Subaru Repair: is it transmission or front end?, cv joints, freeway speeds

Question
I have a 98 Outback.  It was begun to "shake" during acceleration and intermittenly at freeway speeds.  I have had it looked at and the mechanic at first thought CV joints but then thought it was a transmission problem.  He replaced each CV joint one at a time to see if shake stopped but didn't fix the problem.  He put back on the old axles and said it would be 3 thousand for a new transmission as Subaru transmissions cannot be rebuilt.  I won't be going back to him by the way.  Anyway, my husbands believes it is CV joints and maybe a tire problem.  I know I haven't given you much to go on but I still hope you can help me with this.  thanks!  Shari  

Answer
Could be a transmission problem, but very, very, very unlikely. Subaru transmissions are tough. And "its not the axles, it must be the transmission" has never been the way to approach a concern. The most common cause of the problem you are describing is tires or wheels. We had one just like yours in the shop a few months ago, and we were lucky to have another Subaru to switch tires and wheels off of. If that isnt an option, try to find a dealer or a tire store with the ability to "road force balance" your tires. They should be able to check both your tires and wheels at the same time and either definitively rule in or rule out tires or wheels.

Good luck.