Later generations with AWD may present a problem with tire replacement. Both my Gen 4 (with a manual transmission) and Gen 5 with a CVT required replacing all four tires if one failed and unless the replacement was an IDENTICAL tire that was really, really close in tread depth. This hasn’t changed with newer models, so basically all Outbacks (that I’m aware of) from 2009 to present have that feature.
A colleague lost it in 1997 (with 300k miles) in a flood. (The fuel pump went out at the top of her 2 mile drive and she had the pump out of the tank when the flood hit. The flood filled the fuel tank with water.) She was able to use the same size tires in 1997 , even if all four were different brands. She replaced it with a 2014 similar to mine. Her finances were not good and she had to change a tire. She bought a used tire of the same brand and size, but a different model. So it was not identical. The Outback drove like a crazy kangaroo. It would have eventually damaged part of the drive line. Within days, she had to scrounge up enough money to buy a set of the cheapest identical tires she could find.
