At $8,000, Is This Turbo/Manual 2005 Subaru Outback The Wagon To Want?

Why spend well into six figures on an Audi RS6 Avant when today’s Nice Price or No Dice Subaru packs similar space, a turbo motor, plus a rare five-speed stick? Let’s decide what this desirably-kitted wagon might just be worth.

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There’s a certain age — amorphous and indefinable — when the things we use makes a magical metamorphosis from being merely old into becoming “classic.” Few of us can pinpoint that exact moment when such a change happens, but, admit it, we all know the difference when we see it.

We saw that in yesterday’s 1974 Lotus Elite 501. At just shy of 50 years of age, the British coupe certainly qualifies as a classic based just on the years alone. That, along with a laudably strong presentation and no major issues noted by its seller, went a long way in support of its $12,500 asking price. Truth be told, that’s pretty cheap when it comes to any classic car, and in the case of our Elite, worth a solid 56 percent Nice Price win.

As we discussed yesterday, the Elite was Lotus’ attempt at a more grown-up, and practical sports car. Of course, a car can only be so practical before all the fun gets leached out of it. With its turbocharged 2.5-liter motor and five-speed stick, today’s 2005 Subaru Outback XT Limited wagon has fortuitously kept that balance intact.

The fact that Subaru offered both the 168 horsepower turbocharged mill and manual transmission in its AWD wagon is a testament to the company’s desire to stay quirky and give its loyal fanbase all the more reason to stick around. In fact, if you want to go turbo four/manual gearbox/awd, your options over the course of the past couple of decades have been sorely limited. Audi and Subaru have been the layout’s primary flag-wavers, and of the two marques, Subaru has the better reputation for reliability and longevity.

This Outback rides high but hails from an era before Subaru festooned the model with bumpy plastic trim to give it faux-macho cred. Instead, we have a wagon with simple lines, tarted up only by a large, functional, scoop on the hood and some nice-looking factory alloys that offer the car’s only major brightwork.

There are 165,194 miles on this Outback’s clock, and the bodywork and paint show some wear for those miles and the car’s almost two-decade life. The nose has some dings and the headlamps are starting to cloud. Overall, however, it looks perfectly serviceable. A good detailing would probably bring some life back to the paint and clear up those headlamp lenses. On the plus side, the Continental tires the car wears have just a little more than a thousand miles under them.

It’s much the same story in the cabin. This being a Limited model, it’s seats, wheel and shift knob are all upholstered in leather and there are features plenty of bells and whistles to go along with that. The car’s age is obvious in the lack of any sort of in- or above-dash screen, and… well, the fact that it has a manual transmission.

The seller doesn’t give us much in the way of mechanical specs and condition but does show us the engine bay which looks clean and, more importantly, unmolested. There’s no cold air intake or other wacky aftermarket mods here. The only potential concern is that, in the ad, the seller describes the car’s condition only as “good.” That feels a bit like something potentially bad has been left intimated but undisclosed. Maybe it’s just my Spidey Sense being a little more suspicious than most, but with Subaru’s reputation for occasional engine grenades, it’s warranted.

What we do know is that the AC and heater both do their respective jobs and that the seller is up for test drives with prospective buyers. The presence of a clean title and current tags should put those prospects at ease, as well. Anyone interested in pulling the trigger after such a test drive should bring along $8,000 as that’s the car’s asking price.

What’s your take on this Outback and that $8,000 asking? Does that seem fair for the car as it’s described in the ad? Or, is that price a hill that not even this Subaru’s AWD can climb?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Paul Garcia for the hookup!

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