Used Subaru Forester.....Feedback on them?

Greetings Gang,

Shopping for a mini-SUV AWD for my 75 year old mother-in-law.

Been researching different utes and the Forester is the best bang for the buck at this point. Looking for years between 2005-2008. The newest with the least amount of miles for under $15,000 the better.

I've read about the head gasket issue....

So, if you've owned one, currently own one, or know a family member who's owned one....

Likes? Dislikes?
Any feedback about anything .....

Thanks!!

 

we have a 2005. got it new and we are at 60k miles. only thing that has ever gone wrong..the sun roof broke and fell off the rails, $1500. the cruise control quit working, under warranty. no head gasket issues at all.

we have the turbo version. it is FAAAAST! fuel mileage blows..ave is about 22-23. on superunleaded. if we did it again, i think the normal aspirated model would suffice. also wind noise. when you test drive it..get it on the highway and listen. one of the window seals on our car could be tighter. we dont roadtrip in this car for this reason. too loud. the heated seats are wonderful. i have taken it on some very very rough fireroads and it is surprisingly nimble in the back country. lots of room in the back seats.

i think i need to change the belts soon..and the shocks are suspect now. normal i guess. if and when we need to replace it, i think my wife wants another subaru. she loves it.

 

My aunt and uncle used to have one, I can't remember which year 2005 or 2006. It ran perfectly and they got rid of it at 160k miles. I believe it was the turbo version also. My uncle beat on it pretty good and it was in way way way upstate NY so it saw some hard winters.

 

Thanks Gang!!

We went out today to look and 'sit in' a variety of vehicles and ultimately, the Forester fit her the best (getting in & out).

My husband and I bought a 99 Legacy new, then sold it to my mother-in-law, and now its owned by my husbands co-worker. That was a nice car....

She sat in the Forester and it 'felt' very similar to that Legacy.....she liked it (and I'm glad).

Everything else...The RAV4's & CRV's just didn't 'fit' her. She's 5'3" and has a hard time getting in/out. She sat in it fine but everything else was built for taller people. She could barely see above the dash even with the seats full up.

No turbo, but would need the premium package for the power seats. She hasn't driven one yet..... but I'm sure it'll be similar to the Legacy.
But we will see.

The Premium package shows an LSD center & rear diff......makes me wonder how that all works (compared to what I'm used to in the truck). heehhheeee

 

my wife is tiny. it fits her perfectly.

i thought the AWD system was the same in all of the subies..good luck on the car shopping. i've heard the non turbo gets stellar mpg's/

 

I used to own a 2007 XT and loved it. Great all around car and incredibly reliable.

The head gasket issue is normally associated with the DOHC engine found in the SF model. The years your shopping has the SOHC (the non turbo at least) and doesn't have the same head gasket problem reputation as the older ones did.

Foresters are very reliable, especially when maintenance is done on time. Because these use interference engines, it's important that the timing belt is changed on time, so check for service records if your shopping for a model over 100,000 miles, factor this into the car costs if it's nearing that mileage.

 

Thanks!
We'll actually look for something anywhere in the 50-80k mileage range depending on the cost. The lower the better....

Whatever we end up with, we'll probably have most (or all) the maintenance done and perhaps try to negotiate timing belt (if needed) as the purchase agreement. Again, that depends on the mileage, etc.

I've been doing some research on maintenance schedules & such. Somewhat similar to the tacoma in terms of intervals.

 

Good luck on your car hunt. Last bit of advice is check out this forum:

http://www.subaruforester.org/

There are a ton of knowledgable and helpful people on it.

 

I too roll a forester

 

Not an older one, but we (wife) have a '15 Premium with the N.A motor and I can get 34mpg on hwy out of it.

 

My cousin has a forester has about 175K miles on it. I drove it recently and drove like a new car. Couldnt tell it had that many miles on it, given the interior was not kept up nicely.