or suspension expert, they can advise you better than me, I recently replaced the shock absorbers and the ride was a lot more comfortable.

Hi "howy85",
I just sold my 1996 Subaru Liberty GX with 194,000km, my review is posted above but in regards to the suspension I only had to replace the 2 front and 2 rear D bars/Stabilizer bars and the 2x Hydraulic steering knuckles that's it :). I had no problems with the coils or shock absorbers in winter the shock absorbers squeeked from dryness which was the beachy environment but they weren't broken probably needed greasing on the nuts and bolts holding the shock absorber.

I wouldn't -they are quite low and could get bogged easily....

I agree. The Liberty is a regular wagon with the benefit of AWD - but not low range 4WD or added ground clearance.

It depends on what beach and the conditions. If it's raining, probably becsue the sand will be harder. For example, going onto Stockton Beach NSW from the Anna bay end would probably work, there are no ruts/dunes to speak of.

I think the biggest problem you;d have is not being able to lower the tyre pressure far enough to stop yourself getting bogged. (It would depend on the tyre size, if they are low profile, forget it.

Personally I wouldn't take my own liberty on the beach, but I'd seriously consider taking yours. In other words, I think they could do it if it was smooth enough, but I'm not confident enough to do it to my own vehicle just in case.

If you do go on the beach, make sure someone is there to help you if you get stuck