Subarupusher

Sorry...I was around a lot of ignorant sales people this week when we were narrowing our choice down to a new Forester!!!!! V4 and V6 got thrown out a lot to describe the engine. I corrected by previous post to use the "technical" description. My wife has the same opinion about the Forester, Outback, and Tribeca being hard to tell apart from the outside. It would have helped if the Tribeca kept its original snout and rounded back.

Thanks for all the info. We took it around to a couple of alignment places. Nobody really wants to give it more than a tire spin and eyeballing it unless you front them some cash. The insurance did officially total it and we raised their initial offer by showing maintenance receipts and talking to our local dealer on what they would sell it for pre accident condition. It was tempting to keep it and lose $600 on the settlement but my girlfriend had been saving up for years for a Forester and she pulled the trigger. So Monday we will drive it down to the salvage auction yard and pick up the insurance check. So it will immediately be auctioned next week near Tacoma, Washington (heads up for anybody in the area).

Outback 4 banger to 6 banger depending on what type you want Tribeca 6 banger Outback actual gas mileage with a 4 banger CVT 26-29 Tribeca 21-22 The Tribeca has extra seats that pop up to seat 7 total. My impression after owning both is that the Outback is configured better to hold more cargo with the seats down compared to the Tribeca. Outback has higher clearance Outback selling like hotcakes Tribeca selling like typewriters

My girlfriend got knocked pretty good on the freeway in her 1996 AT Impreza Wagon with most of the damage on the rear right panel, wheel well, and a hub cap was sheared off. She drove it home about 10 miles and thought it was still handling OK and the insurance has started to figure out the body damage which may total it anyway. I drove the car on a cold morning where we had several long patches of ice. The car felt very unstable at 25 mph on black ice. I was coasting with my foot off the gas and the rear end was skittering pretty good. I have never felt this in a Subaru and the AWD drive vehicle behind me was not having any problem and ended up passing me. So my guess is the AWD drive is damaged and either locked in the rear or the right wheel is dragging with the left trying to compensate. Any expert opinions on what could be going on? The steering wheel is also slightly off.

Have it on my new Outback and I am impressed in terms of mileage and it really makes our old Impreza feel clunky by comparison when you go back to driving the old Subaru AT. Don't forget that the Prius uses a variant of the CVT and this does not worry people as much as mysterious accelerations and how long the batteries will last. So far the CVT Subarus sell almost as fast as they arrive and they have the highest resale value. I know of one Legacy CVT that depreciated 7% when traded in after one year. My guess is the old AT will be the most bullet proof and that matters for people that want to push 200K on their Subarus. Getting to 120K on a more fuel efficient transmission and then getting a new Subaru works for a lot of owners. At that point there will be a proven Subaru hybrid to purchase with a well tested CVT.

When you buy a brand new Subaru and you fend off the dealer for their "official" over priced warranty, Subaru will send "Added Security" offers for the first year of ownership. $840 gets you a total warranty of 5 years or 80K miles whichever comes first. If you get a decent warranty from a legitimate company, you can cancel anytime and you will get a pro rated refund. I still got a decent chunk of change when I traded my car in after 3 years into a 5 year warranty. You actually get most of your warranty purchase price back if you cancel within the first 6 months. Been there, done that, too. I have bitten on the warranty a few times but only made the dealer warranty mistake once. However the dealer warranty was on a 3 year old Subaru XT Turbo back in 1989 and that car was in the shop every few months its first year and I more than made my money back on the warranty. All Subarus are much more reliable these days and I have not gotten an extended warranty on a Subaru since 1989.

I had a 2007 Impreza 2.5i AT and averaged 29 mpg on mostly freeway and it would dip to 25 in mixed driving. It surprised me once by getting 31 mpg. My 2010 Legacy 2.5 Limited with CVT has never dipped below 28 mpg in City and Highway driving and hit 36 mpg on it first official long road trip over the mountains and back. It will be interesting to see what the Imprezas get once they have CVT. I would guess the Forester CVT mpg will be similar to the current CVT Outback.

Just to clarify, you serviced your Subaru over in Bremerton (technically the dealership is in Gorst) but you bought it over in Auburn? Scarff did the original repair on the gaskets? I have had the opposite experience with Scarff. They are not so good on the sales side (we quit buying there back in 1996) but are excellent in the service department. We tried an independent for a few years but Scarff won us back with quality work and only recommending service that was neccessary. I see this as more of a sales issue and the service department cannot honor spoken promises about a warranty. So don't throw the mechs under the bus when it is the owner and salesman that you have an issue with. If I were in your situation during the sale and I had a bad feeling about the head gasket, I would have demanded an extended warranty to close the sale. The problem is dealers will not usually do this. They will reduce the price a little and move on to the next person that does not do their homework when checking out the car.

I picked up on "New or late model" Legacy requirements. The only option is to get a 2010 Legacy. The style change is well worth it (bigger and more comfortable) and if you are looking for economy, the CVT option is a must. I have tried to own a couple German cars over the years and they are high maintenance but really fun when everything works. Subarus are low maintenance but take some work or options to be really fun.

Temperature has never been an issue on Subarus that are well maintained in my family. The idiot light works just as well. My experience with hot engines in various other cars is that your nose is the best sensor. It detects coolant leaks and the hot oil smell is usually accompanied by elevated engine temps. The tpms works really well and helped point out the 3 inch screw in my tire before the tire looked flat. The result is the car went straight to the dealer for a free flat repair rather than going flat on the freeway on my usual morning commute.

All I can say is that I love it and no problems so far with 2.5 K miles on her. The difference is really noticeable when you drive all day with the CVT and then drive around the wife's 96 Imp. The standard automatic feels clunky. I passed a 4 door Justy on the freeway the other morning so there are some original CVTs going strong after 2 decades.

The wife and I always thought the Forester was comfortable and well made until we test drove a 2010 Forester and a 2010 Outback on the same day. The Outback does make the Forester seem cheaper on the interior and a little bit stiffer on the ride. But you are paying thousands of dollars more for the Outback and they are selling here in the NW as fast as they arriive and thus not a lot of dickering. The Forester has a nice selection and is definitely easier on the pocket book. I have the CVT in the Legacy and it may be a little louder and constant but I have gotten used to it and now I notice the "clunks" in normal AT shifting when riding in other cars or driving a vacation rental.

Turbos do need more oil changes and the old Subaru XT Turbos I had really cooked the hoses. My best average mileage for a Subaru was 30-32 with a MT FWD 4 cyl Subaru XT Turbo with a lot of highway driving. The 4WD version averaged 25+ in mixed driving. Keep it well maintained, check the hoses on a regular basis, and worry about taking the turbo out when it breaks.

2003 was a transition year for Onstar. I had it in a 2002 Chevy and some of the vehicles could be upgraded to digital and some could not. Mine was on the "not" list but it was not broken down by model but by VIN. I have had it before in a newer Chevy and liked it as a back up for places where my cell phone did not work. As for the privacy issues about them being "big brother"...I would be more concerned about cell phones which can also be tracked via GPS and conversations are time stamped to see if they were occurring during accidents. Privacy advocates love to bash Onstar but never bother to read the fine print on their cell phone contracts. They should also read their car insurance contracts which are also driving this need for your personal information when driving. I was not even aware that Subaru dabbled with Onstar and it would make sense that it is no longer supported in any Subaru.

If it is like the 06 Impreza I had, you pull off the trim piece and the radio will have screws holding it in. Unscrew those and it slides right out. I did have a HD radio in that car and it worked really well in the greater Seattle area. There are a few dead spots but it even worked well in Bremerton (above posters general area). FM radio is funny. I live 35 miles from Seattle and yet the stations come in better than when I am driving around downtown Seattle. The location of the transmitter towers and terrain have more to do with getting the HD signal. Definitely worth the cost if you have the stations in the area. The sound is much better than sat.

I have had a Legacy CVT for almost 3 months now. The smooth transmission works as advertised and I do like the term "snowmobile" that a salesman used to describe it. I traded in an Impreza with the same engine with AT and the accleration is more like a long lunge compared to a set of hops. The end result seems to be the same amount of time to get to freeway speed. I have used the paddle shifters to keep the speed down when going down steep hills but I have yet to try to use them for "power" shifting. I am on my best tank for mileage yet. 250 miles of driving (little more than half a tank left) and I am averaging 32 mpg! I have always been against faux wood grain in any car but they have kept it down to accent level rather than filling up the center with it like a lot of luxury vehicles try to do. Subarus are not known for their stylish interiors (except maybe the Tribeca and XT when they first came out) but my interior has gotten some raves. The exterior has also drawn some second looks and complements which has not happened to me since I drove an XT way back in 1989.

I have been driving around the new Legacy with the CVT and love it. I am getting 28+ mpg in mixed driving and can hit 31 in freeway driving. The wife is hanging onto her old squeaky Impreza until she sees the new CVT in a Forester or Impreza. The current models get equal or worse gas mileage than her Impreza. Anybody hear any rumors about the CVT being available in more models in 2011? I searched on the internet and everybody seems to be real excited about the RWD Impreza coupe. I figure Subaru may play their CVT plans close to the vest so they do not tank the current model year sales. Toyota had a similar thing happen when they announced that the Prius will be "plug in" in a year or two. Now the Toyota lots are filling up with Prius.

I am in the same boat with a new Legacy. I had the Sirius module put in my Impreza a few years ago and the module went brain dead after about 18 months. The orginal install was $550 and installed parts are only covered for 1 year. All the dealer did was shrug their shoulders and passed it on to Sirius to warranty. Sirius only offered me a portable tuner. So I think I have learned a lesson. Only have sat if it comes with the car. That way it is covered under the standard 3 year warranty. Otherwise a portable tuner that plugs into the Aux will do.

I have to set the record straight on some misconceptions when comparing model years. The 06-07 base models have the same HP and engine as the base 08-10. Judging from gas mileage grumbles from some of the 08-09 owners I know, I think the slightly larger size and weight has decreased the mileage slightly. My 07 never goes below 24 and has hit a 30+ when doing the math with miles over gallons pumped. The 07 does not have the mpg display like the new ones. We also have a 96 Impreza in the household and I think that HP is about 30 less than the curent base Impreza. The performance was a big improvement over the HP of the original Impreza but the new Imprezas definitely out perform the 2.2 Imprezas of the mid to late 1990s. Still a lot of people on both sides about if the new style is an improvement. I do know that the 06-07 wagons are narrower between the wheel wells and that makes it almost impossible to load a bike in without taking lots of parts off. Bikes scoot right into the newer model. I like the look of the previous model but then again I own one. The loss of the temperature gage also bugs me. The return of the fold down seats in the new sedan was a no brainer. I I know Subaru is offering 11 to 11.5 guaranteed trade in on that 2007 Impreza model so knocking 1 K off and keeping the 100K warranty would be a decent deal on the original Impreza you posted here.

I had the 93 sedan (Agean Blue) with all the bells and whistles for the time and it was one the first ones delivered to the NW. That was the best car I ever had for reliablility. Five years of ownership and all I did was regular oil changes and gas. It did take 1-2 or two seconds more to get up to 60 compared to the 2WD cars in its class. The 2.2 engine was a big improvement for HP in 96 but it is a little leaky past 100K (we still have a 96 Impreza wagon). With that mileage, I would definitely jump on it but do try to knock the price down.

If you mean going to the auto store and buying the oil and filter each time and doing it yourself, answer hazy but it is probably OK if you keep the receipts of the purchase (correct oil and filter!) and write down the mileage. My question is why bother doing it yourself? Most non dealer places will do it for under $20 and my dealer sends me an occasional coupon to do it for $20 with a carwash. Add up the cost of buying decent oil and the correct filter and your time. I think you will come out ahead paying to have it done.

The decks in the older generation Imprezas (circa 1996) are easy to pull. I have not tried on my 2007. In fact, I had the dealer troubleshoot the Sat tuner and the repair monkey left scuffs on the molding to the right side of the deck. My experiences with dealer installations and repairs of decks have not been good over the years. I don't think they do it much and the inexperience shows. You would probably have better luck ordering the part at a discount over the internet (or threatening to do that and having the dealer come down on the price) and then going over to Best Buy or Car Toys to have them install it. My guess would be the labor would come out to half the dealer quote and their techs are experienced at it. If I were doing it I would, Order the Part See how easy it is to pull the deck yourself and install it. If pulling the deck is intimidating then call on Best Buy or Car Toys to do it.

Helped my sister get a good deal on one of those rare LL Bean 2009 Foresters. She actually traded in her 2006 Forester XT due to some minor issues that involved going to the dealer too many times (hill holder adjustment was one). She was never thrilled about filling it up with Premium. The 2009 is noticeably bigger and they restored the tilt back seats in the rear which the original 1998 Forester had. The ride seems quieter and you definitely notice the increase in head room too. The stereo is smarter and displays station info where available. She really loves the puddle lights option too. She got one of the first ones sent out this way back in March and so far no problems. We have even had a few snowstorms to test the higher clearance too.

I was thought I was the only one that drove their mountain bike into the top of their garage. No sun roof damage but I did put a small divot on the top of the back hatch. Never thought about claiming it under the warranty. I pay for my stupid mistakes and hopefully learn a lesson. If are not satisfied with the repair process, try another dealer. It has taken me many years to figure out that their are dealers where you buy the car (best price) and different dealers where you get the car fixed correctly. Definitely put the original radio back in and have another dealer replace it.

That seems like a rip off when this is available at the dealer in the 11K range. http://mikescarffsubaru.vip.videocarlot.tv/used-inventory/vehicle-details.htm?vehicleId=e2b0eee64046381e017588d56f5382f4 You can get an LL Bean edition for $500 more at the same place. These cars have similar mileage and a 3 month warranty. I am not a salesman just a loyal customer. These are on the left coast however and I know that Subarus are not as common over there.