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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Comments
It's on Howard Ave, I checked on Map Quest. I'm trying to get the name for you.
I had my Miata fixed in Germantown but the paint is peeling so I wouldn't recommend them.
-juice
Len
My guess is they are referring to the head gasket failures we've seen, and keep in mind Subaru is now covering those for 8 years or 100k miles.
Actually, they're using a coolant conditioner to prevent the problems in the first place.
A survey might say "engine" for Toyota's sludge issue, and to be honest Toyota never really came up with a fix for those, they went half way by extending the warranty.
Honda's survey might say "tranny" even though they were more proactive and replaced the transmissions plus offered extended coverage on those.
Bottom line is that doesn't measure the manufacturer's response, which affects actual reliability plus the financial impact on the owner.
Would you rather have A) a car that had one problem that cost you $500 to fix, or a car with two problems that were fixed for free plus you get a free extended warranty?
I'd choose B.
Better yet, secret option C), which involves B plus manufacturer support from Patti of SoA.
C all the way, baby. ;-)
-juice
-Frank P.
Perhaps it depends on your level of tolerance. I'll send an OCD Club member out to inspect any car and I bet they'll find a few issues at least.
-juice
Applying OCD Club standards, here are my nit-picks:
* valve clatter when cold
* occasional moderate ping under load
* shifter stiff when cold (better now w/synthetic)
* stock lighting dismal, unacceptable (E-codes now)
* CD skips like a school girl
* stiff ride, shocks may be spent
* hood prop rod retainer clip broken (twice)
* center console latch broken (replaced)
* top leaked, cracked, window hazed (replaced)
* leaves collect in front quarter panel
* water sloshes in side sills
* all speakers basically spent
* shifter turret cracked, leaks gear oil
* oil dipstick not consistenty accurate
I'm pretty resourceful and have been to a couple of junk yards to replace some of the minor parts. And yes, I still consider this car reliable, none of the issues ever made it fail as a form of transportation.
But show me a car with no problems and I'll sniff out 2-3 easily, I bet.
-juice
My guess is they are referring to the head gasket failures we've seen, and keep in mind Subaru is now covering those for 8 years or 100k miles."
As far as I know that extended warranty is only for 1999-2002 vehicles, not the newer ones that have the same engine (like my 2003 Forester). You may argue that Subaru made modifications but to the normal consumer, including me, it is still the same engine sold in NA today, without any other choices except the more expensive H6. If Subaru is so confident about the 2003 and up 2.5L then why don't we get that warranty for our vehicles too?
Second corrolary: "and, it will usually be something different than what you brought it in for".
John
Continuous improvement plus the fact that they employ the coolant conditioner from the factory should put folks at ease.
FWIW, we've had 5 of the 2.5l Subie engines in my family and none of the 10 head gaskets ever leaked. I'm not worried, and my '98 falls outside of that range also.
-juice
Joybell the pessimist - the glass is half-empty :-(
Personally I believe in giving the benefit of the doubt until given adequate cause to think otherwise.
-Frank P.
Done with the turbo.
What are your subsequent nominations?
Craig
SS Brake Lines
Sway Bars
Brake Pads, Rotors, Fluid
Struts, springs
Stereo
Tint
Driving Lights
Tires
And that's just a start!
-mike
79 Wagon, no major mech failures, did rust badly at 5 years was junked at 130k miles
82 GL, 1 front cv joint at 100k miles, leaky water pump.
91 Legacy wagon, 1 front cv joint 85k miles. Had both replaced. Traded in at 125k miles
03 Forester X. No problems 17k miles.
Regards,
Owen
-juice
Were you able to get the name of that body shop for me?
email me at egreenfield@mindspring.com
Thanks
ellen
I want to say Joe's Auto Body, but I'm not sure. He's on the left as you go down that hill.
There's gotta be something closer to you, though. That place is not really close to a Metro stop or anything like that.
-juice
I agree with the sentiments expressed above. Even with their "issues", I'm still happy with my Subarus.
Len
My '03 Forester has had this problem for the past 20K and am going to make it a warranty issue for my local dealership and SOA. At the minimum I expect a replacement regardless if the clutch flaw has been fixed. That will in a way compensate in part, but not wholly, for my experience.
Did I miss something? What kind of bad experience did you have?
-Frank P
are replacing a still-running Caravan with 260,000 miles (repairs got to be higher than car payments) which we sold to the mechanic.
After much research, the Forester seemed to potentially give high-mileage dependability, resilient handling of our wide range of road surface requirements, and excellent gas mileage. Internet comparisons of this model showed good safety and reliablility ratings.
We located an '01 (manual transmission) Forester with 38,000 miles, meticulous records from an owner who was obsessed with maintenance. CARFAX, etc. checked out. Got it from a leasing company;
it was a trade-in. Good credit union financing. Felt good about the whole process. And...my wife LOVES driving it.
Hoever, as we are closing out the paperwork, the finance officer (who located a credit union loan for us with great rates) is doing a full-court press on a third-party service warranty. The car note is
for five years (we plan to pay it down early, but need low payments to begin with), and, based on our high mileage annually, the 100,000
"wrap-around" warranty (power train warranty still in place for more than 20K) would only cover us for 2 years.
Even though it's only 20.00/month more, it would, over the life of the loan, cost an additional 1200-1300 dollars. My general sense is that I'd be better to pocket this sum, guessing that any high-dollar repairs would likely come AFTER 100,000 miles. Still, each time I speak with the finance officer about finalizing the loan, she says "I hate to see you do this without the extended warranty". I'm guessing she is on commission selling these service contracts. Still, I thought I'd ask for the expertise of the Subaru 'townies'.
Thanks in advance for your opinions !
I'm a CPA. I never purchase insurance to cover any loss that I could otherwise handle without major financial strain. I would never buy an extended warranty on any automobile, and I always recommend that others decline them.
Now should you spend $12-1300 for an extended warranty that will only cover you for two years? I would say no and agree with your guess that any costly repairs are more likely to occur after the warranty has expired. However, to some people an extended warranty is worth the cost because of the peace of mind it provides. Statistically speaking, you're almost always better off self-insuring (unless you're risk adverse).
-Frank P
FWIW, I test drove a 5 speed X model and it shuddered right off the lot. I then hopped in my XS and it was smooth as silk. That is the main reason I bought the XS. The sales manager was aware that the X model on his lot had the clutch problem; he had that look of "man this is going to haunt me again someday" when I mentioned it.
John
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
I replaced my original pads at around 70K, IIRC. I was starting to get some pulsating while braking so I went whole hog and replaced the front rotors with the larger WRX rotors and pads. The rears just got the pads swaped out.
Ken
In fact, a 3rd party warranty is not really a warranty, it's insurance. They are selling you insurance with enough loop holes that they'll never have to pay a claim.
Look at Ellen's deal, not bad, $850 for 100k miles and that includes roadside assistance.
-juice
-juice
My Forester mpg has drifted downward somewhat over the last 20-30K miles or so. I used to hit 25mpg regularly, but now it's been around 23mpg. All variables within my control (air pressure, oil type, air filter, driving style) have remained the same. Perhaps it's just old age?
Ken
Bob
Len
Cost was $302 at Circuit City [including 4-year replacement warranty]. It works through the factory AM/FM CD changer unit just fine [except I hardly ever use the CD changer now].
I admit that the car has many attributes, especially its size, turning circle, driver seating height, and trouble free operation. Over almost 13,000 miles I averaged 20.1 MPG which was not a disappointment, unless I compare that to some of the figures posted on this site, most of which I do not believe. I don’t drive fast, nor start up fast, and most of my driving is in a suburban setting.
Four wheel drive, except for the northern climates, is an absolute waste. I live in a Chicago suburb where we have little snow, and few hills, and 2 wheel drive is more then adequate. This is the third car I have had with ABS, the previous being a Crown Vic, and a Towncar, and their ABS systems were much more effective on slippery surfaces than is the Subie’s.
In my working years, among other things, I owned a car rental company and had a lot of experience in realistically valuing used cars, almost all of which I sold at auction. It is never wise to trade in an almost new vehicle because of its early depreciation, but if you find that to you it is a miserable means of transportation, then you have to bite the bullet as we did. Consequently I was pleased with the depreciation of my Subie. I purchased it for $24,250 (MSRP $26,802) and its true trade-in value ended up being $17,000. I had it 18 months, drove it 13,000 miles, and it depreciated $7,250 ($400 a month) over that period of time. Of course, the longer one keeps a car, the smaller the annual depreciation.
Our new vehicle (Passat GLX V6 Sedan) has 8 way power seats with a lumbar support, both for driver and passenger, and so we start anew hoping this choice will much more satisfy our needs. Again, thanks for all your useful comments, and a special thanks to Juice for his replies to a couple of my inquiries.
Good luck with your VW.
Bob
-Frank P
My 03 Forester has been shuddering since the 10K mark. It's become so irritating I've not recommended the Subaru's to patrons who visit my retail establishment who know I own the vehicle as mentioned by coworkers.
I work in the sporting goods industry surrounded by customers all day long who fit Subaru's demographic - in part, generally young, active, and affluent. It becomes easy to get to know each other and transport eventually comes up. Many trust me because of the sporting goods equipment I recommend and the positive experience they have using it. So trust is paramount and when they ask me about the Forester, as much as I hate saying it, I don't recommend the manual version. That's happened a couple of dozen times so far. And I usually see the results not long after - Toyotas, VW's, and Hondas, some GM's.
And by coincidence, Taft4's opinion regarding AWD and its necessity seems to mirror the experience of a Honda salesman I spoke to recently test driving an Element. He's seen demand for 2wd version increase this model year. The argument he's heard recently against AWD is there's just not enough snow to justify the extra expense for AWD here in mid-Ohio. I realize it's handy for those wet days too, but for the minority out there, it's over-rated. Personally, I like having it.
Anyway, Once_for_all.Thanks
Or in this case When you don't get it, you don't get it.
DaveM
I think we should clear up some of the misperceptions about AWD. First off, any old front wheel drive car with winter tires provides adequate traction in the snow so strictly speaking, very few people really "need" AWD. In the same vein: you don't "need" airbags but they make you safer, you don't "need" turbo-charged engines but they make you go faster, you don't "need" air conditioning but it makes you more comfortable, and so on.
In the case of AWD, although you may not “need” it, it improves a vehicle's handling under all conditions, even on dry roads. So if you’re someone who considers handling a priority, then the added cost of AWD is worth it.
-Frank P
So, no you don't "need" AWD, but it sure makes driving safer and easier to deal with in a variety of driving conditions, and not just snow.
Bob
Owen
Echoing some of the sentiments of the group, AWD is actually not a waste for mild climates. There's a reason why an increasing number of luxury, near-luxury and sport cars are offering AWD.
Hey, but just because you don't own a Subie doesn't mean you still can't contribute. We've got quite a few non-owners that frequent our boards.
Ken