-June 2024 Special Lease Deals-
2024 Chevy Blazer EV lease from Bayway Auto Group Click here
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee lease from Mark Dodge Click here
2025 Ram 1500 Factory Order Discounts from Mark Dodge Click here
2024 Chevy Blazer EV lease from Bayway Auto Group Click here
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee lease from Mark Dodge Click here
2025 Ram 1500 Factory Order Discounts from Mark Dodge Click here
Options
Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
http://www.subaru-global.com/lineup/forester/download/
I want to finalize this one way or another today and tomorrow.
-Frank P.
Heck, if you live in the DC area, come over and I'll put 'em on for ya. It's really that easy.
If you insist on having the dealer do it, offer the invoice price plus the minimum 1 hour of labor, or $192 plus whatever they charge for labor. I think $60 is fair, so $252 total for all 6 installed.
-juice
-Frank P.
If you're okay using a standard screwdriver, upgrading the speakers is a piece of cake.
I would suggest buying just the tweeters from the dealer and the other speakers from a place like Crutchfield and doing the installation yourself.
The Forester is already pre-wired with the tweeter crossovers so it's pretty much crimp-and-play. The Crutchfield EZ installation kits have everything you need so no cutting or splicing.
Ken
I think the twin turbo in the Legacy Blitzen is a 2.0l as well.
-juice
Ken
I too would like more power in a Forester. I agree that the WRX, while a very nice package, is just too small for my needs.
I bought my Forester after the sales rep suggested I drive one. I had initially gone in to try out a Legacy GT. But the Forester was more "nimble," as the auto magazine writers say, and faster. There should be versions of both the Forester and the GT that offer more power. Either a 2.5 turbo or a 3.0 six would be nice.
although I don't believe subaru recommend it some advice i've had is to change oil & filter at that
time;any comment fellow subarees.nhmcck
Mike k
Steve
As far as price goes, Edmunds lists the current TMV at approx $300 under invoice. I think there is also a $500 dealer incentive (that expires today). Therefore, I'd think you could get the dealer to come down some more. Having said that, if it was me, the price differential still wouldn't be big enough to convince me to buy a 2002 over a 2003.
-Frank P.
I don't think the WRX is significantly smaller except in terms of the shape, especially height, of the cargo area. I wouldn't have been able to haul as much tall, square antique furniture or home entertainment equipment in the WRX wagon.
Ed
I live in the Philadelphia metro area and, while we don't typically get more than 2 feet of snow a winter, we have gotten accumulations of up to a foot at one shot.
So I am not looking for a dedicated snow or winter tire, but a good all-season performance type that will be at least adequate in snow, slush or ice - hopefully better in all categories than the Geolandars.
My inclination is to go with a set of Dunlop SP Sport 5000s or SP Sport A2s. What are your opinions on these or other choices?
Thanks,
Ed
-Frank P.
If you can wait a couple of days, I'd be happy to share first impressions with you.
We drive an '01 Forester S/MT for comparison's sake.
FWIW, the A2's seemed to be very highly rated by everybody I could find, and I did research this pretty thoroughly. The general consensus seems to be that they match the Geo's in the dry and wet, outperform them considerably in the snow, run quiet and offer twice the useful life mileage-wise. Plus, they're still affordable at under $100 each, mounted balanced and installed.
I'm getting ours at Discount Tire. Same price as Tirerack and I get to deal with a human. Great service too.
Hope this helps,
-brianV
-Frank P.
If it's free, go ahead and change the oil at 1600km. There is no break-in oil used, in fact it's plain ol' Havoline motor oil.
My keyless entry works on all doors if you hold it (or hit it twice), and yes it turns on the light. The cool thing is that when you lock the doors, the lights fade slowly, like opera lights. Classy.
-juice
Tires that I would consider are:
- Dunlop SP5000
- Dunlop Sport A2
- Continental CH95
- Bridgestone Turanza LS-V
The SP5000's are popular, but a local tire shop recommended my friend (also owns a Forester S) not to go with them because of the body roll on the Forester. He recommended the A2 instead.
The Contis are value priced and seem to have good overall handling.
The Turanzas usually get very good wet handling but snow performance doesn't seem very good.
brianV -- Please keep us posted on your A2 experiences!
Ken
Ed
According to my friend, the tire dealer thought that the body roll on the Forester would cause faster wear on the SP5000 since they were designed for sport cars. I don't know how true this is, but the dealer is a huge fan of the SP5000 and probably would not hesitate to recommend them unless there were some concerns. Then again, he's probably never driven a Forester either. Just FYI.
Also, my friend who got the Sport A2s didn't notice a huge difference in handling and performance compared to the stock Geos. I drove his Forester S also (not a the limit) and I can agree that I really couldn't tell them apart.
Ken
Ed
What I have yet to believe is that the A2s perform as well as touted on Tire Rack's surveys in snow. The A2 has relatively few treads that run perpendicular to the tire's rotational direction so I don't know how it would get such a good foothold in snow.
Ken
Ed
felt safer running my FWD Camry in snow, slush, and ice conditions than my Forester with Geolander tires. There are other good snow tire alternatives suited for urban winter/snow conditions.
Will be puchasing the Alpins for the Forester as soon as I can find
some 16" takeoffs.
RickH
Questions: is the clutch chatter a common issue? I'm wondering about the extended warranty (purchase or not).
Does $380 seem a lot for the 30k service?
Think I'll keep her for now (unless the turbo For comes out). She has new (WRX) rims); sport grill... I even have a front bumper guard (I know its cosmetic but it WAS cheap).
Last question: Should I trader he in on a Kia instead?
-R
PS. Last question was a Halloween joke.
These have been on my Forester S for 40k miles now, and they have been better than the originals in most repects, including snow performance. They are down to 4/32 of tread now and will hydroplane at expressway speeds in heavy rain, and I am sure that their snow performance this winter will not be so good. They are T rated, but given that the Forester has a speed limiter programmed into the ECU (around 106 according to C&D's original road test), that is OK. They cost $69 each installed at BJs Wholesale when I bought them, but the price is now $89. They are available from Tire Rack for less, but with shipping and installation, it may come out the same.
My experiences with Continental are in the distant past, but they were uniformly bad, with tires getting out of round long before the tread wore out. I had the older Dunlop D60 A2 on two cars and, as I recall, they were fine until the tread was half worn, then they were treacherous on snow. They lasted around 30-35k.
The new Bridgstone Turanza LS series looks very promising, but they have not been out long enough for a good evaluation. They have a unique design that is meant to keep traction uniform as they wear. Again, being a cheapskate, I will be looking at the T-rated ones. They also have a very high tread wear rating.
Ed
For instance, the past two years we've had almost nothing. You'd have been better off never mounting them.
And our last Blizzard was in '93, but it happened in March. By then, you probably would have had the summer tires back on, because we usually only get snow in January and February.
So at least for me that's not a practical solution. I'd have to mount/dismount the snows for each storm, if and when it happened.
Renato: $380 seems a little steep, but it depends on what they did. Did they do more than what Subaru requires?
Either way, if they covered the clutch and brakes, which IMO are wear-and-tear items and fall in the grey area in terms of whether they should be covered or not, then I would be happy with my dealer.
My wife had BFG T/A VR4 tires on her 626, and they were pretty good. I think they're a good value. Given you got 40k miles, why not just get another set? Do it now, before winter.
-juice
It's my opinion that the Forester is more fun to drive around town becaue of its higher seating position, and seemingly faster acceleration between 0-30. The LL-Bean was more ponderous around town, and the visibility was not nearly as good. However on the freeway, the H6 is MUCH smoother and more quiet. It also has alot more power between 55-80, so it's much easier to pass on two lane roads. The seats were about the same in my opinion, although the LL-Bean had leather while my Forester has cloth. I was expecting much nicer seats in the larger Outback, but I could feel no significant difference.
But at the end of the rental, I was happy to get my Forester back. The LL-Bean only got 20.0 MPG on about 80% highway driving, while my Forester has recently improved to 26-27 MPG in the same conditions (both were automatic transmissions). I put about 75 miles a day on my car, so the mileage is getting more and more important to me.
When I read about the upcoming turbo, I guess I'm alone in wishing they would instead bring an more economical engine over. I would be willing to give up a little pep for 30 MPG. Frankly in the Bay Area, it's rare that I really need much acceleration. I've even been considering buying a second commuter car like a Honda Insight for the commute, and save the Forester for weekend trips when I need the extra room. What really surprises me are the people I know who commute in larger SUV's and get 13-15. Ouch!
Having set the scene, here's my first impressions of these tires:
Looks - pretty sharp, at least IMHO
Tread pattern - pretty wide, 3-part center rib section, almost a third of the tire, flanked by fairly deep circumferential water channels separating the center rib section from the shoulders. Shoulders have curved, fairly deep and wide treads spaced every inch or so. There are fewer of these than on the stock Geo's, but they're wider and more aggressive. These might explain the snow grabbing ability of these tires. Narrower siping crosshatch on the two flanking center ribs extending onto the shoulders (crossing the circumferential water channels).
Overall, I thought the tread should look deeper than it does.
Handling - given the conditions, I'm obviously not pushing these tires, however, straight-ahead braking is at least on par with the Geo's in the slick (trying to remember back to when the Geo's were also new...) In the corners, the Dunlop's feel less secure, but it is icy at night. Run quiet, even in the wet. Plenty of grab to get up the hills in the slick.
Overall, I'd give 'em a B+ so far.
Hope this helps,
-brianV
As long as I can get 20mpg or so, I'd still opt for more power.
You remind me of our Legacy, which does have longer legs. It's better for trips, highway jaunts, and back seat passengers. The cargo floor is positively huge.
The Forester is indeed better in the city, more suited to point and squirt driving. Better visibility, tighter turning circle, and less mass helps in every way. It carries boxy cargo better, too. Plus, it's easier to get into, you just slide into it vs. sitting down in the Legacy.
-juice
I just feel that (my opinion only) there are plenty of choices for more powerful but low MPG vechilces, but not too many for high MPG choices. It would be nice to have a range of engines available that would allow us to choose better MPG over power. I would really like to be able to buy a hybrid engine for this car. Maybe in 10 year or so ....
If you are trying to email someone, you can check their profile and see if their email is marked public. It's more fun if you just share with everyone though!
Steve, Host
Of the top fuel misers, the Civic hybrid, Prius, Insight, Golf TDI, and Jetta TDI are all entry level products. Only the Passat TDI isn't.
You might even call the regular Civic and Corolla fuel misers, but they aren't offered in wagons. Maybe manufacturers are afraid they'll load them up with too much payload and overwhelm the powertrain?
I look at it this way - I bought the Forester instead of less efficient SUVs, so in a way I'm doing my share. In fact back in college I pledged to never buy a vehicle that didn't get 20mpg in the EPA city cycle, and so far I've been able to keep that promise, even with 2 kids and a wife that thinks "Pack Light" is a small city in the Philippines.
-juice
I think that the hybrid concept has real potential to be successful in the market place by offering both good acceleration and fuel mileage. I've heard that Ford plans to come out with a hybrid version of the Escape in the next couple of years. Too bad it's a Ford :(o) but maybe that will inspire other manufacturers to follow suit.
-Frank P.
Turbos do not necessarilly mean fuel inefficiency. I drove a Passat 1.8t for a while and was very impressed with its economy. It has one of the cleanest engines around and had the added benefit of sparkling performance when wanted. I seem to remember that I could get 35mpg from an Imperial gallon if I was careful. Admittedly, I drive fairly lightly most of the time and average about 30mpg from my Outback.
Cheers
Graham
Out of boost, a turbo doesn't burn any more gas than a N/A engine.
Added displacement usually does, though.
I was surprised that Subaru dropped the 2.2l engine, the TS wagon could easily get by with that. In fact, they have a 2.0l in Japan that makes 156hp, and that is more than enough for a value-priced TS.
-juice
-Frank P.
I'll take a turbo, though. Actually, since Audi vacated that spot with the exit of the current S4, it leaves a gap for Subaru to occupy. The next S4 won't be in the same price/power class.
-juice