Subaru Forester Woes - Keep or Sell? Advice from Subaru Owners

I guess I better buy some lotto tickets then.

Our '95 was given to a family member in '10 and he drove it another 5 years. Our '10 is now 9 years old. My sisters '09 is 10 years old. And last year, my parents sold their '94 to the mailman. Regular maintenance on all of them, nothing major.

 

Any of them with a CVT?

 

Nope.

 

OP, traded my 2014 CrossTrek w/ 140k (paid for) for my TRD. Those wheel bearings are a chore, they'll be over heated and frozen into the spindle. Easy with a press, not at home w/o. DIT20 has been having major carbon buildup on valves, something to keep in mind. If you're already thinking a Tacoma just pull the trigger. Got $10k trade in for the Crosstrek

 

Pre-Tacoma, I owned 6 Subarus. All went 250K+ miles. Head gasket replacements: 5 of 6. Do it every 100K and you will be OK. Or, sell after 120K. Factor that into the purchase.

 

I don't expect my 18 Legacy to last more than five years.

 

It definitely gets carbon build up. I won’t put Safeway gas in it anymore for that reason. 10k is a good trade in with 140K! I’m hoping to get 12k. We shall see.

 

trade the Subaru in on a used taco then sale that

 

Top Teir fuel on any DI engine is a must. It was great car, dispite oil consumption and getting a short block then oil rings under warranty. The wheel bearings all started to go out just over 100k. Traded it in with one bad. Clock spring broke at 130, heater control harness melted (warranty). Bring it in nice and clean and presentable for a good deal.

 

Subaru 4's have a power band like an old 2-stroke... 4K-6K. If you like that and can use it, do it. If not... skip it.

 

Premium, top tier is a good start, but DITs will build carbon randomly. I’ve never witnessed a trend at NASIOC or VW forums other than that it’s not ‘if,’ it’s ‘when.’

 

As soon as 8k miles and onwards, it's disgusting the build up they get. Its BMW territory just not on their level lol. Nothing a walnut blast cant cure.

 

Yeah, but that’s a ridiculous maintenance item.

 

Lol damn. That’s a laundry list.

 

I feel like that better describes my Tacoma lol. Actually the 2.0 XT is really strong. It sails along effortlessly making the car feel really lite. But up around 5K rpm is where it really picks up. Of course I rarely put my foot in it for fear of transmission.

 

ADF Lift kit with some 30 inch tires and you'll follow a stock TRD OR on the trails.

 

^The Forester is more capable than the Rav4, CR-V, Equinox and the like, but let's not get carried away here. There's no low range and no way to lock the center diff, never mind a rear locker (X-mode is nowhere as effective as A-Trac).

 

I had a 2013 Forester with the CVT for all of about 6 months before I sold it back to the dealership at a loss. Best decision I ever made.