Forrester owners please give opinions!

[XT Fan]

Hi all, I'm over here from the 'Older-generation' thread needing opinions on how your forrester has performed. Problems as well as how do you like it? I am trying to talk my Mother into buying one instead of the (ducking for cover now) Honda Element! She is looking into a 2003 model at around $16,000. I only have experience with the older Subarus and know that they take a lickin' and keep on tickin' (no pun intended).

 

I would like to have this information from personal experience to be able to feel comfortable into talking her into buying the Sube instead of the Honda.

 

Thanks for all input.

 

Linda

[Guest lothar34]

I just had to have a crank seal replaced on mine at 76k, and the clutch went out (under warranty) right after I bought it at 58k. Other than that, no problems to report and it's been perfect for day-to-day use and bad weather driving.

[worknwood]

My wifes '99 forester (5 speed man) has 103K and we have had to do one recall on an air sensor and regular maint. I find the back seat a little uncomforable on long trips but other creature comforts are fine. I am right now doing brakes and timing belt replacements, and we are starting to get some wheel bearing noise and I will need to address that issue soon. Other than these things and the clutch shutter that we have accepted and lived with, it is pretty much trouble free. We live in the eastern Seirra Mt. of No. Calif. at 5000 Ft elev. "SNOW". Lots of Subarus here, and some Eliments.

 

Darrell

[JOEK39]

Purchased my 2001 S Premium new - other than lousy OEM tires, no issues at all to date. Mileage is consistently 22-24 mpg, seats are supportive, all the goodies I got are excellent (sunroof, heated seats, auto-dimming mirror), and the safety features are considered the best.

 

Mine is now at 45K miles, and I'm getting ready to do a brake job all-around.

 

I like your idea of buying one a couple years old - the only warranty recalls I've had were for a computer chip replacement and a cooling system additive - there's posts on boith of these on this BB.

 

Good Luck!

[subeman90]

00 forester we had was great! the 04 we have now is better than great. The 00 was an automatic and while I hate autos I did like this one for some reason. The 04 is an XS 5speed. Like I said though....both are/were super sweet. honda's suck.

 

Matt

[hohieu]

Hi Linda,

My wife and I just purchased our 5 spd. Forester earlier this year w/ 72K miles, and have put about 4K miles on the care ourselves. I should begin by saying that it's impossible to speculate on how many of these cars are plagued by problems that you will find reported on the this or other sites because no extensive study has been conducted with random sampling. You can check the research engine at consumerreports.org, msn.com, and yahoo.com to read their conclusions, which are based on consumer surveys. I own a '99, and you're interested in a '03, which is when the Forester was completely redesigned, so it's difficult to project any of my experiences or information into this newer generation of these cars.

 

If you are considering 98-02, I would consider the following issues:

(1) '98 engine is a Phase I DOHC 2.5, which is prone to internal coolant leaks, leading to a blown headgasket. Valve jobs and Timing Belt changes are also more complicated on these engines, and perhaps more expensive if you're hiring a mechanic to do it. Subaru began using the Phase II 2.5L SOHC engine in the 99 Forester (and 00 Outbacks). There is a recall on these for external coolant leaks, which entails adding a bottle of coolant conditioner containing silicone. My local mechanic in VT says it's doing the trick, but only time will tell. They use this same engine in the new non-turbo Foresters, but perhaps with a redesigned headgasket. In any event, external leaks are less severe than the internal variety, and my car has had no issues thus far at 76K miles. In general, the SOHC 2.5 L engine is a better designed than its predecessor.

(2) My car had both rear wheel bearings replaced 2X by two different dealers during its first 70K of service, but this issue has been rectified w/ different bearings (same ones as in Legacy) and different installation procedures. If you buy an '01 or older, just make sure that roller bearings were put in the rear.

 

Otherwise, I think it's a great car, and we really love. Also keep in mind that the preceding is not a caveat, just information that any smart consumer might want. I think it's a solid car that I plan to have for a long time. Good luck.

[forester2002s]

My 2002 Forester (bought new) has 50,000km on it. It is great in the snow, and on slippery roads. In general I am very happy with it and plan to keep it a long time.

 

I have taken it on some mountain logging roads a few times, and it has behaved OK, but there are a couple of points to note: 1. 1st gear is not low enough for really steep or rocky areas, and so one has to slip the clutch sometimes. 2. The wide tires (215/60R16) don't have enough 'depth' to cope with impacting rocks on the road; I had one flat that destroyed the tire, from running over a 4" rock (my fault entirely).

 

The engine 'hesitates' at slow speed (in traffic); this phenomenom comes and goes; try searching for 'hesitation' problems on this board. I have learned to live with the problem (my wife doesn't even notice it).

 

I fixed one annoying design fault: The power-windows were wired to only work when the ignition key was set to 'RUN'; that meant that if I was sitting in the car with the engine off, and listening to the radio with the key set to the 'ACC' position, then the windows didn't work. Most annoying. Soon after I bought the car, I rewired the windows to the 'ACC' circuit. Maybe Subaru have changed this on later models.

 

One other minor fault: The seat heaters (which are a nice feature) are energized using a toggle switch (wired to the 'ACC' circuit). The problem is that the switch does not turn itself off after a pre-set time, nor does it reset to off when the ignition key is removed. This means that if I forget that the toggle-switch is 'ON', then the seats get hot all the time that the ignition is set to either 'ACC' or 'RUN'. Just a minor inconvenience, that Subaru could easily fix with timer.

 

Other than that, the Forester is great for my needs. There are so many Subarus near where I live, that some wag has put up a sign on his road reading 'Rue Subaru' (Subaru Road in French).

[Sweet82]

Got a 2001 a little over a year ago and I love it!

 

Great on snow and dirt roads, it feels stable and predictable.

 

It has plenty of power as long as the A/C is OFF!

 

I have replaced a radiator by-pass hose and had the engine coolant recall work done but that is it!

 

The reason I purchased another Subaru is because my 82 has been flawless for the last 22 years.

 

I feel comfortable in the car in adverse weather conditions!

 

Glenn,

82 SubaruHummer

01 Forester

[XT Fan]

Thanks all......for all the opinions and facts. I feel better about hounding her a bit on this topic. I am going to push until she at least test drives one! Then I bet she will fall in love with it. Anyway I'll feel better knowing I tried to keep her from buying the Honda.

 

 

Linda