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Comments
-Frank P.
Ross
Congrats on finding, and getting, the new blue ridge S Forester from Mastro... that dealer was so highly recommended I nearly considered making the 2+hr. trip just to buy from them. After my experience in WinterPark, I may just do that next time (WRX STi?...). I hope it provides you with years of good service.
I get compliments all the time from my students, family members, and yes... women. It's not a Corvette, but it's different enough for Florida that it does catch the attention of a few people.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think of leather on the Forester once you have it installed... always thought it would be too hot in Florida for leather, but I may be wrong.
best, perrito
-Frank P.
Thanks
Two filters? There should be only one under the vehicle -- the oil filter. It's a short, screw-on type canister. I wonder what you're refering to as the second filter.
There is a fuel filter, but that's towards the top of the engine.
Ken
Ross
Ross
I don't use cupholders for daily commuting or local driving, but on long trips I use one for coffee and the other for water. My 2001 Forester S is now six months old with 13,000 miles. For an example of how I like to use my Soobie, see my latest road trip:
http://www.airforcebase.net/trips/rapid/rapid.html
Cheers,
Scott
* The Tribute did have noticeably better acceleration than my Forester in upper speed ranges (going from, say, 45 mph to 65 mph), but any difference in the 0-30 mph or so range felt tiny to nonexistent to me. I didn't test the 4-cylinder model, but it must be quite sluggish in comparison to the Forester.
* The Tribute seemed to have more road, engine and transmission noise than my Forester (this might have especially jumped out at me because the Tribute's noises seemed more high-pitched and whiny than my Forester's generally low-pitched and grumbly highway noise).
* The Tribute did have very good handling, but in really hard cornering, it had more body lean than my Forester. The Tribute's higher center of gravity would make me a teeny bit more nervous on a wet, winding mountain road than my Forester would, even though the Tribute's handling was quite competent.
* The exterior styling of the Tribute; might look a little less station-wagon-ish than the Forester, but that is going to be a purely subjective thing (I did like the potentially more flexible rear tailgate design of the Tribute).
* I didn't care much for the interior styling of the Tribute, and especially found the column-mounted shifter particularly odd.
* Tribute has a notable edge in rear seat legroom.
* The Tribute probably has a bit more cargo space with the rear seats up and definitely has more cargo room with the seats folded down.
* Finally, not sure how much discounting dealers might be doing on Tributes/Escapes (imagine they have to do some to try to overcome the bad P.R. from all the early recalls the Escapes suffered). But, while the Tribute's sticker price initially looked fairly attractive, any apparent pricing advantage pretty much evaporated when I totaled up how much it'd cost to really equip it comparatively to a Forester L (AWD, V6 -- since the Tribute's 4-cyl. just isn't likely to cut it -- cargo cover and split folding rear seat, for example).
Kris- There's a whole topic devoted to window tinting. Look in the Aftermarket & Accessories forum. However, I'll briefly address your questions.
Where to get it done: There are a number of companies that specialize in window tinting. Check the yellow pages or ask who your dealer uses. Before choosing one, ask to see samples of completed tint jobs and what type of warranty they provide.
What type of tint to get: There are several major tint manufacturers, with each making several different types of window film. The main types of film are plastic, metal or a combination of the two. A general rule is the higher the percentage of metal content the longer the material will last without fading (and of course the more it will cost). Speaking of cost, figure somewhere in the neighborhood of $200. Window films also come in various shades and amount of reflectivity (such as a mirror tint). Note: a metal film is not the same thing as a mirror tint.
Understanding tinting percentages: Window films vary from 50% to 5% with the percentage equaling the amount of light the film allows thru. Therefore, the darker the tint, the lower the number, with 5% equaling "limo" black. It is common on vehicles like the Forester to get a lighter tint on the front passenger windows and a darker tint on the 5 rear windows. As an example, I have 35% in the front and 20% in the rear. Again, a good tint company should have examples of what the various percentages of tints look like.
What percentage tint to get: Each State has its own laws governing the legal amount of window tinting and there are usually separate rules for cars and SUVs (although the EPA considers the Forester a wagon, you shouldn't have any problem if you use the less restrictive SUV rules). Most States also stipulate different limits for front and rear windows (you can't tint the windshield at all except for an approx 6" band at the top). There's a website that lists the rules for each state. I don't have it handy but I'm sure you can find it in the window-tinting topic.
That pretty much covers the basics. One other thing, you can buy window film at the local automotive store and apply it yourself but I strongly recommend against it. If you've seen cars where the tint on the back or side windows is bubbled, it's almost a certainty that you saw a do-it-yourself job. A professional tint job shouldn't bubble, ever.
-Frank P.
Here's what 35/20 tint looks like on my Forester.
http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_2500&L2=L2_2530&SKU=77830
As for tint, the installation is everything. Once on the windows it takes a lot of effort to get it off so a bad install can be difficult to make better. I did a lot of research in my area and ended up going with the installer that my Subaru dealer recommended. He did a nice clean install right to the edges of the glass. I had everything but the windshield on my GT wagon done. There are a few very tiny bubbles and one speck of dirt under the tint but I consider that exceptional after some of the other tint jobs I've seen. Make sure you clean your glass inside and out and even wash and vac the car before you take it in. The installer lays the tint on the outside of the glass to get the fit right before installing it on the inside. Any effort you can make to minimize dirt would be good. I did 50 on the fronts and 20 on the rears with 5 (limo) on the moonroofs. Has a huge effect on keeping the car cool in the summer plus it block 95% of the UV.
bit
I have to agree with everyone else about the cup holders. I have a one hour commute to work and have to have my tea with me for the ride.
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Gossamar: Hope the dent is worked out. It will be a well spent $65.
We usually end up eating in, because I hate eating in the car, but I guess we do use it when there's left over soda to go. We also use it to hold baby bottles and cups and such. So they can be useful even if the driver isn't drinking.
They do block the HVAC controls, but this never seems to be a problem since I set the HVAC once and that's it.
I had my windows tinted for $170 for 7 windows, 35% SolarGard tint. Some of it has peeled, so make sure to ask them to tuck the tint below the window seal. I have a lifetime warranty but have been too lazy to take it back there.
-juice
bit
Cannot get height adjustable left hand seat in UK.
Do USA Foresters suffer same Front Passenger lack of comfort.
Otherwise cannot fault 2litre Forester S. Turbo.
Our driver seats have fore/aft, angle, lumbar, and front and rear seat angle adjustments. The passenger seat has only fore/aft and angle adjustments.
My wife finds the passenger seat a bit stiff, though not uncomfortable, and the firmness pays off because our backs never hurt after long trips.
If you have a 2000 or earlier model, try what I did - swap the head rests front to rear, so that you can tilt the headrests forward.
-juice
bit
-juice
bit
Thanks...
sunshine60105!
Subaru offers a fairly long 5 year powertrain warranty to ease any worries, and we have an SoA rep participating right here in this Town Hall that helps resolve any issues that might creep up.
I see from your profile that you're also shopping the Camry, a fine and reliable car itself, if perhaps a little boring.
But I've always been a fan of hatchbacks and wagons for their versatility. You can fit a lot more in a wagon than you can in a sedan. Our clothes washer broke down, and instead of paying $50 for delivery, I was able to haul a new high capacity model home even with the box, hatch closed.
Plus, Camry doesn't offer AWD. Take a look at the Highlander, which is basically a Camry wagon with AWD. Heck, it even looks a bit like the Forester, just on a bigger scale (in size and price).
Good luck shopping and let us know what you end up with. You're welcome here regardless.
-juice
My wife has complained several times about how unfair it is that the passenger almost always gets gypped when it comes to seat adjustments (except for the lux market).
-Frank P.
How 'bout a pillow? ;-)
-juice
...at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/subaruchat.html
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
The Forester S has plenty of equipment, like rear disc brakes, ABS, power everything, A/C, in-dash 6 CD changer, 16" alloys wheels, rear limited slip diffy, AWD (of course), heated seats, mirrors, and windshield, and plenty more.
Jeeps come pretty stripped as standard, and then options are a-la-carte. My guess is for $22k you're going to generally get far less equipment. I doubt it'll have ABS, for example, but check it out.
The Liberty is a truck and the Forester is a car. It's a pretty big distinction - drive them back to back and you'll see what I mean. I think after one drive you will lean towards one or the other.
-juice
Thanks for information! The Subaru Forester and Legacy both sound good,so I'm gonna test drive both,and make decision on either the Forester or Subaru...
Yes, the Camry are boring,and not only are they boring,they're not as safe as they used to be or reliable... The subaru sound like how the Camry sounded in 94 when I got mine... Camry has alot of things that are being made cheaply on it cause it was was #1 for so many years ,and it was the best selling car by toyota,so they decided that they'd make more by cutting corners ,and this has made the Camry have problems. The Camry now has glued on mirrors that were once installed properly with that car that was part of the car,but now it's glued, the mirror inside is now glued in which was once bolted in... The antenna outside of the car is now glued on which was once installed within the car... I had to have my antenna replaced because my Mom closed the garage which is operated by button anyway she closed the garage ,and it hit my attena ,so we had to replace the atenna,it cost like 400.00 to replace cause it was built in and it was a motor,now the attenas on the Camrys are glued on,and the door handles fall off.... Camry is madee very poorly now...
The subaru's sound like a great name,and sounds reliable and very safe... The Forrester and Legacy came up with the highest crash tests which means that they're both safe cars which I'm sure you know being that you own three subarus...
Sometime next week I'm gonna test drive the subaru Forrester and Legacy ,and make decision on which one I want..Looked at the Insurance for the Legacy ,and that looks good,and I'll see what the
Forrester is to insure. I really think that I am gonna get either a Forrester or Legacy because I am already looking at colors for both...Thanks Juice... I will let you on which vehicle I decided on by Subaru..... Thank you for saying that I am welcome in this forum no matter what....
You've been very helpful to me, thanks...There are sure a lot of nice people in here,and your one of them....
Drive them back-to-back as Juice suggested and the differences will be obvious. The Forester is a proven excellent vehicle and the Liberty has the potential to also be excellent. Each however, targets a different market segment.
Also, I'm going to have to disagree with what Vu Nguyen said. The Liberty is definitely not more comfortable and the Forester's quality is above average (it's a recommended buy by Consumer Reports).
-Frank P.
It is, however still a truck. If you need what the Liberty offers—excellent towing and off-road capability, this is clearly the choice. If however, those issues are of little or no concern to you, then I would buy the Forester. it rides better, and it handles better.
The Jeep is new and unproven. IMO, early indications show the Liberty to be off to a good start. The ones I drove were flawless.
The Forester has a great track record. Virtually every publication has praised it, and, if the owners on this forum are any indication, you'll be one happy owner too.
Bob
If I wanted a rough-and-tough vehicle, I'd probably get XTerra instead. I just don't believe in Jeep quality especially in 1st year model.
I really don't like the Xterra's rear seats. The way they fold screams—CHEAP! Also, because of the stepped roof, you can only get a pop-up sunroof, not a sliding one. And if you get the roof rack basket, it completely blocks the sunroof. And... as beefy-looking as that roof rack looks, it can only carry 100 lbs., as opposed to the Liberty's 150 lb. roof rack rating. Finally, it rides on rear leaf springs from the Frontier pickup, whereas the Liberty has coil springs on the rear.
I see the Xterra as very clever marketing using rather crude underpinnings. Nissan really picked through their parts bin and came up with a very successful product. It may work just fine, but I much prefer the more modern, and better thought out Liberty.
Bob
Out of curiosity, does anyone know if Subaru is dropping this option?
There is no reference to it in the 2002 literature. There is a strange blank space on the options page, and the black Forester pictured in the 2001 lit. with brush guard and sport grille now just has the brush guard in the 2002 book.
Things that make ya go "hmmmm."
Check out SOA's VIP Partner's Program where the dealer has to sell you the car for invoice or less. I was even able to negotiate the holdback. Call 1-800-VIP-0933
Eligibility is restricted to employee of companies that does business with SoA, or clubs where SoA has some sort of affiliation like, what was that canoe or bicycle club? You're eligible as I am for that afore mentioned reason. So, I won't be so quick to get everybody's hopes up there.
Guys/Gals don't go rushing to the phone, it's a misfire.
However, you could check with your company if the program is available to you.