Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

italialu

I am in the market to buy a new car and like the Subaru Forester. I like the seats in an SUV because they are higher but don't like the bulky large SUV trucks. I sat in the Subaru Outback and my legs just slide under. I am wondering how it is in the Forester. Are one's legs in a sort of seated position or do one's legs slide under like the outback. I would have thought it seemed a little more upright, considering the height of the car. Please advise. Thanks,

lakepop

Well if you tried the Outback....I'd say try the Forester. The seat has so many adjustments I think it could be made to fit virtually anyone.
Bottom line (no pun) you have to be happy so you have to try it....verbal responses will only be opinions. Hope this helps.

c_hunter

The Forester seathing position is indeed a bit more chair-like than the Outback. Feels like 1-2" more height to me. Give it a try.

Craig

burnsmr4

Wili -- you asked about choosing between a Forester and Impreza wagon (of any flavor, I suppose). My wife and I looked into buying one or the other almost a year ago to date, and I'm glad we chose the Forester.

We both found that the passenger-side seat in the Impreza wagon was higher than the driver's seat -- almost 2 inches. It was very weird, and it was not something that could be adjusted.

Also, the backseat just felt flat and cheap. The Forester isn't a luxury limo in back, but it's certainly much comfier, relatively speaking.

Finally, cargo space in the Impreza is compromise by the extreme slant of the rear glass vs. the Forester. If you put a box that, on the bottom, fit into the back of the Impreza, the top of the box might prevent the hatch from closing.

If you don't need storage and don't mind a cramped backseat, then the Impreza may be for you. But if you want long-term roominess and cargo options, go for the Forester.

burnsmr4

P.S. - The Impreza, I'll admit, even in Outback form, was more fun to drive than my Forester. It was downright sporty. :-) Can't imagine what the WRX wagon would have been like. Alas...I needed a future family/pet hauler. :-\

P.S.S. - At the time, the Impreza had just been redesigned with the new gated shifter lever that is now in the 2003 Foresters. The 2002 Forester had the old black style straight auto tranny shift lever. My wife and I both thought that the gated shift lever in the Impreza was cheap and hard to work. It felt loose, even. Others disagreed with our estimation at the time, and it appears that their support made it into the new 2003 Forester redesign. I didn't like it though.

ateixeira

Glad you're OK, Frank. Ask for OE parts for the repair. If insurance just gives you the cash, get parts from a wholesaler like Liberty, and then find a local shop to put them on for you.

dundas: we have a '98 Forester L and an '02 Legacy L, plus my dad has an Outback (and my sister wants a Legacy sedan now). So they're a bit, um, contagious.

Let's go by your criteria:

quiet ride: Legacy wins here, but all newer models are more refined. Longer wheelbase, too.

utility: tough call, but I'd say Forester. Nice, square cargo area, standard cross bars for the sturdy roof rack. Good tow vehicle. Good payload for its size. Legacy does have a huge cargo floor, excellent for strollers and baby stuff.

mpg: about a draw, both average 25mpg, though the Legacy has a 1 gallon bigger gas tank so range is better. Plus ours isn't even broken in and mileage could improve.

fun: Forester wins easy. Short wheelbase is more maneuverable, tossable. Definitely feels more fun to drive near the limits. Spunkier.

I dunno, though, with 2 kids I might lean towards the Legacy. Are they big kids? If they play hoops, Legacy. If not, Forester. :-)

CR-V has a limo-like back seat, but the cargo floor has a small area so you'll have to stack your stroller and cargo, which my wife didn't like. The tail gate open towards the curb and blocks loading/unloading, plus the spare is the first thing to hit in a rear collision. Other than that we liked it a lot, but those flaws have to be addressed.

The Tribute/Escape had several recalls and a rocky production start-up, so we didn't consider it (and we owned 2 Mazdas when we started shopping for her). Besides that, the V6 won't be as efficient and the interior felt plasticky and unfinished, though supposedly this year it got better (I have not seen it).

Take the kids and drive all the models you are considering. You could step down from an RX and still get the moonroof, which is big enough to have glass above the kids in the rear seat. It would be a real treat to them, and the price would still be reasonable. Or look at a Legacy L/SE, which has a moonroof for the rear seat as well. The kids will love it.

-juice

p0926

Thanks for all the condolences but it really wasn't much of an accident. I hit a Crown Vic taxi and didn't even scratch it's bumper so there was no accident report. I seriously believe that had I hit bumper to bumper that there would have been no damage to either vehicle. But if your bumper is taken out of the equation, even a low speed impact can cause a fair amount of damage (although it doesn't look like much). The plastic grill was the primary point of contact and as you can imagine, it has minimal impact absorbing properties (although it survived almost intact). The grill therefore got pushed back into the hood latch mechanism which took the brunt of the impact and stopped just short of the radiator (thank goodness). The upper tie bar (to which the latch mech is fastened) was deformed as were the metal brackets behind the headlights. Oh and since the hood latch mech got bent back and inward and the hood remained latched to it, you can probably guess what happened to the hood. Yep, it got slightly bent at the front edge (not much but enough). So here's how it adds up:

Upper tie bar = $70
Hood = $305
Grille = $270 (ridiculous IMO. It's just a piece of plastic!)
2 headlight assy @ $175 per (this is what really gets me because neither headlight was touched but when the brackets supporting them got bent, it snapped the inner plastic mounting point (ear) off the assy thus requiring that the whole assy be replaced)
The rest of the $2k is painting and labor.

-Frank P.

Juice- Insurance, are you kidding? ;-) I guess I forgot to mention that because of my accident free driving record, I'd raised my deductible to $1k a month before. Doh!

joseph50

Juice wrote,
"fun: Forester wins easy. Short wheelbase is more maneuverable, tossable. Definitely feels more fun to drive near the limits. Spunkier."

Refering back to a thread of yesteryear, it struck me that "Spunky" would be a terrific name for someone's Forester, should some new owner want to adopt one.

ateixeira

Frank: if you're going to pay for it yourself, then it's especially important to get the best prices. Those are MSRP.

E-mail parts@libertysubaru.com and I bet they're 20% less at least. I think the wholesale on a hood is $150 or so, for instance. They'll even ship the parts direct to your body shop, in fact I did that when I got rear ended.

Then you could get a JDM grille, if you want one. You could have a unique look for free, since you need to buy one anyway. Ask Ed where he got his and how much, etc.

-juice

burnsmr4

...a 1999 Mercury Cougar V-6 (the new variant that just got discontinued). The car was low enough that it went underneath the bumper of a Jeep Cherokee. The Chrokee's tailpipe punched a hole in the plastic bumper. I also had to replace the front grille, hood, and one of two very expensive headlight assemblies ($450 each on that model year vehicle -- NOT MSRP EITHER!).

I feel your pain. :-\

burnsmr4

adeel

Hi, I have a 2002 Forester L and have noticed a vibrating sound coming from the left rear door, which I think is coming from the speaker. Is there an easy way to take the panel off to look at the speaker or should I take it to the dealer. Thanks
Adeel

leo2633

Frank,

Check out subaruparts.com. They have the optional factory "sport" grilles for the '01-'02 Foresters for about $57.00.

Len

crashton6

You just grab the speaker grille along the bottom edge & pull. It's held in by snap clips. I had a buzz from a rear speaker & found one of the clips was missing. I fixed it with duct tape.=)

stever

Biking champ Armstrong gets $12M to peddle Subarus (USA Today)

Steve, Host

xccoachlou

Was this a blood less Coup D'Etat?

stever

According to the story, there's a Subaru-Armstrong connection there at least back to '90. I don't how long the Croc hunter was at it....

Looks like a great spokesman to me!

Steve, Host

gened1

Crashton 6 is correct. The rear speaker grills just snap off. Like 6 says just grab at the bottom and pull. However chances are that the snap clip will also come off one side at the bottom. I had to fish it out with a magnetic screwdriver and rebend it and finally glue it to the post on the grill it is supposed to be fixed to just so it would stay where it should. It was no hassle really just required patience. The buzz you hear may just be the snap already loose like 6 says.
Hope this helps.
Gene

variant

I think the connection refers to Armstrong's stint with the old Subaru-Montgomery cycling team.

Cheers,

Cliff

wren2canada

Dundas: Just thought I'd jump in here. I now own a 1999 Forester S, as of early January/03. I was looking in the used market, and I looked at Foresters and Outback wagons. I preferred the Forester for fun to drive, and for cargo space in the rear. I quite like the looks of the Forester too, which helped in my decision.

I'm a single Mom with one 16 year old boy... so back seat leg room isn't a big issue. However when we've toted around a couple of his friends, and our dog in the cargo area, no complaints from the back seat.

Mechanical reliability was a big thing with me. I checked the service records of this vehicle myself, and I'm convinced I purchased a sturdy vehicle. This 1999 is still running great, I love it, so I'm sure the newer ones will provide good driving.

xccoachlou

are these kids?

On occasion I have taken fellow runners to parks, and trails for training runs. I hate the feeling of someone's knee jabbing me through the seat back.

ateixeira

Duct tape, yes! :-)

Also try using foam to insulate any places where the vibes might be coming from.

Welcome Ms. Brown. Stick around and we'll help you sort out any questions/issues that might arise. We have a live chat every Thursday night, too.

I have a '98 with almost 50k miles on it now, and while I want a 2004 Turbo model, I doubt I can sell the idea to the wife because my '98 is just fine!

-juice

p0926

If anyone's interested, last weekend I moved the entire contents of a comfortably full 10x10 storage unit with just four trips of my Forester. I didn't have to use the roof rack either but I did use the passenger seat, packed the cargo area floor to ceiling, and used a hitch-mounted bike rack for 4 bikes. Anyway, I was pretty impressed.

-Frank P.

ateixeira

Four whole trips? I coulda done it in one trip with Bob's 5'x8' trailer and the roof rack. ;-)

-juice

tkevinblanc

How well do Foresters tow? Would a 2000 pound load (total) in a 5x8 utility trailer for short trips (say, 30 miles round trip) be out of the question?

p0926

I'm sure that Bob, our resident towing expert, will be happy to answer that question.

-Frank P.

ateixeira

Foresters are rated to tow 2000 lbs, though 1000 lbs or more they recommend trailer brakes (all manufacturers seem to). The 2003 5 speeds are rated for 2400 lbs now.

But that's just the lawyers setting limits for liability purposes. In the UK, a 2.0l Forester with 125hp is rated to tow 1800 kg, or 3960 lbs.

For a real world experience, I was building a swing set and play area for my toddler, and had to tow.

I hauled a 5'x8' trailer with 3 yards of wood chips in it. I estimate the load weighed in at about 1500 lbs or so. I drove to a bulk mulch place maybe 8 or 10 miles each way, and did 2 loads. Then I did a 3rd load with a sand box and 300 lbs of sand in bags.

The Forester handled it admirably. No strain to get started, even climbing up a steep hill near my house. Of course it didn't feel quick - but certainly adequate. Noone behind me was honking, put it that way.

You do feel the extra weight when braking, so leave plenty of room, and it's usually better to run yellow lights. I took it easy, no hurry in either direction, and had no problems whatsoever. Note that mine is a '98 L with drum brakes, so S or XS models will only be better in braking.

I plan on doing it again come spring, 'cause the playground definitely needs a new layer of wood chips.

I got 23.3 mpg during that gas tank, my usual average is about 25mpg. Not bad.

-juice

adeel

Thanks for all the responses. I did take the cover off the speaker, all the clips seem to be in place and the speaker itself is also not loose. All the other panels on the door also seem to be tight. I can still hear the buzzing sound coming from the left rear door, seems more like a vibration. Is there anything else that I am overlooking. Thanks again,
Adeel

tkevinblanc

I have a 98 Trooper now, which tows my utility trailer without even noticing its presence. At some point (after the property I owned is cleaned up and the loads get less frequent) I'd like to downsize.

BTW, juice, experts now recommend pea gravel (round gravel, NOT irregularly shaped gravel) instead of wood chips... Apparently, it absorbs falls better never compresses. It seems to make sense. If you've ever walked in 6 inches of pea gravel you realize how much energy it absorbs.

Lot of money, though. And somehow, I just can't bring myself to believe that my kids would be better off falling on rocks... :0)

ateixeira

Adeel: could it be the plastic cover itself? Try wedging some foam in strategically.

Pea gravel, eh? Actually it's very relaxing to walk bare foot on that stuff. I can see how it would absorb impacts.

And yeah, the wood chips do compress. The ground is relatively hard now, though I put the 6 cubic yards in almost 2 years ago (on a 24'x40' area), so it's time for more.

The wood chips are attractive and do blend in, plus they even smell nice, with a mild cedar aroma. I'd be afraid that the kids would throw the pea gravel all over the place, that would be hard to contain.

I'll think about it, though. Thanks for the suggestion.

-juice

kens

juice,

I'll have to get some pointers on setting up a playground when the time comes!

Ken

ateixeira

Sure. Note that I hauled it all home with the Forester, including the lumber and the kit itself.

There were two huge boxes and the guy saw the Forester and didn't think they'd fit. Hee hee, no problem! We did slide the passenger seat forward and fold it down, 'cause one box was *long*. But they both fit, hatch closed.

Then I made the mistake of hauling 22 bags of wood chips home (3 cubic feet each). It's much cheaper to buy in bulk!

-juice

rochcom

Now I understand the $300 price increase. What is Subaru's sales figure? At $300 per vehicle, only 40,000 vehicles would cover it.

Sounds like our local Blue Cross. They paid $3 million dollars for naming rights to our AHL hockey rink in a year when they raised premiums by 18%.

lfdal

Are you sure it's not a bad speaker? I had one fail once and was chasing door hardware until I cranked the stereo with everything open and found it was the speaker cone that was making the noise. Of course that wasn't a real "rattle rattle" sound but was a vibration buzzing type of sound. Just another 0.02. Can you try swapping speakers, or is that a real pain?

ateixeira

LOL, $300 pays for Armstrong's salary!

I love a good conspiracy theory. :-)

-juice

burnsmr4

...push their kids off the backyard gym into some pea gravel and let us know if falling on these particular rocks is less painful than falling on wood chips? For some reason, that factoid from above (kudos to the Cliff Claven of yard structures there) piqued my interest. ;-)

IronChefMorimoto

P.S. - It doesn't matter what material you land on if you're male and you land on said material AFTER dropping from the top of the monkey bars and straddling the lowest bar. :-[ At that point, rocks, wood chips, hot coals, etc. are insignificant. ;-)

corkfish

Anyone hear anymore on the new turbo Forester? Could Subaru have another new announcement at the Chicago Auto Show next week?

nygreg

LOL. I still have grass under our playset. My wife wants to outline it with railroad ties and fill with wood. Maybe pea gravel is something to investigate.

Greg

tkevinblanc

Hey, I was just letting you know what I heard. Unfortunately, it's not the first time I've been referred to as Cliff Claven. I'm gonna have to stop sharing.

Wood chips are out. Pea gravel is in. Do otherwise and your own kids might decide to sue you...

I know I'm doing it for my yard.The boy is allergic to just about anything that once had biology. There's no mold in gravel. I'd be happy to shove him off the slide and let you know what the impact sounds like, but its too cold to do it now, though: if we went outside and played near grass he'd end up on the nebulizer for a week. And I wouldn't get a fair impression of the sound of impact through the wheezing... so you might have to wait a while.

ateixeira

I put the wood chips over grass, but it's died down by now. I guess the ground isn't hard, but it doesn't cushion like it used to, so it's time for another layer.

But won't I still get sued if I use pea gravel but the kids throw it at each other and get injured? You can't win!

Try some landscaping fabric under the pea gravel to keep weeds from growing up out of it.

-juice

c_hunter

slowly decompose and mulch into the ground below. I have to refresh mine every spring (for landscaping purposes only). They last a little longer if applied on top of weed barrier or plastic, but not much.

Craig

gened1

Shredded rubber tires (no steel belts need apply)
and to bring this back to topic, Subaru yoko's or geo's or are they steel belted as well? I do know that there are guidelines as to playground safety.
I've seen the wood chips and yes they do compress and degrade over time but I've also seen the shredded rubber and it seemed to hold up well and act as a buffer for falls.
Gene

j0elboy

So, what kind of mileage do we expect to get from shredded Geo/yoko/lander's?

Sorry, I couldn't resist...yok, yok, yok...

j0elboy

xccoachlou

Just got an e-mail urging me to apply for the Chase Subaru Card, and the caption under the photo reads,



2003 Subaru Forester


H6 VDC Wagon

But the photo shows a red Outback wagon...

I almost short circuited my keyboard with drool before I realized that wasn't a Forester H6...

- Dehydrated Lou

jackleung

Want to try FRAM's SureDrain but do not know which one will fit. Thanks

Rgds,
  Jack

smo615

As I posted a few days ago. There is short message on the Canadian Auto Show website that the Turbo Forester will be introduced there. It begins on the 14th. The post says the turbo Forester will share the same engine with the WRX, to that answers the question whether it will be a 2.0 or 2.5 engine.

nygreg

size is 17mm for 2.5L engines. Not sure of thread count or thread opening. Fram should have a look up table to use (Fempto valve does)

Greg

cosador

Christa,

I bought a 1999 forester S new in July, 99. At 45,000 miles the crankshaft oil seal went and at 55,000 miles the head gasket is leaking coolant. Suburu paid for the oil seal repair and is going to pay for the head gasket repair. I have a friend with a 1998 outback wagon, and a cousin with a 1999 forester L and both have had the same problems as myself. I believe Suburu vehicles are very reliable, but the 2.5L boxer engine has some problems. If your going to buy one it wouldn't hurt to ask if any of these repairs have been made. I haven't heard of any reoccuring problems. Good luck!

lfdal

I e-mailed Fram that question about a month ago and they told me that they didn't have one (SureDrain) for the Forester yet. They base their criteria on market size. If you find one, let us know please.
Larry

merrill3

Help!
I just got a below invoice price from a dealer for a 2003 X. I am just worried that the all disc brakes & EBD along with the limited slip with the XS would make for a safer vehicle. I really do not like the fabric, climate control, or colors on the XS (although I would really like the heated seats!), so the safety features are what it is coming down to. Anyone have any braking and/or bad weather (especially heavy rain and ice) experience with the X, or an opinion that the XS is a lot better? The dealer, of course, wants me to go for the XS, but are the improved brakes and limited slip worth over $2000 ($3000 for leather)?
Thanks.

P.S. We have the smooth pea gravel under our playset and it works great, but it really fills their shoes! Make sure they take off their shoes before coming in or you may wreck your vacuum!

chaynes1

I installed the Fujimoto oil drain valve on both my WRX wagon and Forester. They are about $25.00 each (same size) and appear to be of good quality. Can be ordered over the Web. The standard (non-extended) model leaves a good clearance underneath both vehicles.

mjsnd80

I purchased an XS about five weeks ago. The climate control is ok. It takes some getting used to, but it does work well. I live in Maine, so the Cold Weather package is great!!

One good feature is the CD changer WITH cassette. I think many Subaru models don't offer any cassette - and I've still got tons of them.

Mine is a green five-speed, and it's very solid through the sloppy white stuff. Averaging 27.5 mpg!

They are similar cars. I got mine for a couple hundred below invoice. Good luck!