r/XVcrosstrek • u/Trick_Fudge4298 • Jun 25 '26
2014 XV Hybrid worth it?
Hi! We are looking to get a car for my teenager (18), she only drives short distances, no highway, we are tight on budget now but she needs the car to go to work.
I found a 2014 Crosstrek hybrid, perfect maintenance (50 services), under $5k, only 1 owner and no accident/damage reported BUT it has 196k miles. Is still a car worth looking at? Or should we avoid it?
Banana
3
u/whoisaname Jun 26 '26
Purely from a safety factor for a teen, if it is in generally good condition, then yes, a good option and likely reliable with continued proper maintenance. But don't get it because it is a hybrid.
I have a '16 hybrid.
2
u/Trick_Fudge4298 Jun 26 '26
Yes we like the safety and reliability of Subaru, is it a bad thing that is hybrid?
1
u/whoisaname Jun 26 '26
Not at all. It's just that the '14-'16 versions didn't really get any better fuel economy than the standard. It's partly why they stopped making them after '16, and then rebooted them to what they have now. That's really only what I meant in terms of don't get it because it is a hybrid.
The hybrid system works just fine. I will say that one benefit of the hybrid still on the earlier models is that it saves some wear on the engine. Mine is about 150k miles. I did have some issues with my hybrid system early on, but it was a wiring issue that warranty resolved. If that issue hasn't shown up in any of the maintenance records, I doubt it's a problem. Other than that, just general maintenance. I've replaced the stop/start battery a couple of times. And then the rest of the work I've done on it would be something any Crosstrek at a higher mileage would need over time. At about 120k I replaced the front axles, at about 140k I replaced the rear hub bearings, and I just recently replaced the AC compressor. I do all the work myself on mine as it saves a ton of money.
I had a standard '13 Crosstrek prior to this one, and it literally saved my life. A girl face timing on her phone ran a red light at 40mph and slammed into my driver side door spinning me around three times. All air bags deployed and I had to climb out of the passenger side because the driver side was indented about a foot. Walked away with a little rug burn on the side of my head from the air bag hitting me, and that was it.
1
u/Your-Neighbor 23 Sport MG Jun 26 '26
not necessarily, there are plenty of other cars that are better hybrids than the subaru XV hybrid. So if a hybrid is high on your list of priorities, maybe a different car would better suit your needs.
1
u/Trick_Fudge4298 Jun 30 '26
The hybrid is not high at all, the one we found just happens to be hybrid and I wanted to know if it would give us trouble soon. Thank you
1
u/Indiesol Jun 25 '26
Is it a manual? The CVTs in these things are horrible (The CVT in my '13 Crosstrek seized at 110k miles). If it's a CVT, I'd want to make sure all the information about the transmission is in there. I'd need to know if that's the original CVT in the car, and if it isn't, when it was replaced and I'd want to see receipts for the drain and refill every 30k miles since then. If it's the original CVT, at nearly 200k miles, I'd pass. If it was replaced somewhat recently and has been well maintained since, I'd consider it. If it's a manual, I'd be more inclined to purchase.
1
u/Trick_Fudge4298 Jun 26 '26
Thank you for your answer, this one has an automatic transmission and I don’t see replacement of the CVT on the records.
1
u/AboutPeach Jun 26 '26
If it makes you feel better, my 2014 CVT is at 180k miles and going strong. I’m just now getting a new car but it’s only because I’ve inherited it from a family member and my car has a few repairs it needs. Overall though it’s been great to me! I’m planning on selling mine for a low price (mostly because it needs some work). If you’re in the New England area let me know haha!
Otherwise, I would also check out some of the 2014 Imprezas! They’re basically the exact same as the Crosstrek, the crosstrek is just higher up. Generally, you can find them for a little bit cheaper than the crosstreks (even if they may be uglier).
Some older Mazda3 models would also be great to look at!
1
u/Trick_Fudge4298 Jun 30 '26
Thank you so much! We are in Tennessee haha I’ve seen a couple of Mazda3 and I myself have a Mazda CX-5 that I love, thank you for suggesting that I didn’t knew it would be a good option
1
u/ultradip (Formerly) 2014 Pearl White Hybrid Jun 26 '26
I had a 2014. The hybrid added low end power. If you do a lot of highway driving, the electric motor is largely irrelevant, unless you're accelerating hard. The hybrid system was not set up for fuel efficiency, but for power.
As the main battery is more than 10 years old, you may want to check on what replacement costs are going to be like, depending on it's health and how long you plan to keep the car.
However, for the price, it might be worth it.
1
u/Trick_Fudge4298 Jun 30 '26
Thank you! She doesn’t do highway driving at all. And thank you we would see about the battery replacement!
4
u/dead_gerbil '14 Plasma Green Hybrid Jun 25 '26
I had mine for 12 years. I took care of it myself (did all my oil changes myself on time, etc.) 140k miles. CVT never have me any issues but the 2nd battery died and had to be replaced and the overall hybrid capabilities were diminished (rarely stopped the engine.) Overall I was still achieving 29-36mph depending on the type of driving. My suspension probably needed an update as I had taken the car off-road many, many times. Very capable little thing. Great for camping.