Subaru Forester Anyone?

[aigel]

I would like to buy a used vehicle that has 4x4 but doesn't kill me on gas as it would be a daily driver. I was looking at small SUVs but they are all very expensive and their suspensions are not heavy duty. I would like a vehicle for under $8k. 2000 or newer - stick shift. So I came up with the Subaru as a good in-between. Most my outdoor stuff is light to medium duty. I can always borrow a heavy duty 4x4 for the once in a blue moon 2" snow trip.

Anyone have a Subaru they use for outdoors / daily driver duty? I would like to have a wagon / hatch back. The forester looks to be the one with the most ground clearance? Can the others be jacked up a bit to help?

Any ideas, input? Which engines / models to stay away from? Any other similar vehicles out there that I am missing.

Last note is that it would be good if I could sleep in it stretched out. Need about 6.25-6.5 feet to be comfortable. Is this possible in any subaru with the passengers seat slid forward?

Thanks!

George

[RWebb]

how about an Outback?

if you need more gnd. clearance, then you want a Toyota 4wd pickup/SUV

[924slover]

My dd is a 1997 subaru legacy 5spd awd, It is an awesome car and will take you further that some suv's . there is a whole following of people who offroad subarus and they make lift's, bullbars, etc www.offroadsubarus.com

[aigel]

I don't want a truck. What toyota SUV would have more ground clearance, get over 20 mpg and be reasonable priced used?

The outback? Educate me how it differs from the forester!?

As I said, I can fall back on a serious 4x4 if needed, so this can be light duty. Think slick dirt roads, a light snow and some medium size pot holes.

George

[924slover]

a 90's toyota 4runner is awesome offroad and gets over 20 mpg's but you said 2000 or newer

[aigel]

What year 4 runner you recommend? I find those things cost an arm and a leg.

George

[aigel]

The 4 runners get 20 mpg highway according to fueleconomy.com Around town I bet it will be 15 mpg.

G

[Granite]

I have had three Subaru's in the last 12 years and they run like champs never cause a problem. Kind of pokey though. I am now driving among other cars an Audi allroad. The allroad is beast in comparison and can change its ride height and is way more fun to drive. The allroad handles in all conditions including big snow and some dicey offroad stuff. However, I would not vote for you to buy an allroad unless you are handy with a wrench or have a high pain threshold in your wallet. Forester looks like a good option for you just not a sporty one.

[Danny_Ocean]

Originally Posted by 924slover

a 90's toyota 4runner is awesome offroad and gets over 20 mpg's but you said 2000 or newer

Combined MPG 4Runner = 17.

Combined MPG for Forrester = 22.

I am also looking at Forresters or Outbacks.

Let me know what you find.

[aigel]

There are few subarus with a stick. How is the auto trans? Does it hold up? If automatics would last as long as a standard, I wouldn't be opposed, especially for the daily around town driving.

G

[924slover]

suby auto's are pretty good i've never had one but i've heard that they are pretty tough and will take a beating offroad. but as said before subaru's are a little poky unless you buy the wrx wagon it has awd and it's fast and fun to drive

[dewolf]

FIL just bought a brand new Forester. Whilst a good car, I found the engine to be extremely noisy. When the closing the doors it sounds very "tinny'. And the seats are friggin rock hard.

[924slover]

Originally Posted by dewolf

FIL just bought a brand new Forester. Whilst a good car, I found the engine to be extremely noisy. When the closing the doors it sounds very "tinny'. And the seats are friggin rock hard.

The engine does have a distinct Subaru boxer sound to them and are noisier than a normal 4cyl. I enjoy it though. my legacy doesn't have either of those problems though it's very well built and the seats are some of the most comfortable that i've owned.

[RWebb]

Outback has longer area to sleep in and the longer wheelbase makes for a less choppy ride on the Hwy. You will sit a bit higher for maybe a better view & it likely will not corner as well.

you need to drive both

Sube also makes a boxer 6 cyl if you cannot stand the firing order of the 4 cyl.

Auto trans is better off road esp. since it does not have a low range - but if the battery dies in the boonies you cannot push start the car.

not sure if you get the viscous LSD center diff. with an auto trans.

Sube's rep. is rugged & cheap to repair.

[HardDrive]

[Kaliv]

I have a 2009 Forester. You have to remember they changed thier design somewhat recently. So if you buy a 2000, it won't quite look like they do today. But of course, I'm sure you know that already. Mine's a turbo, and seems to have quite a bit of kick for daily driving. I don't DD it, because it's really my wife's car. I DD the Porsche.

I find the interier to be a little cheap. The sound systems seems to be a bit cheap too. I've also thought they were a bit noisy...especially if there are high winds. Other than that, it runs great and I get about 21 MPG or so. Should be enough room to put the back seats down to sleep. The back seat is kind of small though, but I run car seats back there.

[vash]

my wife has a 2005 subaru forester. (we are lesbians)..anyways, we bought the turbo version. absolutely great in the mountians. the thing rockets up hills, any elevation. no issues. gas mileage, not so great. we get about 22 mpg average. on a road trip (pig hunt near tejon) i got 25. plenty of storage space, leather heated seats. where to put the dead animal? i think a thule roof basket would work perfectly. i was just about to order one, when i opted to buy a toyota tacoma instead. second choice would have been a tiny, hyperlight utility trailer behind the forester. i love the forester! i have taken it hunting (unsuccesfully, i might add) on lots of occasions, and it has never let me down. i had to wash the motor down, after a particularly dusty backroads trip. quick air filter change, and the wife never knew about my near road rally expedition!

if we did it again, we would probably stay away from the turbo. premium gas, lower mileage...maybe not needed 80% of the time. as i understand it, the NA versions get killer mileage.

we had annoying road noise. a recent tire change took care of most of the noise.

[myamoto1]

We had a 5 speed '98 Outback that was run over by a big rig (no trailer) and totaled. The car was parked and luckily no injuries. I went through the gambit of potential replacements and kept coming back to the Outback. Bang for your buck, I don't think there's any comparrison. The Volvos and Audis are nice, but spendy to buy and any maintenance is costly too (compared to the Subie).

We eneded up w/ a 2003 Outback Limited. It has all of the bells and whistles and is great - but it's an auto. The pick-up is abismal and feels sluggish compared to the old 5 speed. However, it's great in the wet and snow. If you can find one w/ a 5 speed, I'd put that ahead of a lower mileaged, well equiped auto. The other option is finding one of the H6 models. I'm not sure how they are on MPG, but the pickup is nice.

All said and done, I'd still buy the Outback over any of the other comperables out there. As far as the Forester goes, I don't like the looks and it's much smaller than the Outback. I'm not sure if kids are an issue, but 2003 and newer all have the latch system for car seats.

[vash]

our forester is the 5-speed. good point.

we tested an outback with the paddle shifters nestled into a momo wheel. nice car, but it was beyond our budget at the time.

[Mike Andrew]

Just bought an '08 for myself and have no complaints. My wife, I mean Partner, liked it so much that we picked up an '09 LL Bean for her 2 weeks later. Neither has a lot of go as they are NA but neither did my Escape. I'm averaging about 22 mpg & have yet to do a significant road trip to verify highway mpg. If I need go, out comes the pcar. This is just transportation.
The doors do sound pretty tinny and there are sure a lot of doo dads to master. Once ski season starts, I may have a different opinion if it doesn't go well in the snow.