[Jeff Higgins]

My wife has been driving her Outback with the four cylinder since we bought it new in 2005. No excessive consumption, no leakage, no burning of oil. It has over 150,000 miles on it.

We bring it to the dealer for all oil changes and other such routine stuff. When she comes home with a "squawk list" of things the dealer found that will need attention, I do them. Brake pads, hoses, belts, etc. This has worked out well for us; the dealer tells her what they think it needs, I verify and repair/replace as required.

Well, the last big squawk was a leaky head gasket. I took a good look, and all looked pretty darn dry underneath. So I did a compression check - good. Hmm... no water in the oil, no oil in the water. Hmm... I got really diligent about checking oil and water, and under the car. Nuthin'. It has now been a year since they told her it needed a head gasket, and it still shows no indication of such. Now I can't decide if they were taking advantage of a woman who might of heard of this "common problem" on the interwebs or what. It certainly didn't need one...

Our next car for her will be another Outback. One of the best cars she has ever owned. She kinda needs an AWD, since her job sends her over the Cascades every month or so, even through winter. The Outback suits her well and has been trouble free for us.