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1998
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1998 Subaru Forester review from North America

"Repairs are a nightmare, but I love the car"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

10/98 Leak, Leaking front inner axels.

10/99 Recall, brake master cylinder.

1999 Leak, Recall, axle shaft grease leakage.

11/01 Oil leak, front engine, replaced front crank seal.

2/01 Leak, axel seals leaking, after recall was done.

9/02 Oil leak, left hand cam seal or valve gasket.

9/03 Oil leak, Replaced both leaking engine valve cover gaskets.

12/03 Oil leak, Engine low on oil, leak from camshaft seal. Also fuel level sensor circuit malfunctions.

7/04 Oil leak, leaking rightfront axleshaft, replaced.

7/04 Faulty fuel tank sending units, gas gauge registering empty when full.

7/05 Leak, torn axel boot and leaking grease, replace the left front axle shaft.

8/06 Ignition wires and coil shorting out.

5/06 and 3/07 rear catalytic converter.

4/06 clock stopped working, faulty clock assembly.

12/06 Oil leak, oil level not registering on dipstick, could not locate leak.

4/07 Temp. gauge went very hot while driving, removed cylinder heads and sent out to machine shop then reinstalled and replaced gaskets.

4/07 Grinding sound when turning, replaced right front wheel bearing assembly.

8/07 Oil leaks at oil separator.

8/07 Oil leaks at valve covers.

8/07 Oil leak from CAM Seals.

8/07 Splash shield loos, replaced clips for splash shield.

General comments?

I always did the routine maintenance. All these problems are ontop of the usual replace the brakes, belts, clutch, muffler, etc...

I did oil changes every 3,000 miles.

I have spent more on repairs than the original cost of the car. Every time, I thought we'd finally corrected the problem, but they just kept coming and coming.

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1999 - Forester L 2.5

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Solid, reliable, functional car with excellent bad-weather traction and all-around handling.

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Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Model year1998
Year of manufacture1998
First year of ownership1998
Most recent year of ownership2007
Engine and transmission 2.5 Liter Manual
Performance marks 10 / 10
Reliability marks 3 / 10
Comfort marks 9 / 10
Dealer Service marks 8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper) 0 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks) 6.0 / 10
Distance when acquired15 miles
Most recent distance182000 miles
Previous carSAAB 900
Date of Entry 10th October, 2007

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