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Comments
Before the Forester it would be grab the roof put in a leg then hope for a graceful landing then pull in the other leg. We wont get into trying to get up and out of the car.
Now its butt first then each leg in turn. Much better.
101k is a lot for any car, so have it inspected. Do a compression test to see if the piston rings seal nicely, there should be no more than 10% variation in any cylinder. Check under the engine at the head and valve cover gaskets for oil stains, evidence of oil leaks. Then check the front and rear of the block, same thing, you want it nice and clean. If it has not leaked by now it probably never will.
Drive with the windows open and listen to the drivetrain, it should be nice and quiet. The rear bearings some times failed early, but they probably would have by 101k.
Finally, make sure the clutch is smooth, or the tranny shifts smoothly if it's an auto. Check off all the above and you're golden.
We saw a '98 on E-bay with 263k miles, so you might just join it in the 1/4 million mile club if it passes all those inspections.
Lou: sweet! I believe that is a class-first? 5 stars in all four tests, side and front?
-juice
The more I drive the 'Fore us ter' the more I like it. I don't think you will miss the LSD at all.
Just my opinion
Gene
Forester is one of the most popular cars in Oz.
It is, generally, not easy to get hold of one.
Waiting period is about 2 months. It also holds high resale value.
You've asked about origin of Subaru Logo. It, actually, has nothing to do with Southern Cross.
I have found some info about it on Subaru global site:
"Subaru is the name of a star cluster in the Taurus constellation. Six of its stars are visible to the naked eye, but about 250 bluish stars can be seen if one uses a telescope.
In the West the cluster is called Pleiades, in China, Mao, and in Japan, Subaru ("to govern" or gather together"). In Japan, it also goes by the name Mutsuraboshi ("Six Stars"), under which title it appears frequently in very old Japanese documents such as Kojiki and Manyosyu and literature such as Makura-no-soshi. Clearly, this is one of the clusters much loved by the Japanese from ancient times. Interestingly enough, FHI was created by the merger of six companies, so you can see what a truly evocative name Subaru is."
Juice: Thanks for wellcoming me. I find this forum is most informative. I've been silently monitoring it even before I have purchased my 2.5x
Regards.....Vitaly
I have decided on a Forester after researching in Comsumer Report and reading the messages on this board (thank you all for posting your personal experiences with your Foresters). I have a couple quesitons though. The main requirement for my next vehicle is to be able to put a double air mattress in the back and sleep in it when I go camping. I am 5'2, and the measurements I have found show the cargo area to be 67" long and 37" wide and 33" high. I have not yet visited a dealer and seen inside a Forester. Can you tell me if the rear seats fold completely flat??
Also, please tell me if road noise is an issue. I currently have Geo Tracker so I imagine ANY other vehicle would be an improvement over that road noise. Also, how about milage, I am reading conflicting reports on that. Lastly.. what do you suggest, manual or automatic. I am use to driving a manual, rather enjoy it.. what is most fuel efficient.
Thank you all very much for your help. Annalee from Seattle. (HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY).
The recent speaker discussion kind of petered out. I ordered some of the pioneers that seemed efficient from the group recommended on Crutchfield. I found it cheaper on ebay but I felt that since crutchfield provided the info and good support, I'd pay the extra $20 and buy it from them.
Any advice on installation? How do I remove the door panels? Thanks for any suggestions.
Well, I've got 600 miles on my "03 XS so far and I love it. The transmission is definitely rough shifting and I'm disappointed with the mpg so far (20.4 on the first tank, mostly highway) but hopefully that will improve a bit.
Thanks for the information.
Gene
http://www.1stsubaruparts.com/library/Forester_2003MY_Speaker_Upg- - rade_Kit_IxI.pdf
It was in an installation guide provided by Lakepop under improvement/mods at the subaruforester.com site.
Scroll all the way down to access the written directions.
Gene
Also, if I'm not mistaken, the stars represent 6 small companies that merged into 1 company (FHI), when it was first formed.
Bob
premium with leather. I don't like the premium cloth, although the X cloth is okay. Went for the standard stereo for the xs premium too. CitySide was a good place to deal - got $100 over
invoice. Get to pick it up in a few days. Hoorah! Thanks for all the input out there. I'll keep youall posted on how we like it.
Don't overlook the aftermarket. You can get a front LSD for about $900 down the road. I put in a moonroof. Katskins leather is better than most OE stuff.
Good price on that E-bay sample, BTW.
Annalee: take the mattress with you, seriously. Blow it up and try to fit it in. I think it'll be borderline. There is debate about how flat the seats get. IMO, mine get about as flat as you could hope for (I have a '98). I think newer ones are less flat.
I average 25mpg, FWIW, in mixed driving. For an AWD, that's about as good as it gets.
Sharon: congrats! Premium with leather? Oooh, I'm jealous! ;-)
-juice
Thanks for all the advice.
-juice
http://www.phantomgrip.com/index.html
-juice
I meant to post this story about a month ago, but I keep forgetting.... Several months ago, I got an invitation from Subaru to attend the Philadelphia Flower Show for FREE! This was a big deal because tix are $25 each x2! AND, they included a big appetizer buffet in a private hospitality room. All this only two months after they sent me a voucher for two to go skiing in the Poconos! So far, they've handed me like $150 worth of stuff.
So you bet I was surprised when I got a letter from Subaru thanking me for attending the Subaru event at the Philly Flower Show... and to show their appreciation, they included a $500 voucher for ANY Subaru to give to the dealer AFTER I make my best deal. Holy cow! And it expires at the end of June, so technically, I could use it for a 2004 XT, but with my 2003 XS Prem only 11 months old, I think it's going to go to waste. Sorry folks, the voucher is non-transferrable.
Kudos to Subaru's marketing for working hard to maintain my loyalty!
--Elliot
My Forester is an '00 and I plan on keeping it in the family and becoming a two-Subie household.
Ed
Hey, my sis has decided AWD is a requirement after not liking the "disconnected" feel of the FWD Camry she tested.
I may show her an AWD Matrix, but with 123hp odds are she'll be picking up one Subie or another pretty soon. Too bad her name is not "Elliot"!
-juice
On a side note, I'm pretty certain that a lesser vehicle wouldn't have gotten that trailer up the driveway period. Especially considering that the surface was rain slickened. However, the Forester's AWD system provided 100% non-slip traction!
-Frank P.
I doubt it did any significant harm.
Catch up in MTM, we're writing letters to help bring Patti back!
David: first of all, your name is "Dave" so you were destined to buy a Subaru. It's the single most common name among Subie owners.
Who is the primary driver? If it's you, get the manual, which is what you want.
The auto does have its advantages - its easier to resell, easier to valet or lend to your wife, very robust design, easier towing and off road, more sophisticated AWD, etc.
But the manual is more fun. It sends 50% power to the rear axle, so it doesn't "feel" like FWD. It's more economical in the real world (ignore EPA numbers), quicker, and lends you more control.
-juice
Close to pulling trigger on Forester - likely to be XS w/ Premium Package. Like the leather interior, but would have to resort to auto trans, which would be a first for me. My wife is lobbying for auto tranny as well - but i'm stubborn and have always liked the 5 speed driving experience. Test drove auto this weekend, and was actually pretty impressed with pick-up (unlike when i tested AWD Pontiac Vibe with auto - WEAK!).
Any sentiment on merits of "Continuous All-Wheel Drive" vs. "Active All-Wheel Drive" associated with different transmissions? Don't want to sacrifice safety or comfort. Thanks for any info, folks.
the rear seats fold pretty flat, flat enough to sleep on, but there's a weird hump right behind the headrest that makes it a little uncomfortable. Im' about about 5'10" and it comes right below my neck, and I can't shift down far enough to put it right under my neck where it would be comfortable. You might not have that problem though. I usually end up sleeping with my head torwards the back, it's more comfortable that way, but everbody seems to find a different way to do it. Probably the only problem you'll have is with the strut tower bars, that might prevent the air mattress from lying flat.
I wouldn't waste my money on the phantom grip, if you want a LSD you could probably find a used subaru one in the junkyard for a couple hundred dollars. that phantomgrip looks like a scam. Not only are all the so-called "charts and graphs" unreadable, just looking at the design of it there's nothing really connecting the two axles to transfer the torque. It relies on friction between the spider gears and the block to transfer torque. The spider gears are pretty small, the amount of surface area is in contact with this contraption is tiny, and it's sitting in a differential full of oil. How much pressure would you have to put on the gears in order for it to really transfer any significant amount of torque? Maybe during a drag race, these might be effective (a very doubtful maybe), but for everyday driving or snow, I can't imagine thise being worth the money.
I showed this to a friend a while back, he actually designs differential lockers and he laughed at it and couldn't believe that people would actually buy it.
And yes, backing a short trailer is tricky. I've been told the longer the trailer, the easier it is to back up. I always drive straight up my driveway, unhook it, and then maneuver it into its parking area. I've got a 3rd wheel by the tongue, for just that purpose. I have backed it up the driveway, but it's much easier the other way.
Bob
Speaking of that trailer, can I borrow that bad boy this week or next? I'll e-mail you about it.
-juice
Bob
-mike
Towing economy has a lot to do with using the momentum of the load. If you think ahead and drive to maintain a constant speed, economy is little effected. If you drive normally, using stops and starts, you will suffer badly as you may be accelerating close to twice your normal mass. If you watch professional long distance drivers, you will notice they tend to slow earlier for lights aloowing them to keep rolling as the light phases roll through. They avoid hard stops and hard accelleration wherever possible.
If you adopt a gentler regime when towing, travel time is about 5% longer but you are also much less stressed.
Route selection can also be important, it may be better to follow a longer, flatter and slower route than one involving many hills and stop-start traffic, Similarly, travelling at night or during quiet times of day reduces dramas.
In general, the longer the draw bar, the easier it is to tow, particularly for backing. The other determinant is the distance between rear axle and hitch. If you think about it, this is an exercise in levers
I owned a 1981 Mitsubishi Colt (I think a Mirage to you) which was very short from rear axle to hitch centre meaning that once the trailer started to drift one way or the other, it became very hard to correct the swing without rolling forward and starting again. However, errors were harder to introduce in the first place.
You get a similar effect when backing up with a tractor.
The worst situation is actually a long hitch overhang and a short draw bar length. Any minor shift in the steering of the car is multiplied by the time it hits the trailer wheels.
It is worth spending an hour or so practising backing a trailer before trying it with a load on. I tend to back using the external mirrors, ensuring I can see the same spots on each trailer wheelarch through each mirror to ensure straight line backing.
Alternatively for a small trailer, you can back looking over your shoulder down the centreline of the car. Line up the glass makers mark on the bottom centre of your rear window with the centre of the trailer rear tailboard. You can mark this with a distinctive spot although most trailers have enough distinctive marks to allow you to judge this without any effort.
Wheel inputs should be very small. Many people prefer to back with their fingers located at bottom dead centre of the wheel.
Turning a corner is trickier but comes with practise. It is important that the trailer never exceeds the cars maximum turning lock as it then winds in on your rear bumber. Usuallly, I try to keep it at maximum of 50% of turning lock (ie a turning radius of about 30 feet) so I have space
to correct mistakes.
If you make a mistake, roll forward and line up straight again. Backing a trailer is best done by yourself with no kids dogs or well meaning family members around to get you het up. Someone who is a driver and can highlight the fact that you are about to demolish the neighbour's letter box can be useful, but they shold know how to keep their mouth shut.
Cheers
Graham
Ken
-Frank P.
Glad one other person besides me feels confident enough to try to do the speaker upgrade after looking at that installation diagram. I thought the tweeters would be enough for me, but now I think I'm going to go for the upgrade speakers too; something about a weak midrange. The stock upgrade looks like the best value at $124 from 1stSubaruParts.com; anyone have any other suggestions that would fit the space involved for around the same money?
Am about to use up my first tank of gas and am hoping, as someone else said, that it's the one that gives the worst mileage. Had my first coffee spill - nonfat Mocha Valencia restretto, from Starbucks - the other day, but the mess stayed in the (somewhat shallow?) cupholders and was easy to clean up.
Got my CR today and read in the report about a storage well underneath the load floor for the cargo blind. What are they talking about???
Gene
gmginsfo: I hear ths Subaru upgrades are not as good as the ones you can buy from Crutchfield. They have a good guide to finding the spkrs that will fit without modification at Crutchfield.com. I got one of the pioneer models and am waiting on them to arrive so I can install them.
My mileage on my first tank was only slightly over 20mpg with about 80%highway. It's an automatic transmission. I'm hoping that improves!
I'll have to weight the options and negotiate with my wife to see who'll be driving new car vs. our Passat (5 speed). Sure wish the leather was available with the manual trans......any idea whether this will be changing for the upcoming turbo version? best regards,
Dave
23.3 Towing - lots of it!
23.3 mpg on the tank. Maybe half that tank with a trailer behind it (trip to Bob's house, two round trips to mulch yard, then trip to return it to Bob's).
-juice
The ride is certainly less harsh now but I guess the miles per gallon will drop. I got 20.4 on the first tank and 22.5 on the second (first tank mostly highway, second about half highway).
I coincidentally just received my customer satisfaction survey from Subaru. When I took delivery the salesman gave me the usual talk about how he wants me to let him know if I can't put the highest level of satisfaction on any of the questions. I guess I should call him because I'm a little pissed about the tire pressure. I'm sure he'll apologize and ask what they can do to make me feel better. I guess that depends on whether the tires may have suffered from this. Any suggestions?
Seriously though there is probably no damage. I'd call and complain and get some free oil changes out of it.
-mike
The risk was a blowout at high speeds, but luckily that didn't happen.
Shame on that dealer for not doing a thorough PDI. You should let them know about it.
For the surveys, be honest. If not, how can they use inaccurate information to better themselves?
-juice
I'll have to weight the options and negotiate with my wife to see who'll be driving new car vs. our Passat (5 speed). Sure wish the leather was available with the manual trans......any idea whether this will be changing for the upcoming turbo version? best regards,
Dave
What I do is check them before driving and remember the pressure, drive to the gas station, check them again, then inflate the tires to the pressure your looking for plus add the difference in cold / warm readings. For example, cold PSI = 30, warm PSI = 34; diff = 4. I want a cold PSI = 36, so I would inflate the tires to 40 PSI.
DaveM
P.S. Outside temperature extremes will also affect the tire pressure.
Also, as I got out of my car yesterday, I noticed one of my rear tires was a little flat. When i checked it, it was only at 10 psi. I filled it back up again, seems to be holding air, but I wonder if I damaged the rear LSD any by having such a low pressure? What's weird is that the car really didn't drive any differently, I did notice a little bit of mushiness, which is why I end up looking at the tires, but other than that, i doubt if anyone else was driving my car would've noticed.
Usually I top off my tire pressures in the AM with a bicycle pump (good excersize). If I do it at night after driving, I will aim high and then let some pressure out in the morning.
Greg
Let me try that again. ;-)
Hey dmcbud: I predict Subaru will get asked that question a lot, and hope that the 2005 XT will offer leather and the moonroof with a 5 speed.
duck: any grinding? One way you could find out is to drain and fill the rear diffy. Then check the drain plug, it's magnetic and might have metal shavings on it.
-juice
Getting to a gas station and measuring "cold" pressures can be a pain. I used to just swing by the gas station on the way home, pump up the tires to a higher value than I wanted them cold and then just bleed them first thing in the morning. I finally broke down and bought a 3.3 amp air compressor from Sears.
Ken
On another note, has anyone installed an automatic tranny cooler in their car? I'm thinking about getting one, but is there a subaru specific one, or would a universal one work?
John