1999 Subaru Forester SX review from North America
"Poor performance, high maintenance"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Poor paint quality was the first thing I noticed.
Poor tire wear quality even after appropriate rotations, balancing and alignments.
Check engine light constant until I had to change a block sensor in the gas tank. Nobody except Subaru knew what that was, but was a very high-priced item.
Road noises coming from rear after speed balance and rotation. Turns out wheel bearing needs to be replaced at 57,000 miles. Seems I'm the lucky one compared to other posts.
Brakes wear out faster than any car I've ever driven. This is another high-priced item.
General comments?
I drove a Honda Accord LXI for 11 years and outside of normal wear and tear spent less than 2,000 in maintenance in 11 years. I only purchased the Subaru because I was tired of the color of my Honda and I wanted a mini-SUV. The Forester had great safety reviews, which was a major concern.
Very unusual and high-priced maintenance on this car makes me want to dump it. Every time I take it in to the dealer, I can't get out with less than $500 in repairs. For a 6-year old car with 57,000 miles, I've had it.
The best thing I can say about this car... it handles great in the snow.
Recommended reviews
| Not a reliable car |
|
| Back to a Honda |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1999 |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 2 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 10 miles |
| Most recent distance | 57000 miles |
| Previous car | Honda Accord |
| Date of Entry | 25th March, 2005 |