We have been procrastinating on this for over a year, so it would be wrong to say it was ONLY because of the impending tariffs—but last summer we had two cars for six drivers, and that was not great, especially if we expect the kids to work summer jobs, which we do; so we’ve been meaning to buy a third car, but haven’t been doing it, and I’ve been feeling increasingly anxious about it, ESPECIALLY with the impending tariffs. And also because one of our two cars is 15 years old with nearing 150,000 miles on it, and that is the sort of situation where one sudden bright day there is a repair that costs more than the car is worth. So if anything we should be adding TWO cars.
Then one evening last week, I suddenly felt a little lift of motivation and capability. I have learned to SEIZE these moments when they occur, but it was like 9:00 at night, so I had to wait to see if it would still be there in the morning, and it WAS, and I went out and bought a used car. It’s a Subaru Outback, with roughly 45,000 miles on it. I went to work the next day and my co-worker who has a Subaru Outback spent like 15 minutes telling me everything that has gone wrong with hers. I HAVE ALREADY SIGNED THE PAPERWORK AND INFORMED MY INSURANCE, IT IS TOO LATE TO TELL ME THESE THINGS.
And anyway, I am already fond of the car. (You might think I would be someone who would give cars names, but I don’t. I do talk to them, and pat them lovingly, and thank them, and reassure them.) I test-drove a Crosstrek, which is what my heart originally wanted, and an Outback, which is what the salesperson knew right away I would end up choosing. The Crosstrek is adorable, and I am not a small person, and we are still regularly transporting things to and from college dorm rooms. The Outback is less cute, but gave me some of the feeling of my beloved Toyota Sienna minivan, which we bought used when I was pregnant with the twins; the Outback isn’t a minivan and doesn’t have a third row of seating, but it felt similar to drive.
The color is grey, which was not at the top of my list and not at the bottom. It’s fine. And the thing is, I always THINK I want a fun color, but what I ACTUALLY want is to blend in, and not have other people be able to tell at a glance that it’s my car. I bought cute license-plate frames, and I put on an equality sticker; I will add more stickers when I’ve decided what I want. It seems like we’re not doing bees-as-symbols-of-resistance this time around, is that your impression as well?
And can we share notes on what else we are supposed to be buying ahead of tariffs and other economic collapses? I have heard mostly coffee and baking chocolate and spices and vanilla.
I heard that small electronics you might need are something to look for now. I need a small fan for my office and maybe a coffee pot.
It’s all supposed to wreak havoc on the holidays, specifically Halloween costumes, holiday decor, and toys. I find it very sad to think of the holidays being spoiled for those who are in the market for these things, so I’m going to try and get anything we don’t need anymore to thrift shops in October.
Thrift these things. Cheap and sustainable.
I have bought spices. I keep thinking I should buy yarn but that’s more I want to buy yarn and my yarn stash is already large. Sock yarn alone could potentially cover my feet for the rest of my lifetime (as soon as it’s knit into socks).
I also bought rechargeable batteries. My household operates with a ton of non-perishable foodstuff (pasta, rice, canned goods) at all times.
II have a 21 year old car and I love her and will fix her forever. The mechanic is sometimes like “this will be pricey ($1200)” and I am like “is it cheaper than a new car?” “Yes.” “Fix it”
My car is also a VW Jetta, not known to be amazingly reliable. It’s not a toyota camry. But she has been. So yours may be too. I am glad you like her. Yay for stickers!
My husband is a car guy and says Subarus are very very very reliable. We bought one ourselves in 2022 and it has been great. He says older Subarus had “head gasket” issues (I put that in quotes because I don’t know what it is and am hoping I spelled it right) but since yours only has 45,000 miles I think you are safe. I am side-eyeing your coworker. Enjoy the new car!
Subarus definitely do have head gasket issues. You want to let it warm up thoroughly prior to driving. Mine has a blue light on the dash that has to go off prior to driving. I would benefit from having a remote starter installed as would anyone in a colder climate.
I’ve heard paper products (toilet paper, paper towels), coffee, chocolate. We did a major stock up at Costco just in case, because we will use all that stuff anyway and it lasts a while. No, I did not buy enough to last until the next administration, but I have hope for a course-correction. Have to have hope!
Just to counteract the naysaying coworker…my mom got an Outback within a few years of when I graduated high school, possibly before I graduated high school, and that was 22 years ago and it was her main car for at least a decade and then my brother’s car cause it needed regular repairs but was still useful to the car that was offered to us for free in case we needed an extra one to I think finally being acknowledged as no longer practical except for maybe short trips within town last year. So…a pretty good run.
To add to this, my Outback is nine years old with 190,000 miles. We’ve had to do maintenance but very few repairs. I would get another when this one is done (hoping we get a few more years out of it though). We also have a Crosstrek and it’s just as reliable, but not nearly as smooth to drive. I think you made a great choice.
We’ve had a 2011 Outback since 2012 and my son is now driving it. It took us to all 50 states while the kids were growing up and now has 225,000 miles on it – and it’s still going. I love Subarus! I have a Legacy. My next car will be a Subaru too. They are GREAT in the snow. I will never go without AWD again.
Everyone I know who has a Subaru loves and I mean loves it. I am driving a Toyota Sienna, which I bought new six years ago and which I will drive forever because I am never buying another new car. We had to buy our teen driver a car last year and I became obsessed with the looking. It’s only very recently that I have stopped looking at used cars. I don’t think we are doing bees this time, I haven’t seen any. I am impressed by your relatively low mileage on a car you’ve had for 15 years! I drive a lot and already have 90K miles on my 2019 van! I don’t know what to buy in advance of these tarrifs, honestly, I am exhausted and sick with worry all the time, and I already buy vanilla and paper products at Costco, I don’t know what else to do! I do live incredibly close to Penzey’s, I’d be happy to buy and send any spices anyone needs. They are a great store!
also…I recently read that even American produced wines will be going up because of the tariffs because so much stuff that they need to bottle and cork the wine will be tariffed. I wonder if we can really put a name on how much will really be affected, argh blerg
They are a great store! I bought a giant bottle of vanilla in the spice purchases from them
I have a Subaru Outback and absolutely nothing has gone wrong with it and I love it immensely. I have never actually loved a car before, but I love this one.
We have a 2017 Outback with about 59k miles on it. My husband traded a Mercedes sedan for the Outback. It’s….practical to a fault :-) Not a single issue with it, and I have a feeling we’ll have it in the family for the next 15 years!
We currently own 2 Subaru cars, WRX and Crosstrek and have owned 2 other Subarus in our 25 years of marriage. They are great cars, I hope you love your Outback!
We replaced our fridge because it was starting to act up, and with the tariffs looming, we felt that waiting was not a good idea. For smaller items, I’m currently in decision paralysis, trying to decide what’s rational to stock up on and what’s just feeling panicky because the world is on fire.
I mentioned above that I love our Outback. It’s been a great car.
But I wanted to add that you can make your own vanilla. Get some vanilla beans off amazon (they don’t even need to be grade A – grade B or C will do fine) , cut off the ends and split them down the middle. Add them to a bottle of vodka and put it on a shelf for a few months. Shake it up whenever you remember to. When it’s a nice amber color, strain it into a bottle. You will never have to buy vanilla again. (I got this recipe from Catherine Newman and if you search her archives I’m sure you can find it.)
I know this. The beans are also going to be whackadoodle tariffed though. Evidently if you want Madagascar it’s 49% (according to Penzey) and the others come from Mexico. Also not buying from bezos when at all possible.
You can put em in bourbon too, I have heard.
Having said that, I should do it. I don’t drink anymore but do have bottles of vodka kicking around.
I am giving the side eye to your coworker. Everyone I’ve met who has a Subaru is intensely enthusiastic about said Subaru. I think it was a great choice.
What is it like having everyone (or almost everyone?) back home for the summers? Does it feel like Old Times, or is it like running a B&B?
When the twins were home last summer, I felt like I’d absolutely forgotten how to handle so many kids—and it was only 80% of the kids! Suddenly people are having trouble with the bathroom being occupied, or the washer/dryer not being available, or someone else using the TV. I’d say dinnertime is the worst part: William and Henry are non-picky eaters who eat anything; bringing home the picky eater and the vegetarian makes me feel like getting into the car and not coming back until fall. I think this summer we might try a cooking challenge—like, getting cookbooks out of the library and taking turns finding and making recipes.
BUT—it’s a daily happiness to wake up in the morning or come home from work, knowing there are so many more kids at home! I feel forlorn in the fall, and this fall is going to be the WORST.
I have a 2012 Outback that has 200,000 miles on it and its going strong! It’s had some maintenance needs in the last couple years that were a little pricey. Nevertheless, I figure that investing in it to run for a while longer is cheaper than buying a new car. It’s also been a good car for my newly minted driver to learn her driving skills. Its solidly built. I even hit a deer with it and there was no damage – a miracle! Hope you have as good of an experience that I’ve had with my Outback.
I bought a used dark gray Impreza (love all Subarus). It was the only color I did not want. However, I have grown to appreciate that it blends in with the road??
I love all these happy Outback reviews. Hopefully they have more than cancelled out your (unhelpful) coworker’s comments.
If you feel like posting about having the kids back under the roof for the summer and your best survival tips, I think we’d all be most interested!
I had a 2013 Crosstrek that I traded in two years ago for a new Infiniti; while I don’t regret it 100%, I do miss it. It was very reliable but on the small side. I wanted something just a little larger but didn’t want a Forester (for weird reasons) and I’m not a big fan of the look of the Outback. I did have a pretty substantial issue arise when it was like 3,000 miles out of warranty, but it was a known issue with that model, so Subaru covered it. So they get big points for that, because it would have been SEVERAL thousand dollars to fix.
Everyone I know with an Outback loves it. I was looking at them but eventually went with a VW Taos, because it was cheaper and had more trunk space and I’m still in the “hauling a stroller around” stage. We’re only having one kid, but if we were planning on more I would have sprung for the Tiguan for a 3rd row.
I think the bees are accurate because yesterday I saw a car with a bunch of progressive bumper stickers and a bee! I still only have my Harris/Walz sticker on my car. But I do love bees…
We got solar panels! Not because of the tariffs but because of the tax credits which hopefully survive. I’m driving an old trusty Toyota Sienna and am quite fond of it.
Are you saying your Subaru didn’t come with an equality sticker pre-applied?? I guess if it’s used that makes sense. The dog and the lesbian partner are probably after market add-ons. Explanation
for those not familiar.