Anyone have a Subaru Forester?

[MerryPoppins]

My van is on it's last legs. After much discussion about whether or not we should spend money when DH's job is ending, we have decided that I have to have a reliable vehicle.

We are looking at a Forester. We want something that gets good mileage, but that has room to store gear for when the guys go camping. A truck was suggested, so this was my compromise. I really didn't want to drive a truck all the time.

Anyway, does anyone have a Forester? Do you like it? What don't you like about it? Would you buy one again? Have you had problems with it? I'd appreciate your advice. Thanks.

 

[debster812]

Oooh, I will be paying close attention to this one. We are decided between a Forrester and a Honda CR-V in the fall, once we stop paying for day care for DS.

Sorry, I have no first hand knowledge.

 

[ChefBilly]

My mother in law has a Subaru Forrester, and while I don't have one, I have had a Subaru Outback Sport and now we have a Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS.

She loves her Forrester. She sprung for the leather interior, so it rides great, feels great, and she's never had a problem with it.

My DW and I are big Subaru fans. They're incredibly well built, and a lot of fun to drive.

We live in the northeast, and we're (hopefully) finally getting through one of the toughest winters in memory. Every Subaru - EVERY Subaru - has all wheel drive. It has made winter driving a breeze. Our little RS screams through the snow, and get drive up and out of any snow drift.

The only down side? Subarus are a tad overpriced, in my opinion. That said, however, I'd say they're worth it.

 

[WDWLVR]

I've had a Forrester since 1999 and I love it. The all wheel drive makes me feel a little safer in this crazy Chicago winters. There is plenty of leg room and head room and the storage in the back is nice. I like the fact that the tire is hidden in the back and not hanging off the back like on many of the mini SUV's.

When we were looking we had it narrowed down between the Forrester and the Honda CRV. Two things made the Subaru win out. First was leg/head room. DH is tall and he needs to be comfortable in it since he is the main driver on vacation etc. Second and most importantly is that the Subaru has a much better crash rating. Not that I ever want to use that, but it made me feel better.

My in-laws thought it was too overpriced and went with the Suzuki. To me there is a world of difference in the ride. The Subaru rides more like a car to me. Much nicer ride.

In the years that we've owned it we have never had any major problems.

 

[Mskanga]

My best friend has one , she's had it for a couple of years and she loves it, the only problem she ever had was a sensor and it was under warranty so they replaced it at no cost. I have driven it once and although I love my van , I know that I would also get to love the forrester. You also get a good value when you trade it in.

 

[goofy4tink]

We've been in this same position. Before we leased my last mini-van, we were going to go with a Forrester. My dad is something of a car research nut, so he told us what he had found. A close friend of his had gotten a Forrester and he said that it was a perfect car for us. The safety record, maintainence records were all above average. This is probably the car we will be looking at in Dec. when our present lease is up. They are terrific cars.

 

[GEM]

We bought one in August and we LOVE it! It is so much fun to drive and it handles really well - even in the ice and snow. Also, since it sits lower than most of the other little SUVs, it feels much more secure to me. We were also very impressed with the crash test information and the consumer reports. It has lots of room and is very comfortable. We took it on a major road trip to Florida in December and we were all so comfy! It gets great gas mileage, almost as good as our car. We are definately pleased with it.