Worried about buying a Subaru

[bunionboy]

Hi, I am new to this site. I was thinking about buying a Forester soon but as I look over this site, I sure see alot of posts discussing problems with their cars. I currently drive an Acura MDX and have absolutely no problems whatsoever. For all of you Subaru owners, what has been your experience with maintenance and problems, particularly with an 04 or 05 Forester? I appreciate any words of advice.

[Dr. RX]

I would say that the people who have problems with their Subaru are a small percentage of those who own them. I have several friends with Foresters and they have not had any problems with them. Subaru on a whole is an excellent car, pretty much trouble free if you do the scheduled maintenace and don't abuse it (although it will take more abuse then most cars I know of). The people on the board represent only a small portion of those who own Subarus, and most who post are doing so because they have trouble with their car and need help. Of course you will also find that a lot here are a bit more picky about their car's performance and notice things that most people won't even worry about.

[Snowman]

Overall, Subarus are very dependable and long lasting vehicles. The generation of Forester you speak of is not susceptible to the same headgasket problems as the earlier 2.5s. If you take proper care of a Forester, you can reasonably expect to get between 200,000 and 300,000 miles out of it, with few problems along the way.

 

Like Corky said, you see lots of people on this board with problems because people usually don't post here when their Subaru is running fine, which for most people is the vast majority of the time.

[The Dude]

I own a 99 Forester with 200,000 miles. Other than scheduled maintenance items, I have replaced the ball joints and a front axle. Since I replaced these items myself, I am $150 out of pocket for all my repairs.

 

However, the best way to determine a car's reliability is to use the statistics in Consumer's Report, Edmunds, and other neutral sources. What I am most interested in is the "lifetime" cost of the car. What I have found in the past, is that Subaru has higher scheduled maintenance costs than average, and lower repair costs than average. A Subaru is afterall, a AWD vehicle and it requires a bit more prevenative maintenance than a lowly FWD car. Since I do all of the maintenance on my Forester myself, this has not been an issue of me.

When you buy any car, you are playing the averages on reliability. Subaru, Toyota, and Honda all make lemons. They just make fewer lemons than the other guys.

[bjwirth]

Hi, I am new to this site. I was thinking about buying a Forester soon but as I look over this site, I sure see alot of posts discussing problems with their cars. I currently drive an Acura MDX and have absolutely no problems whatsoever. For all of you Subaru owners, what has been your experience with maintenance and problems, particularly with an 04 or 05 Forester? I appreciate any words of advice.

That's because discussion forums like this are places where people discuss problems (among other things). Imagine if people started writing entries everyday and it went like, "today I drove my subaru and it had no problems and ran great." If you looked at every car discussion board, you wouldn't want to buy any car because all you'd read about are problems. While I've never read an Acura MDX forum, I have seen discussions on the honda odyssey and might think those cars are lemons (transmissions etc..) but that certainly isn't stopping me from SERIOUSLY considering buying one in the near future. (I'm sure you're aware that at heart, the ody and mdx are practically the same car)

 

The 04 or 05 you are looking at are too new for any model car to determine any kind of history. Even GM makes cars that need a few years for problems to show up. If you want to use past performance to base future returns, I'd say in general the subarus are pretty reliable- look at how many old models are still on the road- ESPECIALLY considering that subaru has such a TINY market share.

[nipper]

Hi, I am new to this site. I was thinking about buying a Forester soon but as I look over this site, I sure see alot of posts discussing problems with their cars. I currently drive an Acura MDX and have absolutely no problems whatsoever. For all of you Subaru owners, what has been your experience with maintenance and problems, particularly with an 04 or 05 Forester? I appreciate any words of advice.

 

I dare you to go to any car board and NOT find a few problems with any model.

I have a 98OBW and never had an issue, yet there are some that have had blown headgaskets. I know people woith hindas that started self destructing at 90K miles.

And lets see alot of problems .. what like 20-30 people with problems? i doubt that makes it a troubbleseom car out of the 1,000's of them on the road. Also your still looking at cars that may be under warrenty.

 

 

nipper

[blitz]

Subaru ceratinly doesn't make a car that's any worse than anyone else, which is exactly the problem: IMO they've been resting on their laurels.

 

To me the best thing about a Subie is the feel of the boxer motor, the good balance of the car, and the AWD.

 

Maybe my '02 is just a lemon, but on top of the rattles, squeaks, noises and software glitches:

 

1. The transaxle is leaking leaking from both the L & R front halfshafts.

2. One or more of the front engine seals are leaking out of the cam cover.

3. A/C compressor oil is spinning off the front of the A/C clutch.

4. Black flakes are keep forming in the coolant o'flow bottle.

 

At 55k miles, it's about on par with the Griswold Family Truckster. It's definitely no worse than that.

[JT95]

ANY car line will have some degree of problems, as is the case with Subaru. I agree w/ what others have said about people going to discussion boards to hash out the problems they are having and not to report when everything is going right. I bought a used Legacy wagon a little over a year ago and absolutely love the car. I didn't know much about Subarus before becoming a Subie owner, but one thing I have noticed is that Subaru owners love their cars and recommend them to others. I don't think I've encountered any other group of auto owners who sing the praises of their cars the way Subaru owners do. Other than a few problems w/ the head gaskets on the gen 1 2.5 engines, I've heard very few complaints about these cars. They are very thoughtfully designed and well built cars. They always rank high in Consumer Reports ratings, and the Legacy was among just a handful of new cars to get the gold award in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's top 10 cars for 2006.

[otis]

I don't think I've encountered any other group of auto owners who sing the praises of their cars the way Subaru owners do.

I don't know about that-- I find saturn owners are almost cult like with their cars. they praise them up and down and try to recruit others into their cult. when my sister in law got one, she freaked me out a little. but subaru owner are a close 2nd

[Ranger83]

I owned two 97 Outbacks and just purchased an 06 Outback 3.0R. I put a total of 250,000 miles on them and replaced brakes, tires, one axle, one wheel bearing, one ABS sensor, and the head gaskets. The 2nd one currently has over 165,000 miles on it and is driven 100 miles daily in VT.

 

Forums like this tend to collect problems. Not many owners post a thread that says, "I'm really happy with my car." Go to a place like Edmunds.com and you'll find problems with all brands of cars. But the percentage of owners with problems is still quite small, even for some less reliable brands. And my old GF had a Honda Accord that was a mess at 43,000 miles - mostly her fault.

 

The Forester is an extremely popular, reliable, economical AWD vehicle. Some people consider "economical AWD vehicle" an oxymoron, though.

[unibrook]

My 2001 Forester had the common clock resistor issue. Took me 10 minutes to remove, fix with my soldering gun, and reinstall it. Been working like new ever since. The passenger front inner axle boot got brittle from the exhaust pipe heat and has torn, so I will replace that axle myself in the spring. Car has 79k miles on it. Overall, I consider that darn close to trouble free.

[Gnuman]

The Forester is an extremely popular, reliable, economical AWD vehicle. Some people consider "economical AWD vehicle" an oxymoron, though.

 

Because they know nothing about Subarus.

 

Before I got my 92 wagon, I knew nothing about Subarus. I have spent the last year and a half learning about them inside and out. I fell in love with my '92 before I even drove, it actually. All it took was opening the hood. Then I looked underneath and fell in love all over again. (by the time I drove it I was done for. . .) These cars are built to be very easy to maintain (I have looked at the new ones and they are similar), which will tend to make them last longer. In automotive terms, 200K miles is a very long time for a car to last. These average half again that. Unreliable? well the first ed of the 2.5L engine was one of the worst that Subaru has ever produced (meaning that it was only 3X better than anyone elses engines, instead of the usual 10X), so the very first Foresters may have had some problems there. Overall, however, I think you will be hard pressed to find any other car line that even comes close to the reliability over long distances that Subaru provides. You have heard several people that say that they do thier own work on thier cars. There are two reasons for this: 1) Subarus are really easy to work on, so people that would not even consider working on other cars find the Subaru in the driveway an easy fix. 2) people that fix cars a lot, and really know cars tend to be drawn to Subarus because they are well designed that they do not need a lot of repair.

[nipper]

I don't know about that-- I find saturn owners are almost cult like with their cars. they praise them up and down and try to recruit others into their cult. when my sister in law got one, she freaked me out a little. but subaru owner are a close 2nd

 

 

hehe but the saturn owners cult are about to be asked to have some koolaide, subaru owners arent:)

 

nipper

[bart2546]

I have had my subaru for about 1 year now, and i have shoved 16,000 miles on it already. Aside from regular oil changes, 1 brake change, and then the CV boots, there has been nothing wrong with it. Mind you, my car had been stolen from the lady I bought it from, they beat it and ran out of gas and abandoned it somewhere, and it was recovered and returned to her. Then I bought it from her. Again, aside from regular maintenence, Subaru is what I would consider that somewhat of a Car Manufacturing God.

 

Brandon

95 Impreza L. 1.8 Liter

[firstwagon]

I don't know about that-- I find saturn owners are almost cult like with their cars. they praise them up and down and try to recruit others into their cult. when my sister in law got one, she freaked me out a little. but subaru owner are a close 2nd

 

The difference the Saturn cult doesn't last. Back in the late 90's it seemed everyone I knew was buying a Saturn. Some even bought two. Their devotion to these bland cars was rather creepy.

 

 

Not one of them still owns a Saturn. All the people I know who drove a Subaru back then still drive one.

 

 

It's the difference between Saturn’s brilliant marketing and Subaru’s brilliant engineering.

[northguy]

I'll be the naysayer. I believe that if you're not going to trust a car, don't buy it. You'll always have nagging doubts. Would you spend tme with a "shady lady" if you believed she had some disease you didn't want?

 

With that said, I have unshakable faith in all of the subbies in my care. I'd drive my 1983 Brat (it's 23 years old) anywhere without a concern. I should let Snowman drive it to Belize by way of Florida just to prove the point - don't get your hopes up, Kelly. Do the research, and get a warranty in writing if you're concerned.

[Gnuman]

I have had my subaru for about 1 year now, and i have shoved 16,000 miles on it already. Aside from regular oil changes, 1 brake change, and then the CV boots, there has been nothing wrong with it. Mind you, my car had been stolen from the lady I bought it from, they beat it and ran out of gas and abandoned it somewhere, and it was recovered and returned to her. Then I bought it from her. Again, aside from regular maintenence, Subaru is what I would consider that somewhat of a Car Manufacturing God.

 

Brandon

95 Impreza L. 1.8 Liter

 

I'm at about 1 year and 1 month right now. I got Emily with 136K on the ticker. . . so Ummm, that is about 50K in one year. I guess I like my Subaru a lot. . .

I got the car as a "derilict" in that it would have been too expemsive for my stepdaughter to repair (Balljoints and a clutch) but I could get the work done for the cost of parts (which is much less than the labor for those things). Since then I have done several oil changes, replaced the plugs (the old ones were still good, but getting marginal), and air filter. I put in a new O2 sensor, replaced the clutch twice (my fault, the clutch was not Excedy, and it sucks ), put in new ball joints, a thermostat, and a radiator cap. I have also upgraded the wheels to alloys, upgraded the radio, added a roof rack, upgraded the seats, and added a towing hitch. Not all of Emilys miles with me have been easy ones. She works for a living. I have bounced off the speed limiter (nice that a 15 year old 4 cyl wagon can still go 115MPH, and coast up to 120. . .), and have hit the rev limiter several times. Heh, perhaps the above is part of why I keep having to replace clutches Oh, and I get 27MPG in this old car, on the highway, with the cruise set to 85MPH. I imagine I could get more if I drove it easier. . . My most recent escapade is carrying a DOHC 2.5L engne and tranny back to the shop so they could be refurbished and put into other cars. . . In the back of Emily. Don't laugh. I have pics to back that up. I could actually fit two engines back there if I needed to, and perhaps a tranny as well. . . Of course, I should probably get better struts if I'm gonna do that. . .

 

Yeah, you see a lot of posts about this problem or that problem, and few of the "I love my Legacy" variety, mainly because people come here to get help getting thier beloved car back on the road. If the cars were not worth the trouble, there would not be such an interest in fixing them.

[vic/se]

That's because discussion forums like this are places where people discuss problems (among other things). Imagine if people started writing entries everyday and it went like, "today I drove my subaru and it had no problems and ran great." If you looked at every car discussion board, you wouldn't want to buy any car because all you'd read about are problems. While I've never read an Acura MDX forum, I have seen discussions on the honda odyssey and might think those cars are lemons (transmissions etc..) but that certainly isn't stopping me from SERIOUSLY considering buying one in the near future. (I'm sure you're aware that at heart, the ody and mdx are practically the same car)

 

The 04 or 05 you are looking at are too new for any model car to determine any kind of history. Even GM makes cars that need a few years for problems to show up. If you want to use past performance to base future returns, I'd say in general the subarus are pretty reliable- look at how many old models are still on the road- ESPECIALLY considering that subaru has such a TINY market share.

 

 

all I can say, my legacy runs like the very first day after 45k miles and 3 years on the road. I like to come here because I learn ....maybe too much lol ( sometimes I get scared) yah, but most important people on this site are very helpful and friendly. That's what matters most....hope it stays that way

[LosDiosDeVerde86]

you gotta keep in mind too that a lot of people join forums purely because they have a problem.

[LosDiosDeVerde86]

My 2001 Forester had the common clock resistor issue. Took me 10 minutes to remove, fix with my soldering gun, and reinstall it. Been working like new ever since. The passenger front inner axle boot got brittle from the exhaust pipe heat and has torn, so I will replace that axle myself in the spring. Car has 79k miles on it. Overall, I consider that darn close to trouble free.

 

um....if you have a torn axle boot and lived in nevada i wouldn't be concerned....but you live in BOSTON. you need to get that repaired before that salt gets to it first....there'll be nothing left.

[Snowman]

I'll be the naysayer. I believe that if you're not going to trust a car, don't buy it. You'll always have nagging doubts. Would you spend tme with a "shady lady" if you believed she had some disease you didn't want?

 

With that said, I have unshakable faith in all of the subbies in my care. I'd drive my 1983 Brat (it's 23 years old) anywhere without a concern. I should let Snowman drive it to Belize by way of Florida just to prove the point - don't get your hopes up, Kelly. Do the research, and get a warranty in writing if you're concerned.

 

Awwww, come on.....

 

 

Looks like I'm taking my 86 wagon on that trip. It's almost as old as Matt's brat, and obviously I place the utmost faith in its reliability. This is the same car that I use to drive between college and home, which takes me through interior Alaska, where, due to the abundance of cold and scarcity of traffic, if your car dies, you may very well follow in its footsteps.

[unibrook]

Yep, under normal circ's I would jump on it earlier.......but we have an infant at home, so in the words of a friend of mine, we "are never going anywhere ever again." And neither wifey nor I drive the car everyday to work or whatever. So, reality is, very few miles will get on the car between now and March. We live right in the city.