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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Comments
sept is still summer (until the 20th at least)
Monday- Monday, with Forester, I returned from the ski place to the office. I received borderless energy. With the Just Height Package, even the weekdays have a free feeling. Even in the city it's easy to drive and treats you well, high points of notice. At the optimum seat height, getting in and out is easy, even for women.
...okay, I was going to do the rest of the week but it's getting late and this is going to take a while. I'll pick up the other six days tomorrow.
Mike
Mike
The forester has been critisized for being a "tall station wagon" and lacking the commanding high view of a "true SUV". Perhaps the new Forester addresses that issue. Personally, I prefer handling over high eyepoints, and hope that Subaru hasn't turned the NEW Forester into a run-of-the-mill, tall mini-ute.
In time to come; what will it be? Higher Point of View?
-Dave
I don't think Subaru is going to make the Forester another mini-ute. It would go against their whole saftey and low center of gravity design principles.
I recall an argument going back and forth between Forester and CR-V owners a loooong time ago back in the the Forester vs. CR-V topic. The CR-V owners kept arguing that having a commanding view of the road was as important as handling for saftey.
Ken
On the contract, it clearly states:
Auto, Keyless entry, cernter armrest console, CD player
*Security system upgrade installed.
I negotiated a reasonable deal:
Edmunds TMV on the Forester
and something between "Good" and "Fair" on Kelly's Blue Book on my 1991 Mazda MX-6.
When I took possession of my car on Wednesday evening, my salesperson and I noticed that a CD player was not installed in the car. He said not too worry about it and that he'd talk to his manager and take care of it the next day.
I left an email for him on Friday since I had not heard from him and have tried contacting him by phone for several days without luck.
Finally, I received an email from him today saying that he was still working on it, but that since "we only made $23 on your deal, I'm having a tough time convincing my sales mgr to give you one for free. What I can most probably do is get you one at cost. I'll let you know."
Now, I think we all know they made well over $23 on the deal even if the CD player was included in the deal.
What's my next step in dealing with them?
Thanks for any advice or help.
--Paul
We had the identical situation happen when we picked up our 2001 last year -- we had ordered a CD player, it was on the invoice, during pickup we were all excited as we drooled over our new Forester and....hmmm, where's the CD player? The big difference between your situation and ours was that our dealership immediately realized it was their mistake (I almost felt sorry for our salesman, he actually blushed when he realized there was supposed to be a CD player in our vehicle) and installed one free as soon as they could get one in.
If you have the CD player on the invoice, and the invoice shows the price you have already paid for the vehicle, you should get the CD player installed free of charge. You've paid for it. Just make sure you *do not* lose your copy of the invoice (might want to make a xerox just in case), and politely ask them to install your CD player. If the salesman keeps trying to make a fast buck by selling you a CD player twice, just ask to speak to the manager. Frankly, I'm pretty shocked that your salesman is even attempting this, your invoice is proof of payment and there's no way he can get away with what he's trying. Good luck and keep us posted on what happens.
Steve
1. A Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) grille, which has a black metallic mesh background and a chrome stylized lower case "f" in the middle, rather than a Subaru logo badge (I've seen one of these for sale on ebay);
2. A grille with black metallic mesh background and the Subaru logo badge in the middle. This grille was standard on the Forester S turbo in the UK and Europe and on the Forester GT in Australia and New Zealand. In Japan it was standard on the Forester S/tb and, with the color of the Subaru logo badge background changed from metallic black to cherry pink, on the Forester STi. Pink is the chosen color of STI, Subaru's in-house performance division.
It's the latter that I bought to replace the chromed grille on my '00 Forester S; a Forester GT grille from Australia combined with the Forester STi grille badge from Japan. I was able to take advantage of a favorable exchange rate between the US and Australia but shipping is where you get nailed.
I like the look of having less chrome on the front of the car (of course, I could have accomplished this with a Forester L grille) plus the pink badge gives the car a bit of a cartoonish look, like a rabbit (which is another STi symbol; Subaru first built a Vespa-like scooter called the Rabbit as Japan recovered from WWII). Some people will criticize you for attaching this factory performance symbol to your car without having other performance modifications to back it up; there's a nasty bit of slang they use which I won't repeat here. These people are mostly the ones who know all the minutiae about the various models and special editions Subaru offers in Japan and around the world. I intend to move in that direction in the near future so I'm not as concerned.
I'll check back later with links to some non-USA Subaru parts sources if you're still interested. The i-club is another good source of these contacts.
Ed
-mike
I'd definetly call SOA and get a case started. The dealer is up to no good and needs to be reprimanded.
Also, the dealer is making more than what you pay over invoice. The dealer gets guaranteed profit in a form of a kick-back based off of invoice price.
One thing you may want to consider is to see if they'll pay, in cash, the amount they owe you for the CD player. You could get it installed at a different dealer or purchase an aftermarket one.
Ken
1. the 2003 appears to be about 1.5" longer in the front and in the back (3" total), with the wheelbase at most 1" longer (if any)
2. the front and back door openings are a hint more roundish, so is the front fender
3. the back fender is a bit rounder at its front, still has its straight top, although at a slanted angle (higher in the back)
4. there is no indication of larger wheel wells - if anything, the front one is not as tall
5. the top of the back door and the third side window are a bit shorter to make room for the wide C-pillar
6. the additional space in the front appears to be entirely in the hood and front bumper areas, indicating more safety and a bit more room for a larger engine
7. Can't say much about how the seat arrangement has changed, other than that the additional outside room should allow equivalent changes in the rear set and cargo areas.
- D.
http://210.254.95.20/showroom/for_popup/newforester_top.htm
-Dave
http://www.city-automotive.com.au/subaru_parts_frame.htm
They were very courteous and prompt in delivery.
Contrary to what you write the 1998-2000 Foresters were around longer than the updated 2001-02 models and you'll most likely see more of them on the road. The 01-02's got a minor cosmetic refreshing but have received a number of additional useful features that were either extra cost options or unavailable on the 98-00's. That's what usually happens when a model nears the end of its production. I wish our 00's had some of those features but IMO I like the grille and taillight treatments of the 98-00's better.
Hope this helps,
Ed
-mike
I noticed a couple of things, too. When you click the link and get the preview shot with the grid, you'll notice the cladding behind the rear wheels resembles the stuff on the Baja.
Also, the kink in the D-pillar appears there. The rear side window looks like the Lexus GX470's. Nice touch.
Finally, on the Tuesday shot, it looks like the built-in roof rails aren't there, or at least are shorter to they do not appear in that photo.
-juice
I told him I either expected a CD player installed in my Forester or $300 in cash (Edmunds TMV + the tax I will be paying). That's probably letting them off easy as another dealership gave me an estimate of $385.90 (parts and labor) for the installation of the same CD player, but I figure that is the amount of factory installed components I had actually expected/paid for.
He said he'd speak with his manager (who may or may not have been away at a funeral--I have trouble believing anything he says to me now) and get back to me.
I told him if I didn't hear back from him by 5 pm today that I would start working through other channels. I told him my offer was non-negotiable. If it is not met, I'll start working with SOA, the better business bureau, and whatever other organizations it takes.
I really do appreaciate the advice, and I'll let everyone know how the situation is resolved.
Otherwise, we love our Forester, and we are delighted to report that St. Louis has several other Subaru dealerships that we will be pleased to do business with in the future.
--Paul
-mike
-juice
Pathfinder 24%
Explorer 29%
Liberty 33%
Xterra 37%
Highlander 38%
Escape 45%
CRV 50%
RAV4 59%
Forester 62%
In fact, after looking at other Heraud reviews, I couldn't find any other vehicle that skewed more toward women than the Forester. I find it hard to believe that the Forester is the most female-oriented vehicle on the road.
Any comments on whether these numbers are reliable? I mean, is the SF really the ultimate "woman's car" on the market today? Do these numbers jibe with what people are seeing out there?
Bob
A good friend has a liberty (actually his wife) and I drove it, the transmission intruded too far into the driver and passenger footwells for my liking and I found the forester to be more roomy in the front. Not as roomy as my Trooper, but roomier than the liberty.
-mike
I considered taking it, but since they ignored me for so long (in hopes that I'd just go away?) before trying to get me to pay for their "mistake" (or worse), I decided to call Subaru's 1-800#.
We'll see what action that brings . . .
Thanks again.
--Paul
-mike
Ross
I considered taking it, but since they ignored me for so long (in hopes that I'd just go away?) before trying to get me to pay for their "mistake" (or worse), I decided to call Subaru's 1-800#.
We'll see what action that brings . . .
Thanks again.
--Paul
It's not by coinicidence that the vehicles towards the bottom of the list have more women owners. They're the more recent car-based hybrid SUVs that offer a lot more everyday practicality than the traditional truck-frame based vehicles towards the top. Truck-frame based SUVs tend to ride harsher, have worse handling and are not as space efficient as their unibody counterparts. However, they do have a "macho" image associated with them partly due to advertising. Clearly, this factor affects the purchase criteria differently between the genders.
Ken
-mike
Leo
P.S. I also read somewhere that VW are also extremely popular with women.
I got over the macho thing when I started putting safety at the top of my priorities with the birth of our daughter. Nothing like driving a mini van or station wagon to show that you are secure in who you are.
Just, wish I'd gotten smarter sooner and didn't have the BMW. I could have owned two Foresters(or maybe one and a WRX wagon-HHHMMMMM) for the same money or less.
Being a guy, I conclude that my S has indeed put me in touch with my feminine side in terms of subjectivity and interpersonalization. Never before have a personalized a machine, but "Toby" it has come to be.
Women and Foresters. Hmm. I like it, my wife likes it--more than the CRV..and her sister has a Forester also.
As for hubby; sure no one is really going to buy a car they consider ugly, but you wouldn't be looking at the Forester if you thought it was that unappealing. My wife will be driving the Forester more so it was her call. I might have chosen the CRV.
Seriously, women are more practical, smarter consumers. Many guys buy into the whole testosterone thing, that trucks should be punishing and uncomfortable, brutal and guzzle gas. If that's what he wants, then, frankly, he deserves what he gets.
The Forester is user friendly. Controls are light, and do not require big biceps to operate. Lift overs are low. Cowl is low for visibility, and blind spots are small. It's fuel efficient, and safety was a priority in its design. Those are not bad traits!
Auto Pacific has some stats, and they say:
Forester: 55% female
CR-V: 59% female
RAV4: 62% female
So the variation could well be the registration issue mentioned above. But generally practical buyers flock to car-based SUVs because they know they don't really need off-road capability.
If your hubby disagrees, he's probably just pretending. How often has he really and truly driven off road?
-juice
You already paid for the CD plater, and it's down on paper. Definitely talk to the head honcho and rip him a new one.
Craig
She definitely preferred the Forester(S), and she wants to stay with the model. This is even after she drove her parents' new LL Bean H6 Outback wagon.
On the other hand, I love my 2000 Legacy 2.5GT sedan (in Rio Red).
We like having a wagon-like vehicle for carrying stuff. Overall, I like the handling of the sedan. My wife likes the higher view of the Forester without having to step up into a truck-like vehicle.
2 women (Mother & college daughter)
1 male (our parish priest)
So this little sample is 67% female
My wife and I were all set to purchase a Forester back in Dec97, until we drove it. Given the lack of legroom, we purchased a 97CRV
Looking forward to seeing the 2003 Forester & hope they added some leg room.
2 women and a priest walk into a bar...sounds like the beginning of a good joke! :-)
FWIW, I do think most Forester owners are female, at least from what I've seen. There are more male Outback owners, again from my experience. But the Outback is more wagon-ish, so go figure.
At this point, anyone shopping for a new Forester ought to wait at least a week until they can preview the 2003. It's 6 days away.
-juice
KarenS
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