Patrickjd9

Been following the oil consumption issue since I'm considering buying another Subaru, probably a 2011 or newer Legacy. Seem to hear much more about the problem in FB-engined Foresters than Outbacks or Legacies. Compare posts on subaruforester.org vs. subaruoutback.org.

I don't own a Forester, but am considering a new or newer used Subaru. The Forester has several things about it that would make it more susceptible to crosswinds than a Toyota Sienna. They are pretty much the ones you mention, lighter weight, almost straight up and down sides in a tall vehicle, and narrower width. I know nothing about the OE tires, escept for a couple of negative comments on the subaruforester.org forum. My expectations of OE tires are pretty low, though. Hope this bump gets a comment or two from actual Forester owners.

Everything I've read says the H6 is a really durable engine. Thinking of buying an H6 Outback 2010-13 for myself. If you really want the sedan or the manual transmission, you have good reasons. Simple mechanical or age reasons, probably not.

Texan, the Crosstrek is listed on Subaru's US web site with a 5 speed manual.

Don't love the Outback's styling, and used manual shift Outbacks seem rare in 2010 and later. I didn't fit that well in pre-2010 Legacy/Outbacks, but have always been physically comfortable in the Forester. I will drive the Crosstrek at some point, but won't be caught dead in an orange one.

The lack of a timing belt would be a big advantage. I'll lose my carpool to work in about 18 months, and be back to driving about 25,000 miles a year, so the timing belt interval would arrive quickly. I'm fairly big and not sure I'd fit into the Crosstrek, and would find the cargo room small.

I'm a former Subaru owner (04 Legacy wagon, auto), and considering replacing my 7 passenger family hauler with a manual transmission Forester. The Legacy had an unfortunate meeting with a bus in downtown DC. While it was repaired, it never quite ran right again. Reliability was just fair even before the crash, but it had 118K of stoplight-to-stoplight city driving when we traded it last year. If it ever really existed, my need for a large people hauler has just about passed. I drove manual shift cars for almost 25 years before my current large box, and miss it a lot. I'm normally a new car buyer, keeping 125-150K miles, but I'd like to reduce costs with a child entering college. Willing to spend up to $15K on the Forester, though would buy a somewhat older one in good condition with no more than 70K miles. Want it new enough to have side airbags, including side curtain, and ABS. A few questions: 1. Is there any reason to pick one '11 or later with the new engine? 2. I've only driven the automatic Forester, how is the manual to drive? My previous experience is with Corollas and a Ford Focus. 3. What I see on the used market is base models, which I'm willing to buy. Are higher trim models available with the manual? 4. Will the Forester be more reliable than the 04 Legacy? The Forester would get mostly highway driving. Hope this string of questions isn't a bit much. Thanks in advance!

17 mpg city, 22-24 mpg highway:eek: 04 Legacy Wagon, dual sunroofs 2.5 L, non-turbo, 98000 miles Automatic Transmission 5W-30 Valvoline engine, original diff oil, Castrol multi-brand Import ATF. No mods 205/55 R16 BF Goodrich Comp T/A (worn - New Michelins or Bridgestones within a few weeks) No Mods Heavily city driving/short trip. Wife is regular driver, I can do 1 or 2 mpg better.

I owned an 82 Tercel with 4 speed manual, bought new. Very reliable for the 100K miles I kept it. Master cylinder, heater blower motor, and front wheel bearings are only failures I can recall. Idler pulley problem was due to dealer install screwup on A/C. 36 mpg is entirely possible, 40 mpg is unrealistic due to the high rpm on the highway. I only got there when limited to steady 55 mph for some reason. I eventually tired of the high rpm drone at 65 mph or more. Upside is that it can get 29-30 mpg in bumper to bumper city traffic.

Good thing. About the only thing that survives much over 150K in in the 5 boroughs is the Crown Vic.

Depends on the sort of driving you've been doing. If your car has 125K miles of rush hour commuting from Northern NJ to Brooklyn, it may be 20K miles from the crusher:eek:. For more normal driving, your car is having mostly middle age repairs. The transmission lines are odd, though.

On the car in Louisville, will they give you a VIN? If engine hasn't been swapped, should be able to figure out 2.5 or 2.2 from there.

Just checked tire pressures. Three tires were 31 psi, passenger side front was 29 psi. I raised it to 31 psi. Seems small, but might have aggravated the situation. Thanks all for help so far!

No odd noises, just the steering feel. Car has never had an alignment. OE tires wore evenly right to replacement at 56K miles--rotated every 15K miles. 78K miles doesn't seem like a lot for struts, though the car has been heavily city-driven. I picked up the tire wear issue last time I changed the oil. Perhaps I'll try to get a wheel alignment when I'm off on Friday.

I drove my wife's 04 Legacy wagon on a rare highway trip (250 miles RT) yesterday and had to keep the speed down to 70 mph or less because it was so quease-inducing. An unpleasant ride in what has been a pleasant car to drive (bought new). The car has a 2.5 liter non-turbo, automatic, and 78K mostly stoplight-to-stoplight city miles in and out of Washington, DC. The car has had its power steering pump replaced recently. It still turns left easier compared to turning right, but less so than before. I tried the fender bounce test on the front struts this morning. The driver's side presses down and settles quickly, but with a lot of resistance. The passenger's side has less resistance, and seems to let the other side twist a bit before settling. Neither is your classic bouncy worn strut feeling. The front passenger-side tire is also wearing a bit unevenly. I'm inclined to replace the front struts on general principle, but suspect that it really needs some actual diagnosis. Any ideas to be looking at?

Brembo is a top-of-the-line brand. While I don't have firsthand experience, detailing, surface protection from rust, and packaging should all be of very good quality. I would expect to see the rotor packaged in a bag inside the rotor box with a piece of corrosion inhibitor paper. Little or no rust. My guess is that the rotors are an inexpensive set of knockoffs--basically counterfeit parts. Send a couple of pictures to Brembo before you return them to the seller. Brembo may be quite interested.

You'll get no stones from me. These cars are a perfectly reasonable choice for such a commute, probably better for a taller/bigger person than a 4 cylinder Toyota/Honda sedan.

But did you field dress it? http://www.learn-taxidermy.com/field_dressing_deer.htm

That's good to see. I need to haul a subfloor (2X2 foot squares) home in the next few weeks.

Given the location and likely history/maintenance, the answer is clearly less than $1000--regardless of odometer reading or sheetmetal condition. It may be less than $500.

31K miles on ours, I seen no reason they shouldn't go until this time next year. This would be over 45K. They've been rotated every 7500 miles.

Ford hasn't been too bad for Volvo, but the Jaguar X-type (Ford Mid-size clone) is a travesty. A local dealer has been all over the radio for months here in the DC area with a $199 a month lease offer. There has been less response to this GM sale on this board than I thought there would be. I guess we'll never see the Subaru clone of the Chevy Tahoe now...

You beat me to it. This is the second such case in recent years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Neil Auto columns are considered advertising matter and sometimes go unedited.

Same here. Another neighbor had an old GL wagon covered with pine needles towed out of her yard a couple of years ago.

Based on our 27,000 miles to date, I couldn't argue with a verdict of somewhat below average. We have a coolant smell (head gasket they aren't owning up to?), a replaced oxygen sensor, and a replaced power seat.