Any otherTribeca owners on here?
Discussion
We have had our SE7 now for over 3 years and 40,000 miles, and despite the marmite looks and thirst for fuel are still really pleased with it. It has been totally reliable save for an anti roll bar bush and alarm sensor. I was thinking of changing it shortly but it still feels so well screwed together that I might just keep it for another couple of years.
I just wondered if there are any other Tribeca owners on this forum? Care to share your experiences of running the car, parts availablity, long term high mileage issues etc..?
I just wondered if there are any other Tribeca owners on this forum? Care to share your experiences of running the car, parts availablity, long term high mileage issues etc..?
Thanks for the replies. We see 19 mpg for daily stuff and around 23 mpg on longer runs.
It is to coin a phrase a lot of car for the money if you can get over the consumption and interesting looks. However the interior is so much more attractive than the competition with huge levels of standard equipment and excellent build quality, hence my hesitation in replacing it...
It is to coin a phrase a lot of car for the money if you can get over the consumption and interesting looks. However the interior is so much more attractive than the competition with huge levels of standard equipment and excellent build quality, hence my hesitation in replacing it...
Based on my experience a set of tyres will last 25k, insurance is currently £450 pa, servicing as ever depends on Indi v dealer, I use a dealer and servicing every 10k or 12 months is on average £350.
It really does feel a well made thing and as per my first post we have spent next to nothing on ours other than routine servicing over 3.5 years and 40k.
We have just replaced the front disks and pads with aftermarket parts at a cost of £220 the originals have managed nearly 40k miles.
Subaru parts are not cheap and I don't know how easy it will be in a few years time to source parts either from Subaru or from elsewhere.
The engine I think is well proven in the Legacy and from what I have seen doesn't seem to suffer from any major problems.
The only slightly frustrating thing about driving it is the auto gearbox which is not the best, it is slow to kickdown and sometimes struggles to find the right gear but for long journeys it is fine and smooth.
Good luck wih the search go for an SE7 if you can find one, it comes with seven seats, rear flip down DVD screen integrated into the audio system and nav screen with cordless headphones etc great if you have kids!
It really does feel a well made thing and as per my first post we have spent next to nothing on ours other than routine servicing over 3.5 years and 40k.
We have just replaced the front disks and pads with aftermarket parts at a cost of £220 the originals have managed nearly 40k miles.
Subaru parts are not cheap and I don't know how easy it will be in a few years time to source parts either from Subaru or from elsewhere.
The engine I think is well proven in the Legacy and from what I have seen doesn't seem to suffer from any major problems.
The only slightly frustrating thing about driving it is the auto gearbox which is not the best, it is slow to kickdown and sometimes struggles to find the right gear but for long journeys it is fine and smooth.
Good luck wih the search go for an SE7 if you can find one, it comes with seven seats, rear flip down DVD screen integrated into the audio system and nav screen with cordless headphones etc great if you have kids!
Sawman, the s5 you looked at I think might be a parallel import as I am pretty sure the UK got only the SE models that came pretty loaded with leather, nav, sunroof, reversing cam etc.. The SE7 added seven seats and the rear entertainment system.
Subaru were offering a very heavily subsidised lease scheme to shift unsold SE5's in 2008, if I recall correctly £247 a month would get you a new one on a 2 year lease 10k miles pa. I should imagine most SE5's of a 2008 vintage will have been ex lease cars that are currently for sale. For that reason and the better spec of the SE7 I would try and find a car thats been "privately owned" the 7 seater spec I am sure will be a helpful selling point when the time comes to move on IMHO.
Subaru were offering a very heavily subsidised lease scheme to shift unsold SE5's in 2008, if I recall correctly £247 a month would get you a new one on a 2 year lease 10k miles pa. I should imagine most SE5's of a 2008 vintage will have been ex lease cars that are currently for sale. For that reason and the better spec of the SE7 I would try and find a car thats been "privately owned" the 7 seater spec I am sure will be a helpful selling point when the time comes to move on IMHO.
I thought I would update my original post as there doesn't seem to be too much information online about the Tribeca. It is now approaching 60,000 miles, since my last post. Maintenence since the last post has included a new battery as the original was getting a bit week, new rear pads (first set) and more anti roll bar bushes again. There does seem to be a problem with the design of these bushes as the last set only lasted 18 months before the knocking noise from the front suspension returned. The main dealer that fitted the replacement bushes confirmed they were a slightly different design so fingers crossed that this set last a bit longer. I also had a new alternator belt fitted as the original was getting worn and would squeak a bit from cold.
The car now returns an average 20.5 mpg in mixed driving, on a long run 23 mpg is possible. It uses hardly any oil, starts first time every time, has never broken down and every gadget and electrical item works perfectly, the only failure being a new rear brake light bulb and new batteries in the remote key fob.
The car has worn it's miles really well both inside and out and has been a simply brilliant family car. It is very comfortable, spacious, well equipped and has enough power to make good progress, it has also proved itself very capable once again in this years snow!
The car now returns an average 20.5 mpg in mixed driving, on a long run 23 mpg is possible. It uses hardly any oil, starts first time every time, has never broken down and every gadget and electrical item works perfectly, the only failure being a new rear brake light bulb and new batteries in the remote key fob.
The car has worn it's miles really well both inside and out and has been a simply brilliant family car. It is very comfortable, spacious, well equipped and has enough power to make good progress, it has also proved itself very capable once again in this years snow!
Edited by T5GRF on Tuesday 22 January 14:11
Hi Kev7117, if you can put up with the fuel consumption you will be very happy. I have recently been thinking of changing ours for something else but I am really reluctant to move on as it is just so reliable and still feels like it will cover many more thousands of miles without trouble. I would have to add £20k to the p/ex price to buy a lower mileage, similarly specified big SUV..
There isn't much information out there for these cars, please update this thread with your thoughts over time if you can!
There isn't much information out there for these cars, please update this thread with your thoughts over time if you can!
I just thought I would update this one last time as I am now selling the car and moving on. No dramas or major expense since the 60k service and battery replacement. It has just sailed through its mot with the only advisory being the rear tyres are at 2mm.
Over the 5 years and 55000 miles in my ownership it has gone through front disks and pads, rear pads, 2 sets front arb bushes, 1 alarm sensor, 2 bulbs and 1.5 sets of tyres. It has never once let me down.
I will be genuinely sad to see the car go and would have bought another if Subaru still made them.
If anyone is looking for a Tribeca give me a shout before I trade it in.
Over the 5 years and 55000 miles in my ownership it has gone through front disks and pads, rear pads, 2 sets front arb bushes, 1 alarm sensor, 2 bulbs and 1.5 sets of tyres. It has never once let me down.
I will be genuinely sad to see the car go and would have bought another if Subaru still made them.
If anyone is looking for a Tribeca give me a shout before I trade it in.
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