My mom has a 2010 Forester and it's awesome. Rides like a dream and was pretty affordable. I think you'll do fine getting anything Subaru. I had an 08 Outback 2.5XT in manual. For a wagon, that thing had some umph. I traded it in for an F150 and regret it to this day. My dad has a Legacy wagon and my step mom has an Outback as well. All of them are great cars. My dad beats the hell out of the Legacy and he's had no issues with it so far. When I get back to CO and pick up a job after flight school, I'm trading my F150 in for another Outback or a Forester.