Is CVT transmission in Subaru Outback a good thing? CDN$

Asked by KateMacD May 14, 2018 at 09:57 PM about the 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited

Question type: Shopping & Pricing

My friend is offering to sell to me: Subaru Outback 2011, 109,000km, traction
integral,  CVT transmission, 17 inch tires brand new Toyo summer tires. Asking
14,500$CDN. Paid 21,350$CDN in 2015

2 Answers

The CVT's are not terribly reliable and are very expensive to replace. I would check up on that price. BTW - Summer tires defeat the purpose of having a Subaru. You will need a new set of tires this fall.

3 people found this helpful.
48,040

Check NADA.com for value, adjusting for currency as necessary; maybe use New England as a geo-equivalent for winter use depreciation. Be sure to check off Limited if leather, and the power moonroof and/or nav too. 109km is quite low for a 7 year old, so you'll get a valuation bump there, too, but I wouldn't give it much credence, as winters eat these chariots more than rolling around on empty highways. Start by draining and replacing 4 qts of CVT fluid, as well the old iridium plugs and filters. Your t-belt is most probably ok...as well the outer serpentine. If the CVT is noisy or stalls at idle you need to replace it! Used ones are around 2k Canadian plus a few hours installation. If all seems ok...and especially if it's a Limited, the price seems pretty fair. It's all in the details. And yes, those Toyos will have to go this fall. If you don't mind dropping about a half inch height you'll improve handling crispness nicely by getting 225/55R17 all-season tires in an H or V speed rating. There are lots of choices. Most critically FOR ME, is to replace Subaru's wimpy rear stabilizer (anti-sway) bar (and its rusted-frozen end links) with the stiffer 20mm bar they make for the Sti. This easy mod ($200) will GREATLY improve body control and reduce roll, sway, and integrate the rear end into a more coherent unit. Good luck.

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Mark Weiner
    Reputation
    33,230
  • #2
    TheSubaruGuruBoston
    Reputation
    28,310
  • #3
    Keith Cahalan
    Reputation
    3,310
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Subaru Forester
39 Great Deals out of 1,353 listings starting at $3,995
Used Toyota RAV4
127 Great Deals out of 3,065 listings starting at $4,999
Used Honda CR-V
181 Great Deals out of 5,013 listings starting at $440
Used Toyota Tacoma
37 Great Deals out of 728 listings starting at $9,975
Used Subaru Legacy
15 Great Deals out of 217 listings starting at $3,200
Used Toyota 4Runner
23 Great Deals out of 545 listings starting at $12,999
Used Subaru Impreza
31 Great Deals out of 666 listings starting at $4,299
Used Toyota Camry
44 Great Deals out of 1,134 listings starting at $4,795
Used Toyota Highlander
43 Great Deals out of 803 listings starting at $7,498
Used Honda Pilot
40 Great Deals out of 899 listings starting at $591
Used Ford F-150
325 Great Deals out of 13,693 listings starting at $3,800
Used Jeep Wrangler
142 Great Deals out of 5,984 listings starting at $6,500

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.