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2008 Forester

204meca204meca Member Posts: 369
edited March 2014 in Subaru
I am helping a friend get a new car & Foresters are on her short list (though I am trying to convince her she does not need AWD) in Western WA.

I see that there are great rebates on the 2007 & 2008 Forester X. It looks like there have been few if any changes between the 07 & 08 models. Is there any compelling reason to get an 08 vs. a new 07 if the prices are similar?
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Comments

  • kavoomkavoom Member Posts: 181
    None whatsoever. Go 07 if you can get a cheaper price and you should be able to.

    And Suby's are great even on water not just snow. AWD is worth its weight in gold in my opinion. My girlfriend came from a Jimmy and loves the feeling of gripping the road. She no longer has to "aim" her vehicle and can now drive. Safety was a big selling point with her and Suby's are about as safe as you can get short of 5 tons of steel around you...
  • ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858
    .......MSN's Dan Jedlicka indicates the 2008 Forester has a "stiff clutch"...........

    ...a test drive later this year will settle this but in the meantime.........??

    CU sure likes the Forester.

    ..ez..
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I think subaru clutches are stiff in general. I know my Legacy clutch is stiffer than my Nissan 240sx and my buddy's Toyota Tacoma X-runner's.

    -mike
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,780
    Agreed - definitely took some time to get used to it. I liked it once I did, however.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,780
    Agreed - definitely took some time to get used to it. I liked it once I did, however. Other clutches felt soft! :P
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Our 98 Forester was a bit light, but the 02 Legacy is stiffer than average. It may vary a bit by model, or the newer ones may be heavier.
  • leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
    The clutch in my '01 Forester is definitely lighter than the clutch in my wife's '03 Outback, and has been that way since new. Both are heavier than any of my past or present Nissans.

    Len
  • aathertonaatherton Member Posts: 617
    "... MSN's Dan Jedlicka indicates the 2008 Forester has a "stiff clutch"... "

    I just test drove a manual X and XT. The XT clutch was a quite bit stiffer than the very easy clutch in my Scion xB, and seemed stiffer than the clutch in X. On the short drive I was not able to do many smooth shifts with the XT, and it was easier to do in the X. Maybe the turbos have a stronger clutch than the NA engines.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yes the turbos do have a stronger clutch (they have about 75 more HP)

    -mike
  • aathertonaatherton Member Posts: 617
    I did the subtraction and came up a HP difference too. But it was more like 51 HP ;-) I felt and assumed a stronger clutch, but sales literature does not say that the XT has different clutch. The effect for me, in driving both an X and XT 5-speed, was that that the XT was harder to shift smoothly.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well the turbos have a totally different setup. IIRC the NAs have Push-type and the turbos have a Pull-type of visa versa. As for shifting smoothly, it's all about practice, with a turbo you'll come to like the stiffer clutch pedal, I know I did.

    -mike
  • aathertonaatherton Member Posts: 617
    Do the Sport and XT models have firmer springs and shocks? The salesman thought so, but I did not see any info on that in the printed literature.
  • brett2007brett2007 Member Posts: 39
    cars101.com might have this info.

    http://www.cars101.com/subaru/forester/forester2008.html
  • hypnosis44hypnosis44 Member Posts: 483
    Where are the 2008 Foresters built. What is the local content ratio?

    Thanks
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    All Foresters are built in Guma, Japan so the content is pretty much 100% Japanese.

    -Frank
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    If you want US-made, check out the Legacy, Outback, or Tribeca. All are made by Hoosiers. :shades:
  • kavoomkavoom Member Posts: 181
    What's a hoosier... Whose there? spoken colloguially... sounding like Whose air?

    >former hoosier<
  • hypnosis44hypnosis44 Member Posts: 483
    The literature states that premium fuel is "recommended" for the Turbo models. "Recommended", but not required: does anyone have any experience, or reference sites regarding the use of regular fuel in the Turbos? I believe the engine management system compensates for variations in the octane, and of course there will be some loss of peak power under full load, but what about longevity and warranty issues? Anyone?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    You can run just about any modern car on 87 octane or lower, the ECU will compensate and pull timing, etc. However you will lose longevity, power, and milage if you run em on less than premium. Is it worth it? Nope.

    -mike
  • hypnosis44hypnosis44 Member Posts: 483
    Thanks

    I can see the likely loss of power, which I can live with, and mileage loss: If it is less than a 10% MPG loss the lower gas costs (regular is about 10% less than premium hereabouts) would likely offset that. Could you tell me what the longevity issues could be please.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well since the computer will be retarding the timing, it may not always be able to retard it enough, if you hit a tank of poor 87 octane. This will cause detonation (aka pinging) and this can damage your pistons, cylinders, heads, valves, etc.

    -mike
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    So theoretically, if the computer is doing it's job retarding the timing, no damage should be caused. But then you've removed any margin for error.

    I too toyed with not using premium for a while but really how much would you save and is it worth risking damaging something? The extra 20 cents that premium costs is less than 10% of your fuel cost and becomes less and less as the price of gas goes up. And why have a turbo if you're not going to use its performance capability?

    So bottom line, like Mike says, you gotta pay to play. If $3 or so extra a tank is too painful, you should probably be driving something that doesn't require premium :)

    -Frank
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