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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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Comments

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Personally I hope you are right Graham; otherwise they'll have to rename it the Gladys after Elvis's mom if they bring it stateside.

    Steve, Host
  • logtraillogtrail Member Posts: 74
    One of the virtues or renting a car (in this case one provided by Enterprise to the dealer so that I could have a 4 wheel drive loaner) is that you realize what you would like and what you can do without. In this case I found the Pathfinder little more than a huge truck pretending that it is an SUV. I hesitated taking it out for an evening dinner with friends since I dreaded parking it. What all of those little blondies driving large SUV's (with a cell phone permanently attached to their ears) are trying to prove is beyond me. Power? or Excess? I now know that what I am missing is a behomoth with a big thirst for gas that has nothing appealing about it.
    The Forester is a reasonable size and feels more like a car than it does a truck. Advantage Forester.
  • kavoomkavoom Member Posts: 181
    I know what you mean. My dear girlfriend has a 99 Blazer (small by today's standards) but I still feel like I am going to tip over and it drives like a tank and hydroplanes with a drop of water on the road.

    I love my Forester and the 30 mpg. I am looking for a heavier duty clutch for my 04 X (manual)as I tow a small pop up camper. Anyone know of any. I cannot find one...
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    If the entire car was PINK and the interior GRAY, and in an XT version....

    I'll be very tempted to get it :shades:

    -Dave
  • losthat1losthat1 Member Posts: 93
    Traded my Infiniti QX4 (Pathfinder upgrade)for an LLBean Forester last month. The QX4 felt like a fancy truck and parking was a pain in the butt. Love the Forester. :D
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's ridiculous looking. Eek.

    18" rims would be nice, but even then not chrome, yuck.

    The new Pathfinder got a lot bigger, it compares more closely to the Tribeca, though it's very much a truck.

    -juice
  • dstew1dstew1 Member Posts: 275
    The updated Pathfinder doesn't come close to the car-like handling the Forester offers, but for a vehicle its size it's not too bad. It's certainly leaps and bounds ahead of earlier SUVs in terms of tight steering feel.

    My brother owns one and the only advantage he's got over my FXT is interior space and a softer ride. I'd take mine for 99.9% of uses, though. That is, if I'm driving; as a mere passenger, his is much more appealing.

    Doug
  • drwalesdrwales Member Posts: 18
    One can always rely on a not-quite-3 year old to reduce things to their simplest state!

    "New Blue Fast Car" is a 2006 Forester XT MT5, in Regal Blue, which we picked up Saturday morning. I'll post a long and detailed message in the "Buying experience" board, because it was a very long and drawn-out (if not wasted) Friday. We might have made it difficult on ourselves by falling in love with the Regal Blue after seeing it on an automatic on the lot, but after test driving both the X and XT with beige interiors, we decided that we weren't crazy on it (read 2.75 year old.)

    I was very impressed with the X, which was definitely peppier than our 2003, but there was no comparison with the XT. The dealer actually had to jump the car on the lot, and it was a little cold and jittery to begin with, which lead to "stupid quick" comments. But once it had warmed up, and my wife & I had figured out the bite point and the throttle, it is such a joy to drive. The X is a great value and a great car, but having driven the XT, there'd always be that "what if?" or urge to upgrade (especially if we up-grade (thud) to 5000 feet). If you're only going to have one car…

    The recent C&D review of the new RAV4 had a synopsis something to the effect of "the car to get if you could only have one car," but we respectfully disagree.

    Bottom line was $26051, or about $500 below TMV with two popular equipment groups (bumper cover/ cargo tray/ splash guards and dimming mirror/ shock sensor). We could probably live without the splash guards and shock sensor, but I guess that's the drawbacks of bundled options.

    It's been fun around DC and the beltway so far, but we're hoping that traffic to NJ will be light enough early Saturday morning for us to enjoy the car at highway speeds.
    Legally.

    Thanks one and all for sympathy and advice over the last 3 weeks,
    Bob

    PS: Just when I thought everything was over, I got a court summons yesterday -- the guy who hit me is appealing his ticket. The hearing (trial?) is in the first week of March.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    The new Pathfinder is also better at towing, carrying heavy loads and going off road than your FXT. Hey... it's a "truck," and therefore does truck-chores better than a car. Nissan need not make any apologies for the new Pathfinder.

    I think cross-shopping a Pathfinder with a Forester is like comparing apples to oranges.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It's also a lot bigger, closer to Tribeca sized.

    In reality I would compare a Murano to a 5 passenger Tribeca, and I think Nissan makes a car-based SUV (is it the Patrol?) sold in Canada and other countries that is closer to the Forester.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    You're thinking of the X-Trail, not the Patrol. The Patrol is a 3rd-world-oriented UV (not SUV , but UV).

    Bob
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I'm hoping for a fresh review from a new owner in Cancun, but haven't seen it in the Nissan X-Trail (we want it!) discussion yet. I think he just picks it up today though.

    Steve, Host
  • swwjswwj Member Posts: 10
    Bob,
    Congrats on the '06 XT... If you're ever out near the Reston area and you spot a Steel Grey '06 XT with tinted windows and a sunroof deflector, that's probably "Thunderclese". Much like myself, you'll now never have to worry about the "what if?" factor you would have had in getting an "X".

    Oh, btw, we just passed the 1000 mile mark, and got 24mpg this weekend, driving down to Norfolk and back (approx. 75mph most of the way). So, the mileage figures to be pretty spot on. Although, that could have been attributable to getting gas down in Fredericksburg, which I don't think uses the lower mpg inducing, winter mix fuel they sell in the DC area. We had been getting around 19mpg, albeit, that's with my wife driving on a cold engine everyday and only 2 miles each way to the park-and-ride.

    Oh, and btw, our car has the exact same additional accessories as yours, except we had them tint the windows and add the sunroof deflector. After driving it a week before the deflector install, I'd say that next to the rear bumper cover and the paint saving mud guards, that deflector is going to be invaluable since it not only keeps wind from beating into the passenger's faces, but it also lets you keep the sunroof shade open and not have to worry about the brigh sunlight blasting you in the eyes during certain times of day when the sun's at just the "wrong" angle and height.
  • bayview6bayview6 Member Posts: 141
    "what if" factor?

    ROTFLMAO!
  • bayview6bayview6 Member Posts: 141
    OK.......OK.......I've stopped laughing (but my sides still hurt)......what exactly is this "what if" factor the owners of the plain-jane "X" have to worry about?
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    lol it is funny. I think it is along the lines of "What if a guy in a Nissan 350Z rolls up beside you in the middle of an Arizona desert 4 lane and no one is a hundred miles nearby? (and you know you can blow his doors off but he is laughing at you and pointing at your functional hood scoop).

    Merry Christmas all,

    John
  • losthat1losthat1 Member Posts: 93
    :P "Little boys and their toys." How many of us on THIS forum really want to drive that way?
  • kev_xt_ownerkev_xt_owner Member Posts: 41
    "Little boys and their toys." How many of us on THIS forum really want to drive that way?

    For all of us with XTs [and those with regrets...], I'd say we all *want* to drive that way :shades:
  • njswamplandsnjswamplands Member Posts: 1,760
    what if i had bought the fxt and didnt have to stand here waiting 4 minutes for a big enough gap in traffic to merge in.

    with the fxt i save at least 3.5 minutes on my commute :P

    what if......
  • xtsfoxtsfo Member Posts: 20
    I'm cross-posting this here from my subaruforester.com posting for completeness. I recently stumbled across:

    http://www.audiocubes.com/category/Car+Audio_2+Din+Receivers/product/Alpine_MDA-- W920JB_CD,MD,MP3,Tuner_receiver.html

    Audiocubes appears to be an importer of Japanese Market electronics.

    They describe the "new for 2005" Alpine MDA-W920J as a double-din receiver that "correspnds to the Subaru interior" and "also supports iPod media." It also appears to support minidiscs, a format that never really made it in the U.S.

    BEWARE Item: Japanese FM runs from 76-90 Mhz and the Audiocubes converter models (either 12 or 20 mhz offset) can't shift the ENTIRE u.s. fm band at one whack. So, if you really like FM, pick your poison. You're going to lose either the top or the bottom of the U.S. FM frequency range.
  • bayview6bayview6 Member Posts: 141
    I'll bet there are more XT owners regreting they didn't buy a regular "X" than vice versa.

    Anyway, it is clear that the plain "X" is safer than the XT , and safety is high on the list of why people buy a Forester.
  • bayview6bayview6 Member Posts: 141
    And just think, what if you are driving down a country road in NJ at 2 in the morning and your XT is suddenly bathe in brilliant white light and you start to feel the tractor beam getting a grip on your Forester. The Turbo to the rescue! You slam the gas pedal to the floor and you narrowly escape the alien abduction!!! You would be surprised by the number of people driving the regular "X" who have never been heard from again.

    what if......
  • samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    I have a 2004 FXT 5-speed. I don't have any regrets for buying it over an X or XS non-turbo. I consider this car very safe - its handling inspires confidence, the all-around visibility is unsurpassed, and the turbo engine ensures a stress-reduced driving experience, especially in the NYC metro area. Not having to plan for merges, especially in NYC, where some on-ramps are all of 50 feet, is certainly reassuring.

    I had a 96 Legacy 2.2L 5-speed, and, while a great handling car, it could not get out of its own way. Many, many times, I had no choice but to keep redlining it just to barely keep up with the NYC 500 rat race. Very frustrating.

    With the FXT, it's easy. Just press the "GO" pedal, and the car GOES! And I get to laugh at all the expensive "sport" cars that can't keep up with the little FXT.
  • losthat1losthat1 Member Posts: 93
    ;) Beam me up scotty, I'm ready to go. Always wondered how much HP a UFO has! Guess I'll find out in my non-turbo!
  • bayview6bayview6 Member Posts: 141
    samiam, thanks for reminding me that my favorite view of the NYC skyline is the one I get looking in my rear-view mirror!

    I'm sure the turbo model is safe to drive...just joking with the "what if " crowd.

    In fact, I'm starting to regret not buying the XT. If I had the XT, at night I could sneak out of my senior citizen's retirement center and go cruising for some street races. ;)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    X-Trail, I stand corrected. That's the one. Not sure why Nissan never brought it here, though the XTerra does well, it doesn't overlap at all with the X-Trail.

    -juice
  • dstew1dstew1 Member Posts: 275
    The new Pathfinder is also better at towing, carrying heavy loads and going off road than your FXT. Hey... it's a "truck," and therefore does truck-chores better than a car. Nissan need not make any apologies for the new Pathfinder.

    Towing and carrying big loads, no doubt. Although when my brother asked for my help in hauling some garbage to a dumpster yesterday, he was quick to suggest we put the bin with the most spillage potential into my Forester because of the easy-clean cargo mat (the only mat available for his Pathfinder only covers the area BEHIND the third row seat).

    As for offroading, while it's got some advantages over a Forester, it ain't no Jeep. At 8.9" of ground clearance it sits only 1 inch higher than my FXT (it looks even lower than that with its stocky build), the approach/departure angles are better, and it's got a 4WD Low setting. So technically, yes, it's better. But on a grand scale it's no more an offroader than my Forester is; the new Pathfinder was built for the highway, evident by its soft suspension among other things (heavy, higher center of gravity, lots of breakable plastic down low, etc). When it comes to offroad-capable SUVs, Nissan went the way of Ford on this one, knowing that most Pathfinder owners would be sticking to pavement.

    If anyone's REALLY going offroad and shopping Nissan, I hope they're looking at one of the pick-ups or an XTerra.

    I think cross-shopping a Pathfinder with a Forester is like comparing apples to oranges.

    I completely agree. And personally I prefer oranges, but when I'm hungry for an apple the Pathfinder is pretty tasty!

    Doug
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    But on a grand scale it's no more an offroader than my Forester is;

    I too own a Forester, so your preaching to the choir. However, if I also owned a Pathfinder—that would be the one I would go off road with. That would be the one I drive on the beach, and not the Forester.

    Bob
  • deepdropdeepdrop Member Posts: 89
    Does anyone know the battery group size for the "03 Forester XT automatic?
    The owner's manual says it is 12V-52AH (75D23L)
    I'm not sure what this means, but consumer reports just did a report on automotive batteries and they are sorted by group size. I was hoping I could choose a replacement based on their recommendations.
  • 204meca204meca Member Posts: 369
    I almost have enough Subaru Bucks for the 30K tune p (dealer quote $604 -- if I did not have the Subbie Bucks, I would have it done at an independent garage) and mud guards on my 03XsS. Two questions:

    1. Other than initial cost, is there any disadvantages to getting platnuim plugs rather than the coppers on a NA engine.

    2. Flushihng the brake lines and replacing the brake fluid at 30K seems silly. I have driven many cars 80-150K without changing brake fluid, never reconginzed a problem. How necessary is that? If the brake fluid is replaced, what about using silicone fluid (DOT 5)vs the standard stuff DOT 4)?

    nThanks and happy new year to ya'all!
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    spark plugs--since the change interval is not dependent on the tip, the only disadvantage is cost of the plug.

    30k on the brake fluid may be too often it all dependents on how much moisture absorption you get in your fluid. In muggy climates parked outside all the time, 30k is probably about right.

    Silicone fluid has a major advantage in that it does not absorb water. However, that is also its major disadvantage too. The water will end up collecting at the low spots of the system and cause more corrosion than the standard fluid.

    Hope this helps. I did my 30k on my XS myself last year, it took about half a day. Had I an AT instead of MT, I probably would have taken it in. The 30k cost me about $100 in parts. If you are mechanically inclined, I recommend saving your money for something more critical.

    John
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Go ahead and flush the fluids - my Miata had a bad clutch slave cylinder (the system uses brake fluid, by the way), and the fluid in there was discolored and basically just nasty. The new fluid was probably 10 shades lighter in color.

    I don't recall the mileage, but I only have 58k miles now, so it wasn't with a lot of miles.

    -juice
  • bayview6bayview6 Member Posts: 141
    Changing the brake fluid at 30k is probably excessive but excessive maintenance has not be known to cause problems. GM doesn't recommend changing the brake fluid at all whereas BMW says to do it once a year. I had the brake fluid on my 95 Dodge Ram pick-up changed recently at 75k miles when I had a front brake job done. I would stay with the DOT 4 fluid. I read somewhere that brake fluid loses about 2% of its compression every year because of water absorption.

    Subaru's maintenance schedule might be one reason some Subaru owners get 250 to 300k miles out of their vehicles. ;)
  • poodog13poodog13 Member Posts: 320
    I was in an accident over the weekend and would like any thoughts on things to be careful about while getting repairs done.

    The short version: We spun on ice, 360 degrees across oncoming traffic (thank god nothing was coming), off the road and down a parks access road (thank god the access road was there or it would have been a guardrail instead) and straighted out just in time to go headfirst into a snow bank. The car came to rest at about a 30 degree angle with the right wheels up on the snow bank and the left wheels on the dirt road.

    Damage was amazingly minimal considering we were going 45 MPH. The front bumper and underassembly needs replaced, as do the plastic fender liners. Other than that, just scratches all around from sliding through the gravel of the access road.

    Other than making sure I get a 4-wheel alignment, is there anything else I should mention to the dealer's collision center? We were on our way out of state and have probably driven 500 miles since the accident with no known problems, but not sure if there might be something else to get checked out, especially with the AWD drive train.

    Any thoughts, thanks.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    First, let's be glad noone was hurt.

    Black ice is tricky, you never see it coming. All you can do is keep an eye on the outside temp gauage, if it's under 35 be careful, especially on bridges and overpasses. In certain places there's not much you can do.

    Have them check out the tires, the rims for any dents (most can be fixed), the alignment, and maybe the wheel bearings, which would be been stressed if you hit a curb.

    It's probably fine if you didn't notice anything in 500 miles since.

    -juice
  • bayview6bayview6 Member Posts: 141
    I would buy the extended warranty protection for the drive train components. Normally, I would be against it but it is now something for you to consider.
  • raybearraybear Member Posts: 1,795
    If a problem occurred which was attributed to an earlier accident the warranty wouldn't cover it.
  • rochcomrochcom Member Posts: 247
    My '98 specifies DOT 3 fluid. DOT 4 is compatible but has a higher temperature rating, so for a few extra dollars it is good protection. DOT 5 is a silicone based fluid and is suitable only for vehicles that were designed for it. It can cause damage to systems that were not.

    I used to drive in club sponsored "driving schools" - basically excuses to drive around a racetrack very fast, and they all required that the brake fluid be changed within a few months of the track event for safety.

    Brake fluid is relatively inexpensive, though labor costs can be high because it takes some doing to "bleed" the system of air before the vehicle is drivable. If I were really strapped for cash, the LAST thing I would skimp on is brake fluid. If you can't stop, it will be a lot more expensive to repair the damage -- that is if you are around to pay for it.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    So I got a chance to play with my OBDII scanner, my Forester just threw a P0302 code, cylinder #2 misfire. The handbook says it's a minor fault.

    The only symptom was a slightly rough idle, and a little more NVH from the engine at speed.

    I reset the code, changed the oil (it was due anyway), and filled up the gas tank with some decent Chevron gas, and it hasn't come back. It's smoothed out, also.

    So, what do you folks think? Bad tank of gas?

    I'm curious as to why only Cylinder #2 recorded a misfire, though. Which one is that, BTW, passenger side rear IIRC?

    I'm thinking about changing the spark plug wires, since they are original (81k miles, 8 years). The ones on my Miata only last 30k miles, so I'm about to replace my 2nd set on that car. Anyone think that might have contributed?

    Then, our Legacy threw a MIL. :mad:

    But get this, P0442, "emission control system leak". Anyone want to guess who forgot to put on their gas cap?

    Good news is a quick reset fixed that. Human error.

    Thoughts on the misfire, though? You guys think it was the gas? Should I proactively change anything else?

    -juice
  • mckeownmckeown Member Posts: 165
    Cyl 2 is the passenger side front. Nearest the radiator. Misfire means the 'crank' sensor expected a pulse within 'xx'ms of the plug firing. Same as a 'miss' on the older cars. I would start with the plugs....then wires....coil....clean/swap injector #2....possibly bad connection on injector....seen this all the way back to be an ECU once. But start with the easy things first. Good Luck.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Plugs were new at 60k miles, so they have 21k on them. Bosch Platinum. I usually change them at 30k, but maybe I'll put it out to inspect the condition of it, replace it if it looks anything but in as-new condition.

    Spark plug wires - yeah, I was leaning towards that. 81k is a long time for a wear and tear item, I'm overdue.

    Coil I'm not familiar with at all. Maybe I'll Google that to see if anyone has worked on that. Or wait to see if the symptoms re-appear after doing the other, easy stuff.

    Thanks for the tips.

    -juice
  • jtm4jtm4 Member Posts: 60
    Our '98 Forester almost always throws a cylinder misfire code when we travel outside of the reformulated gas area we live in. The first tank fill after we leave our area usually causes the light to come on. We just leave it on the whole trip and reset it when we get back. We buy the same brand, Chevron, when we travel.

    When we had the Bosch Platinum plugs changed at 60k the dealer put in the 30k plugs, not the Bosch Platinum. I just left them in for 30k and then the Dealer put in the Bosch Platinums for free at 90k. We didn't have one CEL with the 30k plugs.

    Jim
  • xtsfoxtsfo Member Posts: 20
    Seeing this "cylinder misfire" report is interesting now as I have JUST seen that referred to somewhere in the last couple of days. If I can remember the details, I'll reply again. Right now, I don't remember exactly WHERE I saw it. I just took delivery of my new 06 XT :) and I visited my dealer's service dept this week to have mudflaps installed. I may have read it on a notice on the wall there. The other possibility was that I read it online. If so, it was either here, on subaruforester.com or on scoobymods.com. What I do remember is that the "cylinder misfire" code is slightly misleading in that ONE potential cause for that code is something relatively benign and in that particular case it's not something to get excited about. I don't remember whether it was something like "winter fuel does that" or not. Now this is going to bug me for days. :) Note that as of this writing, subaruforester.com is down because the hosting provider is doing unannounced maintenance or otherwise playing games of some kind.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The light has remained off after I reset it, even about 3 tank fulls later. I think I'll try to stick with Chevron gas.

    I think there's a web site, toptiergas.com, something like that, and interestingly some major name brands are missing from the list of fuels they recommend.

    -juice
  • bayview6bayview6 Member Posts: 141
    Which is why a little fender bender accident like this is best repaired by a local shop. Subaru would never know about it, much less be able to connect any further mechanical problem to it.
  • jeqqjeqq Member Posts: 221
    No one responded to my question on the "prices paid" forum, so I'm hoping you guys can help me out.

    I've been quoted 25,400 on an '06 LL Bean. It includes splash guards, homelink, tray, net and tail piece. Price does not include tax and rebate. How does this quote stack up?

    BTW, I drive an Audi A6 quattro and was blown away how well the subie handles. Great car for the money.
  • bayview6bayview6 Member Posts: 141
    I think it is a very good price.
  • prosaprosa Member Posts: 280
    Nice deal for a "Bean." Go for it.
  • jeqqjeqq Member Posts: 221
  • jeqqjeqq Member Posts: 221
    John, I use these forums to educate myself about cars I own or am interested in. If I posted inaccurate information, I would be most appreciative if you would be so kind as to explain to me where I have gone wrong. I do realize I'm the new guy on the block but please don't send me off to my room:)

    Thanks,(LOL)

    Jeff
This discussion has been closed.