Thoughts on Subaru Foresters

I've noticed that many members have had Subaru vehicles either currently or in the past. I'm searching for a good reliable car for my wife so I want to make a good choice in terms of safety and reliability.

Any thoughts on the Forester out there? Thanks in advance for any info and/or advice.

 

I like them. Have not driven one but have talked to a few owners of them and they couldn't be happier.

 

Get her a highlander. Women seem to really like those, same engine as the new Tacoma without the headaches.

 

Subarus are good vehicles. Never owned one but known a lot of owners and sold a few of them our impound lot. They hold their value, are very safe, get decent mileage, handle great, and most important if you get a stick they are fun to drive.

 

I did own a Subaru GL in the 80's thing was like a tank.

 

Of all the cars out there right now, I know the least about Subaru's.

My smart neice recently bought a used one and I did a search and found mostly great reviews on them. She's a smart one, unlike her sister that bought a used Nissan Rogue. Found out the hard way Rogues need a new tranny every 80,000 miles.

Since I bought my Taco and joined this forum I've become a car nerd.

 

She is a smart one. The other needs to go back to school I think. A Nissan Rouge ! Stick with a Toyota or Subaru. Volkswagen, ford, chevy, fiat, smart car etc... seem to be just throw away cars. Kind of like kleenex.

 

I had one prior to the Taco, the transmissions are all CVT and work really well with the turbo model (xt) the base 2.5 suffers from CVT drone and is not much fun to drive.

I sold it due to seat comfort, which is one of the higher complaints with Forester owners. Otherwise it was great, perfect visibility, high safety ratings, lots of features that other CUV's don't have.

Make sure you guys drive it for a good boot, my wife loved the seats, but it was my car and we were still dating.



I miss it a little

 

I bought a Forester brand new in 2006, still have it, the kids drive it now. The one thing to look for is head gaskets leaking, I had to do mine around 70,000 miles. Other than that its been trouble free, great in bad weather.

 

The new ones had gotten past the headgasket issues, now they have timing chain engines, the turbo model has D4S like our Tacomas and the FR-S.

The only problem they have now is oil consumption with some of the older 2.5 timing chain engines.

 

depending on the size she may need, my girlfriend has a 2016 crosstrek and that thing is a little tank! had it teetering on 2 wheels on a forest service road here in CO and we were loving it! great car in snow, sand, mud, on the flats or in the hills and the 2018 redesign looks sharp. only thing is the trunk is small but 4 large humans can ride comfortably! i'd test drive one for sure if the size is right!

 

We have a 2015 Outback and a 2013 Highlander. My wife drives the Outback most. Its her favorite. It's just like the Forester, but good looking.

The Outback is very reliable and with a permanent AWD (not all AWD are the same) it's very fun to drive in any conditions.

If you want much more in depth, just ask.

 

Here is the interior
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...tLTAhUN5WMKHa0YCEUQMwh8KCYwJg&iact=mrc&uact=8

 

I did locate a 2014 Forester premium (dealer doesn't indicate sport or touring). It has around 60,000 miles on it and it's posted for $16,000.

I'm in a situation where I want either a cheap new car (i.e. $17,000 new Ford Escape) or a quality used car.

I have noticed over the years, as one of the previous posts on this thread indicated, that some cars are throw away cars, others are worth holding on to.

 

Before my wife and I got the new taco, because other taco was stolen , we were looking at the Subaru line and we're going to go with the outback, crosstrek, or Forrester. She won't even look at a prius

 

My sister bought the new Forester, and she loves it.

 

Not exactly the same engine, same size however. Highlander has a less horsepower and torque, but far better suited for the trans and driving experience.

I even stupidly tried to tow our travel trailer with our Highlander. Had the power, not the control.

 

Example... the YUGO

 

I've been noticing those Crosstreks as well. They are sharp looking.

 

I remember those. You could literally see the gas tank from the inside of the car!