Why I’m Leaning Toward an Outback Wilderness

As retirement gets closer, I’ve found myself thinking about my nearly 10-year-old Jeep Wrangler and what life will look like on a fixed income.

One idea that keeps coming back is giving the Jeep a different role. Rather than using it as my everyday vehicle, I’d like to turn it into my dedicated adventure vehicle while adding a second vehicle with lower miles to handle daily driving and road trips.

At first, I thought about buying another convertible. I’ve owned several over the years, and there is something special about driving with the top down. It would make a fun car for running errands and enjoying nice weather.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized I wasn’t buying a vehicle just for fun—I was buying one to support the lifestyle I hope to have in retirement.

So I started making a checklist.

For everyday use, I wanted something that was:

● Comfortable on long road trips.

● Fuel efficient, but still had enough power for confident highway passing. A turbocharged four-cylinder or a smooth V6 would be ideal.

● Large enough for luggage, photography gear, and everyday shopping.

● Safe.

● Reliable enough to keep for many years.

Then I remembered that the Jeep would still be sitting in the garage, ready for weekend adventures. That changed my thinking again.

If the Jeep was ever in the shop, or if I simply wanted a quieter, more comfortable ride, I still wanted my second vehicle to be capable of getting me to the places I enjoy.

That added a few more items to the list.

● It should be capable of handling forest roads, beach access roads, and light off-road travel. It doesn’t need to be a Jeep, but it should be more capable than the average car.

● Since I plan on buying a kayak and using a hitch-mounted bike rack, I wanted as much of that equipment as possible to work on either vehicle.

● It needed enough cargo room that I could comfortably sleep in the back on an overnight trip if I wanted to.

After looking at several options, one vehicle kept rising to the top of the list.

The Subaru Outback Wilderness.

I know Subaru has a certain reputation for its owners, but I’ve always liked them. They’ve built a reputation for safety, reliability, and an outdoors-oriented lifestyle that fits the way I see myself spending retirement.

Everything I’ve read suggests the Outback rides more like a comfortable wagon than a traditional SUV, which should make long drives much more enjoyable. At the same time, it has the ground clearance, all-wheel drive, and cargo space to handle camping gear, photography equipment, kayaks, bicycles, and the occasional dirt road without complaint.

I do have a second choice: the Honda Passport TrailSport.

The Passport offers a little more room and capability, but it’s also more expensive and much harder to find, especially in the used market. For what I need, I’m not convinced the extra cost would add much to my retirement lifestyle.

At this point, the Subaru Outback Wilderness appears to check every box on my list.

It won’t replace the Jeep—that was never the goal. Instead, it complements it perfectly. The Jeep remains the fun, open-air adventure vehicle, while the Outback becomes the comfortable, dependable daily driver that can still head into the mountains, down a forest road, or toward the coast whenever the mood strikes.

That combination seems like a pretty good way to start retirement.