Posted: 9/20/2009 4:38:53 PM EDT
| ....wife is looking at buying a very nice looking 07 Forester....am looking for input from the well of knowledge here. Let's hear opinions. |
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Got one, hate it. Too small for driver/passenger, just big enough to do normal grocery getting in back, large appliances are a major hassle, lumber, screw it.
Not a big fan of the transmission either, pretty clunky. I think it is popular among small people who don't haul much of anything. The back bumper is at a good height for loading and unloading, but other than that, I'd rather have a light truck. |
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theres a clean 07 forrester ––white looks sharp at my local dealer cut thru there tonight and stopped and checked it out.
simple basic model, 5 speed for 16,999 not sure if thats a good price but may give you a data point. mom has a 2000 outback with 170,000 miles going strong she loves it. |
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here's my thread from today asking about the awd systems
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=930167 |
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The 09 body style is a nice redesign. HUGE head room, great transition squarely into crossover territory from "big hatchback" land.
I love mine. Take it up the mountains all the time. I wish they'd release the dual range 4 wheel drive stateside, but we'll never get it here because of the liability. You can pick up a basically equipped 2009 normally aspirated model for about 19.5. I got the stick shift version myself. Only negative comment I have is that the factory stereo sucks. But then again, factory stereo. ETA: Here's an example of what my 2009 looks like: 
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| I own a Subaru STi and a Forester XT. The Forester is our long distance car, its way more comfortable road wise and in the snow, I drive through big snow with no issues. We actually traded a jeep wrangler for the Forester and never looked back. Forester goes faster, uses less fuel and it doesnt jiggle my fat PLUS the seat belts fit without any issues unlike the jeep. |
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By far the best vehicle I ever owned. Rated the safest small SUV several years running. Reliable. What is not to like? If I didn't trade mine in on a minivan, (needed more room for gear), I would still have it. The safety thing is a big deal. A friend told me that they got special training in emergency response for the last few years of Subaru Outback and Forester models... the pillar between the passenger and drivers door has like 5 layers and a big fucking piece of steel bar in it, and it BREAKS the jaws of life.... right after it saves the vehicle's occupants from T-Bone wrecks that kill everyone else. Wait... here, google was my friend: 
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My wife has a 2004 Forester. Can't say enough good about it. It's built for bad weather. Heated seats, heated mirrors, heaters where the wipers rest so ice doesn't build up on them and as was said earlier, the AWD sticks to the road. It runs rings around my Acura RSX Type S if there's rain or snow. It's just big enough for us and the two boys. The only complaint we have is that the back seat isn't big enough for a third car seat and would probably be a little cozy for 3 adults. When we do get a new car, it will probably be an Outback (or a WRX, if I get mine first  )
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I have a 2004XT, five years with no problems whatsoever. I live where is snows for real and I live out in the sticks. I've never got stuck and made it to work in 15 inches of snow. It is faster 0-60 than a Porsche Boxster and fits four guys. If it is to small for you, it is because you are a fat slob. I am 6'3", 250 and have plenty of headroom and legroom. The back seats don't have long trip legroom for adults.
Unlike most garbage from GM, Subies are made to last 300K miles if maintained properly. Unlike 99% of American car dealers, my Subie dealer has bent over backwards to make it right. The only breakage was carpets had issues and they replaced it free after the warranty expired. My last new Ford was delivered damaged and the dealer actually refused to fix it. They said, since the car was paid for, it was not their problem. It took a nasty phone call to the owner of the dealership to get some action. |
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You'll see a lot of subarus anywhere there is a lot of snow, and especially anywhere there is twisty roads, mountains and snow. You'll also see a lot of two-subaru familes. It says something...
I've owned an Outback for 4 years now. Its not perfect. Its had an expensive brake job on my dime, some engine gaskets replaced at subaru's cost. Also had a cruise control module go awol, also under warranty. W few other little glitches. As I said, it aint perfect. My wife's toyota Corolla has been a little more trouble free. However, nothing beats it in snow and ice. Equipped with a good snow tire this thing is very surefooted when everything else is skidding to hell. It easily beats any truck or other "4x4" I've tried. Even though its had some hiccups and little problems I will very likely immediately replace my outback with another one based entirely on its handling characteristics. It's also got fantastic gorund clearance (for a car) and respectable towing (again, for a car). Mine is a 2.5L 4 cylinder. In the auto tranny model its severely underpowered and a real dog. In manual tranny its satisfactory. I'm getting a tad over 30 mpg highway, and a combined 27.6 mpg average. I'm happy with it. |
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I have an 08 turbo forester, it has been great so far. I like its styling better than the 09's myself. I also test drove the 09' and unfortunately that one had a 4 cylinder which was obviously anemic compared to the 08 turbo so I couldn't make a good comparison there.
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She is seeing another woman.  
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Still driving my '01 Forester. Love it. It grips so well in ice and snow, that when you get in a different brand car, you find yourself sliding all over the place! Great cars.
A few things to be aware of. -The soldering on the clock is poorly done. When it fails (and it will), pull it out, get a soldering iron, and resolder the 4 obvious places - better than new. -The rear window wiper is positioned where there is a vacuum from the road. It will suck ice and salt into the motor, and after 5 years or so will burn out the motor. -Cup holder design is a total afterthought. -The mechanical engine, drive train, wheels, and everything that counts holds up extremely well. I'm over 100k miles now, and have only put in maybe a couple thousand dollars of cumulative maintenance costs on the car. Maybe. -The opposing cylinders and in-line design mean there are no weird torques or strange forces like almost every other car out there. Couple with the all-wheel drive, it's one of the smoothest, straightest, and surest accelerations you'll ever experience. I can't fathom why everyone else does not design their engine/drive trains this way. -I dig the in-window antenna, no mechanical antenna to forget about when you go to the wash. -Mileage sucks for a car of this size - expect only about 25 MPG. It's the AWD -Cargo space in the back is plenty ample for a loadout for the range or even a match. -Short haired women in comfortable shoes will find you sexy. |
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I have an 08 turbo forester, it has been great so far. I like its styling better than the 09's myself. I also test drove the 09' and unfortunately that one had a 4 cylinder which was obviously anemic compared to the 08 turbo so I couldn't make a good comparison there. The performance of the normally aspirated engine isn't that bad, at least with a 5 speed stick like I got. The problem with the turbos is that you must feed the cars top-notch premium fuel. Subaru isn't terrible so far as Turbo lag, but frankly, if you want sports car performance the AWD crossover realm is not where you ought to be anyway. Peppy performance can be had in a dozen other vehicles. Subarus are still a LOT better than my 1979 GL Wagon I drove in high school, which had to be shifted into 3rd gear on large hills on the interstate! My old '79 Roo was just like this one, only I had painted it dark red.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfjoYtO3Evw |
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We have a 07 forester. Great car especially when conditions are bad.
Trouble free. The rear seats fold down flat with the cargo bay, and the front of the folded seat is level with the center arm rest. Perfect for our GSD to wedge in and not have to reach for leverage on those corners. Bad Thing: The outside ambient air temperature gage only goes down to -35 or so. |