Oil leaks? Not a problem, never been a problem. Not even mentioned on the Outback owners forum I frequent. I'd be very curious as to what model Subaru you've owned that had oil leak issues. And any good British bike makes the leaks coming from a Hardly Ableson look like nothing in comparison.

Iron, given the description of your Taurus I guess you're lucky they're not charging you to take it away...;^)

If your down payment isn't too high and you're happy, then go for it, whichever car you choose. I'll simply add that you've made several good arguments for getting the Subaru yourself and none for the Passat or the Ford.