So It's Looking Like a 2019 Subaru Forester for My New Wife

[bluesubie]

Originally Posted by eugenem

I will say that the 2019 Forester was difficult to shop for. Many of the local dealerships had $2,000 worth of add-ons including remote start, paint and fabric protection, pinstripes, door edge guards, VIN etching, etc. - and refused to budge from the overly inflated prices. With other vehicle makes, it was easier to negotiate or even just "refuse" these add-ons, but the Subaru dealers left little room to negotiate.

My daughter purchased a car from a dealer in Tom's River/Lakewood that does this nonsense and I told her to demand a car right off the truck without any add-ons and the dealer obliged. The easiest way to get a new Subaru is to join an organization that offers Subaru VIP pricing which is 2% under dealer cost with no negotiating/haggling required. I also go to Flemington which is just a lot easier to deal with than the very busy dealers that are closer to me. LoneRanger - Good luck on the purchase! And the wife!

 

[PimTac]

Pinstripes went out of style 40 years ago. The most important factor in driving through inclement road conditions is not the AWD system but the driver and the tires. I've seen Subarus stuck as well as other makes.

 

[milwaukee]

CVT is an absolute non-starter for me. I simply do not understand the attraction to the subaru brand either. If you needed an extreme bad weather vehicle I could understand but if you are replacing a Rav4 that is not the case. Also the only Subaru dealer in this area is a grade A [censored] store.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Milwaukee-nessee, thanks for the input that added absolutely nothing to the conversation. I've still got an '01 Forester, and have had an '05 and '09 as well, and my mom is about 19k into her '18 Premium. The '18 is the nicest so far, and the CVT is nearly seamless. She is averaging around 32mpg since she got it. I'd buy another Forester if I didn't need something bigger, which is why I'm shopping Ascents.

 

[milwaukee]

Ok. I'll play. Anybody want to talk about the massive amount of engine problems the brand has had the last 20yrs? Head gaskets? Oil consumption? Don't take offense. It is far from the pinnacle of reliability.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Yep, and it's pretty obvious they've made great strides in eliminating the engineering issues they have had. No offense taken, as it's clear you're stuck in the '98-'06 era of Subaru bashing. Look at what they're doing today- best AWD mileage, every vehicle top rated in crash testing, best residual value, top 10 in initial quality, increasing overall sales every year since before the Great Recession, 98% of vehicles still on the road after 10 years. They've got data to back up their results, where's yours?

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by milwaukee

Ok. I'll play. Anybody want to talk about the massive amount of engine problems the brand has had the last 20yrs? Head gaskets? Oil consumption? Don't take offense. It is far from the pinnacle of reliability.

Every brand has had its faults.

 

[milwaukee]

We all know that Subaru has had massive engine problems in the recent past and is plagued with oil consumption problems to this day so don't get your panties all wadded up.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted by milwaukee

Ok. I'll play. Anybody want to talk about the massive amount of engine problems the brand has had the last 20yrs? Head gaskets? Oil consumption? Don't take offense. It is far from the pinnacle of reliability.

Can you got to any vehicle forum and not find numerous complaints about the same things? Honda is having massive problems with their DIs. Toyota made millions of engines guaranteed to sludge. They all have complaints of oil burning. Nobody makes a perfect vehicle according to the internet.

 

[skyactiv]

I rented a Forester a few years ago and liked it. Although I like my GTI better than the WRX I had before it, the most reliable car I ever owned was that WRX.

 

[Andrew1972]

It is very popular vehicle around here. Hope you enjoy and get great life out of it. Lots of useless responses to this purchase. It's done ✅

 

[emg]

Originally Posted by milwaukee

We all know that Subaru has had massive engine problems in the recent past and is plagued with oil consumption problems to this day so don't get your panties all wadded up.

They had modest oil burning problems when they first released the FB engines, but in the Subaru Forester forum I visit now and again there hadn't been a post on the oil consumption thread in weeks the last time I was there. It was basically cured by 2014, and has affected less and less cars ever since then.

 

[bobdoo]

OK, so you don't understand that 'open diffs' are 'open diffs', nor that all modern AWD autos (with a VERY few exceptions, such as the STI or audi's Torsen [which I actually OWNED]) use various forms of clutches to ferry power to the rear, and the brakes to 'distribute' power to the non-spinning wheels. That's fine. It's your money, and you can waste it any way you want.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by bobdoo

OK, so you don't understand that 'open diffs' are 'open diffs', nor that all modern AWD autos (with a VERY few exceptions, such as the STI or audi's Torsen [which I actually OWNED]) use various forms of clutches to ferry power to the rear, and the brakes to 'distribute' power to the non-spinning wheels. That's fine. It's your money, and you can waste it any way you want.

That is a bit harsh, don't you think? The Forester is a great choice and I own a Mazda CX-5. The Forester was next on our list. Subaru has a good reputation for awd but I've read in several places that they have sat on their laurels while others caught up. The modern predictive awd system is quite good regardless of make. Subaru is a great choice. The OP will be happy with the decision. That's all that matters.

 

[bobdoo]

My apology for the offense. I'm just really sick of the internet-wide old-wive's-tale that Subaru's AWD is 'better'. It's all marketing, and fans echoing the marketing. And there's quite a few faked 'tests' on youtube, pretending to show Subarus working better than other brands. If I havent mentioned it before, I've owned 3 subies, 1 pos audi pos, a Mitsu Eclipse, and the CX-5, all AWD. And having been a snowmobiler and fisherman, I've driven thru way too much snow. So I have first-hand knowledge.

 

[emg]

Originally Posted by bobdoo

My apology for the offense. I'm just really sick of the internet-wide old-wive's-tale that Subaru's AWD is 'better'.

It's better than most of the competition in its price range. Only the most rabid of fanboys would claim it's better than much more expensive vehicles. How many CX-5s and CRVs do you see driving on dirt trails, vs the number of Foresters that do? The Forester can't go everywhere a Jeep can, but the CX-5 and CRV certainly can't go everywhere a Forester can.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted by bobdoo

My apology for the offense. I'm just really sick of the internet-wide old-wive's-tale that Subaru's AWD is 'better'. It's all marketing, and fans echoing the marketing. And there's quite a few faked 'tests' on youtube, pretending to show Subarus working better than other brands. If I havent mentioned it before, I've owned 3 subies, 1 pos audi pos, a Mitsu Eclipse, and the CX-5, all AWD. And having been a snowmobiler and fisherman, I've driven thru way too much snow. So I have first-hand knowledge.

I concur gap had really narrowed on AWD. Mazda makes excellent AWD noticing our ski house driveway that separates the men from boys so to speak. The funny thing you mention faked tests so I looked on up and Mazda(guys in Cx-3 shirts) was faking theirs better in a certain test with rollers but no mention of what they clicked or did not click on dash. Another roller test showed Subaru and Mazda both neck and neck on roller tests. Eye opening same series that my wife's VW Tiguan does what I hate about most AWD not sending power to rear very well when front on full slip conditions. Subaru does perfectly fine on that as does Mazda. I ran into real world garbage Ford Flex Awd rental failing spectacularly with rears on pavement and front on packed snow with slight rise. Could not pull itself out.

 

[PimTac]

A couple of years ago or so Mazda had some demonstrations up at Crested Butte Colorado along with Subaru and other makes. These are available on YouTube. Granted they used professional drivers but the test was fair across the board. As mentioned already, the driver and the tires are key in winter driving. A good driver with good tires can drive anything in these conditions. A inexperienced driver and or poor tires will have troubles with the best awd or 4wd system.

 

[bobdoo]

Originally Posted by emg

Originally Posted by bobdoo

My apology for the offense. I'm just really sick of the internet-wide old-wive's-tale that Subaru's AWD is 'better'.

It's better than most of the competition in its price range. Only the most rabid of fanboys would claim it's better than much more expensive vehicles. How many CX-5s and CRVs do you see driving on dirt trails, vs the number of Foresters that do? The Forester can't go everywhere a Jeep can, but the CX-5 and CRV certainly can't go everywhere a Forester can.

That's a mindset thing. I don't know offhand, but the Forester might have a bit more ground clearance. There's review videos from Australia of the then-new Cx-3 and CX-5 axle-deep in sand, and still moving forward. I know from actual use that subies are not better than the Cx-5.

 

[bobdoo]

Originally Posted by madRiver

The funny thing you mention faked tests so I looked on up and Mazda(guys in Cx-3 shirts) was faking theirs better in a certain test with rollers but no mention of what they clicked or did not click on dash. Another roller test showed Subaru and Mazda both neck and neck on roller tests.

I kept getting my comment deleted on the video where the subie, floored with wheels wildly spinning (wiping away the water film) got up the ramp, when the others had the wheels barely spin, and didn't dig down to traction.