I've got an 05 and it's a good boat. It's more of a ski boat than a wakeboard boat. It does throw a small wake, but with some weight, it will kick up a good wake. I'm just a beginner so I can't really compare it to anything else, but I'm happy with my boat. It does have a low freeboard, that's my only complaint though it's not major and I knew that before I bought the boat.
i owned an 05 outback, it was a great boat but wasnt for me. it was really low and with 1500# its even lower. if you arent careful you will take rollers over the front, i traded it in after one year and got an XLV, much better for surfing
I owned a 2002 Outback and loved it! I had it for two years and didn't have any problems with it at all. I upgraded to the XLV and that's my new love! The Outback is a great boat for a great price. I started with an old POS boat, upgraded to the Outback and now I'm in the XLV. It's a great starter boat.