Faults:

At 100000 miles the head gaskets showed black seepage under the engine. It was time to replace the timing belts, so the belts, water pump, and head gaskets were replaced for $3000 at a dealer. At around 150000 miles I noticed occasional oil burning (low oil at oil change). I started doing 5 vs 4.5 qt oil changes. This has worked well.

The vehicle was in an accident during the first year of its life. I had to have the area repainted as surface rust showed up a year after I bought it. At 177,000 miles rust is appearing in the general area that was repainted. This car is driven in WI, so we are considered the rust belt. The underside of the car is good, much better than my 2017 RAM.

At about 4 years of ownership, the TPMS sensors had dead batteries. The dealer wanted $500 to replace them and program them. I have a set of wheels with Nokian winter tires on them. The dealer cannot program 2 sets of wheels to the vehicle, so I removed the gauge cluster cover and installed black paper over the annoying amber light for the TPMS warning. I check the tire pressure at every oil change, and when I switch them out.

I replaced the front wheel bearings around 60,000 miles. One started making noise and was replaced, then the other.

I found EBC brakes to be the best replacement brakes and pads so far. Greenstuff pads work well. The rotors don't warp as easily as other brands driving on I-70 in Colorado.

Proper maintenance is key to vehicle ownership. The Forester is pretty easy to work on. Much better than some front wheel drive cars I have owned. On every car I have ever owned I do 3000 mile oil changes and use good quality oil and filters. A Subaru mechanic told me not to go over 4000 miles. Learning to do this yourself will save you some money and make you more aware of other things going on with the car.

General Comments:

What sets Subaru apart from all other AWD cars is that they are very stable and predictable in winter driving.

This car is the (X) base model. For a short time, Subaru sold these cars with a bare roof. Finding an aftermarket roof rack of good quality to bolt onto the car has been hard. I wish Subaru just included a factory rack.

I drive mainly 60 mph roads other than trips to AZ, CO, UT at 80 MPH on interstates. The wind noise and road noise is better than the Jeep I owned previously, but it is significantly louder than an Outback. Lots of tire noise mainly. I never found it to be bothersome enough to install sound deadening material, but if I keep this car longer, my next tires will be Michelin Defenders as they provide good traction and are quiet. The Yokohama Geolandars that the car came with wore unevenly and were the most noisy tires the car ever had.

I have been looking for a replacement from 2009-2013 without a CVT as I prefer the 4 speed. The newer models (2021 and up) seem promising.

I personally prefer these older models as I found the Eye Sight system to be extremely annoying. I mainly drive 2 lane roads with the occasional tractor or oversize vehicle coming the other way. You have to give them room. The newer cars with these systems assume you are going to crash and they try to warn you and take over. To disable the system you need to do it every time you get in the car. If you mainly drive in town, this is less of a problem.

Faults:

Front & rear passenger side door is misaligned when I picked up the new vehicle.

Hood was not adjusted properly. During highway speeds, the hood would bounce up and down. I actually thought it was going to fly off.

Door and or window seal is on the driver's side is defective. I feel like I have a big sea shell on my ear when I'm in the driver's seat.

General Comments:

The handling is good on the Forester.

Fuel efficiency can use some improvements.

The bucket seats are OK. As for the rear, it would have great if the back seat could slide back and forth like the RAV 4.

When the rear seats fold down there is a downward slant to the rear door. It would have been better if the cargo was true flat.

I upgraded to the Limited model and got the HID lights. It's nice, but it over powers the fog lights. You end up with nice bright headlights and dull pale looking fog lights.