I Bought the Outback Wilderness

A vehicle I expected to buy closer to retirement arrived a little sooner than planned.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about why I was leaning toward buying a Subaru Outback Wilderness as I got closer to retirement.

At the time, it was still mostly a future plan.

I wanted something comfortable enough for long road trips, practical enough to carry photography and camping gear, and capable enough to reach the kinds of places I hope to explore after we move to Florida. It also needed enough room for the occasional overnight trip in the back.

Most importantly, it needed to complement my Jeep rather than replace it.

I expected to wait a while before doing anything about it. Then I found a used 2024 Outback Wilderness in Geyser Blue at a local dealership.

After taking a closer look at the vehicle, its mileage and the numbers, I started wondering what I was really waiting for.

So I bought it.

Why I Bought It Earlier Than Planned

The original idea was to buy a lower-mileage vehicle shortly before retirement. The Outback would become our comfortable daily driver and road-trip vehicle, while the Jeep would take on a more specialized role.

As I thought about it more, however, buying right before retirement started to make less sense.

Purchasing it now gives me several years to pay it down while I am still working instead of carrying a brand-new vehicle payment into retirement. Ideally, it will be paid off—or very close to it—by the time we make the move.

That was a major part of the decision.

It also allows me to start shifting everyday miles away from the Jeep. The Jeep is nearly ten years old, but I still enjoy it and have no plans to replace it. I have spent years getting it set up the way I want it, and there is no reason to give it up just because it isn’t the ideal vehicle for every trip.

What I don’t necessarily want is to continue piling ordinary miles onto it.

Buying the Outback now gives me time to learn the vehicle, decide how I want to organize it and gradually build the equipment I will use for photography trips and simple overnight adventures.

Instead of trying to buy a vehicle, move to Florida and assemble an entire travel setup at the same time, I can work through those details over the next few years.

Taken together, buying now felt less like moving the purchase forward and more like giving myself time to have it ready—and hopefully paid for—when retirement arrives.

At least that is how I am explaining it to myself.

Finding the Right One

I had already decided that I wanted the Wilderness version.

I like the additional capability, but I also simply prefer the way it looks. I have never been especially interested in buying a vehicle that disappears into a parking lot full of similar crossovers.

The Wilderness has enough personality to feel different.

The one I found is Geyser Blue, which was one of the colors I liked most. It was also a Certified Pre-Owned 2024 model with relatively low mileage, so it fit the basic plan of buying something I could keep well into retirement.

Buying used also meant that someone else absorbed the first part of the depreciation.

Once I saw it in person, I liked it even more than I expected. The blue works especially well with the black trim and Wilderness accents. It looks sporty without trying to look like something it isn’t.

It still has the shape and practicality of an Outback, but it doesn’t feel like an ordinary family wagon.

The First Drive

The biggest adjustment has been moving between the Outback and the Jeep.

The Jeep has 35-inch tires, a small lift and the general driving manners of a vehicle that was designed with removable doors and a folding windshield. I love it, but quiet and refined are not the first words that come to mind.

The Outback feels completely different.

It is smoother, quieter and much easier to drive around town. The turbocharged engine has plenty of power when I need it, but the vehicle is also comfortable just moving through traffic without making every drive feel like an event.

I have also been more impressed with the adaptive cruise control than I expected. It is easy to think of those systems as unnecessary until you use one in changing traffic. Having the vehicle adjust its speed while maintaining a reasonable distance makes longer drives feel more relaxed.

That should become even more valuable when we start making regular trips between Tennessee and Florida.

It is not going to recreate the experience of my old BMWs on a winding road, and it isn’t supposed to. What it offers is a comfortable and confident way to cover distance while carrying everything I might want when I arrive.

That is much closer to what I need now.

It Isn’t Perfect

I am still adjusting to a few things.

The driver’s footrest limits how far I can stretch my left leg, which is more noticeable at my height. I am experimenting with the seating position and may eventually make a small adjustment to the front of the seat.

The rear seats also take a little more attention to fold than I initially expected because the cushions can catch instead of dropping completely flat.

There are also more controls, screens and driver-assistance settings than I am accustomed to having in the Jeep. Some of those features are useful, while others will probably remain buried in a menu after I get everything set the way I like it.

None of those things changes how I feel about the purchase, but I don’t want to pretend that buying a new vehicle means loving every design decision.

Part of owning it will be figuring out what works, what doesn’t and what I can improve.

Building It Slowly

The cargo area was a major reason the Outback kept moving to the top of my list.

It gives me enough room for camera equipment, luggage, a portable power station and a small refrigerator without turning every trip into a game of Tetris. With the back seats folded, it should also provide enough length for me to sleep inside during a simple overnight trip.

I am not planning to turn it into an expedition vehicle.

The goal is a comfortable, organized setup that lets me leave after work, drive somewhere interesting, sleep for the night and wake up ready to photograph or explore. I don’t want a tall platform that consumes all the headroom or a vehicle packed with equipment I rarely use.

I want the setup to remain modular.

For an ordinary trip, the Outback can function as a normal daily driver. When I want to stay overnight, I can add a mattress, window screens, a fan, the power station and a few basic supplies.

Eventually, it may also carry an e-bike, kayak or inflatable paddleboard. Those purchases can come later. For now, I can concentrate on getting the basic sleeping and photography setup right.

I expect that process to become part of the story here.

The Jeep Still Has a Job

Buying the Outback has not made me enjoy the Jeep any less.

If anything, it may help me enjoy it more.

The Jeep can remain the vehicle I choose when I want to remove the top, explore rougher roads or simply drive something that feels completely different from everything else. It no longer has to be the best choice for commuting, long interstate drives, grocery shopping and every other ordinary task.

The two vehicles serve different purposes.

The Jeep is still the fun, open-air adventure vehicle I have owned and modified for nearly a decade.

The Outback is the comfortable daily driver that can carry photography equipment, handle a forest road and take us across several states without leaving us exhausted when we arrive.

That was the combination I imagined when I wrote the first article.

Now it is sitting in the driveway.

Starting the Next Chapter Early

I still have several years before retirement, and there are plenty of larger decisions ahead of us.

We have to decide exactly where we want to live. I have equipment to buy, skills to develop and many parts of this future lifestyle that currently exist mostly as notes, lists and ideas.

The Outback is one of the first major pieces to move from the planning stage into real life.

For now, I will use it as a daily driver, take a few longer trips and start testing the kind of simple travel setup I hope to use later. Along the way, I will learn what I actually need instead of trying to predict every detail in advance.

I thought the Outback Wilderness would be a pretty good way to start retirement.

It turns out it may also be a pretty good way to start getting ready for it.