Maybe Porsche could’ve taught them to make a boxer engine that doesn’t have head gasket problems. Obviously Porsche/VW isn’t the greatest in reliability, but at least head gaskets aren’t a wear item replaced at regular intervals, which is ironic because German cars are known for things requiring regular maintenance that NEVER fail on Japanese cars.
Subaru is high-maintenance for a Japanese car. The worst* modern “Toyota” could’ve been the best modern “Porsche” where people are more willing to tolerate problems. And while Subaru is inferior to Toyota, they are no worse than Porsche.
It would also be more profitable since Porsche is known for their famous options list. There would also have been a better chance of more power and a convertible version for these cars. A sunroof would be awesome.
*I recognize that this dubious throne has since been superseded by the BMW Supra, but at the time Subaru was the worst Toyota-badged car sold in the US. The Yaris was still a Yaris back then, too. The BMW and Subaru make the Toyota Cavalier seem like a good idea in comparison. And what a missed opportunity! If the Supra was a Subaru instead of BMW, it could’ve been a Supraru :p