2004 Subaru Outback Pricing and Specs

Generally, the Outback is a good solid car, well designed and built. My only concern is the age of the cars you’re looking at. While the Outback is a good car all cars deteriorate as they age, so it’s vital when buying an old car to have it thoroughly checked by a mechanic who knows his way round the brand. It’s also best to look for a car that hasn’t been used off-road.

THERE is no functional reason your car must have the injection system, though it is much better for performance and general driveability. Systems for cars built after 2003 must pass an emissions test, which adds to the development cost of the system, and LPG system manufacturers haven't necessarily invested in the development of the older system. You might simply not be able to find an older system for your car.

YOUR poptop would probably weigh about 1500kg when loaded, so that's the weight you need to consider when buying a vehicle. In my view it comes down to where you want to go when travelling, and what you want to do with the vehicle for the rest of the year. If you stick predominantly to the blacktop on your travels, then a regular Commodore or Falcon is probably the best way to go. Both will easily tow your poptop, are comfortable and will give you reasonable fuel consumption. An X-Trail will tow up to 2000kg if the trailer has brakes, so that will also handle your poptop. A recent experience with a 3.0-litre Subaru Outback, rated to tow 1800kg, showed that when it was towing a 1200kg camper trailer the fuel consumption rose about 30 per cent, and rose even more when towing a camper weighing close to its rated tow capacity. That said, the Outback would be a great compromise for round-town use and towing capacity.