I bought a 99 Forester used at 68,000 miles. It has been a terrible car. Still paying it off 'til May of 2008, and it probably won't make it.
After just a few months of driving, I had to replace all engine gaskets, to the tune of over 1,000. I was told that these seem to wear out inordinately. I now burn two quarts of oil to every fill.
The clock never worked, and the engine light was on all the time. Supposedly the knock sensor, which was replaced twice - and the engine light is still on and the computer says it is the knock sensor.
Almost got sucked into a new air conditioner compressor; was told I would need a new one. Well guess what, if the coolant is low, the clutch for the compressor won't engage!
A bunch of other things too numerous.
Yes, I bought it from a dealer and did all the checks and services.
2003 Subaru Forester finally bit the dust. Total cost of
repairs in 4 years has been $6700.00, including 1800.00 for new shocks & struts and a few electrical issues 500 miles ago. Should have known when the rear brakes went at 38K. I bought it new and loved her up until about 60K and then she really got cranky. Once the engine light starts up, look out. You will spend $500.00 to replace the sensor and 300 miles later it will come back on. Mechanic will say that it's another problem and on and on. 13 months ago a cable snapped, cut my timing belt in half and left me with a 3800.00 bill. Dealer said that it was a freak accident. 12K miles later, it threw a rod. Same dealer works on all of my cars and I never have a problem with the others. I babied this car, synthetic every 3K, dealer only service and all maintenance, which also costs a fortune. Oh yea, I am also an old lady who drives like one. I loved her big, but alas it is back to Honda for me too. Today's Subaru is not the 250K Subaru of yesterday. After 100K send her on down the road. Your wallet will thank you.
I've generally been pleased with my '99 Forester, bought new, though this last year has been a little disappointing. Last summer (around 95K miles) car started overheating due to lack of coolant and eating oil. My local mechanic pointed out a special extended warranty for head gaskets, which sounded like it fit my car. I took it to the dealer (30 miles away), who replaced the radiator and valve cover seals and said problem was not head gasket: no warranty coverage. The overheating went away, but it was still losing coolant and oil. Less than a year later started getting check engine lights. Bought one of those OBD-II readers (highly recommend BTW, for $60 you can save yourself hundreds/thousands) and found a misfiring cylinder. Took it back to the dealer who agreed to now fix the head gasket under the extended warranty (would have been $1800 to fix at local mechanic), even though it had since passed the 100K limit on the special extended warranty.
Negative: radiator dying at less than 100K, head gasket dying at less than 100K (and dealer could have fixed first time), the clock died, the passenger seat rattles loudly (no exhaust heat shield noise though, maybe it fell off :) ), gas gauge acts weird: according to gauge car gets about 200 miles in the first quarter tank, 100 miles in next, and about 30 in last half... kind of tricky if not used to.
Positive: Subaru acknowledge the head gasket problem and, in the end, dealer fixed head gasket under recall warranty. No other major problems, handles great in snow, silt, rain, etc, decent room, but not horrible mileage, generally a great car.
Misc: clutch went 105K, tires lasting about 40K.
If you have a forester with a blown head gasket before 100K, you should definitely look into the warranty clause of the Coolant Conditioner Recall WWP-99. Also make sure the conditioner is added when coolant replaced (~every 30K miles).
I have a 1998 Subaru Forester S that I purchased new in November 1997. I had the rear wheel bearings replaced under warranty. Despite having all of the scheduled maintenence done at the dealership for the first 60K miles, I developed an oil leak around 70K. I eventually had to replace all of the oil and cam seals on the engine at a total cost of around $1500. 6 months later it is leaking oil again and I am not going to bother fixing it. 6 months later the mass air flow sensor goes out and leaves me stranded in the middle of the night. $400 to replace that. Now at 100K the belt just came off or broke and I am going to spend today fixing that. The clock hasn't worked for years. The A/C only works half of the time. I love driving the car, but I cannot depend upon it. I bought a new 2005 Outback XT and it has been good, other than the turbo going out at 60K under warranty.
I have read through the string of comments and am fascinated to find I have the same problems that everyone else have. The clock not working was a real hoot. My '98 Subaru is just short of 120,000 miles. The head gasket needs to be replaced. I don't know the cost yet. Outside of that, and the unusual wear on tires, it has been pretty good to me. We have had it for just over 10 years now, so I guess I find it hard to complain much about this recent head gasket issue.
I own a '98 Forester L that I bought as a lease return. Yes, this year does seem to have it's share of problems. I did have the rear bearings replaced and the 5-spd will eat clutches. The engine (EJ25) is known for head gasket problems so I had the improved one installed.
You do need to do seals, timing belt and water pump every 60 thousand miles or so. I also had the drive shaft replaced at 133000 miles and have just had the fuel pump and starter replaced.
It will probably go for another 60k miles or more. But I wonder how many other cars in the same price range will be even repairable after 100+ thousand miles?
For what it's worth, I bought my 2001 Subaru Forester S brand new in the summer of 2000, and it just passed 139K miles last night. After my extended warranty ended at 90K, I've had the oil changed every 7500 miles, an occasional tire replaced, and brake system replaced maybe twice. Otherwise, it's been a breeze. Oddly, I noticed the overhead clock blow its fuse last weekend, but since I always have my cellphone on me, time on the Subaru is not an urgency.
I bought my 2001 Forester L new in December 2000. The dealer has done all service except for oil changes; I do those myself. It currently has 173,000 miles on it and I am just now beginning to see a tiny bit of oil seepage from the head gaskets. So I can't complain about that; I think 173K+ is pretty reasonable. I did have the coolant conditioner installed per recall at about 40,000 miles.
Other problems? I had the rear wheel bearings replaced at 60,000 miles, but they've been fine since. Perhaps these are new and improved? We pull a pop-up camper a lot with our Forester, so that might have had something to do with it. Tires have lasted anywhere from 40-80,000 miles, depending on brand and model. I rotate them every 10,000 miles.
I have had both inboard front driveshaft boots replaced.
The timing belt was replaced as part of the 100,000 mile service.
I had the front brake pads replaced at 150,000 miles; the dealer tech said they could have gone a a while longer. The rear brake shoes were checked and left alone as he said they were fine.
The overhead clock went out, of course; I tried resoldering, but no joy, so I spent $80 (ouch!) for a new one.
And that's it. We'll drive it until the repairs become too frequent/expensive, and then we'll get another Subaru. The AWD is fantastic and the safety record is excellent.
I am the original owner of a 1999 Subaru Forester L which I bought in October 1998. My Forester just passed the 225,000 mile mark and it is still going strong. The only real problem I had was with the rubber gaskets drying up and cracking and causing oil spillage a couple years back, but I don't fault Subaru. The little digital clock above the rear-view mirror has been out longer than I can remember. This car has performed flawlessly on snow trips to Mammoth and Lake Tahoe, weekends in Las Vegas, camping in Grand Canyon and one LA-to-Seattle-and-back road trip with some college friends. I've been ready to buy a new car since I hit 100,000 but it just keeps going. It should be noted that I am a defensive driver that rarely goes over the speed limit.
I wish I had known about this review website before buying my 1999 Subaru forester in 2005. Bought it at 98,000 miles. Clock didn't work when purchased. After first year, had to replace head gasket ($1200). The heat shield has been an ongoing irritation (had it tightened many times) as well as oil leaks. Then, at 140,000 miles, just had a took the car in with the check engine light on. Needed routine maintenance diagnostic and replacement of the knock sensor. Now, three weeks later, the piston blew through the engine block. Still have $1500 left to pay off on car. Will only be purchasing Toyota's after this. My 1989 4-runner (original owner and 240,000 miles) has never had this much trouble. We thought the Subaru was our "reliable" vehicle, but we stand corrected.
I have a 1999 Forester, purchased brand new. It has almost 100K on the odometer now, but we have done regular maintenance at a Subaru dealership ever 6000K. All regular maintenance, everything. It's been a pretty good vehicle, a couple of expensive unexpected things, but overall it's been a very reliable vehicle.
Once about 3.5 years ago, the battery simply died and had to be replaced (I was parked in the lineup of vehicles waiting to load a ferry, so it was an extremely inopportune time for the battery to die). I replaced the battery with a brand new Subaru battery. Yesterday morning I was again relying heavily on my vehicle, and you guessed it... battery is dead again.
Subaru makes great vehicles, but lousy batteries.
Purchased a 2000 Forester 9/01. Had about 32,000 miles at the time of purchase.
Had the following repairs performed on the vehicle in chronological order (month/year.)
replaced front brakes 4/02, repaired broken middle pipe of exhaust 6/02, replaced right wheel bearing and front brakes (again!) 7/03, replaced entire radiator due to leaking at the seam 11/03
From the time of purchase to 2003, I lived where I worked so I was barely putting any miles on the vehicle (no driving to work!) so repairs could not be attributed to excessive mileage, wear and tear on the vehicle.
Other repairs to follow are: knock sensor replaced 3/05,
both rear wheel bearings replaced 1/07.
Upon last oil change/inspection anti-freeze leak was observed by mechanic and now head gasket needs to be replaced. I had the conditioner added in 04 per Subaru dealer instructions, but obviously it didn't do any good for the long-term. The car currently has about 89,000 miles on it.
I had an older '84 Subaru that ran like a champ to the bitter end (over 150,000 miles on it when I sold it) so I thought I would have even better luck with a newer Subaru.
I am sorely disappointed with this car. It has consistently given me problems and the repairs go beyond the realm of normal wear and tear. It is a money pit. I will NEVER buy another Subaru again.
I purchased my 99 Subaru Forester in April 2005 with nearly 92,000 miles. The tires were and still are in great shape. I did have the front brakes replaced in July 2005.
The car now has nearly 140,000 and the only problem has been the heat shield, which was rusty and had to be replaced as it rattled constantly. Standard wear-and-tear now requires the replacement of the back brakes and rotors.
I have owned few cars in my life but this has been my dream car, having wanted one since they came out. I, and many people I know, wouldn't trade our Subarus for the world.
Bought my 2000 Forester with 19,000 miles on it and liked the AWD and the 28 mpg and the "maintenance free reputation" aspect of a Subaru being the reason of purchase. At 30K, the left wheel bearing went bad. At 50K, the check engine light came on and was told it was the 02 sensor and $600 for repair, yeah right, I'm making payments on it at the time. I owned a Nissan Stanza that did the same thing and I used the same repair for the Subaru which was a large piece of black tape to cover the glare from the engine light. My mpg went down to 25 mpg but $600 buys a lot of gas. At 90k, car began overheating so did the coolant bit w2hich didn't do any good. Dealership wanted to replace radiator so I bought one online for 50% less than what they wanted and it was made in India instead of China so better quality with a life time warranty. Car still over heated and I switched over to Amsoil to protect the engine from overheating and a bottle of Prolong additive that also protects engine parts from high heat. They replaced the thermostat and car continued to overheat. Finally head gasket was replaced and problem was solved at cost of $1700.
At 100k, front brake rotors were replaced after having them turned every 25k miles before they warped and made braking very hard. New rotors have better metal and have had no further problems. At 115K, front boots and axles went so another $1800 for replacements. Struts are in need of replacement but that is another $1600 for that service so I drive on worn out struts for now.
Made my last payment at 138K in April, 2008, and clock died and light on AM/FM radio burned out. Subaru quoted $83.75 for replacement. I'll check salvage yard and see if I can get it for less or I'll buy a digital one at Pep Boys and velcro it in its place. Replaced the black tape over check engine light as the old tape was worn out.
I pull a 17 foot Ranger Bass Boat with the Forester and the engine or tranny gets hot so will invest in a $225 transmission cooler. With a Class 2 hitch, a Forester can handle up to 2000 pounds. Just have to down shift it so it doesn't go into overdrive on hills. Give yourself plenty of braking space too. I use a good quality brake pad so I get good life out of them.
I just rolled 140K and I will keep the Forester until the wheels fall off. When I get a new car, it won't be a Subaru but I won't trade it in but use it for my 60 mile round trip commute and keep the miles off the new ride.
My dad is 82 and he drives a 2007 Forester and loves it.
We own a '99 Forester S and it has 236,000 miles on it. It has been relatively maintenance free - I used to drive it about 3k per month and changed the oil that often. It's now the secondary car and gets only about 3k per year on it.
Replaced the rear wheel bearings @ 110k and again @ 220k - the bearings probably could have been replaced @ 90k & 190k but the change in the noise was so gradual. I drive in ALL kinds of weather in the upper Midwest and I truly believe that the bearing changes were because of driving in deep snow and driving rains. There must be some design flaw that allows water to get into the bearings.
I had some difficulty a while back with losing wheel lugs - the lug nuts would losen up and then the vibration would shear off the lug bolt. I finally figured out that there was corrosion on the back side of the wheel (maybe related to early bearing failure?) and the wheels weren't seating properly against the hubs.
I've replaced the brake shoes several times and just replaced the front rotors - boy, were those a b**ch to get off! I probably could have taken the rotors to a shop and had them turned to take the rust ridge off but I figured it would be easier to just replace them.
JUST replaced OEM timing belt (AND head gaskets, water pump, seals, and four new struts) but these things are to be expected @ 220k +.
The 'Check Engine' light is on permanently but that's because the catalytic converter has gone bad and I'm not going to spend USD$1200+ on a new cat for a car that doesn't see so many miles anymore.
Those with tire-wear problems... take your vehicle to a different alignment shop.. I've found that sometimes auto repair places put the newest kid in the shop on tire rotation/replacement/alignment duty (along with basic oil changes). Alignment can be tricky - we had a '78 Toyota Corona that seemed to need alignment every 3 months until we took it to a different place and the guy got it dialed in and we never had a problem.
Heh - the overhead clock hasn't worked since about 80k. :)
Overall, VERY reliable. Bomb-proof, even, considering I drove on the terribly potholed highways between Wisconsin and Chicago-land for 3 years..