Do 1996-1999 Subaru cars have mechanical problems?

be more specific.... ofcourse all cars have mechanical problems after a good while of driving. Hondas are great cars with few mechanical problems if that's what you wanna know

A common issue with the era of Subies you refer to is bad head gaskets on the 2.5 motor. Its an expensive fix as the engine has to come out and get mostly torn apart to replace them.