trbscpa

You're right, the most recent was a '91 (165K and going strong,) previous ones were a '77 and an '87. Maybe the answer is to stick with old cars like my heart tells me to do!

Yes, it does have something to do with the alarm, and the interior lighting time delay. I was a little hasty in my post, sorry. It goes out, same as the dome light (though not at the same time, oddly enough,) after a little pause. Hard to imagine that it's supposed to do this, but I guess it doesn't quite qualify as a "problem." Thanks for all the advice!

Just recently bought my first Subaru ('00 Forester, 60K mi.) and although I haven't had any real problems with it, I just have to remark that I've owned Toyotas for 20 years and never had to give any more thought to them than just doing regular maintenance (you can take them to anyone, too, you don't have to go to a dealer who will have the special knowledge, special goop, coolant air purging expertise, high prices, etc.) They all went up to 200K mi. without a hiccup. Now I need to monitor my coolant level and oil continuously, keep sniffing my ventilation air for hints of sweet smells, listen for wheel bearing noises, etc. Maybe some people like to own "quirky" cars, but I thought I was buying a relatively new car with a (deservedly?) good reputation for being reliable so that I would have less to worry about, not more.

I posted this as a reply in a different thread: "Re: New to Subaru: Interested in a Forrester I just picked up my first Subaru, a used 2000 Forester L with 60K mi. on it on Saturday, and, I hate to admit it, but it's already scaring me. This may just be buyer's remorse, but I hear a window leak noise at speed and see a bit of condensation on the inside of the windows at the seals. Reading forums this morning, I see a lot of horror stories about wheel bearings, head gaskets, etc. (though apparently there are fixes for this problem. My car has a 1/1/05 recall/service bulletin for engine cooling system conditioner (stops leaks?) and oxygen sensor.) I haven't had the car long enough to speak to reliability, but the Carfax Vehicle History Report on it has it in the shop every 3,000 miles or so. I thought before I bought it that this was evidence of good regular maintenance, but now I wonder. Any feedback would be appreciated." And now, 4 days into ownership, my door warning light won't go out. Any thoughts out there? Will it run my battery down? (I guess I'll find out when I get back to the parking lot this evening.)

I just picked up my first Subaru, a used 2000 Forester L with 60K mi. on it on Saturday, and, I hate to admit it, but it's already scaring me. This may just be buyer's remorse, but I hear a window leak noise at speed and see a bit of condensation on the inside of the windows at the seals. Reading forums this morning, I see a lot of horror stories about wheel bearings, head gaskets, etc. (though apparently there are fixes for this problem. My car has a 1/1/05 recall/service bulletin for engine cooling system conditioner (stops leaks?) and oxygen sensor.) I haven't had the car long enough to speak to reliability, but the Carfax Vehicle History Report on it has it in the shop every 3,000 miles or so. I thought before I bought it that this was evidence of good regular maintenance, but now I wonder. Any feedback would be appreciated.