Looking for opinions on Subaru Forester or Outback

[Howard 538]

I am thinking of getting one of the above and was wondering if anyone here has a newer one and could offer some opinion both good and bad.

[Scrappy 0]

I have a 2014 Forester and love it.  Though the gas mileage is not as great as they claim.  Sometimes I feel it's a little small so if you often haul a decent amount of stuff (or have a small child like I do) the extra space of the outback may come in handy. 

[Smokin .50 1,907]

Howard, several Old Bridge members who are friends of mine have them and LOVE them (especially the Outback Limited model).  In addition, my wife and I own a 2010 Forester with 87K miles on it.  Other than fan belts, air filters and brakes we haven't put any money into it except to change the oil and rotate the tires.  The OEM tires that we bought it with are still on the SUV (made by Yokohama) and are no longer manufactured (I wonder why).  Tough, study and dependable, our Forester has gone thru more than a foot of heavy, wet, and packed snow after we were plowed-in.  Just last Sunday I drove up to Vernon to shoot black powder at a Match with our son (pic is on Facebook showing packed ice we're shooting on).  The unimproved road up to the top of the mountain was coated with packed snow that changed to ice.  NO trouble getting up the hill!  In fact, to test the 87K tires, I stopped on the hill half the way down it, then switched to reverse and backed-up the incline from a dead stop!  Impressive indeed!  Full-time all-wheel drive means that slippage isn't needed in order for the second set of wheels to turn into a powered axle.....  We get 24 mpg highway (a LOT more than our old Explorer), but the new CVT transmissions of the current model year get even more.

 

I HIGHLY recommend these vehicles!  Next time you're around on a first or third Sunday for Old Bridge Steel, come and find me and I'll introduce you to the friends who own and love them.

 

Dave

[DTtuner 21]

Somewhat relevant, but I've owned several older model Subaru's (2 legacy's).

Bullet proof all the way, and nothing short of hood-high mounds of packed snow could stop them.

One of the two Legacy's was a $500 beater station wagon I bought from a carpenter who used it as his NYC work vehicle.

I purchased it with 150K miles on the clock. He beat it up pretty badly, and the suspension was done a long time ago.

That thing lasted me 3+ years before I decided to upgrade. Started every time, and never left me stranded.
Honestly, kinda wish I kept that little beast until it died.

[67gtonut 847]

Solid cars.....

 

..... just keep an eye on the head gaskets.... 

[NYMetsFan86 9]

I had a 2011 forrester. It got great mileage and was very comfortable. I do like my grand cherokee better though

[Howard 538]

Thanks Dave, good info.

 

Troy, what is the issue with the head gasket?  Due they fail prematurely?  What sort of expense is it to replace if out of warranty on this type engine.  Do you think the standard engine to be good enough, or is it worth it to go for the Turbo model?

[67gtonut 847]

All there engines are solid..... 

 

yeah....  they will start seeping oil at some point......    depending on model.....  10+ hours of labor....   do the math.....lol

 

usually around 100K you will see the signs.....

[1LtCAP 4,263]

you pretty much cannot go wrong with a subaru. several customers have em, and love em. never anything stupid breaking on them.

[greatgroverino 0]

After you buy it, just make sure you peel the Obama sticker off the bumper.

[DTtuner 21]

All there engines are solid..... 

 

yeah....  they will start seeping oil at some point......    depending on model.....  10+ hours of labor....   do the math.....lol

 

usually around 100K you will see the signs.....

 

You're generalizing. This is what makes internet "information" dangerous.

 

This was only an issue with their older 2.5 liter 4 cyl. engines.

 

2013+ models replaced that engine with updated version, and issue is gone.

[Vlad G 345]

 

 

2013+ models replaced that engine with updated version, and issue is gone.

 

Seeing how they tend to start leaking after about 100k or roughly 10 years, I think we may need to wait another 8 years or so to be sure of that. I'm pretty sure they said the issue was a gone a few times, but it seems to me that the boxer design is pretty prone to wearing out gaskets. 

 

Also apparently the newish engine in the XV is already getting a bad rep for burning oil even when new. 

 

On the other hand, I think Subaru's are bargain for what you get for the money. They are on my short list when its time to replace my current vehicle. I figure I can very well plan for a $1000 worth of head gasket repair and still be ahead over the life of the vehicle, and it I don't need it then bonus. 

[Malsua 1,422]

You're generalizing. This is what makes internet "information" dangerous.

 

This was only an issue with their older 2.5 liter 4 cyl. engines.

 

2013+ models replaced that engine with updated version, and issue is gone.

 

Also, the head gasket issue is not something that occurs on the 2.5L turbo engines.

[67gtonut 847]

You're generalizing. This is what makes internet "information" dangerous.

 

This was only an issue with their older 2.5 liter 4 cyl. engines.

 

2013+ models replaced that engine with updated version, and issue is gone.

 

 

Seeing how they tend to start leaking after about 100k or roughly 10 years, I think we may need to wait another 8 years or so to be sure of that. I'm pretty sure they said the issue was a gone a few times, but it seems to me that the boxer design is pretty prone to wearing out gaskets. 

 

Also apparently the newish engine in the XV is already getting a bad rep for burning oil even when new. 

 

On the other hand, I think Subaru's are bargain for what you get for the money. They are on my short list when its time to replace my current vehicle. I figure I can very well plan for a $1000 worth of head gasket repair and still be ahead over the life of the vehicle, and it I don't need it then bonus. 

 

 

Exactly...... I will let you know when I start seeing the newer engine with 100K+ ..... if they are dry...... Great for Subaru....   but in my business.....  not holding my breath....

 

As far as the 2.5T ..... BS ..... they leak....  remember people..... I see a lot more of these per day then the average consumer.....   Great, glad you owned a dry one. But when you start seeing half a dozen a month.... let me know...

 

I will stand by my initial comment.....   Good Solid Car....   but it's not magical.... like all cars , they have there issues

[NickySantoro 211]

My daughter and son-in-law have had a 2014 Forester for about a year now. They seem very satisfied with it. It has that super duper traction deal and my SIL says it is great on slick roads.

[Malsua 1,422]

 

As far as the 2.5T ..... BS

 

EJ255 2.5L Turbo Motors do not have the same issue as the EJ251, EJ252, EJ25D, EJ25E.   Every car can blow a head gasket...EJ255 motors have no greater incident of failure than any other car.

[Frank Rizzo 59]

Few weeks back while my Legacy was at the dealer, they gave me a 2015 Forester as a loaner.  Nice ride, real smooth, plenty power, loved it.  Just this week I was driving my Moms 1998 Outback Wagon for a few days.  130k, although starting to get long in the tooth, it rides fine and required only normal maintenance since day one.  Big fan of Subaru, and this is coming from a former BMW fanboy.  I say grab one.  Lotsa comparisons out there, check this one out.

 

http://www.planetsubaru.com/forester-vs--outback.htm

[Jon 264]

Loud as hell, tons of road noise. Very glad we got rid of ours and replaced it with an Acura TSX wagon.

[RobertJames 14]

I've got a 2015 Forester, before that I had an '08 Impreza and a '13 Forester.  My only complaints with the '08 and '13 were poor fuel mileage, the antique four speed trans, and the '13 used a bit more oil than I was comfortable with.  Not enough for the dealer to do anything about, but I figured it wasn't going to get better.  It wasn't going to do the cats any good either.  The dealer offered me a ridiculous amount of money on trade and I came home with the '15.  The new car has a continuously variable trans and is a few hundred pounds lighter than the previous generation, so mileage is better and the clunking and banging of the four speed are a thing of the past.  It's also much quieter and visibility is much better.  I really like mine.

 

And the other reason I drive a Subaru is, what's the last vehicle you would ever expect to have a trunk full of guns in?

[raz-0 1,259]

Solid cars.....

 

..... just keep an eye on the head gaskets....

And valve cover gaskets, and roll seals, and main seals, and.....

 

I drive a Subaru legacy, and doubt I'll get another one. Maintenance is pricey, and there were a lot of engineered in problems. I'd lease one, the first 60k it was super low maintenance.

[bLxZe 1]

I had a 2005 Outback XT for about 120k miles. I did lots of highway driving at the time. It was fun to drive and was great in the snow but had major problems with overheating. You could hear the coolant literally percolating in the radiator. I had to dump it after the dealership tried to fix it numerous times. Subaru really tried to avoid admitting the head was warped. Traded what was left of it for an Audi wagon. Haven't been a fan of the restyled Subie Outback so haven't considered one again.

[Bonnevil79 0]

I drive a 2010 Outback with the 6 speed manual. It's been a solid car that had some initial issues with stalling that was isolated to the manuals, ended up being a software related issue that took some time for SoA to develop a solution to. I have no oil issues as of yet, just turned 80k miles on the 2.5, it's not going to win many races, but I average 26 mpg, which I've heard is much better on the newer models. It's not the fanciest car in the world, but they hold their value really well and are about the best vehicle I've ever driven when the weather gets bad, made it to work through that nasty stuff last year. So yes, I would recommend them after my experience to this point.

[Bonnevil79 0]

 

 

And the other reason I drive a Subaru is, what's the last vehicle you would ever expect to have a trunk full of guns in?

 

What is a Toyota Prius?

[Oleg 8]

Head gasket issue that gave Subaru bad rep was with some models like 15 years ago afaik.

I had wrx'04 for 7 years and I am driving wrx'12 now. 0, nada, zilch problems.

[raz-0 1,259]

Head gasket issue that gave Subaru bad rep was with some models like 15 years ago afaik.

I had wrx'04 for 7 years and I am driving wrx'12 now. 0, nada, zilch problems.

The previous generation legacy to mine had head gasket issues due to cylinder 1 running lean.

 

My gen tends to eat valve cover seals and main seals, runs hot, and has wheel bearings that eat themselvs.

 

The current gen engine has lots of people griping that it magics away about a quart of oil every thousand miles.

 

Add in that spark plug changes cost $500 because you have to partially drop the engine to do it. They get pricey.

[Malsua 1,422]

Add in that spark plug changes cost $500 because you have to partially drop the engine to do it. They get pricey.

 

My 08 WRX uses Iridium plugs that have 120k mile service life.  I changed mine at 105k because I was doing the Timing belt at the time and while tight, I just had to unbolt a few things.

[Frank Rizzo 59]

I personally changed the plugs on the1998 Outback and my 2008 Legacy.  This is not a $500 job, there is no dropping of engine.  You may have to remove a few things like the battery, air filter box, use a couple different extensions, but that's it.  It's an easy job, an ice cold one helps too. 
 

[Oleg 8]

Yes, but you are not working in service department in dealership. There are some really bad places to fix/maintaine a car and unfortunately at least one of them is subaru dealership Personally I go to a small independent shop that specializes on subaru as much as possible and to official subaru dealership only when absolutely needed.

 

I personally changed the plugs on the1998 Outback and my 2008 Legacy.  This is not a $500 job, there is no dropping of engine.  You may have to remove a few things like the battery, air filter box, etc, but that's it.  Its easy. 

[Bonnevil79 0]

I can agree with you on the dealerships service costs, They seem sky high on that, at least Prestige in Turnersville is. They quoted me about 800 for brake pads all around, plus about 45 per oil change without coupons for standard oil.

[Howard 538]

Thanks for all the inputs.  Think I may be changing my focus.  I tested the Honda CR-V and liked the ride and trim much better than the Subaru.  I am going to try the Accord Hybrid as well which I believe is the car platform of the CR-V but gets 50 mpg city and 45 highway.  I have a friend that has been pushing me to look at the Chevy Volt as well.  They are about to come out with the 2016 model and Uncle 0bamba will still give me $7,500 tax credit to buy one of those even though the price is way down from when they first came out.  The more I look, the less I know