Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

deanstah

Thanks for the help Juice.

DP

jimbob17

Bob I first thought the hill holder was too touchy but after a few months it either relaxed or I got used to it. I don't mind it on flat and like it on a hill. We have some hills here that are like the Bill Cosby comedy routine where he says when you stop your foot is higher than your head. Some people park it on the side and place a sign if you can drive it off the hill you can have it. Paraphrase but you get the drift.

sross

Hello, Subaru owners. I've been looking at various cars to replace my Audi A4. I was considering waiting on the Mazda6 hatch, but now that I've looked at the Forester more, it looks like it would really suit my needs. My only question is about power, since a few of the reviews make note of good torque but a loss of oomph above 60 mph.

I know someone else from Colorado recently posted that they've towed up to the Continental Divide with their normally aspirated Forester, so that's good to hear. But I'm just so used to the clean power delivery of my turbo A4. (I know, I shouldn't complain--even my Mk2 Golf with something like 90 hp made it up the grades, albeit in 3rd gear, but I'm not just out of school any more.)

Are you happy with the engine at speeds of 70-75 mph, up a grade? Is there enough extra to make up for loss of power at altitude? I'd be willing to go with the manual to get the most out of the engine.

The deals seem pretty good right now with 0% financing. Am I right to understand that $600 above invoice is pretty typical right now? I worry that waiting for the turbo version (which I'm sure will be more than sufficient for Denver) will mean spending lots more.

masan

It concerns me that your Forester's transmission acted up after having the recall work performed. I have been putting off having the work done on my '03.

Is anyone considering not having the work done at all? Should I park the car on an incline and see what happens if I don't use the parking brake? OK, just kidding...

psfod3

As a Doctor I can tell you my membership to the OCD club was geneticly in place the day I was born. That was a very observant call. I will ask the service department to check your suggestions.
Thanks for your advice.
                           Paul

c_hunter

Are you looking at getting a manual transmission or an auto? With the 5-spd, the Forester is downright sporty, and has a lot of power. My wife has an auto, and I find it to be pretty good too. More than sufficient for the kind of driving we do. In general, however, the 2.5 H4 runs out of lungs past about 5000-5500rpm (starts to make more noise than power).

Since you are comparing to your experiences with your A4, I think you need to take a Forester out for a test drive and decide for yourself. That's really the important thing. If in doubt, I am sure the turbo Forester will have more than enough power for you!

Craig

c_hunter

I'm not bringing either of our auto Subarus (03 Forester XS and 02 LL Bean) in for the parking rod recall. We have been parking both cars on an incline all along and they have been fine (not that it rules out a future problem). I may have the work done when a scheduled transmission service is required in the future, but for now, there's no way I'm having the transmission opened up on two relatively new cars that are both running flawlessly. It's asking for trouble in my opinion.

I think I have seen 2-3 posts here on Edmunds about transmission problems that started after the recall work was done.

Craig

kullenberg

Does anyone know if the sportshift parts from the GT could be fitted to a Forester? My guess is that it would be expensive. The new XT with Sportshift would be quite a combination.
Cheers
Pat

deanstah

Just purchased a 5 speed 2003 Forester XS and fell for the "piece of mind"-extended warranty pitch. Sounded good...paid way too much...will cancel it come Monday. Is it really necessary to have one at all? Any shared experiences or opinions are appreciated.

Thanks,
DP

once_for_all

the Forester '03 XS 5 speed has plenty of ummph for me, but I am not coming from the Audi either. I was late for a meeting and had it at 85mph briefly, it felt rock solid and not out of gas in any way. I was impressed with its power...

More impressive to me is that my lowest mpg has been 26.2, and I got 31.0 on mostly highway. Lately it has been 27 or 28, after 2000 miles.

John

jdub3

Hidden Hitch versus Drawtite. Anyone have a preference. Is one less conspicuous than the other. Looking at drawtite on etrailer site and hidden hitch on hitches online. Prices are close to the same. Thanks

jimbob17

I took the 2003 Forester X manual on a trip to Binghampton NY up Interstate 81 to see the Temptations. We had four adults in the car and at Interstate speeds there were no problems. Plenty of power and good gas milage.
By the way the Temptations were great and Otis is still with them.

rochcom

I was wondering why the difference in pricing between thye X and XS quoted by Juice is so high. According to Edmunds (verified at VanBortel Subaru),there is currently a $500 dealer incentive on the X ONLY, not on the XS. It expires at the end of this month.

chaynes1

I installed the Subaru hitch on my '03 XS. Got it online from a Subaru dealer in Oregon City, OR. Took about 3 unhurried hours to install. Was impressed with the quality and good fit of the unit. Had to drop the exhaust tailpipe and a canister to gain access to the mounting points but it was explained in the directions. The parts fit perfectly and the wiring harness hooked up easily. You'll need a socket set but little more to install it. The receiver tucks under the bumper and is not as noticeable as the Drawtite on my Explorer. All parts were included except the ball.

ender27

Got a 1998 - 2002 Subaru Forester? Is it a manual transmission? Want a woodgrain kit but were too cheap to pay a couple hundred? No problem! Take a gander at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item- =2409266258&category=33695 They are selling the Subaru OEM woodgrain kits for $13 apiece and there are plenty to go around. Auction ends in about 24 hours.

Now, before anyone gets any ideas, I'm NOT running that auction and I'm a real person, who has posted here before. The only reason I'm posting this info is that I bought one of them from a previous auction, it is now installed in my car, I'm happy and I paid almost nothing for it. My interest is solely in other Forester owners getting a good deal. Have fun!

grahampeters

G'day

Have you contemplated a career in sales?

Cheers

Graham

deanstah

Nice ride! I just purchased one myself w/o sunroof. Did you purchase an extended warranty? If you don't mind, why or why not?

Fellow Midwesterner,
DP

chicagofats

Rochcom,

Dealers in the midwest (where Subies aren't as popular as the Rockies or New England), seem to be willing to go below invoice. This seems particularly true if you approach the dealer via the internet and mention that you have been shopping around. I dealt with 3 dealers this way and the first number they quoted me was the one they stuck with, and all were pretty good. I managed to grab an 5 speed XS with sunroof (love that sunroof!) for about $500 below invoice.

kens

I drive a 5-speed Forester and find that it has enough power when I'm driving up to Lake Tahoe here in California. The Forester gearing is such that in 5th and at 70-75mph you'll be around 3000RPM -- right at the 1st half of the torque band. On long uphill grades of I-80 at altitudes of 5000+ ft with passengers and cargo, I've found the Forester has enough oomph to keep it going. If I need a little more passing power, a drop to 4th takes care of it.

However, Forester XT might be worth waiting for if you're going to be driving at altitude all the time. Not only is it turbocharged, but it produces quite a bit more torque and hp than the NA engine. While there are attractive financing deals for Subarus right now, keep in mind that Subarus usually sell for a few percent over invoice. I would expect even a new model like the XT would settle to that level a few months after it's introduction.

Ken

ateixeira

I've never needed more power, though I always want more power. The Phase II engine is tuned for torque, so no need to rev the daylights out of it like some small displacement engines. It's more than adequate even in our heavier Legacy L.

Will Shiftronic fit? I doubt it. I think the Impreza parts are interchangeable, but not the Legacy tranny. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I bet the parts would cost several grand and I have no idea how you'd get the ECU to work with it.

Jeff: maybe the X gets deeper discounts? Looks like it, at least at fitzmall.com.

Nice find on the plood, though it's $25 shipped. If it weren't purely cosmetic I'd consider it.

It's funny you bring it up because I installed plood on my wife's car this past weekend. I got the stuff from a 2000 Legacy that had the cup holder in the dash, so I got a 3rd cup holder out of the deal. Took about an hour or so, not hard. The Forester's dash is actually easier to take apart.

-juice

forester13

I'll probably pass on getting this recall work done. Service manager at my dealership said the problem only affects less than 100 cars out of thousands and thousands being recalled. I haven't had any hint of a problem with my 2003X in park, so why risk trouble?

cschaaf

The saga continues -

When we last left our story:
The valve body had been replaced.

Update:
The lurching came back after a week or two. It's not as bad as it was before the replacement, but is still quite annoying. We asked for a new transmission. It came in today, so we dropped the car off to get worked on tomorrow.

Stay tuned for the next episode!
Chris

ateixeira

Keep us posted. At least they're working on a resolution, hopefully a permanent one.

-juice

maverick1017

Got the bearing and three seals from liberty subaru for about $86 shipped. Liberty recommended Legacy bearings instead of Forester ones. Had an independent mechanic with lots of Sub experience, both moded and stock, install the bearings, labor was about $89, so total cost was ~$175 (half what the dealer would have charged). Now the car is much quieter.

Mike

chicagofats

Hi DP,

I'm hardly a financial expert, but I decided not to go with the extended warranty for 3 reasons:

1. I guess I'm counting on subie reliability under the theory that whatever goes wrong won't be hugely expensive. This is my 3rd Subaru, and based on past experience, that is a good bet.

2. You have to pay for the xtended warranty, so that cost should be weighed (i.e., amortized) against potential benefits. From that perspective, it doesn't seem like a great deal

3. I spend about 1/4 of the year in Mexico, and I think it is fair to say that getting warranty work done on a car that doesn't have any dealerships would be a problematic proposition...

Just my $.02

kens

Extended warranties are much like other forms of insurance and a gamble. One should make the decision to purchase one based on their risk tolerance.

While Subies are, in general reliable, there will be cases where certain repairs come up. Make sure that you budget in some form repair costs when owning any vehicle.

There are lots of ways you could set aside a fund for repair costs. An extended warranty has it's benefits of convenience -- the cost can be bundled into vehicle financing, dealers recognize it and it adds other benefits of towing and rentals. The downside is that you've tied up money in a warranty (although they usually are transferrable) and the warranty doesn't cover everything.

Ken

ateixeira

Sweet Mike, be ready to share that info for people who have Subies out of warranty with bearing troubles. $175 is not bad at all, our 626 ran about $900 to fix the same problem!

The Subaru Gold warranty also includes roadside assistance, so if you run out of gas or lock yourself out, you're covered.

-juice

jaegermiss

I have been getting mailers from Subaru trying to sell me the extended warranty. No problems with the car as yet, so I don't see any reason.

A friend of mine had it pay off. She was having electrical problems with her GT sedan and got the warranty just before the bumper-to-bumper expired. The car's computer had to be replaced six months later, and she's had other problems fixed since then also.

eps105

I got my 2003 Forester XS serviced this past weekend and had the parking rod recall taken care of. I waited until now to be sure they had plenty of practice. I have noticed no difference in noise, feel, or smoothness whatsoever for the past three days, so hopefully there won't be any problems.

I also purchased replacement wiper blades for the front and back and was surprised to see that the Subaru OEM replacement wiper blades are simply repackaged Trico Exact-Fit blades with a Subaru logo on the box, marked up like 30%. I paid between $8-$10 for each blade (based on size), and the same blades at Pep Boys are $6-$8:

The Trico Exact-Fit blade models for 2003 Foresters are 22-1, 19-1, and 15-1. Save your money and buy the Tricos!

Finally, I picked up a set of Subaru All-Weather plastic mats. (Had to use the rest of my $100 Chase Subaru Bucks.) I recommend these for anyone more concerned about practicality than looks, as they are dark gray, designed to match the dashboard and cargo tray, but contrast heavily with the light gray carpet. For proper fit, you need to remove your existing carpeted mats.

I'd imagine that they will look totally awesome in the all-black '04 Forester XT leather interior!

Sure came in handy when we got a surprise slushy 4" of snow on Monday!! For under $50, they're a great accessory.

Elliot

ken_from_nj

tks for the tip on the wiper blades. also - fully agree about the Subaru all-weather mats - i bought them a month after i got the '03 xs (oct) and they were great to have this past winter. think i'll switch back to the carpe mats in may for the summmer. - ken

ateixeira

Elliot: good to know that, thanks for sharing. I may be changing mine soon. We've been getting April Showers, so I hope that means May Flowers.

-juice

lfdal

Been meaning to post this for a while, but since it only occurs under certain conditions I keep forgetting. When my 03 Forester is going 75+ mph, and I'm driving either into a head wind or a crosswind, I get a sound that for all the world sounds like a piece of plastic being tortured to death. Kind of a screeching sound but only when the wind hits the car. When my wife's in the car with me, she thinks its coming from the left side, to me it sounds like the right side. Given that cabin acoustics can be tricky, I'm assuming its somewhere in the middle. For obvious reasons I'm not expecting the dealer to find this. The windshield had been pulled out to get resealed because it leaked, and I'm wondering if it could be the cowling or something under the cowling making the noise. It never, ever happens below 70 mph regardless of the wind. Unfortunately I never had the car up to that speed before the windshield got taken out so I don't know for sure there's any cause and effect there.
Any and all suggestions will be appreciated.
BTW Subaru's Driver magazine had a nice intro to turbos in it this month. As well as a picture of an 04 Forester with the hood scoop. Had I but known I would have held on to the Sable for one more year. Alas.

Larry

ateixeira

When you hear the noise, try cracking windows, one by one. Then re-shut them. See if that improves any of the seals. If it quiets the noise, you found the bad seal.

Try the moonroof, too.

-juice

burnsmr4

...for peace of mind down the road.

I had a leased Nissan up until 1999. Never needed an extended warranty.

I paid for a Mercury up until 2002. Had WAY TOO MANY problems with the car NOT to consider an extended warranty just before crossing the 36K mile/36 month mark. Sold the car shortly after crossing that mark and bought the Subaru.

I now have a relatively reliable 2002 Subaru Forester S. Will I buy the extended warranty? Most likely...yes. Unlike the last two vehicles, I intend to keep this car for awhile. I think anyone who plans on keeping their car for the long haul should consider offers for an extended warranty from a reputable carrier of said warranty.

Can anyone speak badly of the Subaru extended warranty program? That might help the person who originally asked, as well as those considering the warranty for later on. I, for one, would like to know if the dealerships readily honor the warranties -- to the letter and no more, or above and beyond what the warranties cover?

burnsmr4

ateixeira

Have not needed it yet. We have a 7/100 but it's only about a year old now.

We did cancel AAA, so it's paying off partially. Plus we'll probably sell it with 97k miles just to have that as a selling point, so even if we never use it, it's not so bad.

-juice

deanstah

Thanks for all the input. I decided to go with a $0 deduct, 6 year/100,000mi from Subaru. It added about $25 to my monthly payment. If anyone decides to purchase one I'd advise to note the deductible, search the Internet for pricing, choose one backed by manufacturer and take your time. I made the mistake of not knowing the nuances of the extended warranty and bought it while signing the papers for my car. Research that night revealed there were better deals to be had. A friend of mine belongs to an on-line consumer group (checkbook.org). Listed on their site are dealers who will sell warranties for $50-$200 over their cost. If you are in a region checkbook.org covers it is worth the $25 fee. So, after the research and relentlessly kicking myself around the house for a day, I asked the dealer to better the service and keep the price the same. They agreed, I'm happy and they still made money off the deal.

Thanks again,
DP

stever

Most people don't know (I didn't until I read about it on Town Hall) that extended warranties are cancellable (in most US states anyway). There may be a pro-ration fee involved but you can change your mind about them, unlike any other part of the car buying process. That could explain why your dealer was willing to deal after the fact, Deanstah.

Steve, Host

nygreg

Get a Subaru Credit card with 3% payback in Subaru bucks. You can save up to $500 / year. Put that money aside for any problems that pop up.

Greg

corkfish

I already have $150 in Subaru bucks from a credit card that I'll use when I buy.

maverick1017

Picked up a set of fender flares for ~$30 bucks shipped from ebaymotors, installed it last night, it was pretty easy, took about 1.5 hours to do, that includes half an hour spent looking for a lost screw. The instructions were easy to follow. I installed the driver side rear first, that first one took a while to figure out, especially the little piece that goes on the rear passenger door (note: Subaru really need to work on their hole drilling, they don't match up with the clips at all!). After the first one, the rest were easy. I like the way they look, for ~$30 it was a steal.

This part is a question, I also purchased a Cruise Control kit from ebaymotors since the option wasn't availble when I bought my Forester. I am under the assumption that everything is wired and its just a matter of plug and play, right? Correct me if I am wrong!! Anyone have any advise to give for removing the stearing wheel and working with the airbags?? I know I am suppose to disconnect the battery and let it sit for approximatly 15-30 minutes before working on the steering wheel, anything other than that I should know or be aware of? Any advise would be GREATLY appreciated, from the bottom of my heart (not to mention my wallet ).

Thanks in advance!

Mike

ateixeira

You have a '98 L, like me. I had the dealer add cruise.

Disconnect the battery, and then step on the brakes until the brake light dims. That kills whatever residual power there is, and you won't have to wait 15-30 minutes.

I also installed fender flares. Heck, if yours is green they're twins.

-juice

nygreg

Lost screw - very funny, sooooo true. LOL

Greg

ateixeira

I'm usually the opposite - I end up with 2 extra screws and don't remember where they were supposed to go! )

-juice

dcm61

But when you finally figure out where they go, you can't find them anymore.

DaveM

gened1

E-bay is my friend.
I picked up a set of fender flares $20 plus shipping and they look great. I did the fronts first. The rears were a little more challenging but not too bad. Not many fender flares on Foresters here in Upstate (S.U.#1) NY.
I also picked up a nice exhaust tip and leather e-brake and shifter covers.
Very pleased with the purchases.
Gene
PS good luck with the cruise control.

maverick1017

Juice: Thanks for the tip on draining any residual power. Sorry, mine is black. I waited 3 weeks for delivery, dealers didn't have ANY of the options available! They didn't even have a Forester for the show room, everyone that they took delivery of went straight to customers. This was when the Forester first came out in 97 as MY 98. I only had two color options when I ordered mine, it was either green or black, since I am not a real fan of green (no offense) I went with the black.

Greg: Yeah, its only funny afterwards. Annoying as heck when you are searching for the little sucker. Juice must be one lucky guy, I usually end up with just the right number of screws or I am actually short one or two.

Gene: You're right, now that you mention it I really don't see alot of Foresters with fender flares on the road, least of all here in Buffalo. Outbacks seem to be more popular here, and Rexs for the speed racer wannabes.

DaveM: That is sooo true!

Mike

deepdrop

We just had a baby and I'm selling my Miata to buy something more practical. I like the Forester a lot and the dealer told me right off the bat that he would sell me a 2003 at invoice price. Is it typical for Subarus or the Forester speciifically to sell at dealer cost? Is this because the new models are coming out? I think I'd like the upcoming turbo model but not if it sells at a premium. It would certainly be fun to have the extra power of the turbo but not for an extra few thousand dollars. If prices are particularly low now, then I think I'll get the "03 one now. BTW, if they are low because of the upcoming "04 models, is it better to wait even a little longer to get a better price? Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Dan

raybear

That you want invoice, less the dealer incentive of $500!

tidester

Congratulations!

You might want to check out Child Seats That Fit.

tidester, host

kens

Dan,

Subarus typically sell close to dealer invoice. That, combined with weak new car demand and '04 models around the corner are probably what is driving the incentives and low prices.

Ken