Subaru has long been one of the go-to brands for budget-minded buyers, so the base price of the new seventh-generation 2026 Outback jumping by a whopping $5,985 in a single model year came as a surprise. The price bump is likely a major factor in the SUV's sales drop, moving just 10,004 units in March, after selling 17,539 units in the same month a year ago.Our glass-half-full take on the launch of a pricier new generation is that the situation just makes the outgoing sixth-gen Outback that much more attractive. Besides being more affordable, the 2025 Outback is also the last of its kind, with an appearance more akin to a station wagon on stilts rather than the new one looking like a boxy SUV. What's more, it's got two extra horses under the hood. Here's why the 2025 Outback is the perfect used buy in 2026. Sixth-Gen Outbacks Are More Affordable Than Ever Subaru At present, the 2025 Subaru Outback is still listed on the automaker's website, with the following trims up for grabs.The trim list is streamlined for the new 2026 model, which is usually a positive, but this time it means losing the entry-level option. The relaunch also bumps every trim's price up by anywhere from around $2,000 to more than $3,000.This comes with the territory when launching a new generation, and it's also not too surprising given that the price of a new car is averaging more than $50,000. Even so, that doesn't mean you have to take it lying down when you can still buy a 2025 model and get roughly the same performance specs.Checking the Subaru inventory page, we found the following listings for the 2025 model year. A Premium model is selling for $35,193. A Limited model is selling for $41,663. A Limited model is selling for $42,421. A Limited model is selling for $42,468. A Premium model is selling for $34,664. Based on these numbers, you should expect to see some dealer markup. Chances are, sellers will be looking to get rid of old inventory to make room for the 2026 model, so a skilled negotiator should have no trouble snagging a 2025 Outback for well below MSRP. But the real savings are to be had on the used market. 2021 Outbacks Can Be Had At $12,000 Below MSRP Subaru At five years in, most cars hit their biggest depreciation drop-offs, and the Outback is no exception. At last check, the CarBuzz Marketplace price-tracking tool puts a mid-range 2021 Subaru Outback Onyx Edition at nearly $12,000 below its MSRP of $35,145.The entry-level Base model has lost more than $4,000 of its initial value, making it an affordable starting point. The savings are more dramatic the higher the trim. A Touring XT, for instance, initially sold for $39,945 and is currently going for a little over $25,000, meaning you're spending around $15,000 below MSRP for the wagon's highest trim.If we check in with our own marketplace, we can turn up the following sixth-gen listings. An 88,140-mile 2020 Premium is selling for $20,999 in Oregon. A 74,943-mile 2023 Premium is selling for $20,295 in Florida. A 36,059-mile 2023 Touring XT is selling for $27,230 in Georgia. An 81,069-mile 2022 Premium is selling for $18,875 in Kentucky. A 119,912-mile 2020 Limited is selling for $14,545 in Georgia. Note that these numbers are provided only to give you an example of what's available. You should run a search of your own to see what you can find in your area and in your price range.Based on these listings, $21,000 will pretty much buy you whatever you want, with low miles. Even $15,000 will get you a mid-range model without too many miles on the odometer.The Outback doesn't fit the profile of a car that dramatically appreciates in value. However, fewer sales for new cars frequently correlate with more sales for used cars, meaning that these rock-bottom prices might not last forever. There really might not be a better time to buy a three-to-five-year-old Outback. Subaru's Been Having A Rough Year Subaru With some exceptions, Subaru's been having a pretty rough sales year. For the first quarter, the brand is down about 15% year over year. The industry overall is down by a few points for early 2026, but a 15% drop in sales is an exceptional fall-off, even by these standards.There are a few exceptions. The following models have shown some life amid the downturn.We've included the WRX in the table above because, despite a YTD sales dip, the WRX posted growing figures for April alone, moving 1,178 units last month, up from 772 in the same month a year ago. Whether Subaru can keep that momentum through the rest of the year, we'll have to wait and see.The Solterra EV saw a slight bump in sales, but it's one of the brand's more niche products. The WRX is an icon, but only the Forester sells in high enough volume to make a meaningful difference in year-end sales.At present, the brand is down 12.7% from this time a year ago, selling 194,683 units in the same four-month stretch as it sold 222,968 units in the first third of 2025. Price Bumps, New Designs, And Supply Gaps Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet The WRX is seeing a sales bump in part because it's selling for $5,000 cheaper, brand-new, than it was last year. The Forester is selling at roughly the same price, just below $30,000, and is continuing from last year's popular sixth-gen model introduction.It might seem like common sense that, at record-high car prices, you wouldn't want to raise the MSRP of a budget-friendly brand, but Subaru is trying to adapt to a rough market. Subaru has reported supply gaps due to the relocation of production facilities to work around the tariffs, and the brand states this is simply a temporary setback for the automaker. We'd Be Recommending The Sixth-Gen Subaru Outback Even At Brand-New Pricing Subaru The arrival of the seventh-gen Subaru Outback has created a solid buying opportunity for bargain hunters, but the truth is, we'd be recommending this wagon at brand-new prices, just as we have in the past.Just to go over everything we like about this SUV, in brief. The 2025 Outback was affordable even when it was brand-new, starting at just under $30,000 It's reliable, with a dependable flat-four powertrain, a J.D. Power Quality & Reliability rating of 81/100, and annual maintenance costs estimated at just $607, according to RepairPal It's fuel-efficient for a mid-size ICE, averaging 28 miles to the gallon combined It's all-wheel-drive standard with up to 9.5 inches of ground clearance, making for a versatile off-roader The wagon body style sets it apart from its top-heavy SUV competitors. This is one of the big things we'll miss as the SUV officially becomes a crossover And one thing we really don't like about the Outback: the only available transmission is a CVT. These one-speed transmissions are more dependable than their reputation might suggest, but they're fairly bland in comparison to a real automatic. Even so, we'd still recommend a 2025 Outback at any price (within reason).
+45 others
