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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Comments
Leo
Yes, that would mean more rear seat space. I'm sure Subaru will address that, given it's the #1 complaint.
-juice
Will using the suspension from the Legacy reduce those rear tower struts in the Forester?
Leo
This is my first post but I have been lurking awhile. I own a 2002 Forester. Thrilled with it in every way.
Now,, I'm looking for a Forester toy or model car.
Has anyone seen one? I've looked in all the hobby shops - even ToysrUs - for all their huge selection - and come up emptyhanded.
-Jeff
-Frank P.
The black monotone was my color of choice, hope it wasn't a mistake!
On the Forester, that's really what limits rear leg room. You can't move the rear seat farther back, because it's blocked by the large towers. On the 1998-2000 Forester, you'll notice that only the middle portion of the seats recline, not the whole thing. All for the same reason.
So, two things would help. Stretch the wheelbase, so the towers are farther back, or toss the suspension and "Outback" that bad boy.
Jeff: I feel your pain. I've looked since 1998 and have not found one. There is a stuffed animal with the Forester logo on it in an accessory catalog, though. It's a kangaroo. I also have the Koala with the Outback logo; my toddler loves it.
Congrats to you and to Jerry, BTW.
Black is the hardest color to keep clean, and it shows any imperfections more than any other color. Though I still like the way it looks. Try the wax threads to see what products people use to minimize that.
-juice
Edit: spelling
Leo
tidester
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The wife doesn't want to own two of the same car, but I'm hoping the 2003 has enough improvements to talk her into it.
Let's hope there's still snow on the ground when you get it! Make sure you practice driving in a snowy parking lot to get used to it.
-juice
Jerry
Regarding the Subaru toy model -- I would be interested in buying one too if anyone can find it. However as a 'substitute' , we now have the Subaru MasterCard offered by MBNA. It has a picture of a black Forester on it (we actually conned one of our friends who for at least a few minutes believed that we had specially sent a photo of our car to be placed in the card !!)..
the card seems to be a good deal -- you get 3% of your spending in the form of Subaru coupons which can be used for any Subaru parts, service or even towards a new car.
Whats the deal with the LL Bean stuff ??
Bob
I just bought a Forester. Would you consider
mailing your L.L.Bean certificate offer? I would be your referal. Both of us will get L.L.Bean
certificates
Thanks
The Forester is also on my list for new cars. The MY 2003 should have a lot of remodel cars coming out, so I'm going to see if I can hold off until then. When do MY 2003 come out, Oct 2002??
We're looking at starting a family so we need four door car that has a child-friendly back seat....ie not killing my back with infant seats. Plus something can "carry lots of stuff", according to my wife. Since we've got married, I'm amazed at the "stuff" we needed to haul!! Who would have thought that becoming "civilized" would require so much "Stuff". Strange, I never seemed to miss those things, ie stuff, when I was a bachelor
Leo
What's this LL Bean certificate offer? Do you get some rebate if you mail it in, or if someone referred you? I'm interested because the LL Bean is on the wife's short list for her next car.
Leo: traditionally, yes, it was in the fall, but now it's all year 'round for new model releases. Next year there will be a new Forester, Accord, Sienna, Honda Pilot, updated MPV, etc. Lots of cars we'll be looking at.
The Forester has been fine with one child. We some times use a roof top carrier, plus a bike rack, but we fit even for week-long road trips. Two kids will be tight, because we do not pack light.
Just heard juice junior's heartbeat this AM. Our 2nd child is on the way. The wife is 9 weeks pregnant, so it looks like July 24th. :-)
-juice
I don't expect to get Edmunds trade-in value. (even though I think that seems low - I'm trading in my 99 VW Golf with lots of miles on it.) I'm expecting that to be a pain in the neck - it's the part of the deal that I dread.
-juice
Now,, headlight protection ... a question. I know that there are 'do-it-yourself-cut-to-fit' clear vinyl adhesive covers available to protect headlamps.
What I'm looking for is those 'retro look' wire mesh jobs especially made by some car makers. I believe that they are available to Jeep and Land Rover owners; although they may be aftermarket. I had a pair in black wire mesh on a VW Jetta awhile back - they looked purposeful and attracted compliments.
I've already done a Google search and phoned my Canadian dealer to no avail. Do these exist?
-Jeff
Jerry
I guess you could make your own if you know a welder, but that may be more work than it's worth.
-juice
Bob
Congrats on Junior...
LL Bean thing is regarding gift certificate to
buy LL Bean merchandise. Nothing to do with
LL Bean outbacks! There is a certificate in
Drive magazine. If you refer someone, you get
$100 certificate, and the buyer get $200 certificate for LL Bean merchandise. I just
got a new forester, and am wondering if anyone
is interested in this.
-Frank P.
E-mail me at ateixeira@ifc.org if you want. I like LL Bean's stuff. They have an outlet in Rehoboth Beach, and a store in Tysons Corner, VA that is supposedly really neat (even has an indoor pond to test out that hand-tied fly).
Frank: sweet. I may have you beat - I loaded 22 bags of wood chips, 3 cubic feet per, inside the Forester, hatch closed. I even used the front seat, but I was left with quite a mess! Should have used a tarp.
I learned my lesson and borrowed Bob's trailer the next time.
Hmm, that's 66 cubic feet! How big are those pales?
-juice
yeild better milage (3-4 miles extra).
Any experiences? Any opinion on various
brands (Shell, Amaco, Marathon...)
-juice
-Frank P.
The only time you should go beyond what the manufacturer recommends is if you experience pinging or knock.
Frank -- Nice story. Did you also flip back the fron passenger seat and remove the headrest for even more space?
Ken
-mike
That means their 87 octane gas does not have any harmful impurities. Pure nonsense marketing.
At wholesale the price of premium is about 3 cents higher than regular, so the other 17 cents is paying for oil company CEOs' Porsche payments. ;-)
-juice
Thanks
Bill
Could y'all please let me know what you think of the car in general, and let me know if you find the sway problem as well? Also, what are your top 5 reasons for buying this vehicle? Kindly respond to dhdunn@yahoo.com. Thanks so much!!
dhdunn
-Frank P.
my price with taxes included and all charges.
my down payment.
my interest rate.
my term (60months)
Anything else?
If it helps I'm in Montreal, Quebec.
mike.
p.s I'll submit more posts on my car buying ordeal if it will help/interest anyone. I took a lot of advice from everyone's postings so I figure it's time to give back.
Reviews frequently mention that the Forester isn't a "true SUV". This is mainly because reviewers expect SUVs to be truck-based with a harsh ride and a high seating position and therefore tippy. The Forester is car-based and therefore rides and handles much more like a car than a truck. The seating position is also lower than most of its competition, which does somewhat diminish your capability to see around traffic (Excursions and the like). However, you gain by having a lower center of gravity which makes the Forester the sportiest handling "mini-SUV" and also the least likely to tip over. Some SUV purists also claim that it's not an SUV unless it has low-range gearing. However, many other mini-SUVs also lack this feature so the Forester isn't alone in that regard. For off-roading purposes, the Forester is capable of handling most of the non-technical stuff. If you really want to venture off the beaten path, then you're better off with a Liberty. Since in addition to not having a low-range, the Forester lacks good approach and departure angles. Therefore boulder hopping isn't one of its strong points. However, for the vast majority of owners, the Forester is more than adequate for their occasional off-roading needs.
-Frank P.
dhdunn: check your inbox. An 18mm rear sway bar will make it corner a bit flatter, and I paid just $82. Even stock it leans less than a CR-V or RAV4.
Mike: do you have Excel on your PC? Use the Function wizard, they have a PMT() command that lets you figure it out.
Forester has a 4 wheel independent suspension, like a Hummer. It has a unibody, like a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It has no low range, like a GMC Sierra Denali and many luxury SUVs. GMC even mimicks Subaru's manual-tranny AWD system with its viscous coupling.
But Subaru chose the hard path, and certified the Forester as a car. Therefore is meets bumper standards, roof crush standards, and other safety standards that trucks don't have to meet. It lacks the mandatory rollover warning that trucks must display, too. And it must help Subaru meet the CAFE standard of 27.5 mpg, instead of 20.7 mpg for truck fleets.
So, it doesn't guzzle nearly enough gas to be considered an SUV, and the handling is way too sporty for that. The price is also too low.
Is that really so bad? ;-)
-juice
http://www.imagestation.com/mypictures/albums/
The last two albums show some to the roads Rufus handled. Zero problems except for the slight body mods shown in Rufus # 21 & 22.
I find the Forester much more stable and predictable than the VW Golf that it replaced. Tire pressure is critical for good handling on a Forester. I wonder what the test drive had. I run 33/32 these days and am very happy. Overall, I think the Forester is the best car I have owned in over thirty years of new car buying. Hope this helps.
Ross
So yeah, I think they can get you to a camp site. ;-)
-juice
The reviews are right -- the Forester is a hybrid vehicle, if you may. It's a passenger car that has increased ground clearance and a beefier suspension to allow it to venture a little bit beyond the pavement. It's aimed to the needs of 90% of SUV owners. It's very functional, gets you through all road conditions and it's sporty.
If your needs go call for regular offroading, you probably shouldn't choose the Forester. While there are some who have taken it on very challenging trails, you do run a higher risk of damage to your vehicle.
Consider your needs -- how often do you offroad? How much of a tradeoff are you willing to make between offroading capability and on-road performance.
Ken
Ray
p0926, you're absolutely right about the Forester vs. the Explorer. The Explorer doesn't so much sway as careen!! But I expect that from this vehicle, so it's okay. My real "sin" in this question is that I'm comparing it to my Lincoln LS (well, not intentionally, but probably somewhat inevitably). That's a completely ludicrous thing for me to do, but the LS, which i ADORE (and which is a completely different vehicle - i would be more accurate in comparing the Forester to our baby grand piano, or the LS to the piano...).
I wasn't at all deterred by the "You're no John F. Kennedy" approach to some of these reviews (substitute "SUV" for "JFK"). But I just wanted to get some feedback from folks who already have one. Any major offroad stuff we have to do will be done in the Explorer, which has been terrific.
I am attracted by the gas mileage, and definitely by the AWD. Do you think the limited slip differential is a good reason to get an S instead of an L? I'm just about sold on the S, but I'm just curious. I assume that the handling in inclement weather in this car simply cannot be beat. Thanks one and all once again!!
dhd
So let's put it this way, the Forester is the most LS-like in its class. By that I mean car-like, smooth, quiet, nimble, and fun-to-drive.
My worst tank ever was 20.7mpg in a week of driving at the beach, mostly off road. My best broke the 30mpg mark by just a tad. I usually get about 22-28mpg, averaging 25.1mpg. Frank does even better, and one guy reported a tank at over 33mpg! Wow!
BTW, in your case, I do think the rear LSD is of benefit. Given you are concerned about its off-road potential, every bit helps. Also, the tires on the S are better and sportier than the ones on the L. But the L is a great value, and you could get snow tires for it to get you through just about anything.
-juice
My Forester is a great car & I'm really enjoying driving it. Now I've decided I need a few more things - a trailer hitch is one of them. I read a while back about someone doing an install & provided pics. Was it you, Juice? Is the general consensus that it's easier to just let the dealer do the install or do you think it's easy enough for me to do? (I've been called the mechanically declined).
thanks--Ann
PhotoPoint.com is down now, but when it comes back up, it asks for an e-mail to visit a friend's album, just enter ateixeira@ifc.org.
It's not easy. 7 big bolts, remove and reinstall. They were very tight, so you should have a torque wrench with a long shaft. You also have to remove the exhaust vaccum canister and reinstall it below the hitch mounting point. I wouldn't call it hard, but you may want to let a dealer do it.
I've seen DrawTite and Hidden Hitch models that fit the Forester, too, and those may cost a lot less. UHaul sells and installs them, as does Trick Trucks and Pep Boys. Shop around, I bet you can get it for under $200 installed for a Class I hitch and 4 wire harness.
-juice
Steve
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