howards11 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 I've been thinking about trading in my 2000 Forester L. 73K miles. It has been costing a few bucks keeping it running. Now it needs new struts; $1,100. I saw a used 2007 Honda CR-V. 33K miles. FWD with traction control. $19K. Does anyone have any comments about the CR-V especially one with FWD and traction control and not AWD. ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezapar Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 I've been thinking about trading in my 2000 Forester L. 73K miles. It has been costing a few bucks keeping it running. Now it needs new struts; $1,100. I saw a used 2007 Honda CR-V. 33K miles. FWD with traction control. $19K. Does anyone have any comments about the CR-V especially one with FWD and traction control and not AWD. ~Howard I just replaced the strusts on my 2001 impreza for 259 bucks shipped. Took maybe 1 1/2 hours to swap all 4. I added RS springs too, so it took a little longer than if I had kept the original ones. So what am I trying to say? Keep your forester. FWD FTL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 $1100 for struts?? find a better mechanic and keep the forester I'm sure someone on here would install them for a case of beer if you had the parts ordered and ready to go on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch de la Brat Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 $1100 for struts?? find a better mechanic and keep the forester I'm sure someone on here would install them for a case of beer if you had the parts ordered and ready to go on No kidding. If you like AWD and a quality car, skip the CR-V. They're very tin boxy inside and, I feel, rather ugly. I'm a little more expensive, I require a good meal too :-p Twitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 12, 2009 Author Share Posted September 12, 2009 $1100 for struts?? find a better mechanic and keep the forester I'm sure someone on here would install them for a case of beer if you had the parts ordered and ready to go on $1,100 is cheap. A local Subaru dealer wanted $1,500. ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 12, 2009 Author Share Posted September 12, 2009 If there is a mechanic (professional or otherwise) in the Philadelphia, PA area that can install struts in my 2000 Forester cheaper than $800 in labor charges, please PM me. I have the KYB struts ready to install. ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 why not try and install them yourself..its really not too bad of a job. I have done them on Imprezas and my Legacy. And as for the CR-V..lets just say ..my husbands 2001 Toyota Tacoma with a bad frame ( its off right now having a new one installed ..thanks to the recall) was rear ended by one. It was going maybe 20 mph.... Honda totaled..Tacoma..had a scratch. Entire front end of the CR-V was trashed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 And as for the CR-V..lets just say ..my husbands 2001 Toyota Tacoma with a bad frame ( its off right now having a new one installed ..thanks to the recall) was rear ended by one. It was going maybe 20 mph.... Honda totaled..Tacoma..had a scratch. Entire front end of the CR-V was trashed That's pretty typical of that kind of wreck. the offending car is usually in a nose dive putting it's bumper below the car it's going to hit, especially if it's a truck. If it's plastic and sheet metal against a bumper and frame rails, it's not going to be any contest no matter what kind of car it is. My mother in law and grandfather both have CRV's and I don't care for them. I think their mileage is poor for their size and I just don't like the way they are set up. But they are a Honda and neither has been in the shop for anything other than routine maintenance (160k and 120k respectively). I agree with Bucky, buy a repair manual and tackle the strut job yourself. it feels good to take care of your vehicle, not to mention to save the money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 12, 2009 Author Share Posted September 12, 2009 why not try and install them yourself..its really not too bad of a job. I have done them on Imprezas and my Legacy. And as for the CR-V..lets just say ..my husbands 2001 Toyota Tacoma with a bad frame ( its off right now having a new one installed ..thanks to the recall) was rear ended by one. It was going maybe 20 mph.... Honda totaled..Tacoma..had a scratch. Entire front end of the CR-V was trashed Thanks for the suggestion but I do not any mechanical ability. The chances of getting the install correct would be slim or none. That's why I pay someone to do the job for me. ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 12, 2009 Author Share Posted September 12, 2009 The CR-V I saw at a local Saturn dealer has been sold. I knew it was a good deal and had a feature I haven't seen in a CR-V before (FWD + traction control). Plus after did some thinking and talking to my wife, I think I'm just going to replace the struts and postpone any vehicle replacement until Spring 2010 due to job worries. There is a small possibility I could be out of a job in a few weeks. ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 The prez of the Whitefish Outrigger Canoe Club (Hui Wa'a o' ia Kea) bought a FWD CRV and can't get it out of her LEVEL driveway in snow or ice ... skip it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 12, 2009 Author Share Posted September 12, 2009 The prez of the Whitefish Outrigger Canoe Club (Hui Wa'a o' ia Kea) bought a FWD CRV and can't get it out of her LEVEL driveway in snow or ice ... skip it. WOW............does she have traction control on the CR-V ? ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 WOW............does she have traction control on the CR-V ? ~Howard I dunno, but she HATES that car. And she told me "If you say ONE MORE TIME ' told you to buy a Subaru', you're outta the club!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobywagon Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Maybe its just a market thing, but $19,000 seems AWFULLY high. Then again, maybe thats just because you couldn't pay me to own a Honda car. That said, I have observed that the CR-V is likely to be more expensive to repair than your Forester. Glass is more expensive for a Honda than almost any other vehicle in the same class. They seem to have a fairly high rate of failure in their window regulators, for some reason. Not sure why that should be. I've not learned to trust Honda's traction control. It is brake-based, like most such systems, but for some reason, Honda's system just behaves....oddly. It engages and disengages at odd times and the car "feels" weird while its engaged. Frankly, though, that could just be the one that I have experience with. Maybe it has something wrong with it. Don't know. As I look around, though, I see plenty of 08 and 09 Foresters in that same price point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Thanks for the suggestion but I do not any mechanical ability. The chances of getting the install correct would be slim or none. That's why I pay someone to do the job for me. ~Howard Very likely you could find someone on here who could do them way cheaper than a shop. Just need a floor jack, spring compressor and some basic tools. I have a trusted shop here in Portland that I would likely have do it for me, but if I didnt there is no shortage of members in town who I am sure who would do it for afew hundred bucks and a few beers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 (edited) Maybe its just a market thing, but $19,000 seems AWFULLY high. Then again, maybe thats just because you couldn't pay me to own a Honda car. That said, I have observed that the CR-V is likely to be more expensive to repair than your Forester. Glass is more expensive for a Honda than almost any other vehicle in the same class. They seem to have a fairly high rate of failure in their window regulators, for some reason. Not sure why that should be. I've not learned to trust Honda's traction control. It is brake-based, like most such systems, but for some reason, Honda's system just behaves....oddly. It engages and disengages at odd times and the car "feels" weird while its engaged. Frankly, though, that could just be the one that I have experience with. Maybe it has something wrong with it. Don't know. As I look around, though, I see plenty of 08 and 09 Foresters in that same price point. Thanks for your comments but I've decided to fix what I have and use it until Spring 2010 due to issues at work. Plus the Honda at the Saturn dealer has been sold. ~Howard Edited September 14, 2009 by howards11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 Very likely you could find someone on here who could do them way cheaper than a shop. Just need a floor jack, spring compressor and some basic tools. I have a trusted shop here in Portland that I would likely have do it for me, but if I didnt there is no shortage of members in town who I am sure who would do it for afew hundred bucks and a few beers. I've put out the challenge for some member in the Philadelphia, PA area to PM me if they can do the job. The KYB struts have been purchased and are in my garage ready to go. ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustBrat Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 .....Now a car dealer jumps to reply! I live in Cape May County; Prone to horrible flooding, "moon-tides," and several other natural calamities! I've seen Honda CR-V's suck water through their intakes, and immediately seize and die-Likewise, I've run a 1993 Subaru Impreza with 145,000 miles through 8" of water and had a Nissan Armada following me go into hydrostatic lock-up. Done. New Engine Needed!!!!!! I managed a Subaru dealership for a year. Presently? I sell at the World's Largest Corvette dealer. Do I own a Corvette? Yes. Do I drive it? No. I drive a near-300,000-mile Outback. And, I just bought a vintage Brat. Why? From the ground-up, I believe that although antiquated by design, the Subaru design emulates a simple car that was built for the common man (Or woman!) to repair; From top-mounted starters such as the one found on your Forester, to the high intake, with proper maintenance, there is absolutely NO reason WHATSOEVER that your Forester will not provide 300,000 miles worth of service-And before my Outback? My Legacy finally threw a rod-bearing at 519,000 miles!!!!!!!! If you still need your struts replaced, please reply-I'll put you in touch with a GREAT Subaru-certified mechanic in Atlantic City! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1-3-2-4 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Glad the outcome is looking better now it's really not hard to replace the struts at all I would of never dreamed of trading in a car just because of the struts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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