Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

davidwatts · February 2002

Thanks for your responses.

I already called the 1-800 SoA customer line. Three different "help" people said basically, "You're the first one." I always hate that. Luckily being in a business that deals with quite a bit of defective goods, I had my standard reply which is:

"Great! Now you'll be able to devote a lot of time and attention to MY case."

lilbluewgn02 · February 2002

try calling 1-800 Subaru3 and asking for Patti...maybe she can help
Serge

gened1 · February 2002

Hi,
I took a test drive today in a Forester S Premium and was surprised to find that, although the seat was confortable, there was no power adjustment. I liked everything about the vehicle except the lack of power seat for the driver. Is there an aftermarket seat that anyone is aware of that would solve this problem. The seat adjustments seemed awfully hard to adjust.
Thanks for any help or info you may be able to provide.
Gene

lakepop · February 2002

OK... nothing to do with much of anything but today is a most unusual day:

02-22-02

Supposedly this oddity of a number combination will not occur again for several hundred years. I did not check but we will probably miss the next one..............lol

p0926 · February 2002

Actually, the BIG day was the 20th when at 8:02 PM, the complete digital readout of the time was 20:02 20/02 2002. That was a singular event that will never be repeated. The only other time it could have happened was in the year 1001 but the effect just wasn't the same using a sun dial :-)

-Frank P.

lakepop · February 2002

Frank...OK but also 10:02/10:22 pm tonight

10:02pm = 2202/22/02/2002

10:22pm = 2222/22/02/2002

OK....I'll stop..didn't mean to go off the deep end : )

kate5000 · February 2002

Just to bring it back on topic, someone told me that there were exactly 2002 of model 2002 Foresters produced in the year 2002 :-)

oregonboy · February 2002

In my youth, the car that I most lusted for was a BMW 2002. (I owned the less powerful 1600). Every time I see a 2002 for sale in the classifieds, I still do a double-take before I recognize that it's the model YEAR rather than the model.

-james

armac13 · February 2002

I had a used one. It was a wonderful car to drive - both days it was running properly. It was the most unreliable non-American car I have ever owned and the parts prices were beyond belief (and I had to buy a lot of them!). That was the last time I let my ex-wife talk me into buying a car.

Ross

kens · February 2002

Gene,

Unfortunately, I haven't heard of any aftermarket power seats. I know that the OB and Legacy GT get power seats, but I don't know if it would be possible to swap those into a Forester.

Do you need power seats because you have multiple drivers for your vehicle? In my case, I'm the only one who drives my Forester so I haven't touched the seat controls in a while. Sometimes the controls can be stiff when there's a load on the seat. Try a coarse adjustment off the seat, then fine tune it when you're back on. It might save you a few cranks of the dials.

Ken

rictom · February 2002

I just heard from my inlaws. The dealer gave them $6500 for their Subaru, and sold them a 2002 L with cdplayer for 15k. I'll try and find out more details, but they seem to be happy and that's the most important thing. And they chose the same color we have for our 2002 so of course we think that's cool!
Thanks for the advice, glad they didn't have to get medieval...

megs50 · February 2002

Was the Wheel Bearing problem with the Forester as well.? I have a 1998 with 34,900 miles, I wonder if I ought to have them checked?
Well it was a smart buy about to end the term 17 May, but with my luck this would go bad just before turn in. I wouldn't mind keeping it, but Subaru Credit won't finace at a lower rate like most credit companies will. I am sorry I didn't go thru Gm, they are easier to deal with.

megs50 · February 2002

I live in Texas and was going to trade my 1998 forester, with only 34,000 miles no damage, they only wanted to give me 7500 for it. Said it has no value in the south. Up north it is well liked but for the southern states , they can hardly see new they said let alone used. I talked to six or seven dealers, from Subaru, to Ford to toyota, to chevy. No takers, I was really surprised when I found this car had no real trade in value, even with all the extras this has in it.
I was and still am shocked to hear they didn't want to give me not even Half of Blue book price

lilbluewgn02 · February 2002

I also had a BMW 2002..bought it new in 1974, and immediately put 9000 miles on it on a 9 week cross country jaunt with the ex...no problems except in Denver, got it fixed on off we went...she ended up with the car...should have never taught her to drive stick! I liked that car...fun to drive

Yet another Serge

varmint · February 2002

Update on the problem my coworker asked me about.

The mechanic at the dealer investigated the "clunk" heard while at idle. He determined that the problem was an engine mount. The engine mount "did not fit correctly" and they have ordered a replacement part. I have to assume that the incorrect fitting resulted in damage to the part (or they installed the wrong mount at the factory?).

Anyway, we'll have to wait a while and see what happens. I'm a bit suspicious of the engine mount theory. I would have thought that such a problem would have made itself known at higher engine speeds, not at idle.

She's okay with the repairs. They are being covered under warranty. Her only complaint is with the rental car co. which gave her a Kia Sephia.

odd1 · February 2002

You might need to sell it on your own. That is a lot lower than what I saw them being offered for in the paper for Austin. I haven't seen a single used Forester in the paper here in Houston in the month I've been living here. It must be the outdoor lifestyle around Austin, that makes Foresters more common there, since Houston is 400% larger.

Your other option for selling it depending on where you live is to use CarMax. I don't know how they operate but, from what I read on the net people seem to like their way of doing business.

There is also the option of just keeping it. If you are putting less than 10,000 miles a year on it, you could go a number of years without a car payment:^).I'm guessing from a previous post this is at the end of its lease. You may be able to negotiate a better deal on the amount remaining if they don't want it. Do you have to finance it thru Subaru if you keep it? Or can you use a credit union?

bsvoller · February 2002

Wow, that surprises me too. Without knowing the details for your Forester, I put your mileage on an 'S', loaded, and Denver's zipcode into Edmund's resale value estimator, and it came back with a retail value of nearly $15k. That's a lot closer to what I would expect, based on what I've seen around here.

I bet the dealers think they can steal it from you and sell it out of state for a womping profit.

Do you know someone who'd park it in front of his place where Forester's are common (and cherished) ? That's what I'd do for $7500 !

(Heck I bought my wife's Sentra, 3 years old with 48k on it, loaded for $7200 a few years back, and it's a nice little car...)

kens · February 2002

$7500 sounds very low, even if it's not a popular vehicle there. If I understand correctly, you were looking to trade-in, right? As you've probably found out from the other posts here, you can command a better value by selling it yourself.

I wonder if you can sell across state lines by putting your vehicle up on eBay?

For reference, I asked my local dealer in CA what I could get for my 98 Forester S with about 50K miles on a trade-in. I think I was quoted just about KBB.

Ken

bj02176 · February 2002

Back in the eighties I had an accident with my subaru, can't remember which model. It happened in April, I waited till after Jul 4th weekend for the parts to arrive. It was a lackluster car, hesitated, loved the orange dash. After it was fixed it was never right, horn would go off in rainy weather, etc. I swore I would neve buy another subaru, that is what keeps me from considering a Forester. Have a Liberty now, not a very safe vehicle, put together well though. also have had a Tribute and a CRV, Tribute has reliablity problems but it is a very good vehicle with bad gas mileage. I would go with the CRV, it was good in the snow, got good gas mileage and was reliable.

goldencouple1 · February 2002

Respectfully: if the CR-V is good in snow, the Forester is great in snow. And the 80's, if my math is right, is as much as 22 years ago or as little as 13 years ago. A lot has happened in 13 to 22 years. I had two Toyotas in the 80's. I had accidents with both of them. Neither was all that grand by present standards -- small, slowish. After the accidents neither was the same -- might've had something to do with getting T-boned. But they were both fun and pretty reliable compared to American cars of the period. Forester is a great car, at least in my opinion, and numerous soruces tend to agree with me.

jei · February 2002

I'd echo goldencouple's comment. In 1985, I chose a Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD wagon over the Subaru Loyale & Honda Civic 4WD wagons. IIRC, the Subaru pricing was higher when equalized for equipment & options, the seating & ride less comfortable, fit & finish not as good. The Toyota's seats & handling were grand, transmission & clutch smooth, and the engine underpowered. I loved it despite its few faults. I was fortunate not to have any accidents, and my Toyota lasted 14 years & 280,000 largely trouble free miles. When its head gasket went, I replaced rather than rebuild. The rust had gone too far.

In 1999, I compared the Outback, Forester, CRV, RAV4 + used Camry wagons. Couldn't afford a 4Runner. Despite my strong leaning toward Toyotas, the Forester won hands down in the utility, comfort & pleasure-to-drive categories. As of 92,000 miles, its reliability has been very good although not as trouble free as my old Toyota. Still, this is more than offset by the car's overall delightful character. Parts are readily available here in the Northeast.

The market has changed greatly since the 1980s. If I were in the market this year, I'd probably end up buying a 2003 Forester. (I'd still be tempted by the Toyota Highlander, but it's larger and more expensive than I can justify.)

If its another 10+ years before I buy another car, I'm sure I'll be researching from scratch, even with my leanings toward Toyota & Subaru.

John

kens · February 2002

It's interesting how important the ownership experience of one vehicle is in determining how one feels about an entire product line. I'm sure Subaru was a lot smaller and quirkier back in the 80's.

I often hear about people asking about parts availability. It may have been a problem back then, but it sure isn't a major issue now. Parts procurement at dealers should be as good as any big auto manufacturer.

I've seen quite a few beat-up old Subaru wagons from around that time and they just seem to keep ticking.

Ken

entropy5527 · February 2002

I must admit that much has changed since the 80's, but once you have been burned by a car it is hard to forget. I have owned 6 cars since 1982, 5 subaru's (all still operating) and 1 Dodge (left me stranded 7 times in 35,000 miles). I swore I would never buy another American made car, and I have expanded that to never buy a Subaru made in America. Once you have been stuck in the middle of Montana staring at an empty freeway at midnight in a blizzard your neurons are permanently set on some things. I love my Subaru's for reliability, and the fact I have always made it to my destination. I still feel comfortable that even my 1982 GL wagon (348,000 miles) that my daughter drives will make it where ever I need to go.

hayduke01 · February 2002

I had an '87 GL wagon.

The good: real 4WD, with low range. (Why can't someone offer that today in a car-based SUV? Would offering that or the AWD as an option be that difficult/costly?). Flat dashboard for my coffee in the pre cupholder era.

The bad: sluggish performance (I think it was a 1.8 litre engine, not nearly enough HP or torque for the weight). Unreliable cold starts. Last year before fuel injection. Stranded me in the middle of nowhere once when the timing belt gave out before scheduled replacement.

But from reading here I'm convinced a lots changed since then, so I'd actually consider a Subaru again. Currently drive a Civic. It'll probably come down the the CR-V or the Forester.

goldencouple1 · February 2002

Hayduke --

You can hardly go wrong with either. Forester fit my needs best at the time. CR-V is great. Honda is a great brand. So is Subaru.

rsholland · February 2002

<< The good: real 4WD, with low range. (Why can't someone offer that today in a car-based SUV? >>

Subaru still offers that featurejust not here. If you go to Europe, Africa, Australia, etc., you will find the dual range trannyand the hill-holder clutch. BTW, The hill-holder clutch is returning to North America in the '03 Forester, which will be here in late May.

Bob

kevin106 · February 2002

If you're looking for real 4WD consider the Land Rover Freelander. It doesn't have a true low range, but with the push of a button you get a great hill descent control system (forward and reverse). since it's a permanent 4WD system, getting stuck is pretty hard from a standstill or up a steep incline. Also Hayduke01, cupholders in the dash that open for that all-important cup O' java for the road. Prices start on the Freelander @25K, but well equiped. Drive one, you'll LOVE it. Very crisp!!

thecat · February 2002

3 yrs. of agonizing over bird droppings and such came to an end today when my wife introduced the front end of the Forester to a 3/4 ton P/U bumper. She wasn't hurt (scared pretty good though) but the Forester hood got peeled back like a pop top can.

It's a reoccurring theme with her. She has wrecked every car she has had, since we've been married. In all fairness this is the 1st one that was her fault.

I don't know how others feel but, after it's repaired it will never be the same to me.

Lynn is not allowed to drive the WRX. Ever !

- Hutch

rsholland · February 2002

Sorry to hear the news.

I know exactly how you feel. Maybe in the spring, it will be time for a new '03 Forester?

Bob

thecat · February 2002

but I was thinking of something more along the lines of military surplus for Lynn's next vehicle. Perhaps a tank or a used Hummer. You know, something with which she can run over things instead of into things.

- Hutch

rsholland · February 2002

or perhaps a Land Rover "Defender"...

Bob

kens · February 2002

Sorry for the bad news, but your wife's okay right?

Are you going to fix and keep the Forester? The good news is that since you kept the rest of the vehicle in such good shape, the new paint job on the front end shouldn't stand out like a sore thumb.

Hey, this might be a good chance to put on one of those aluminum hoods from the turbo Foresters -- if you're into things like that.

Ken

dhdunn · February 2002

I'm not sure, but from the looks of it, the Freelander shares the same platform as the Ford/Mazda Escape/Tribute. If that's the case, then one should be concerned about the numerous recalls I believe that this vehicle has had (although this might not apply if the application of the platform is that different), and also be very concerned about the not-so-good crash tests. Here's what the Insurance Insitute for Highway Safety rates the Escape (unfortunately, there's no rating for the Freelander as of yet):

http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0105.htm

I'd be wary...

d

rsholland · February 2002

<< I'm not sure, but from the looks of it, the Freelander shares the same platform as the Ford/Mazda Escape/Tribute >>

The only thing they share is the Ford "umbrella" name. Other than that, they have nothing in common. They were designed independently of on another. In fact, the Freelander was on sale (or was about to go on sale) in Europe before Ford even bought Land Rover.

Bob

thecat · February 2002

Ah, Ken, I think I'm gonna pass on that one. Actually, in its present state, it already has a hood scoop. A big inverted V. Kind of blocks you vision though.

Ken, I've never seen a re-paint job that was like the factory application. You can always tell. Since I will know about it, I'll always notice it.
- Hutch

tincup47 · February 2002

Saved me the trouble. Ford bought Land Rover in July of 2000. The Freelander went on sale in Europe in 1997. Actually Honda got the idea for the CRV from seeing the Freelander under development in the early 90's. Honda just had more resources to get it to market sooner, as they took less than 2 years to get it to market, Freelander took over 6 years to debut in Europe.

storyteller · February 2002

According to a Japanese source, Nissan will "soon" bring two new SUVs to the US market. One will be a luxury vehicle. That leaves open the possibility the other will be the highly regarded XTrail available in many other markets but not here, a car-based SUV that would probably compete with CR-V and Forester.

storyteller · February 2002

Someone reminded me that Pathfinder is due for a remake. So maybe no XTrail after all.

rsheldon1 · February 2002

I previously posted the problem I was having with my Forester in that it had a cold weather knock when starting lasting as long as 15 minutes on extremely cold days. Napelton's Auto Werks, in Rockford, Illinois, diagnosed the problem as a faulty timing belt tensioner and ordered the parts and this past Wednesday they did the repair and I am happy to say that they were absolutely accurate with their assesment. The dealership was very professional about the entire deal even providing a follow-up call to make sure they had solved the problem. I am glad they got it taken care of as it was progressively getting worse each day and I am also glad it wasn't anything pertaining to the actual internals such as piston slap. I have a question as to why does Subaru want the plugs changed at 30,000 miles and how does Subaru get off at charging such gouging prices for air and fuel fileters? They are out of their minds when a air filter exceeds $21.00 and a fuel filter is even more.

megs50 · February 2002

I like my 1998 Forester,but it doesn't seem to have much trade in value. With 34,000 miles no dealer would give me over 7500 for it. It is a smart buy with Subaru Credit,who refuses to re finance or come down on there interest rate, which was high in the first place. I have paid my payments timely , flawlessly but yet they say they Don't refinance leases etc, don't drop rates period. I have had some transmission problems, the seat belts had to be replaced. Get good gas mileage I haven't deceided whether I am just going to turn it back, probably will cause this truck Has no re sale value in Texas, and Subaru doesn't re finance

megs50 · February 2002

I live in Houston Texas, my forester is in excellant condition, I installed a manufacture Cd player, Alarm system, has 34,000 miles, no accidents, very few flaws. Had purchased this with many upgrades, premium wheels, premium muffler system, heated seats, fully loaded. But apparently these are not to popular here. Dealers told me that up north this vehicle is a good seller, not in Texas. I don't know why , cause these fog lights have really helped me and the awd is good with all the rain we get. But still it is only worth about $7500.00. so don't know what I am going to do about it. I have got much time til end of Smart buy term.

dolphinchic · February 2002

Hi all.
My Forester is three weeks old. And I love her to death. Last weekend we got rear ended at a stoplight. It was raining and the guy behind slipped into a skid hitting me at 45-50 mph (or so he told the cop). I can't see any damage on my car, but I want her checked out. What should I insist the insurance people check for?

On another note...For the first week that I had the car, putting gas in was no problem...then all of a sudden the little hinged flap to the fuel tank got stuck. When I put the gas pump in, the door only cracks open so I have to very slowly dribble the gas in. Did I do something silly? Is this a quick fix, or do I need to take my car in to the doctor?
Thanks so much

john284 · February 2002

Hi, Just had 30K service at Stohlman SUBARU, VA. I found that there is a strong burning smell from the radiator, and the coolant level go above the max level while the engine has run for a while, but goes back to the max level, after it cooled down. I call the dealer, and was told that the opposite should happen: coolent level should be lower in the reservoir while the engine is running. I wonder if they have followed the correct procedure to change the coolant, Shame on their if they messed up. Also I am supposed to have spark plugs changed but the dealership said the plugs are plantinum plugs and should be good for 65000 miles. I have a colleague who got a service at 30K there, and a few thousands miles later, had to have the water pump replaced(within warrantee).
Thanks.
John

tidester · February 2002

...slipped into a skid hitting me at 45-50 mph (or so he told the cop). I can't see any damage on my car...

I am quite certain that at 40-50 mph you'd see a whole bunch of damage!

tidester
Host
SUVs

ckirk4 · February 2002

The recent comments about the Forester are very interesting. I found the wheel bearing problem to be so interesting that I contacted SUBARU3, after having had a conversation with a sales person on Feb. 23, 2002, in Lexington, KY. Specifically, the sales person told me to expect to replace the wheel bearings in 50K. However, he said this type of work is covered under the warranty. As for the person handling the calls at SUBARU3, she said this is a new complaint and had not heard about the wheel bearing problem prior to my call. She seem to believe that the complaints are isolated cases. I am interested in hearing more comments about this problem. I am very interested in the 2003 Forester but do not want to buy a vehicle that will constantly have wheel bearing problems.

p0926 · February 2002

Carroll-

a. That sales person is an idiot if he actually said that and he obviously wasn't interested in a sale.

b. SOA reps are under pretty strict rules on what they can and can not say. While SOA is better than most manufacturers in helping owners find out what's wrong with their cars and pitching in to fix the problem, it would be very unusual for them to admit to a model wide defect unless there had been a recall.

c. Anecdotal evidence does suggest that early model Foresters did suffer from a higher than normal failure rate of the wheel bearings. Further more, many bearings improperly replaced by dealers lead to repeat failures (causing SOA to publish guidance for the dealers on how to correctly replace the wheel bearings).

d. In spite of this problem, the Forester is still rated as above avg in reliability by Consumer Reports and is a recommended buy. So while there may in fact have been a problem, is was obviously never very widespread.

e. In any case, reports of wheel bearing failures are rare to non-existent for the last couple of model years so the 2003 model should be free of this defect.

ckirk4 · February 2002

Mark-
Thanks for the info. I must admit that I was mildly surprised when the sales person made the
50 K. replacement statement. I was even more surprised when he was so willing to let this be routine warranty work under the 5year, 60 thousand mile power train. As stated in my original text, the person representing Subaru at SUBARU3 seemed to know nothing about the matter.

ateixeira · February 2002

The 2003 model will likely use the new bearing/hub design from the 2002 Impreza, so the issue ought to vanish.

Speak of funny number, what if you bought a 2000 Lotus Seven, could you call it a Double-OH Seven (007)? ;-)

Lillian: I'd e-Bay that bad boy. You'll get $12-14k or so. Heck, I'd give you $8 grand and resell it up here in DC where they are in high demand.

Hutch: sorry to hear about the collision. Hope Lynn's feeling OK. Mine got hit pretty good from behind, but it sounds like your damage was more serious. All that crumpling is what protected her, though, so we should be happy about that. I'd be looking at a 2003, too, that's the perfect excuse to trade up. It has bigger brake rotors, too!

Richard: I'd suggest you shop on-line for parts. I don't recall exact prices, but I bought all the parts for my 30k service for peanuts.

Dolphin: let a dealer look at the bumper for damage. There are parts that are designed to break away and absorb the impact, so just because you can't see it does not mean there was no damage. Don't rely only on their insurance company, which probably doesn't enjoy handing out money. Go get an independent damage quote from a Subaru dealer, and demand OE parts since it's so brand new.

-juice

odd1 · February 2002

Did you say heated seats? I guess you might get to turn them on the next couple of days.

I still say offer them a low number to buy it if it is only worth 7500 here and finance with someone else, since no one seems to want it.

By the way, I saw a 98 Forester L Auto w/31K listed for $14,998 in this past weekend's Carmax ad here in Houston(Gulf Freeway location).

The 60 plus inches of rain a year we get here is exactly why I'm interested in the Forester, as well as not wanting to drive an Odyssey in the traffic here.

outback165 · February 2002

Hey Forester Crowd!

I drive a 01 OB, my sister a 98 OB, and mom is about to get an 02 Forester. Someone gave me an optional guage pack he had (compass, temp guage, barometer...) I think it came out of his 99 ... anyone know whether I can install this in Mom's 02? There is no wiring harness with this, I wonder whether the cars are pre-wired. Is it tough getting that storage cover off?

Any thoughts?

Thanks all.

HOUSTON: $7500 sounds WAY low for your Forester. List it on Autotrader.com -- you'll surely get tons of bites. Low to mid teens sounds a little more accurate depending on specifics on your car. Try calling New England Subie dealers, they might like to buy your car (granted at wholesale, but more than $7500 for their used car lots)

Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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