Faults:

Timing belt replaced according to scheduled maintenance.

General Comments:

I have religiously changed all the fluids in this car: oil every 3k; brake flush, rear & front differential, radiator, and transmission filter/ flushed at independent shops (in Portland).

Yes it costs $30/month average, but it also gets people to looking at stuff while it's up on the rack.

No problems; took it to the dealer for the first time for the 90K... I was able to delete transmission, differential & brake inspection & saved money. HOWEVER, after timing belt replaced, engine light came on 350 miles North, and an engine knock developed. Had to go to another Sub dealer which, as a part of their 90k service, automatically includes both the belt AND the timing belt tensioner as part of their normal 90k service.

It seems to me that if the timing belt cover is off, and you've paid for the labor to get to that point, it should be MANDATORY that the tensioner, which also has 90K on it, is ALSO replaced!! Make sure you ask to have it done (yes, you'll have to pay for the part... better now than later...). The Portland dealer paid for everything at the Northern WA dealership.

We'd like to get a 2009, but torn about not supporting U.S. manufacturers. Hopefully, Toyota's increased investment will hatch Hybrid Forester's...

Faults:

Dealer took 4 days to figure out why airconditioner wouldn't work - Out of Freon.

Select dealership by technical expertise!

No other problems with car.

General Comments:

For a 4 cylinder, very fast; Passing is a breeze!

Ride is bouncy, rough and feel every crack/hole on street.

City: 21 mpg, average speed 19 mph.

Interior OK - nothing fancy.

Exterior OK - no rust, but not shiny either.

All wheel drive hard on tire threads... excessive wear.

Faults:

Replaced T/Belt, told by dealer oil pump had a leak, needs replacing...

Picked up my Forester, engine light came on...

Dealer tells me my catalytic converter should be replaced..

Dealer also checked my brakes, for the life of me, I do not know how they could screw that up, almost new set of brakes, not put on by Subaru, I had to take my car back to the original brake mechanic and have my brakes adjusted.

I will not jeopardize my family, for get Subaru.

General Comments:

Not worth the money.

Faults:

There was one recall for a transmission parking pawl, and that was it. It briefly had an oil pump leak (very minor) which stopped on it's own.

My dad is really hard on the brakes. It's like he's on ABS all the time. And as expected he keeps going through brake pads and warped rotors. The next time this happens again I will go with the mechanic's advice and upgrade to bigger brakes from a WRX, which is a bolt-on mod.

There is a air leak in the front driver door window seal. Subarus do not have window frames in their doors, and my dad won't stop using the window to close the door, so this was expected. Hopefully I can get the glass realigned and fix it because at highway speeds it whistles quite loudly next to your ear.

Subaru batteries are junk! Ours died just outside of warranty in the middle of winter. I searched online and found out that I'm not alone. It has low CCA's and cold weather kills it.

General Comments:

We bought it as a workhorse for my dad, who is a property manager for several properties and is always on the road.

Interior space is a bit tight, but it's not a full size SUV. Interior trim is obviously geared towards utility, with a lot of rubberized or vinyl surfaces. The rear hatch area is not wearing well on it's carpeted surfaces, despite having a rubber cargo mat.

The paint chips easily. Apparently a lot of the new Subarus are like this. If it gets any worse I will repaint the hood and get 3M stoneguard done.

The OEM Bridgestones are garbage. I was so happy to see them wear out prematurely at 25k kms. I had replaced them with Toyo Proxes and haven't regretted it since.

The engine has decent low-end grunt, but it is not a high-revving motor, which means it is not that happy on the highway. But we spend most of the time in the city so it doesn't matter much.