Norcalgirl Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I'm new to the board--hello! I am looking to buy a 2005 Subaru to replace my beloved 2004 (sigh) MT Forester XS that just got declared a total loss after getting flooded by a high tide (it was a very high tide). I loved that car, and assumed I would simply replace it, but must admit I don't like the color choices of the '05 XS (shallow, yes). Today I drove an '05 Legacy 2.5i (auto trans, with sportshift) and to my surprise I loved it, but am loathe to give up the space and utility of the Forester (I ski, hike, camp, etc.) I also don't know how the sportshift may wear after time. I have always preferred manual transmissions. I have not yet driven a Legacy with a stick shift. As for the Forester X, which looks nicer to me, I also don't know how much I would notice the lack of disk brakes on the rear wheels (drum brakes on rear), as well as having no limited slip rear differential (I used to live in Vermont, where the latter was key)--perhaps here in (usually) sunny California it is unnecessary. Any opinions would be much appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I'm new to the board--hello! I am looking to buy a 2005 Subaru to replace my beloved 2004 (sigh) MT Forester XS that just got declared a total loss after getting flooded by a high tide (it was a very high tide). I loved that car, and assumed I would simply replace it, but must admit I don't like the color choices of the '05 XS (shallow, yes). Today I drove an '05 Legacy 2.5i (auto trans, with sportshift) and to my surprise I loved it, but am loathe to give up the space and utility of the Forester (I ski, hike, camp, etc.) I also don't know how the sportshift may wear after time. I have always preferred manual transmissions. I have not yet driven a Legacy with a stick shift. As for the Forester X, which looks nicer to me, I also don't know how much I would notice the lack of disk brakes on the rear wheels (drum brakes on rear), as well as having no limited slip rear differential (I used to live in Vermont, where the latter was key)--perhaps here in (usually) sunny California it is unnecessary. Any opinions would be much appreciated. Thanks! The Forester has drums on the back? WTF?!? I noticed that you are in the Bay Area. Do you plan on being at the Bay Area Meet & Greet in El Cerrito this saturday? (see the sticky thread at the top for details) In that you "ski, hike, camp, etc" I would go with the Forester. I would go with the MT to be sure of reliability. The sportshift is nice, and perhaps a better transmission, but we don't know that yet. THe MT is a known quantity. . . Perhaps you could see if disks are available on the rear of the Forester in that trim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norcalgirl Posted January 13, 2005 Author Share Posted January 13, 2005 The Forester has drums on the back? WTF?!? I noticed that you are in the Bay Area. Do you plan on being at the Bay Area Meet & Greet in El Cerrito this saturday? (see the sticky thread at the top for details) In that you "ski, hike, camp, etc" I would go with the Forester. I would go with the MT to be sure of reliability. The sportshift is nice, and perhaps a better transmission, but we don't know that yet. THe MT is a known quantity. . . Perhaps you could see if disks are available on the rear of the Forester in that trim? Thanks for quick response! Only the Forester X has drums on the rear wheels (XS and XT are disks all around)--go figure. Am definitely heading in the direction of the roomier and handier Forester, if only it hadn't been such a super fun test drive in the sedan... Hmm. Just saw the note about the meet & greet, will try to make it if I can. Sounds like fun. Of course, right now I'm driving the ****iest rental GMC truck of all time. Not very appropriate to bring to a show and tell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Just curious... you're talking about the sedan, right, but why not consider the new Legacy wagon? The Legacy platform will have more room than the Forester, which is based on the smaller Impreza platform. There was a link on Nasioc (I posted it in a thread here) which compares the Legacy, Forester, Impreza in terms of cargo space. I'll see if I can find that again. Link: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=689844 Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norcalgirl Posted January 13, 2005 Author Share Posted January 13, 2005 Just curious... you're talking about the sedan, right, but why not consider the new Legacy wagon? The Legacy platform will have more room than the Forester, which is based on the smaller Impreza platform. There was a link on Nasioc (I posted it in a thread here) which compares the Legacy, Forester, Impreza in terms of cargo space. I'll see if I can find that again. Link: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=689844 Steve Steve, Thanks for posting that link--very helpful! As for the sedan vs. wagon issue, I think I was seduced by the the thought of driving a sedan again, and not something as utilitarian as a wagon. In the end, if I'm going to get a wagon, I'll probably stick with the Forester, since I also love the short length (lots of parallel parking to be done). Thanks again for link. Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Makes sense now, thanks. I should have mentioned this before: sorry about your soggy Subie I too like the new(er) Foresters and will probably be deciding between one of those and an '05+ Outback when it comes time to replace mine, hopefully a long time from now though! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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