heartless

i did a 95 Legacy with Forester struts.. no issues to report.. i actually liked it. Also used the Forester wheels mounted with tires that were close to stock diameter (to keep the speedo correct) you can see my results here: https://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/171162-lifting-a-96-legacy-l/?tab=comments#comment-1417502 and here: https://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/170615-is-a-noninstalled-96-99-ob-strut-assembly-shorter-than-00-04-ob/?tab=comments#comment-1413567

would have to agree with wtdash's statement above - Please don't buy a used Subaru Turbocharged car...until you've read about all their issues. Personally, i would not go for a turbo model... most have been driven hard and put away wet.. far too many headaches for me.. look for a nice clean, naturally aspirated model... they are out there.

yeah, chances are a 15" wont fit over the brakes.. you can go bigger, but not usually smaller for the wheels.. pickup a used set of Subaru Steelies in the appropriate size.. around here they are about 25 bucks a wheel - ymmv rubber, well, take a look at "light" truck tires, not passenger car.. better off-roading options there. just as an example... https://www.mastercrafttires.com/tires/trucks-pickups/courser-mxt and they list several in the 16" size

still not a big deal. With good care and proper maintenance these cars can easily see 300K or more 180k is basically just broken in good, lol

which transmission is it?? the 4EAT or the 5? 4EAT is pretty robust, failures are not real common - yes they do happen, but not that often, so putting in a lower mileage used one would be the best option the 5spd version is not as robust as the 4, but i don't think random failure is that common. Other half has an 06 Outback, LL Bean model with the 5spd auto, and has over 200K on his with no problems

wow, yeah kind of hard to justify keeping the Subaru with those kinds of taxes.. Best wishes with the Toy - take care!

don't know what you were looking at, or if you even actually looked.. but the manual pages are in English, and there is a whole section devoted to the HVAC system.

ultra grey for sealing dont go crazy with it.. dont need it squishing back inside.

yup, straight bolt in.. forester struts & springs, Legacy top hats (for the bolt pattern).. good to go. Can be a little bit of work to line things up correctly, but quite doable. a lot of people also do the outback rear trailing arm to center the rear tire a little better, but it is not a must do necessity. I did use the Forester 15 wheels, too - was a nice setup and I kind of miss it. lol can see a pic of the car here

they are not supposed to be on with the high beams.. fog lights are meant for fog conditions, period. they are designed to spread the light close and low so you can see road markings in the fog. and you should never be using high beams in foggy conditions.. if you want something more, then you want driving lights, not fogs, and those would need to be an aftermarket add on

agree with ido.. totally not worth it with those so called "assemblies" matters little if it will be its last winter or not. Do the job right with the right parts. or, if you really want to have a little winter fun... throw some 1st/2nd gen Forester struts under it.. that is what I did with mine and it was pretty nice.. better clearance/ride height, but still felt "planted" on winter roads.

just no.. not how you do things. Here.. Factory Service Manual is available for download.. get it, use it. http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Impreza/2013/ there should be troubleshooting info included in it.

yeah, not gonna happen.. not anything worth putting on the car anyway. KYB struts.. either rent a spring compressor, or get the assemblies out of the car and take them to a local independent shop and they might do the spring swap for you for a small fee. Shop near us only charged like $25 to do the 2 fronts on the other half's Outback

it has been a while since we had the problem... but if i recall, just a general lack of/slow response to throttle input. possibly a bit of stuttering as well in certain positions. Sounds like you may have found the problem with yours.. hope so anyway.

control arm bushings used to be a little bit of an issue.. maybe take a good look at those, too... but yeah.. the Forester, for its size, and shape, is still a Subaru after all. lol I like the added ride height... a little easier for me to get in & out of with back problems.. and visibility is pretty good, too... but yeah, handling characteristics are quite different from the Legacy. Just upgraded slightly from an 02 to an 04 here.. quite happy with the "new" one so far.

maybe? i know early gen Forester struts will fit a 95 Legacy... same platform as the Impreza.. but length would be a consideration i would think. The Forester is taller..

maybe eventually, but it did not right away on the 06... took several months for it to finally throw a code. In the meantime, we were scratching our heads trying to figure out what was going on with it. Sometimes it would be fine, others it wasnt..

body roll/sway can be better addressed with better bushings and sway bar links... but again.. not a lot of aftermarket support for these cars, so doing some homework is a necessity.. what works, what doesnt. Also, the Forester is a little taller, so slightly high center of gravity .. not really conducive to reducing body roll, lol. I do get it tho.. after driving Legacy wagons for years, i got my first Forester and was like, wow.. this is WAY different than I am used to. Used to throw the Legacy's around curves at a pretty good clip.. cant do that with the Foz.. too much roll/sway

yup, KYB and OE springs here, too. unless you have a specific need not addressed by the stock suspension - like towing a lot - no need to go crazy

2008 will be a "drive by wire" throttle pedal - meaning no actual cable between pedal and engine.. all electronic.. and with that kind of mileage, would not surprise me if it needed a new pedal assembly.. the sweep that tells the ECU where the pedal is just wears out. had to replace the one on the other half's 06 LL Bean Outback.. made a BIG difference in responsiveness.

the plugs for wiring rarely fail, but if it was changed, there was probably a very good reason for it. yes, the evap stuff is for pollution.. controlling the evaporation of the fuel. dont have emissions testing here.. not densely populated, so not as big of a deal here. But yeah, if you do have it, then stuff needs to work

Glad you got it sorted out and no, there is no real performance issue with that.. my 02 has had that code since I got it.. i did order a new solenoid, but never put it in, lol - the car runs and drives just fine and gets around 25-27mpg mixed driving - country roads & city - not much for freeway around me, lol

umm.. oil pump is on the front of the engine.. not the rear... valid point, but not related.

@laegion - we were talking about the 5 speed automatic.. not the manual, lol the 5spd automatic is not a good tranny for off road use.. maybe a little trail riding, but not real off road. manual not ideal, either, but that is a different topic that would be comparing apples (autos) and oranges (manuals) to be honest.. both considered fruit, but vastly different

ok, meant to update this a few days ago, but other issues have taken priority (health related, not car related, lol - and no, not covid) anyway, i can confirm the boot DOES just snap in from below the plastic surround... I did not even have to pull that trim off.. just angled the bottom of the boot down into the hole, lined it all up and gently pulled up on the fabric around the edges, and "snap" she just popped into place!! yay!