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Comments
I have always been a tire pressure fanatic, and with the AWD it is probably even more important for proper balance and performance. I use 35 psi all around. I find less than 35 hurts fuel mileage.
Good luck with your Forester! I am sure you will love it.
Pre 03 had wheel bearing issues.
Pre 02 had head gasket issues.
03 was v1.0, even though it turned out ok.
2005 was the 3rd year for that design. 06 was a refresh.
It's about as reliable a year as you could pick, basically.
Caveat: 62k means no powertrain warranty at all.
At the same time, it's a great car and I wouldn't want to let go of it "too soon." When have other people given up their Foresters (i.e. after how many miles)?
Thanks! :confuse:
Len
Len
TIA
Subaru Added Security is the only way to go! I have this on my LGT and I actually own a place that modifies and works on Subarus. I had to have some major work done on my Subaru and it was covered w/o a problem.
-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor
Given the tough economic times we all face now it’s probably best to maintain an ownership position in your 06 if it still suites your needs.
My 03 X just turned 90K miles and I believe still runs good as new with no problems. Next stop 190K. All scheduled maintenance is tended to with little out of pocket expense to me as I use Subaru Bucks from our Chase Subaru Master Card to cover the bigger 30K incremental major services.
I sold my 98 Forester in 2007 because I needed a large vehicle (minivan), but we missed it enough that we just bought a 2009. Some times I wish I'd kept it, but resale was strong and we like the new one just as much.
Towing - I've hauled a 700 lb trailer with 2 yards of pea gravel, which is super-heavy. My guess is it was 1500 lbs, but it may have been more. To be honest I'd be more concerned about stopping, not climbing hills. You may want to consider trailer brakes of some kind.
Juice, I am not saying you did not or could not do it, but whew. That sure makes me feel better about some of the things I did with my Outback. :P
I usually get 3 yards, but that's wood chips or mulch.
This was the first time I hauled pea gravel. It sure was HEAVY. I had to do half wheelbarrow loads to be able to transport it properly.
At least the stuff lasts a lot longer than mulch does. Still looks good 3 years later, all over my back yard landscaping.
Bob
Then again, I towed a few different vehicles, including a 1985 Chevy conversion van, with my '96 Outback. I bet that van was well over 4000#. I only towed it about 8 miles though, and only up a couple of slight grades. I think the car probably only had around 150,000 miles on it during that haul. And, even at 220,000 miles, it had no transmission problems whatsoever.
I know what you mean, AJ, regarding the weight of the gravel. I had ten yards of gravel delivered to a site once when I did landscaping in Anchorage. For the first day, I shoveled and hauled the rock with a wheelbarrow. After a day and, maybe, three yards moved, I brought my three-wheeler with a trailer. Same amount of shoveling, but no more hauling the wheelbarrow! It sure is a good workout for the forearms, though.
It did feel very heavy, and my Forester was a clutch so I did have to slip the clutch a bit. Still, 5000# would nearly triple the weight that powertrain was dragging. I also felt it in stopping, but fortunately I had no emergency stops to test it.
After that I could barely even tell when I had just mulch or wood chips behind me.
Bob
Any ideas on a source?
Thanks
Don
Thanks for the info.
-Frank
A friend of mine was driving his 2000 Nissan Frontier to Iowa last summer (from Fairbanks, AK) and was pulling a well-loaded trailer. He took it to a shop for estimated repairs prior to the trip, and they recommended front brake replacement, as well as replacement of his front half-shafts (both outer CV boots were split and one axle was making some noise). They quoted him $1200.
I had been talking with him somewhat casually about buying his car, for which he was looking to get $1500. He told me that he needed to do the work, but hoped to sell his car first so he did not have to foot the bill out of pocket. I told him if he had a Saturday free, I could help him do the work himself, and all he needed was to buy the parts!
So, he did. It was about $280 for the parts and the work took us an annoyingly long eight hours as a result of some stubbornness on the part of the vehicle and unfamiliarity on the part of the "mechanics." But, we got it put back together and saved him over $900. As he as driving me home, I offered him $800 for the car and we both ended up with a pretty good deal.
The amazing part, however, were the brake pads! Those things were so worn down that I could barely perceive a difference between the surface of the pads and the backers. It was mind-blowing. They were not scraping, mind you, but were literally within miles of doing so. He had only owned the truck for about 10,000 miles, so I suspect what happened was that the pads were around 10% when he bought it, so rather than replace the pads, the dealership simply broke off the squealers and hoped the buyer wouldn't check. It paid off for them, but could have cost my friend some serious bucks if he had not moved out-of-state with such impeccable timing!
I kept one set of the pads as a souvenir.
Have a good road trip, Frank!
I actually ran my first set, on a '96 Outback, for three years and 76,000 miles on a year-round basis here in Fairbanks, Alaska. They were at about 3/32 when I replaced them due to an internal sidewall failure on two separate tires that caused rather fast "slow leaks."
Does anyone else have any experience this type of problem? Thanks.
However, if you park the car in a flat space with no pressure on the steering (don't turn the wheel at all after the car stops moving) and do not even get out of the car, it should not have cause to lock the steering. If it does anyway, perhaps there is a problem developing.
I really did like driving that car, and it's now on my short list. The dealer was nice--he offered to let me take the thing home for an overnight test drive, so my wife can have a good chance to see how it drives for her. I think I'll take him up on that offer. Anything else about the 07's that I should know?
I have an LL Bean one year newer, from which Subaru regretfully deleted the screw-on automatic transmission filter and the rubberized cargo area. They are nice cars.
Check the moonroof operation. The motor, plastic gears and linkages are rather fragile. Some moonroofs fail after a few years, apparently because if they are left open and stuff falls into the track, it binds the operation. Protect the moonroof against excessive use, and against any debris (leaves, twigs) falling on the tracks.
Check if the O7 has had the fuel valve recall done yet. If not, and you buy the car, warn the dealer not to damage the foam plastic storage trays, and inspect them afterward. They damaged two of mine by just tearing them out. They bought me one for $100 and I fixed the other one by devising a new fastener.
You may want to invest in a full size spare and floor support bucket, as using the compact spare is unexpectedly complicated, and no good for snow, trailer pulling or offroad.
I am considering getting some splashguards for my 2004 Forester. Anyone have experience with these? How easy are they to install & what is the process? Is it something I could do myself, (with standard tools, but no lift available), or should this be done in a shop?
Any tips would be great!
The dealer that installed my four splash guards in 2007 said he had to remove the wheels.
I just ran over something that slashed a tire and damaged the splash guard. I will be replacing the splash guard myself.
I see that each one is held by two hex head screws that can be turned by either an 8mm box end wrench or a phillips screw driver. You can either use the wrench, or remove the wheel(s) to get room to use a screw driver. I hear there are socket wrenches that will drive a screw driver bit, and fit without removing the wheel, but I don't have one.
I am getting a free replacement tire, so I plan to replace the splash guard with the screw driver while I am replacing the wheel. Otherwise, I would use the 8mm wrench with the wheel on the car.
In the time I've owned it, I've been fickle about my other cars ... in fact I've cycled through four different 2nd cars, but I always come back to my Forester. I hope to post when it hits 200K!
My first Subaru was/is a 2000 Forester (331,00 original). Right know I am driving a 2011 Outback(first repeat purchase for me). Though I like the Forester better. Just remember, maintenance.