By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I searched the web for communication cables & connectors before I found the 13 pin connector that I wanted. I was able to find the connector with wires already attached for use -- it saved me from soldering like the scoobymods site showed.
I think my profile should be updated to have my email non-private now. Email me and I'll show you where I found my parts and such.
Kevin
J
Elissa
-juice
Larry
Not removing anything until I'm sure..... also thinking of replacing the IC hoses with the Perrin hoses and a Perrin catch can at the same time.
The only reason I want to do this now, or at least check it now, is that the OBW's was almost plugged at 30K or so.
Will keep you posted. Surprised none of the other sites - nabisco or scooby has gotten back to me with a definite answer yet.
Larry
-juice
Mileage: 14,100 give or take a few
Fuel economy: best tankful 24.2 mpg, worst tankful 16.2 mpg; am now seeing a fairly consistent 19 city/22 highway. Would be nice if I could eke out 10% better on both city and highway but I realize some of that comes with the territory. Oil: Went first to M1 5W30, then M1 10W30, have considered synthetics in the diffys but not certain of the costs/benefits there. Leaning away from it as I can't see huge gains in economy but have heard/read of shifting/power transfer issues with various synths.
Highlights: Bombing down farm roads with the rear seats folded and a full cargo of hay bales, grass seed, and fertilizer. Lining up at the dump/landfill alongside the big rigs. (That doesn't beat pulling up on the truck scales with a load of slate and bluestone like I did with the '00, but similar.) On-ramps, off-ramps, backroad twisties in general. Not having to worry about rear wheel bearings and head gaskets.
Lowlights: Cracked windshield required replacement; weak OEM battery left me stranded @ airport after 2-day biz trip, replaced w/Sears DieHard Gold North; creaky instrument cluster surround, remedied with felt and foam pads. Now virtually all rattles or creaks come from my son's toys or other toddler accoutrements. Can't fit my old Yakima locking crosstops/round bars/boatloader system up top - probably irrelevant since I haven't paddled since before my son was born.
That's basically it in a nutshell. I'm glad there are lots more Forester (especially FXT) owners out there experimenting with their cars as I'm not feeling like much of a pioneer these days.
Ed
Can anyone go to a truck weigh station? I've though about it when I'm loaded down during summer vacation.
-Dennis
Question is, should I take this opportunity to swap all the tires for better ones since the winter is coming up? Are the Geolanders as bad in the winter as they are in the summer? Or, should I pay $120 for a single Geolander as a new spare tire?
The tire store also said that if the treadwear is too severe on the 3 old tires, then the new tire will screw up the rear differential? But I find that hard to believe in Subaru's AWD since isn't it supposed to be able to apply different traction to either rear wheels?
I finally visited a Subaru dealership today and ended up test driving 5 different cars (I'm horrible at making big decisions and the amount of overlap in their product line kills me).
I drove:
06 Forester X (much peppier than I expected, pleasantly surprised by this car)
06 Forester XT Ltd (glued to the back of my seat as I accelerated into traffic from the lot)
05 Outback 2.5i (not enough engine response without moving up to the OB XT)
03 Outback Sport (felt well used and clunky, won't mention it again in this post)
05 Impreza 2.5 RS Sedan (no 05 wagons on the lot)
Going in I was primarily interested in the Forester XT and the Outback Sport (I'm among the fans of the 06 facelift on both models). Why those two? I'm stuck on a sportier, car like ride, which the OBS offers, and if practicality pushes me toward the clunkier Forester (feels bigger, more ground clearance would be handy), I'm going to go all out and get the turbo to compensate for the wagon appearance. Needless to say AWD and ample cargo room are requirements (I drive an '01 Corolla currently), which is why I'm shopping Subaru to begin with.
Unfortunately I live in a state that has all of two Subaru dealerships (Arkansas) and this one didn't have a new OBS (or even an RS wagon) on the lot - in fact they only get a few in every year, when they're forced to take them off the truck, as they're not big sellers in the land of super SUVs and full size trucks. Can't say I blame them for not stocking many, but it's made my decision harder.
Anyway, back to the Forester, since that's what this forum is about and that's what direction I'm leaning in at this point. I'm not sure I have the patience to wait for an OBS that I might not even want when it gets here - the 05 RS I drove is an awesome car, but to be honest not a vast improvement over what I have now when it comes to normal daily driving, and the smaller feel, rougher ride, and less ground clearance compared with the Forester don't help it any when it comes to anything outside of daily driving. All it has going for it (disregarding price) is better styling and of course, slightly better handling. I'd still take it over my Corolla any day, though, if I wasn't in a positition to give the FXT a serious look.
My brother rode along in the rear for both test drives and said the XT felt like a smoother ride than the X, to which the salesman chalked up to more comfortable seats (everything else being the same, I guess). I asked him how the legroom was in the back (forgot to try it myself) and he said it was "alright" (he's 6'0"). I did however sit in the back of the Impreza RS and it was definitely a little tight (I'm only 5'9").
So, I guess my biggest question is if, compared to the X, is the XT actually worth the extra cost? Anyone reading who owns an X feel free to respond as well, especially if you test drove both. What do you like about your XTs? What would you change about them? What other brands/models did you test drive?
Sorry for the long post and for asking questions which have probably been answered across the history of this thread (many pages of which I've read). If nothing else, just tell me to stop thinking about it and buy the thing already!
Doug
The biggest difference between the X and the XT is the "T". The "T" adds a significant amount of pep, zing and fun factor. It also does not get quite the mileage of the X. In addition the "T" is a few thousand more.
Other than that there might be some amenities that are different. But I think in order to answer the question you have to drive both and see what your budget it. See if you're okay with lower gas mileage and bigger fun factor.
Frank
2004 XT, now at 25.9 K miles. Premium pack. Added armrest, hood protector, rear air deflector, rear bumper step strip, turbo gauge, rear cargo mat, mud flaps.
Pros:
1)Great engine, runs strong, runs quick. Can't beat it for performance.
2) Sunroof, next best thing to a convertible
3) Leather heated seats - I think they used a decent grade of leather and I really like the heated seats. So does my aching back.
4) Instrumentation lay out - ergonomically friendly and logical.
5) Cargo area, esp with rear seats folded down - just carried 8 tires and rims
6) Cruse control - very stable
7) Easy car for the DIY'r to maintain.
Cons:
1) MPG is a killer. 14 around town, 24 on trip, and at $2.89 for premium, its starting to hurt. For comparison's sake, the 03 OBW gets 19, the 04 Elantra GT gets 22. BTW - Mileage follows driver, so its not just me.
2) Paint - chips, scratches and dings easier than any paint I've ever seen. Paint on the rocker panels is starting to wear off. :mad:
3) Rocker panels themselves as regards putting on lifts - If the shop doesn't place the lift pads exactly right, the panels take a beating. And they usually don't take the trouble to position them carefully.
4) Rattles in general - finally got most of them out after about a year
5) The Geolander tires. I just had to replace mine - had one damaged beyond repair, and my spare was greater than the 1/4 inch circumference rule. Bought a set of Yokohama Avid H4's. Much, much, much better than the Geolanders. Quieter and the car's more responsive overall - The Geo's always seemed to be the weak link in the XT's handling. BTW - the Geos were a 320, B, A tire and the Avid's a 500 AA A tire
6) Real nit-pick - lack of a glovebox light. Come on Subaru, almost 30k and no glovebox light. BTW - about $15 and 45 minutes will fix that shortcoming.
7) The rear subwoofer and the electroluminescent display on the head unit. After about a year (when rattles were no longer covered) got a ferocious rattle in the area of the subwoofer when playing music. The display on the head unit was pretty much invisible in sunlight. Cured that by getting a head unit from a 04 WRX and the underseat subwoofer.
Almost done....
Added a Grillcraft scoop insert to save my intercooler from taking a beating, replaced the rear sway bar with the 20mm bar as well as brackets, etc. Replaced the end links with the PolTec units. Replaced the instrument cluster plastic with the part for an 05 XT, which jazzed up the bezels a bit.
BTW - I'd buy the car again in a second.
Promise not to post this long again until the 36 month review
Larry
You'll miss the turbo punch once in a while, sure, but you'll enjoy the great mileage all the time.
If you had written that you found the X sluggish I would not be recommending it, but the key here is you it even exceeded your expectations.
-juice
Even when it required 92 mph to keep up the other day
No kidding, I couldn't believe it myself. And I still had a combined 27.8 mpg.
'03 XS.
John
the anti juice
:P
Swamp water?
Steve, Host
Not that the female voice on that is nearly as sexy as Becky (from the Tribeca).
-juice
-Dennis
So the X is both the logical and fiscally responsible choice and you'll be perfectly happy with it so long as you can ignore the left side of your brain :P
-Frank
Drive an XT and you will be corrupted, though.
-juice
John
I will test drive both the X and XT again before making a decision, but considering that I want certain creature comforts and might prefer the X LL Bean, the difference in cost between the two engines becomes significantly less.
Another thing I have to consider is that the nearest gas station to my house has the high octane stuff for the price of regular every Tuesday, so most of the time I wouldn't be paying any more for gas.
I don't live in an overly mountainous region, but the outskirts of Little Rock is certainly more up and down than your average city. I also travel into northern Arkansas quite a bit, which definitely has its share of steep inclines. How is the X on long, hilly stretches? How well does it accelerate and pass on these stretches (as that's often where the brief passing lanes appear)? The auto I have now has the "overdrive off" button which helps in those circumstances, but I didn't notice one on the Forester. More extreme inclines may be something I don't have the terrain to simulate during a test drive, so any input would help a great deal.
Thanks!
Doug
But...I would not do it for a different reason - you'll give up a lot of ground clearance, at a time when you need it most (to clear snow piles).
-juice
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=16&article_id=9837
HTH
Larry
I have on 05 FXT Alpine White. It's brand spankin' new and I was thinking about getting splash guards.
Does anyone have these installed? Do they do what they are intended to do? How do they look on tha car?
thanks
The bumper won't rust so it's not 100% necessary, but it does help the Forester look clean longer after a wash.
-juice
Thanks,
J
I have a lot of them, which ones were you considering?
-juice
Does anyone have the Turbo Gauge Pack? Is it worth the bucks?
Stacie
04 XT
So, based on tons of accolades from tire rack & other sources, I replaced them with BFG Traction TAs, T rated . I was immediately impressed that the TAs had less rolling resistance, more noise, & it felt like every road imperfection was magnified!
For the things I can immediately evaluate (noise & ride) I am not convinced that either is better than the Geos - maybe the engineers at Subaru are some dumb when it comes to tires after all!
A tire commonly recommended for smooth quiet ride is the price Bridgestone Turanza LTs. I had these on a Caravan. They were fine tires, but I couldn't say they were super smooth & quiet either. I am wondering if I am not not expecting too much from a mere set of new tires -- or perhaps I simply cannot discern the nuiances! At any rate I have yet to experience the "transformation" that some describe with new rubber.. Good luck on your search, just don't expect miracles! :shades:
HTH
Larry
If the Tire Fair is a large chain, the 430 may be a tire made by Yoko specfically for this chain. The price seems pretty high compared to the Avid H4, Avid TZD. May or may not (more likely not) be a superior tire to those sold nation wide.
For information about Yokohama high performance tires offered through select
retailers (including AS430, YK420, and A550VH), please contact Consumer
Affairs at 1-800-722-9888, option 2, Monday thru Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Pacific Time."
The "select retailers" comment makes me think they're a special for a given retailer. Keep in mind the regular H4's are 500, AA, A rated. I took a skim f some of the other PDF's and didn't see anything better.
BTW - the new tires have eliminated my embarrassing problem of squealing my tires in relatively low speed tight turns. Also, my ABS is better behaved.
HTH
Larry