Helping a friend find a new car. She was looking at Honda CRV but sat is a Subaru Forester and liked it for better rear and side visibility. Don't know much about Subaru. A quick search showed thermal control valve is a costly repair. I read it is a dealer repair only, is that true. Not sure how common. How reliable are they especially 150k+ miles. Would buy low mileage certified but she plans to keep it long term. She would buy the Honda if the Subaru is dramatically more unreliable. She is going to reach out to her independent mechanic to see if he is familiar with them as they are not as common as Honda. Is that a thing where they require some expertise to work on??
2019 Subaru Forester
- Thread starter raaizin
- Start date
I'm not a fan of either, but that's me. I fear new stuff. 
Both would be CVT's, no? CRV's got the 1.5T with oil dilution, but I think that is a short trip problem. But regardless, will she be doing lots of short trips? Will she be shocked when either needs new tires, and having to replace them in sets of 4, so as to keep diameters matched?
Both would be CVT's, no? CRV's got the 1.5T with oil dilution, but I think that is a short trip problem. But regardless, will she be doing lots of short trips? Will she be shocked when either needs new tires, and having to replace them in sets of 4, so as to keep diameters matched?
In 2019 we gave my wife's old 2004 Forester to my daughter and my wife wanted a new car. She liked the old Forester so much she wanted a new one. Before doing that I took her to dealerships to drive a Mazda & Honda CRV just to compare. She stuck with the Forester and we got a new 2018 they needed to sell off the lot to make room. Fast forward 5+ years and it's been fine. Compared to the 2004, it is bigger & heavier, but gets better gas mileage. Has the same great visibility. It doesn't burn oil. Chain driven cams, no timing belt to replace. MUCH quieter than the old one.
One issue has been that the suspension is super soft with lots of body roll. Much softer than the 2004. I fixed that by buying one size thicker rear swaybar, an OEM part that cost about $100 and took about 30 mins to install. Also made the steering response a bit less dead.
Another issue is the CVT transmission shifts soooo slooowwly with looonng lag. Stomp the gas and you can count a full 2-3 seconds before the engine really kicks in.
I can't rate the long term durability into 6 figures of mileage, we just don't drive that much.
One issue has been that the suspension is super soft with lots of body roll. Much softer than the 2004. I fixed that by buying one size thicker rear swaybar, an OEM part that cost about $100 and took about 30 mins to install. Also made the steering response a bit less dead.
Another issue is the CVT transmission shifts soooo slooowwly with looonng lag. Stomp the gas and you can count a full 2-3 seconds before the engine really kicks in.
I can't rate the long term durability into 6 figures of mileage, we just don't drive that much.
Long periods of idling and short trip driving seems to be the main cause of dilution on the 1.5T.I'm not a fan of either, but that's me. I fear new stuff.
Both would be CVT's, no? CRV's got the 1.5T with oil dilution, but I think that is a short trip problem. But regardless, will she be doing lots of short trips? Will she be shocked when either needs new tires, and having to replace them in sets of 4, so as to keep diameters matched?
Subaru's will give you better AWD related capabilities, more feature content and a lower purchase price. But you'll pay for it in the upkeep.
It's a classic situation of pay me now or pay me later, but with the added bonus of great AWD if you need it.
It's a classic situation of pay me now or pay me later, but with the added bonus of great AWD if you need it.
Those years loved to leak cam carriers. They had to pull the entire engine in our previous 2019 Outback as it wasn't just seeping like they usually do, but dripping on the floor in the garage. All paid for by the certified used warranty. Shortly after the CVT was acting up and we dumped that thing as fast as we could. There was a couple other little issues that occurred and the DCM was still on backorder when I traded it in. This was all under 65K miles. While I won't personally recommend one, everyone else around here has never had issues and love them. So, just sharing my experience.
Wife owned a 2017 Forester and now owns a 2025 Forester. Subaru has gone back to the traditional thermostat on the new Forester. We've owned MULTIPLE Subaru products over the years. We've never owned a bad one, despite some of the stories you see on BITOG. They are good vehicles and will serve you well.
Smart. Most people will be tempted to scrap the car when it fails at 150,001 miles and the dealer presents them with a $2000 quote.
More disposable cars.
I don’t think anyone will be scrapping a car over a $2k repair.
$2k barely buys you a set of tires and brakes all around.
They do now. It needs a $2K plastic valve, and $1K in tires, and a $1K dealer "tune up" which includes the headlight fluid and wallet flush, but they will be happy to give you $5K on trade for a overpriced new one.
Go to the junkyard. Lots of good cars there - even rust free ones here, with no apparent body damage.
I have had 5 subarus and they have all been reliable. My 2024 Toyot GR86 is 50% Subaru. No problems here either.
Thanks for the response, looks like she is going for it tomorrow. It's a 2021 Forester 38k miles for 22k. It is a Certified car so she will have a bit of a warranty although it doesn't look as generous as others as it appears to be power train only. Hope it serves her well
There isn't anything inaccurate about what you said --it simply highlights the reality of paying dealer/repair shop labor rates in 2024. Once cars drop below <$10K in market value, it becomes challenging to justify any upkeep besides the most basic oil change, tires or brakes.
The car is one minor accident away from being totaled and you will lose all of your "investment." Someone on here once made a great point -- for the lowest total ownership cost, it makes the most sense to buy the cheapest, "known reliable" car for your application and sell/trade around 125-150K.
My point is the OEM's have designed in a failure prone electro / mechanical valve that replaces what used to be a $12 thermostat. These have been used on euro cars for years and there all failure prone. So its one more piece of planned obsolescence at best. At worst modern cafe standards have forced OEM's to make cars that last 150K miles.
At the same time all the OEM's are all fighting right to repair laws, in order to force out the indy mechanics who would replace these valves, likely at a more reasonable cost.
Buying a new car may in fact be the most economical long term solution, however the entire reason a 10 year old car is still worth $10K is because a significant portion of the populace can never afford a new car - they don't have the funds up front. So they bid used prices up and stay poor.
I’ve taken many Subarus over 200k with basic maintenance. Currently have two in my fleet. A 2018 Outback 125k and 2013 Forester 145k. Also take care of a 2024 Crosstrek and 2020 Forester for friends and family. All easy to work on.
Good to know...thanks
Subaru did extend the warranty and has gone back to the simple thermostat. I think they are actually trying to make decently reliable cars, and keep their customers happy? Some manufacturers don't seem to care for certain market segments?
I do agree though, with the 10 year old $10k car issue. I can only drive my old cars because I fix them myself, and I've picked ones that seem to have rare "complicated" failures.
Reality is, the modern-day mechanics want to be paid well. And in the eyes of some, too well. Even if the vehicle did not have a TCV, fixing the normal wear and tear items (e.g. suspension, alternator, water pump, starter, etc.) on a car with 150K barely makes financial sense now.
