Subaru Forester

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Hello, does anyone have a Forester that they can advise me on? I am looking into selling my Cherokee and Civic and getting one. I am looking at the 2006 X with Premium package. How are these for longevity? How about real world fuel economy? Any major quirks I should know about? I will be doing 60 miles a day round trip. Thanks for any info!
 
There really have not been many quirks reported on recent Foresters. The 98,99 ones had higher than normal head gasket issues but this was corrected with a redesign of the 2.5L in 2000.

My family has many, sister in law(2001), grandmother's sadly estate car now(1998-46k), mother(1999-100k), and sister(2002-150k) has not had any significant issue. My sister in law with with a 2001/135k miles, changes oil every 5k miles/conventional and does bare minimum maintenance besides(Subaru recommends inspect fluids every 30k not replace) and not a single issue and runs well. My family reports between 24MPG(auto) and 25MPG(manuals).

Foresters are all built in Japan if that makes any difference to you.

In general my family which is New England based run Subaru's till around 200k without any major issue and then move onto another since the 1980's.

I personally own two(2004 WRX & 2005 Legacy GT wagons) but they are really new.

After all this is said, I would seriously recommend trying a 2005+ Subaru Legacy wagon too. The ride and comfort levels are a different level than the Forester but less utility for cargo. The mileage is better due to a more aerodynamic shape. We absolutely love our 2005 Legacy GT wagon 5speed.
 
Thanks for the fast reply. Strange, but I prefer the "boxy" look of the forester. I guess thats why I drive a Cherokee :). I am looking at the auto trans. I have heard that the auto can be sluggish in the acceleration dept. Is there any truth to this?
 
Jeepster, we have an 'o4 Forester X. So far, my wife and I have not an ounce of "buyers remorse". Good all-around vehicle. Safe, decent on gas, and just the right size IMHO.

As far as slugishness, I guess it depends on what you are accustomed to. I wouldn't call it a slug, but I'm not going to win any races either. All I can say is take it for a test drive. If it is really unacceptable, get the XT!
 
I am use to both the Civic's low power and the Jeeps 4.0 engine's gobs of torque. So I am hoping for a happy medium.

The XT is nice but requires premium gasoline, at a premium price!
 
quote:

Originally posted by Jeepster_nut:
I have heard that the auto can be sluggish in the acceleration dept. Is there any truth to this?

There may be some truth to it.
I drove my motther-in-law's 2006 Forrester (auto), and it did feel a bit sluggish to me...

Here's the post where I commented a bit on it:
my prev. post
 
The 2006 engine w/auto is noticably better and quieter. They changed the torque curve and HP curve for this year. My mums 99 is not on fire but in day to day driving is perfectly fine. This includes being able to hold its speed on steeper highway uphills at 65MPH with 5 people(not comfy with 5 btw decent with 4). It downshifts properly and revs slightly but no loss in speed. I have had a few 2006 auto Forester's as free service loaners and find them adequate for what they are.

One thing about Subaru is motors are adequate or beyond powerful and no inbetween. The turbo Forester is very underrated on HP #'s to not impede on WRX and Legacy sales and I presume bragging rights.
 
Our 2006 Forester is really geared for taking off quickly in first gear...you'd think you had a bigger engine in it. On the HWY, it cruises in the mid-70's to 80 with no problems, loaded with three people and a big dog. We get just under 30 mpg in that instance. It will get just over 30 mpg hwy if you keep it under 70. Around town, my wife gets 22-25 mpg.

My Saab 9-2x, essentially the Subaru Imprezza wagon, which is a manual, gets much better mpg...I can get upper 20's in town, and 37.xx on the Hwy if I keep the speed down. At 80 +/- mph, I get low 30's.

I really like the engine. One BAD thing about them, though, these engines are known to be easy on oil, so, you can't really get a lot more service out of them by being especially BITOG-savvy with your oil choices. Run whatever you want, and the engine will probably outlast the length of time you want to keep the car.
 
I'm seriously thinking about an XT as my next car.....if I don't get another saab.... They are pretty nice automobiles...awd is a great plus.
 
AWD is nice- no levers to pull and it is transparent. My Jeep is a tank in the snow, but I am looking for more refinment as I get older.

Now if I can just find a buyer for my Civic and Jeep, so I dont take a bath when I trade them in...
smile.gif
 
quote:

Originally posted by BrianWC:
I'm seriously thinking about an XT as my next car.....if I don't get another saab.... They are pretty nice automobiles...awd is a great plus.

If you like Saab's try a Subaru Legacy GT. We have one and the comfort/performance level(250HP!)/light luxury is great.
 
My 2000 Forester S now has 107,000 trouble free miles. No HG or oil consumption issues. Replacement parts to date include a washer motor $25, overhead clock $48, and one brake light bulb 2 for $4.
 
My wife's daily driver is an 03 Forester X that we bought new. The engine's a proven design and has been around a long time. It will easily go more than 200,000 miles. In my opinion, it has adequate hp and torque (both were increased in the 2006 model) and is quite peppy if you floor it. On long trips on the freeways we get 26 mpg going 79 mph with the A/C on the low blower setting. The traction, with the full-time all wheel drive, is incredible. Better than even 4 wheel drive on hard-packed and loose snow, slush, and ice. Its well designed and well made. I think its a great vehicle for the price. We have no complaints. It gets top rating for safety in crash tests and has often been picked as the best small SUV of the year. The X model comes stock with a lot of stuff on it. I highly recommend it.

Check out this Forester owners forum site:

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/forums/
 
So I received a price of $22,500 plus tax, title and reg. Does this sound good? It is for the X with prem. package/ auto trans.
 
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