I don't get it. Why do people even consider the looks of the Subaru as really, really important? They're universally regarded as fairly..ahem...ugly looking cars. They're outlandish and polarizing, especially when you dump that humongous wing on top of it...but I still love them
If you wanted the good looks, stick with the Z, or save up for a German car.
Also, ringland failures were a huge issue in '08, but since there's only been a few isolated cases. Like Zed said, most occur when someone is really, really pushing their car. Until then, Subies have generally been pretty reliable.
cossie, don't underestimate the effect Auto-X can have on a car. I think Auto-X is actually more punishing than a track day, just because of the extreme technical nature of the courses, and the driver is typically in the really high RPM ranges, or constantly adjusting / shifting / etc.