Up until last summer my DD was an 83 Subie BRAT. That thing was unstoppable in the snow. I gave it to a buddy of mine who still drives it daily, when I bought the Ranger. When I gave it to him, it had 462,000 miles on it w/ 1 engine rebuild after I bought it in high school. Whatever Subie you get, if you get one I hope you enjoy it.
If you want a good subie message board (more geared to older models and the DIY guys) check out the Ultimate Subaru Message Board at
http://www.USMB.net these guys have done crazy things including engine swaps, and an entire sub-culture devoted to Off-Road Subarus.
Micah