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Hello all. I am a new Subaru owner. Well, actually I will be a Subaru owner tomorrow at 10:30 when I pick up my Forester.
I just bought a used 2005 Forester 2.5 X with 13K miles. The car was a rental, but I feel ok with this because the rental company is owned and operated by the dealer. The vehicle is very clean and besides, I got the 6 year 100,000 mile gold "Added Secutiry" warrenty. I did my research and did not budge on my offer - I am convinced I got a great deal.
Here is how I recently became a Subaru owner:
Until about a month ago I was an Audi driver. I had a 2000 A4 1.8t Quattro. I loved that car and never dreamed I would not buy another Audi. In early November I was sitting in a red light and got rear ended so hard I was thrown into the car infront of me. It totaled my Audi.
Since I was not planning on buying a new car this year, I was not prepaired to spend the $30k plus to get a new Audi so I started looking at other vehicles. I am very glad I did.
I went to the dealer to test drive a base model Impreza. It is an nice car, but comming from an A4 it was not inspiring, but it was in my price range. In the end I decided against it not for performance reasons or styling, but because of size. The car just did not have enough room inside. I did not bother test driving a WRX. I am sure I would have liked it better, but the size would still be a problem. Next, I took a big step up and drove a Legacy GT. Wow. I fell in love with the car. No doubt Subaru has a winner with this car. It definatlly compaires favorably with Audis and BMWs. But, I just could not convince myself (or my wife) that this is the time in my life to spend over $30k on a car again. So I started looking at more family friendly vehicles and ended up with the Forester.
I can't say I am in love with the Forester, but I think it will grow on me. It is definatly the right car for me and my family right now. We have a Toyota van for carting kids around, but the van does terrible in snow and ice. From what I can tell from the test drive and what I have read, the Forester could drive through an entire ice age without breaking a sweat.
Anyhow, I am now a Subaru driver and glad of it! Since this is my first Subaru, is there any advice you can offer me on properly maintaining the vehicle, things to watch for, suggested upgrades, etc?