marcus300zx

Hi All, Its become time to replace our Trusty MG ZT-T V6 Manual with an automatic as that what the wife wants. The car itself has been faultless, which they are not known for but since driving my recently purchased Auto Mercedes CLK, the wife now also wants an Auto. I have spent some time narrowing down the searches, firstly by getting feedback from various people/mechanics etc on reliable cars and then by showing pictures of the selected cars to my wife to see which one she like the look of. The Budget is between £1k and £2k and the wife requested the following. Car Needs to be an estate as she fill it with most of our home possession when we go camping. Must also be able to tow our trailer and fit a roof box (as I said she takes most of our home on camping trips). It must be reliable, have an auto that does not break and be easy for her 90 year old gran to get into. The following Subaru's sit at the top of the list of cars and I wanted to make sure I didn't buy one and then regret it because I never checked a known issue. 1. Subaru Forester 99 - 04. Discounted 98 an previous due to the DOHC engine being a nightmare for Headgasket so I have read. Pro's - Its an ideal height to get in and out of. Known to be sturdy, has 4wd and its my wife 1st choice Cons - Headgaskets? Suspensions? Abused Versions.. Anything else? 2. Subaru Outback around the same age - Bit unsure on the 2.5 as I have read engine is a bit flakey, so would possible look at the H6 even though its a thirsty car. Anything major on these? 3 Subaru Legacy Estate - Same issue with the 2.5 versions I assume, but are the smaller engines any better? I have been searching for a week to try and find a buyers guide but to no avail. I have found that all bar the H6 are cam belts and it needs changing at 50k, oil changes need to be done quite frequent, all like to drink fuel and Farmers love them All help appreciated, hopefully soon I can become a full member once if have purchased one :) Other cars I am looking at but are further down the list are . Volvo V70XC, Mercedes W202 C Class Estate and Possible Freelander (Wife loved her last one) Mercedes ML (Might be too big) and a Boring VW Passat