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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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    sierratripsierratrip Member Posts: 53
    Thanks Juice.

    The Costco in San Diego has an all-season Michellin that they sell for $92 and is rated for 80,000 miles. The only other all-season they sell that fits my Forester is $55 and is the Kirkland house brand.

    What should I expect an alignment to cost if it's needed?

    Donn
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    fargfamfargfam Member Posts: 30
    Wasn't that one the Isuzu bombs from the late 90's? Very similar IMO. The only way I would consider a Hyundia would be price, safety and AWD similar to Subaru's reliability.
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    ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    The Tucson in the sketch might be very good looking. The Vehicross (or whatever its name was) was incredibly ugly.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Find out who makes the Kirkland. They are like Sears, they re-badge other brands' tires.

    The Sears tires on my Miata were actually Bridgestones. Try to find out who makes Kirklands.

    They don't have BFGoodrich tires in 205/70R15? They may not be all-terrain tires, but that's why they last longer. They'll definitely fit. Ask them about it.

    The beauty of Costco is the price includes mounting, life time balancing, new valves, life time rotation, and a road hazard warranty.

    -juice
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    sierratripsierratrip Member Posts: 53
    So are you suggesting that I don't need all-terrain tires for SoCal climate driving conditions? Will I sacrifice traction performance in wet weather or does the AWD make it a mute point? I certainly would appreciate getting longer life out of my next purchase!
    Thanks for the feedback juice.

    Donn
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Isn't there a song, "it never rains in Southern California"?

    As long as you don't drive off road in the mountains or where there's a lot of snow, then you could benefit from a more street-oriented tire.

    -juice
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    ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    Isn't there a song, "it never rains in Southern California"?

    Yeah, sure, but wasn't it just a few days ago when newspapers pictured nearly a foot of accumulated hail in Los Angeles?!?
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    psfod3psfod3 Member Posts: 63
    I have a 03 Foreter X with 32,000 miles on it. The car is one year old and I do about 30,000 miles a year. I recieved in the mail a offer from Subaru for a extended warranty of 5 years/80,000 miles for $869.20. This has a $100 deductible per claim. Does this sound like a good deal or can I get a better deal at a dealership?
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    speterson1speterson1 Member Posts: 228
    In our 2001 Forester, we have the Subaru stock single-CD player/cassette player. The CD player gets daily use and has been great up till about a week ago, when I started to notice that it seems to be way more sensitive all of a sudden. I'm driving the same route to work I've always driven but just lately bumps in the road cause the CD to skip. Also, sometimes it takes a good 10-15 seconds after inserting a CD for the laser to pick up the beginning of the CD and start playing. Although I do listen to some burned CD-R's in the player, it happens with original, purchased CDs just as much.

    Anyone else have this happen to them? Our 3-year warranty runs out next March, do you think a Subaru dealer would replace a skipping CD unit?

    Steve
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Paul: try to get one with more miles. The powertrain warranty already goes to 60k, you're only getting 20k more, for you that's less than a year.

    Steve: I have the WRX' 6CD in my Forester, it never skips. My Miata has a single CD and it skips at every bump.

    Maybe check tire pressures. At 30psi, my Miata skips even on rough pavement. It needs 26-28psi to ride smooth enough.

    I would not go below 29 on a Forester, but see if they're high right now.

    -juice
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    john284john284 Member Posts: 71
    Working on my forester 01 s, but couldn't locate the PCV valve for check up? Any hints, a diagram or photo will be great, thanks a lot.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid18/p1b6d683997799fc8a7a9- 78d2886e1174/fdcfaeac.jpg

    Note: that's on my '98. I think they moved it later on the Phase II engines.

    -juice
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    georgeinmdgeorgeinmd Member Posts: 27
    that's where it is on Phase II engines also; just replaced mine. -- George
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    sierratripsierratrip Member Posts: 53
    You were right the Costco deal is the best I've found. By the way is wasn't a Kirkland tire it was BF Goodrich for $60. I think I'll go with the Michelin X Radial for $95. They offer a 80,000 mile warranty and have a treadwear rating of 680. If the tires go 40,000 I get pro-rated for the difference. Thanks again for the ideas and info.

    Donn
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    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Vehicross: Was not a bomb at all. It had special ceramic molds for the body panels and once the molds were finished, they couldn't make any more. This was essentially a SWB Trooper, with a unique body and remote resivoir shocks. Very quick truck, with AWD and Low-range, awsome offroad as well.

    Sorento: Frame Based truck out of the Kia/Hyundai camp. One of the best trucks out there IMHO, as it has a full frame and is relatively in-expensive for folks who want AWD + Low Range + Offroadability + towing with a frame.

    -mike
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    dnestrdnestr Member Posts: 188
    Hi all.

    I have a 03 XT w/AT w/2.0 engine. My dealer recommends to drive by "3" mode on a town traffic. Does it really help to prolong Subaru's transmission life as they say? I drove by "d" mode on my previous cars without any problems. So I wonder now.
    As I know MTs are pretty small in numbers in the US, so you guys probably know about the AT much more than me.

    Thanks in advance.
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Crew chat starts in ~2 hours. Link is on the left. Lots of fun!

    Steve, Host
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    680? Wow, that's the highest number I've ever seen on a tire.

    You can leave it in D. I would only agree with the dealer if you are towing, then you want the shorter gears, not overdrive.

    -juice
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    gbernsteengbernsteen Member Posts: 12
    I have a 04 XS AT, and find that compared to other, higher end, cars, the Subaru AT works like an old style GM transmission and doesn't hold gears very long. i.e. at 30-35 mph, it drops into overdrive and the RPMs drop to nothing, then if you want to accelerate at all you have to give it a lot of gas so it will drop out of overdrive and then downshift, which takes a while. As a result, I find that if I am in town, and driving 40mph or less, I leave it in 3rd.

    I don't think it will help longevity, in fact it will probably shorten it, but it makes it more fun to drive!

    Greg
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    ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858
    $21,775 OTD provides either a CR-V LX standard shift or a Forester X standard shift. However, SofA includes ABS, remote keyless entry and side air bags. To get these last three in a Honda, ones needs an upgrade to the EX.

    Besides, for 2004 Forester is rates 28 EPA Hwy.
    I'm impressed with the apparent value here.

    Anyone out there with an '04 manual who can provide a little fuel efficiency feedback...ez
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I chart my miles. I've had 8 tanks in a row with 26 mpg or better. Peak was 30.4 mpg, worst ever was 17.3 mpg while towing the entire time. Average about 25 mpg.

    Not bad for an AWD 2.5l.

    -juice
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    subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    the AT is a learning transmission, it will learn your driving habits and adjust shift responses better to suit your needs. You just may need to reset the ECU to make it happen a bit quicker.

    My '00 Outback AT also goes into OD at ~35-ish, that's normal. But, it responds quickly to even a little gas pedal and shifts as needed.

    How many miles you have?

    -Brian
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    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    If you do a lot of driving in the 30-50 range with some small hills, then yeah 3rd will prolong tranny life. I found that with the regular subie 4EATs the gearing is not such that you need to do that. On my SVX I need to do that cause 4th is very tall and it shifts often in hilly 30-50range.

    -mike
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    gbernsteengbernsteen Member Posts: 12
    I think I'm at about 1800 miles now.

    I guess I got spoiled with my wife's BMW 325 5spd AT, it didn't do that "drop" into overdrive. It was also a lot more willing to hold gears longer under part throttle acceleration.
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    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    A device that lets me control how hard/often the car shifts. It's vacum controlled. Now I can leave it in 4th and it won't downshift unless i punch it. Works nicely around town.

    -mike
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    subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    the 4EAT will go into a 'power' shift mode when you give the pedal a quicker push. Then it will shift a bit later, etc. Use to be there was a button to push to manually do this.

    Your engine is very 'green' as well. It will respond better with some more miles.

    -Brian
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    c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    My wife's 03 Forester XS (auto), with about 24,000 miles on the clock, regularly gets 24-26mpg in mixed driving, and my wife has a lead foot. We got 28mpg on a long trip last Christmas, with the car loaded up (3 passengers and luggage). Very impressive.

    (I get about the same mileage in my Outback with the 3.0-H6 by the way, which *really* impresses me).

    Craig
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    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Never a switch for it. However, there used to be a light to let you know it's active. You really need to nail the gas hard to put it into power mode.

    -mike
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    subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    I couldn't remember if it was a switch or indicator for the power mode.

    -Brian
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    This is funny. In the chat last night, Patti said NE Subaru had built a custom Forester limo!

    I'd love to see it. How cool would that be?

    -juice
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    bsvollerbsvoller Member Posts: 528
    In Denver (high altitude means less power and possibly better fuel economy, unless you compensate by lead footing it), I routinely get 26-28 mpg in city/mixed driving with our '01 S+ MT.

    We live in the burbs west of town that have a "country" flair (lots of small horse properties), so I'm rarely in true big-city stop-and-go - most of the time I'm on a 2-lane road with occasional lights going 35-55.

    My highway mileage therefore isn't much different. Best tank was 30.5 driving the mountains (curves) - going cross-country (fast), I get about 26.

    Hope this helps,

    -brianV
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    10years10years Member Posts: 48
    Reno area ~5,000 foot elevation 03 X AT with 80% highway getting low 26's now with winter gas. Previously got nearly 28.
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    mre4mre4 Member Posts: 15
    Looking at both cars, trying to find somebody to talk me into spending more on Subaru...
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    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    back-to-back. That should answer your questions. :)

    Bob
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    joseph50joseph50 Member Posts: 235
    Yes, what Bob said.
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    ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858
    ..base CR-V/Forester AWD models true out circa 22k here on the lower left coast. But SofA provides ABS, remote keyless e and bigger tars for starters. You could save the 5k and still be ahead of the game. And you won't be alone....ez
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    paddykpaddyk Member Posts: 23
    I went through the same decision process.
    I test drove an Escape, Jeep Liberty, Forester XT.
    The test drive of the Forester reminded me of my test drive of a Miata (took about 30 seconds to say "SOLD").

    I'm not sure about the non-turbo forester but the XT is very fast. What I think is more important is the handling of this SUV blows everything else out of the water. It loves to go through the twisties. I had a chance to take the XT on the race track. The club I belong to will NOT allow an SUV on the track for safety reasons (high CG roll over considerations). They let me play without any questions. Had fun beating up on a friends Porsche 928. I think he was ready to sell it after seeing what the XT would do.

    I have not had this much fun driving since I bought a Miata (I still have two by the way).

    Life is too short to drive a boring car.

    Paddyk
    Westland MI
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    pisceanz350pisceanz350 Member Posts: 8
    Paddy,
    Congrats and good luck with your new XT!
    From all reports, seems as if it moves like a bat out-of-hell. I'm sure it's a lot of fun to drive, but since it's still not a sports car, just be particularly careful with it and you'll continue to enjoy.

    Piscean :)
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    ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    Life is too short to drive a boring car.

    Wisdom of the ages, encapsulated in one short sentence.
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    allhorizonallhorizon Member Posts: 483
    Oh man, JB! I don't know anymore if I am reading the dusty comments of an OCD accountant, or those of a true XT enthusiast! Way to go!

    >> WARNING! Use of this vehicle may result in desirable personality changes. <<

    - D.

    PS Hoping that my poor humor is recognized as such.
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    c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    I saw a banner ad for the 04 Forester here on Edmunds that talked about "active head restraints". Anybody know how these work? Were they on the 03 as well?

    Craig
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    njswamplandsnjswamplands Member Posts: 1,760
    i believe they move forward when the vehicle is hit from behind. thus making the distance the head whips back shorter. the idea being to help against whiplash.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    See my response in Subaru Crew - Meet the Members. I listed the differences each one offers.

    FWIW, the price difference is more like $2 grand, not 5. Being an enthusiast myself, what price can you put on happiness? :o)

    -juice
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    kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Is the XT worth the extra $$?

    I'll turn the question around. Which would you rather look at -- the CR-V in your review mirror or the Forester XT gingerly accelerating away from you? :-)

    It's a very small price to pay to be in the fastest mini-SUV ever.

    Ken
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    subkidsubkid Member Posts: 94
    Sorry,
    can't resist turning it around once again:

    Which would you rather do - take you family for a nice ski/sunshine vacation in your CRV or have them playing on the street (watching your XT carefully), while you work all these overtime hours to cover for the price difference.

    K
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Then get a Forester X. For about $19-20k street price, you save $2 grand, and can take TWO family ski vacations.

    But...you still have side air bags that protect your head, even the top-line CR-V doesn't have that.

    The X still has AWD, ABS, 16" rims, PW, PL, PS, PM, CD, A/C, etc. So your family could get to that ski resort safe and secure.

    You could go real low-budget with a CR-V LX, but then you'd give up important safety features like side air bags and ABS, plus you won't save much compared to the X. Honda also offers plain FWD versions, but then you're not going skiing at all.

    -juice
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    subkidsubkid Member Posts: 94
    ateixeira,

    I deliberately left that one out. Reason - choosing between comparably priced CRV and Forester should be no-brainer :)

    K
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    ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    WARNING! Use of this vehicle may result in desirable personality changes.

    Nothing quite that dramatic has occurred (yet). My carping about several unfortunate XT attributes in no way diminishes its many positives. I'm genuinely delighted with the handling, the ride, the front and rear space inside (once I figured out how to set the seat to maximize what space there is), the exceptional outward visibility, and a host of other great qualities. And I haven't yet even been able to enjoy the anticipated winter prowess, because we haven't yet had ice or snow.

    So - it's a very good car that just misses my definition of greatness because of several significant shortcomings that Subaru could easily have avoided.
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    mre4mre4 Member Posts: 15
    On Nov. 17, Shunsuke Takagi, Executive Vice President of Fuji Heavy Industries, told a news conference that interim and full-year earnings estimates were being cut. Takagi-san attributed the revision, in part, to "the weak performance of its Forester sports utility vehicle."

    This weekend, three or four dealerships in Oregon were having sales on Foresters. Anyone think it is a coincidence?

    I do not think it is a bad product, just a bad economy, so I put my money where my mouth was and when one dealership offered a XT PP for about 1200 less than invoice I drove it home.

    I would call this a compact utility performance vehicle. Drives great ... personally I expect the auto trans. to save me about one speeding ticket per year...

    Anyway, anyone considering a Forester might want to see if their local dealerships have had similar reactions to this news. Forester sales in the U.S. declined from Sept 02 to Sept 03 and from Oct 02 to Oct 03 even though there is a new, clearly superior, model. This cannot be encouraging for Fuji, as Takagi-san's comments imply. I think they would like to avoid this in November 03 and might be willing to find significant new discounts in order to attain this goal.
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    allhorizonallhorizon Member Posts: 483
    JB,

    I am relieved you took my somewhat misguided humor with strides. Of course it is perfectly fine and (in his forum) even very useful to point out any shortcomings of the product. It was just too tempting to respond.

    I agree with Eric, this is a great time to buy Subarus - unfortunately, it looks like I am going to move and will need to drive my trusty 11-year old Golf at least until my new home (and - more importantly - its mortgage) will be settled. I hate moving from one of the most expensive areas in the country to one even more expensive. How are you supposed to afford a decent home?

    At least, since my wife has been driving our loaded Passat 4Motion, I (should?) have the right of "drivership" in our new 2nd vehicle. Sigh.

    - D.
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