Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Subaru Forester - looking for my next canoe hauler
|
Author | Message Text | ||
fadersup |
I recently test drove some 2022 Foresters and Outbacks and thought they felt sluggish. Thinking I’ll take a hard look at a Toyota when it’s time for a new ride. |
||
HayRiverDrifter |
I like the Subaru Forester because is checks all the boxes for what I need in a vehicle. This will be my camping/traveling vehicle. I am still clinging to driving manual transmissions and there seems to be a fair number of them available. Also the CVT transmissions appear to have some issues, so I will continue with the manual My main concern is oil consumption. From what I have read, they reduced the tolerances on the pistons a bit to eek out better gas mileage and if you do not change the oil every 3000 miles, they can develop excessing oil consumption that can lead to other issues. Thanks in advance for you input. |
||
TrailZen |
TZ |
||
airmorse |
Having got that off my chest. In 2013 I purchased a Outback Limited. New. Everything was fine for the first 60,000 miles. After that I replaced the following. 1. CVT 2. Short block 3. Water pump 4. Alternator 5. 3 sets of rear hubs (yes 3 sets) 6. 2 power steering pumps 7. Catilatic Converter Keep in mind I take very good care of my vehicles. They cost too much not to. After every time I would get that Damn car fixed I would think to myself that this has to be it, no more. I would bring the vehicle into the service department and the manager would say, "that is the cleanest Subaru in here" to which I said "ya too bad it's here more than in my garage". I sold the vehicle with 140k miles. Do yourself a BIG favor and buy a Toyota RAV4 Adventure. I purchased one last year after selling the subaru and love it!!!!! |
||
thegildedgopher |
My family has owned a BUNCH of subarus over the years and have nothing but good things to say. My dad has 473,000 miles on a 2010 forester that he used as a delivery vehicle. Of course it's had a bunch of work but 473k is ridiculous. He still drives it. The dealership plans to purchase it from him after 500k and use it as a showroom piece. The guy should be in one of those commercials if you ask me :) Their other vehicle is a 2019 forester with the CVT and they love that as well. I'm driving a 2008 Outback with 160k on it. Base 2.5 model. Nothing out of the ordinary in terms of maintenance thus far, and I can get 5k between oil changes going full synthetic. |
||
carmike |
My in-laws own one and love it. Seems hit or miss with Subaru. But I never see the Taliban or ISIS driving Subarus around in the desert. It's always a Toyota, so that's what I'm going to go with. |
||
Driftless |
You do have to keep an eye on the oil and coolant in between oil changes. I carry both with me. So the verdict is still out for me. Let's see if we are done with major repairs. I have close to 200K miles on both our 4Runner and Tacoma with no repairs and neither burn a drop of oil, so that is the standard I am comparing to. |
||
geotramper |
Overall I have had very few issues with the car that have cost me money. I have 110k miles on the car at this point and it is still running great with regular maintenance and repairs given it's age and mileage. Clutch is still going strong (knock on wood)! It was stored outdoors (no garage) for the first 9 years I had it. the one issue that I had was that this model year had oil consumption issues, for which there was a recall. The car got a new short block at no cost to me. Keep this in mind if you are looking at the manual trans '14s. Outside of that I haven't had to do any major repairs. I do try to get my oil changed every 3k miles. I find that the Forester is a great size for my needs. It's not too tall. In a pinch, I can my 70+lb royalex Old Town on the roof bars by myself. I have done some pretty rough forest roads (the unimproved ones that are two dirt tire tracks and plenty of boulders) without issue. This is with stock tires and suspension. Overall very happy with my purchase. Would get another Subaru. I'm hoping to make it to 200k miles before I have to do that. I heard that Subaru will soon be electrifying their lineup. My plan is that my next vehicle will be electric or hybrid if electric range isn't up to 800-1000 miles for this style of car by that point. |
||
AlexanderSupertramp |
When I lived in the mountains the most common car I saw on flatbeds getting hauled off the highways were Subarus. I am biased towards Toyota myself and will probably only own those until I die. |
||
LindenTree |
|
||
sns |
|
||
Sparkeh |
I love everything else about the vehicle but I will not buy another subaru with boxer engine in the future. Make sure you get the pcv valve serviced since these engines have a lot of piston ring blow by and build up gasses in the crank case. |
||
MRH |
Great car. Carried canoes and kayaks, as well as pulled a 4X8 utility trailer. Needed a head gasket at 75,000 miles. Other than that ran like a top. I currently have a 2017 Outback with 148,000 miles. More comfortable than the Forester I had. Automatic. Dealer serviced. Needed ball joints recently. Otherwise, an almost perfect car. I still carry canoes and often pull a trailer. I will likely buy an Outback again. Oil changes are every 5,000 miles and oil consumption has never been a problem. A decent canoe rack may cost more for an Outback than for a Forester. Both Toyotas and Subarus are fine cars. Read more reviews to help decide. |
||
airmorse |
There is/was a class action lawsuit against Subaru because of this. If your vehicle fails their "test" you get a new short block. I had to take this test 3 times b4 my Subaru failed. The last test I was told to drive highway miles. The test is very basic. You bring your Subaru to the dealer for an oil change. They instruct you to bring it back at 1200 miles. They pull the dipstick, and if the oil level is below a certain point you get a new short block. Keep in mind that this oil level check is totally at the discretion of the tech doing to oil change. The 1200 mile range is based on some government ABC group that states gas engines shall not consume more than 1qt of oil per 1200 miles. Something like that anyway. If you do your research you can verify all of this. The fact that this is a known issue and has been for quite some time will tell you that Subaru does not care. Do not fall prey to their clever marketing commercials on TV that show outdoor people enjoying their Subaru off road or dogs driving their Subaru. I have made it my mission to warn people about Subaru. Ultimately it's your choice of what to buy. Good luck. Do your homework!!! |
||
BigPaul |
|
||
airmorse |
thegildedgopher: "I love Toyotas as well, my wife’s Camry hybrid is a wonderful vehicle and there are things I like about it more than my Outback or the Forester I owned. But the RAV4 and CRV do not feel as capable in the snow or towing department to me. And do Toyota or Honda even make a true wagon that you can compare to the outback?" Rav4 Adventure and TRD have a towing capacity of 3500lbs. This was one of the reasons I bought a Rav4 Adventure. |
||
YaMarVa |
Sparkeh: "Go with a toyota or honda if you like reliability. If you like paying for repairs like clogged cats, gummed up throttle bodies, clogged pcv valves, oil leaks through silicone gaskets and burning 3 quarts of oil between oil changes every 3,000 miles get a subaru. I will never buy a subaru again. " This was also my exact experience with my 2012 Forester. I was putting quart after quart of oil into it, about a quart every 500 miles. Neither the dealer or repair shop could do anything about this. I bought it new and it started eating oil after about 50k miles. The worst was hearing the engine knock of other people’s Foresters cause the owner wasn’t a car person and just changed the oil every 3k. I swear Subaru markets to people who are more into the outdoors than cars, otherwise I don’t know how they stay in business. |
||
airmorse |
YaMarVa: "Sparkeh: "Go with a toyota or honda if you like reliability. If you like paying for repairs like clogged cats, gummed up throttle bodies, clogged pcv valves, oil leaks through silicone gaskets and burning 3 quarts of oil between oil changes every 3,000 miles get a subaru. I will never buy a subaru again. " As I said in one of my posts, clever marketing commercials showing outdoors people taking their Subarus off road. A family of dogs driving. Dog tested dog approved. NOT. They market to Americans passion, the out doors and animals. |
||
deerfoot |
|
||
Sparkeh |
|
||
Frenchy19 |
|
||
Kendis |
|
||
Banksiana |
If I was buying new now I'd probably go RAV4 Hybrid- that mileage is too good to pass up. However they don't really exist in the real world so its a sellers market. |
||
Diego |
Subaru Ascent We’ve been fairly happy with our at 66000 miles. Only real complaint is a soft windshield and some rattles. |
||
sns |
Roof crossbars, even with the max spread front-to-back, are still much closer together than I'd like. Something like 39" if I recall. Still better than our Highlander Hybrid (which is otherwise a great vehicle). OEM hitch - hole on the receiver tube for the pin is set way back & up under the bumper and is very challenging to reach. PITA, and a surprising oversight. OEM plastic/rubber cargo liner is a joke. Too much stuff on the touchscreen, would like to see the return of some old-school buttons for a few things. If you leave the tailgate open it drains the battery. I had always backed into my garage, and leave the tailgate open on my vehicles, often for days. Easier to load the dog, gear, etc...however that's really not possible with modern subies. Headlights came set way too high - fixed by adjusting manually. Eyesight "feature" is seriously inferior to Toyota's system. Almost not ready for public consumption. Have had it randomly disable cruise dozens of times - especially annoying on long trips, and more than a little precip will cause it to quit...when this happens you can't use cruise at all. 3-600 mile drive in the rain on an interstate with no cruise is annoying. It also applies brakes to avoid collisions, which is theoretically nice, but all I've had it do is make lane changes in traffic less safe by braking unexpectedly. Also, I did have a bad battery, which they tested, agreed, and replaced. Still, overall it's a keeper - any vehicle has its shortcomings. |
||
Freddy |
Very happy with our 2019 Forester. No problems or oil consumption issues. We especially like the amount of storage room. Comfortable seats and good sight lines. Consumer Reports give it high ratings. |
||
brux |
|
||
bwcamjh |
|
||
martian |
I stand by my manuals only policy. They have become much harder to come by in the United States. Enjoy the shopping mission. |
||
scottiebaldwin |
airmorse: "I WOULD NEVER EVER OWN A SUBARU AGAIN. EVER!!!!!!! +1 on the Toyota RAV4 (Limited Hybrid) vs any Subaru I've owned. I have never been happier with a vehicle. Toyotas will outlast you if they are taken care of. |
||
thegildedgopher |
|
||
deerfoot |
My wife has always loved Foresters hence the repeated purchases. My other car is a high mileage 2008 Mazda 3 which has been bulletproof, just like the 5 Toyotas I owned between 1973 and 2008. Regarding manual transmissions, I just got home from 2 weeks hiking in Scotland and noticed that almost all the vehicles I saw there were manuals. Thanks for the opportunity to vent on Subaru. I told the wife we are done with Subaru if we have another another mechanical failure with this one. |
||
HayRiverDrifter |
|
||
egknuti |
|