Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

nypdau

You may be right rocco, but I am pretty sure the Forester I sat in at the Javits was as I described.

scirocco22

James-- Well, maybe they decided to equip the U.S. version similarly to the JDM (?) I really think the JDM picture has a much cleaner look as gvemlbrty noted.

--'rocco

mtngal

Yes - I was referring to the hood. I'm short and so often have problems with cars figuring out where the front end is. It makes a difference parking and at stop lights. Sometimes the hood dips down below my vision or I'm not sitting up high enough to see the hood much at all.

I agree that the visibility in the Forester is excellent all around. I even felt comfortable enough to pull into the parking space between 2 cars on the car lot (many of the dealerships where I've shopped recently allow you to go by yourself when testing a vehicle). I felt comfortable with how the car turned and the visibility - the last vehicle that I've felt that comfortable with with was the Wrangler.

The turning radius is excellent - I did a full 360 degree circle in a side street. So much better than a (briefly owned) '81 Mustang.

storyteller

Mtngal: Paisan took excellent pictures of the 03 Forester at the NY show. To see them, go to: http://isuzu-suvs.com/events/nyias02/index.htm And once on the photo page, click the arrow at the top to go to page 4. Pictures DSCN2401 and 2402 show the new style of cupholder. I think it's what you are hoping for.

scirocco22

Here are the direct links from paisan's album which Steve refers to:

mike's pic #2401

mike's pic #2402

Or page link: http://isuzu-suvs.com/events/nyias02/index_4.htm

Although they appear to be from a Legacy, the Forester cupholders are in a similar position.

Nice album, mike!!!

--'rocco

nypdau

Could it be that I am thinking about the cupholder on another small ute? Possibly the Rendevous?

jei

Checked out the '03 Forester at the NY Auto Show yesterday. Very nice. The seats are better. They feel like the '02 Impreza WRX seats. The fronts are slightly firmer with larger side bolsters. The back seat is better because the bottom cushion is more tilted and supportive. Toe room under the front seat is better. I'm 5-11" 175 lbs and had no problem getting comfortable, even if the back is not terribly spacious. The back seat in my '99 has a flatter, lower bottom cushion, which to me makes it less comfortble. A bit like sitting on an ironing board. Quite a few other vehicles suffer from unsupportive rear seats even if they have more space. Sat in the back of a Grand Cherokee?? Ugh/ouch.

I like the dash and door panels, which seem to become more upmarket although conservative in their styling. Interior and exterior style is even better in real life than in pictures. I'd wait for the '03 if I were in the market. Will test drive when they hit the dealers in May.

Still attached to my faithful '99,

John

polly9750

After untold hours of researching and test driving, my wife and I just bought our first new car in 14 years, the 02 Forester. We don't have it yet, but will pick it up this week.

The reason for my post was mention the deals that are going on in my area. I do not know if this was something initiated by the dealer or Subaru, but they were selling all of the L series Foresters at $19,995. This was irregardless of the options on the vehicle. This enabled us to purchase a loaded vehicle with a sticker price close to $23,000 for the $19,995.

Again, I don't know if this is a local thing or not, but we could not pass on it. Our dealer was Cumberland Valley Motors near Harrisburg, PA.

We are looking forward to our adventures in our new car and talking with the enthusiastic owners of other Foresters. By the way, are their any other owners of Foresters that have forsaken the large cargo space of a minivan for the styling and driving of the Forester? Just wondering how you were able to adapt.

Mike P.

rsholland

My guess is that these deals are due to the fact that the all-new 2003 Forester will be in showrooms next month, and they want to move out the current inventory.

My wife had an old Explorer, and now has a '01 Forester S Premium. Only occasionally does she miss the extra space.

Good luck with your new ride, and hope to hear from you here in the future...

Bob

mtngal

The pics of the cup holders were just what I was hoping for. I'll definitely wait until the 2003s come out, regardless of the good deals on the 2002s.

I did have another question - this one about the interior lights. I didn't think about even looking when we did our test drive (I know - make a list of what you want to check out and take it with you. I'm not that organized). It did occur to me this morning as I was reading my book by a book light this morning on the way to work (I carpool with my other half - he drives in and I drive home). The Tacoma has a reading light that the passenger can use and it doesn't bother the driver under normal driving conditions. The Wrangler does not - therefore the book light. Does the Forester have a light the passenger can use without disturbing the driver? It's not a big deal for me, but would save on batteries if it has something.

rsholland

<< Does the Forester have a light the passenger can use without disturbing the driver? It's not a big deal for me, but would save on batteries if it has something. >>

My S Premium does, not sure about L models.

Bov

maverick1017

All Foresters have two map lights up front for the driver and front passenger.

Mike

ateixeira

Yep, even my 1998 Forester L has two map lights, in addition to the dome light.

The new cup holders are much better. They are molded plastic and will hold spills, much tougher, though I do wish they were lined (minor niggle). 1998-2000 models had a single pop out, 2001 and later got a dual pop-out unit. But they would not hold mugs, the new ones do. The new ones also don't block anything, like the old ones did. Much better.

If your dealer said they moved the rear seat back 3", he's wrong. It gained some room, maybe 1" or 1.5", but definitely not 3". It'll likely be adequate, but not roomy, for families.

Bob and I also liked the Murano, but I heard $30-35k, ouch. So it'll compete with V6 Highlanders, not Foresters.

Vibes and Matrices compete more directly with Outback Sports. The AWD models gets a wimpy 123hp, so the word "compete" may be a bit generous.

Outlander was shown in NY, but it was locked. We did see it up close though. It's basically a Lancer sport wagon. 140hp isn't much nowadays, though. Still, it's tall wagon looks will have customers cross-shopping the Forester.

-juice

rsholland

besides having a 240 HP and AWD, also gets a CVT. To the best of my knowledge, this is the most powerful car yet to get a CVT.

Bob

ateixeira

Audi has, what, 220hp? Guess so.

Forester turbo would be lighter and probably just as quick if not quicker, plus $8 grand less loaded. Though Murano looked bigger.

-juice

rsholland

ateixeira

Good point, no quattro with CVT. And you'd think technology fans would want both.

I'd like to see the inside of the Murano.

-juice

storyteller

The current Freshalloy has a picture of the dash. Looks futuristic and (I think) not as cheap as the Altima's interior.

lark6

Why do I think of glass beads each time I see this car's name?

Ed

csvipersah

I must have spent about 20 minutes sitting in the red forester at the auto show. I LOVE the new dash!

cyberpirate

I will not be using my forester for about 4 weeks. Any suggestions on precautions that I
need to take? probably the battery would have gone down and I may end up getting a jump start:)

Thanks in advance!

jonjons

Managed to get a huge crack in the windscreen of my '99 S during a recent cold spell. We got back to the car after skiing and turned on the windscreen heater. Two minutes later.....crack! Unfortunately, I think the crack originated at a rock ding that was very low down close to the heater element. This means it probably will not be covered under waranty.
Anyone have a S windscreen replaced? Did you use the dealer? Roughly how many $s am I looking at?

PS. I have also smashed a fog light. Are dealer prices for replacements reasonable or should I look elsewhere.

Jon

'99 S only 21K miles but they were hard ones!

kens

Jon,

Go to any auto glass specialist for the repair. The price will vary depending on if you decide to get the windshield with the heating elements. Without it, it costs around $120 with labor. With the heating elements, it more than doubles, IIRC.

As for the foglight, if it's just the glass that's broken, you should be able to replace it easily by yourself. Just order the right part from the dealer. I believe the fogs require the lens to be removed to replace the bulb anyway so I don't think it's that difficult (check the owner's manual).

Ken

jei

Jon,

I had the windshield replaced on my '99 S a couple of years ago when it cracked after taking a couple of stone hits. Glass coverage from my insurance covered it, but I had to work over the glass company pretty hard to get the OEM windshield with the heating element. IIRC it cost around $900, from a Subaru dealer. Could be that Safelite or other large auto glass company makes a "generic" windshield with the heater element by now. See what your insurance company will do for you.

John

stiv1

I recently noticed a funky oil burning smell
coming from my 98 Forester with 67,000 miles.
It seems the most noticeable when I come to a
complete stop.I took it in for an oil
change and was told that I was fairly low on
oil and that it appeared to be leaking from
an indeterminable location. I gather it is coming
from somewhere underneath as under the hood the
engine appears clean as a whistle with no visible
signs of leakage. Curious if anyone might have
had this problem in the Forester or have an idea
what the worse case scenario price wise might be.

Any help would be appreciated!

ateixeira

Doesn't your insurance cover the windshield? It's usually under your comprehensive.

Oil leak? Get her up on ramps, and take the plastic cover off, then try to trace the source. At this point we don't know enough.

-juice

hayduke01

Spring is starting to make its appearance at 6000 feet, and that's making me think about more tint for my Forester's windows.

Has anyone gone beyond the factory tint (which doesn't seem that dark)? If so, does it actually help keep the vehicle cool? The sunroof, AC and power windows make it easy to cool down quickly anyway, but still thinking of some additional tint for appearance and cooling.

Turning to demographics, I'm probably close to the profile: name's Mike, BA & JD, 45, into hiking, running, biking, skiing & backpacking. Not affluent yet, but if Colorado and/or Powerball cooperates, maybe by Wednesday. And of course two dogs. Was three, but lost the third to old age recently. I'm still borrowing his name, Hayduke, here. And I do wear Birkenstocks occasionally. Got my first Birkenstocks and my first Subaru in '87.

ateixeira

I put SolarGard film, 35%, for $170 on 7 windows (all but the windshield). It's a dyed film, not metallic, but has not faded since 1998. I had it installed at New Again, in Silver Spring MD. They also did my wife's sedan, 5 windows for $140.

The Forester has so much glass that it's still bright inside. The 626 looks darker. Consider 20% tint, too, which is darker. 5% is limo black.

Cooler? Yes. With A/C on and fan on 1, I still sometimes freeze. It cuts on glare at night (nice bonus), but backing up in a pitch dark area is harder.

I recommend it.

-juice

kens

I highly recommend tinting your Forester windows for the reasons juice stated. I have 20% on all of my rear windows and it looks and works great. I also have a 75% (virtually clear) on my front side windows to block UV. I was getting tired of my left arm tanning in the summer (gotta watch that UV exposure!). Even the 75% tint makes a huge difference in the amount of heat transmitted through the glass.

Ken

stever

Since you have all those forms at your fingertips, and know your way to the courthouse, it should be a simple matter to correct that glaring misnomer and change your name to Dave.

:-)

Steve
Host
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doogald

This might be obvious, but if you are in the US you might want to check local laws for tinting regulations - especially if there is a chance that you might move at some point to another state.

http://www.tintdude.com/laws.html

odd1

Don't change it to Dave we need the Monkey Wrench more then ever. RIP Edward Abbey.

hayduke01

Odd 1, not many people recognize the source of the name, Hayduke. For the rest of you, it comes from an Edward Abbey novel, the Monkey Wrench Gang. Abbey's protagonist, George Washington Hayduke, was a Vietnam vet who took matters into his own hands to deal with some perceived environmental abuses in the Southwest. (good thing lawyers don't write book reviews). Abbey died around 1988 or 1989, I believe. But his work lives on.

Now, so I'm not completely off topic, I've solved the problem of the cargo net not keeping growlers (1/2 gallon beer jugs) upright. On returning to my favorite brewery last night, I discovered that it's easy to disconnect the cargo net, thread the connector through the loop on the top of the growler, and then reconnect the net, anchoring the beer in the upright position. For those who are wondering (and those who aren't), it was a Bristol ESB.

stever

I knew that (I was talking about changing your "real", non-Subaru name). My favorite Abbey story was the one where a friend was appalled when Abbey tossed some litter (beer cans, iirc) out the car window. Abbey figured a few cans weren't near as bad as the strip of asphalt running through the countryside. I did a put-in at Lee's Ferry below the dam last winter, so Abbey is (mostly) ok in my book. Good writer but what a home life....

Steve
Host
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hayduke01

Steve, I've done Cataract Canyon, but haven't done the Grand yet. How was it? Unfortunately, it's been a long time since I've done any kind of river trip.

Where do you live? I was in Salt Lake City for three years before I ended up in Colorado. Abbey was in SLC once for a book signing of the 10th Anniversery edition of the Monkey Wrench Gang. Not sure what ever happened to the signed copy; wish I still had it.

qbrozen

I am having the exact same problem. Of course, we could have different oil leaks, but all the symptoms are the same. I found that the oil is leaking down on the first cat and burning there. That is where the smell is coming from (I assume). My problem is that I know the oil is coming from the front of the engine. I need to take the radiator out and remove the front plastic cover to see exactly where (I fear a crank seal). Anyway, keep me posted on what you find and I'll do the same.

qbrozen

so you're the one! I stood there for 10 minutes waiting for some guy to get out of that driver's seat so I could give it a shot. Finally gave up and left (and found the other Forester on the other side of the display).

qbrozen

I was pulled over by this vehicle at the show. Had to take a look. Unfortunately, then I saw the name. Both my friend and I could only keep thinking and saying "Moron". This name association problem would probably keep me out of one, unfortunately. I know, its silly, but its just how I am.

stever

Fun, but a little cooler than the normal winter trip. Usual 3 wks to Diamond, good water (9 to 17k cfs), no "real" mishaps.

I'm in Boise.

Steve
Host
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storyteller

Rob: you aren't the only one who cares about names. I knew a guy who was intrigued by the Suzuki SUV but veered away because he was sure everyone would call it his "Grand Viagra."

willy128

I agree most posts or editorial comments about the current Forester driver cup holder design being unfriendly to most people. But there are a few things I would like to express.

1) Impreza, where Forester adopted the design, is rally origin. That driver cup holder location is there to indictate to driver, at eye level next to the tacho, amount of G pull and virbration being asserted to the chassis. So, when I trained myself on turns, a 95% full cup of water does not spill indict to me how safe I drove on the turns. To me, it has been a very important training wheel. My dog used to vomit in my trunk when I first driven him. After I learned this usage of the water level, my dog is very happy in my car.
I agree Forester suspension is stiff and non-intelligent. I do wish Subaru has the Evo IV suspension design so I can do less of this work.

2) It is using the fan to ice cool my drinks during summer and warm by coffee during winter.

3) This cup holder rattles a bit to create noise at high speed. But the S's big side mirror are much worst. You can tell if you are driving 95 or 105mph wrt to the side mirror virbration.

For reasoning #2, I prefer it is a duo cup holder at the same place.

One thing about the 03 design that people did not test and mentioned, it is more rigid but probably a bit heavier(similiar to the 02' WRX and older Impreza Turbo). This rigidness is very important for good handling hence pushing the limit of the driver and the engine. It may degrades observable road testing numbers. But the later evolution of the rest of the mechanical system is secured. Not many people will enter the apex line at 90 and speed up to 100+. But this rigidness will give one the better grip of the road.

burnsmr4

If you folks will remember from 2.34 billion posts ago, I bumped my new 2002 Subaru Forester S against a yellow concrete post while I was on my honeymoon. Damn lighthouse picture. Should have skipped it.

Anyway, I have a nice dent in the passenger-side rear quarter panel, just above the bumper. I don't care about the chipped paint on the bumper so much as the damn dent. I mean, jeez! I hadn't even made a payment on the car when it happened.

Can someone recommend a reliable, non-dealership body shop in the Atlanta-area who won't charge me my mother's left arm to repair the dent? I've found ONE non-dealership body shop out in the sticks of Coweta County who'll fix the dent and the bumper for $450. Unfortunately, he has most likely never worked on a Subaru before. Plus, it takes 1.5 hours to drive down to the shop. Inconvenient in a city where traffic sucks.

Most other places in town are asking $500 minimum for the dent. Any other suggestions are welcome.

Regards,
burnsmr4

P.S. - Avoid lighthouses on your honeymoon. Damn lighthouse.

ateixeira

Murano sounds like Muro, or "wall" in Portuguese. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but I didn't think of Moron until you mentioned it.

You are the man, Willy! Way to see the glass half full instead of half empty. :-)

The Forester is supposedly 90 lbs lighter, though, with more use of aluminum. On the cut-away at the NY show you could actually see the aluminum in the bumper and hood.

burnsmr4: if the panel is creased, I'd say the price is actually low. $800 per panel is my rule of thumb.

-juice

nypdau

burnsmr4: Go for the $450! Be thankful you didn't run into a post at the Montauk Lighthouse. Body shops in the NY area get bookoo $$$ for minor repairs.

rochcom

Re: Inquiry about oil leaks.

I have had several oil leaks on my '98.

Rear engine seal.
Right side valve cover gasket.
Most recently, oil pump gasket.

You might want to check these areas. For the oil pump gasket leak, there was no noticeable pool of oil anywhere.

Dealer says they are not uncommon, but not epidemic either.

pal086

I am also thinking of getting my 02 Forester S windows tinted. The information provided here recently is really helpful. But I had a few
more questions --

Does tinting in any way affect the in-glass radio antenna on the side rear windows or the heating elements on the rear windshield?

The film mentioned by Juice, SolarGard -- is that a brand name or a generic for a type of film ? Is there a recommended brand for the films to be used?

Juice also mentioned that the film was dyed and not metallic -- what is the main difference between these -- are there any pros and cons ?

Sorry for bothering with what might be inane questions -- but I am really ingnorant about this subject.

Thanx in advance for your help.

burnsmr4

...will there be any complications if he's not worked on a Subaru before? The guy really prides himself on paint jobs, so I expect that I'll get a really nice, near perfect match to the original paint job. That's important to me because the car is only 3 months old. I'm just worried that I'll have issues down the road if he doesn't pull the panel correctly or get it fixed a la a Subaru expert.

I don't know -- worrying about nothing?

Thanks,
burnsmr4

mtngal

I'm interested in answers to pal086's questions also, since if I do get the Subaru I'd be interested in get tinting on the back windows also. The dealer I talked to said they did tinting, but since I wasn't ready to buy right then, I didn't ask for price, options, etc.

cat_and_bear

*Grin* Good night to you, too, varmint. And wish you find some comfort in your CRV dream land. And do pray that you will not see me pointing fingers at you again tomorrow. Reality is cruel, isn't it? It will not go away just by calling it not important. I do encourage you to learn how to face the real world though, spreading out disinfo is a big no-no. You will feel happier this way eventually. Oh, and if you need some professional help, write me then probably I will help you.

qbrozen

I don't know what you have down there, but does Maaco exist in your area?

We just got my wife's forester back after she also had a run-in with a cement pole. We also got a quote from an indy shop for $400+, but went to Maaco and were told $170. They gave her a rental right there, kept the Subaru 2 days, and now we have it back. Now, let me say that its not a top-notch job. It will look better after the 30 day wait period and I can buff it, but I would have to say that I'm VERY pleased with the quality compared to the money I saved. Its only noticeable if you get right up to it and take a look at the lip under the fender to see the paint line. In other words, 95% of the buyers out there wouldn't notice it, but probably 95% of dealers appraising the car would. and it is certainly not noticeable on the street. Oh, and its 4 years old and they did an excellent job matching the paint.