I've owned my Subaru for a month and have driven it for about a week. The place I bought it, had to replace the drivers head gasket and the passengers side due to my breaking a spark plug off on the right side. The passengers side was covered under warranty. I was told the cam seals and timing belt were also replaced before purchase.
I don't find it to be that comfortable a car, but its OK. It does have a lot of road noise. I knew of the common problems with this model: road noise, head gaskets, timing belt and seals, heat shield and clock problems, and bearing problems, too. I only bought it because these were fixed prior to my purchasing it, and the place I bought the car is owned and operated by a few Subaru mechanics. If anyone is going to purchase a Forester, hopefully they will look into these common issues and make sure they are fixed before they consider buying one. It seems like a decent vehicle once these issues are addressed. One plus; it does handle great in the snow. I wouldn't purchase another Subaru unless it was from where I bought it, because of their experience with Subaru and the help they provide to their customers. I think these problems that are common on this model should have been addressed by Subaru and redesigned maybe the newer Forester's have.
Update: I've got my Forester back now. The check engine light is on, and both cylinders 1 and 3 are misfiring; probably a bad wire or plug, but back to the shop.
My wife's Cavalier will eat this car up in reliability and has so far. This will be my last Subaru; back to Honda or Toyota.
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