BigC

Our '01 has some wierd quirks regarding shifting as well from 1st to 2nd. If your rolling, let off then hit the gas it takes a deep breath and bangs the downshift. It doesn't happen all the time.. I would recommend checking the fluid to see if it's low. How many miles are on it? Changing the tranny fluid may be in order too. If you received maintenance records from the previous owner, great. If not, sometimes its best to go through it completely with fresh fluids and then you know what you've got... The tranny fluids easier to change than the oil actually. You'll need a crush ring though, for the drain plug. They're about $2 from a dealer... The tranny plug and the oil pan plug take the same crush ring. BTW... make sure that there isn't an outstanding recall on it either. The '99-'02's required an additive to the coolant to prevent a head gasket failure. You should have seen that show up on a carfax though if you ran one. If you change the coolant or have someone else do it, you need to get that additive from the dealer. Here's a linky: http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2993.html

Patty's no longer there. We bought our Forester in November and she was gone by late December. They moved her to a different position and I don't think they replaced their SOA presence at Edmunds. I haven't been there in a while though. That board is so hard to follow I gave up trying to figure out what was going on. Our '01 has a 4EAT and it does some funny things once in a while. I did replace the filter when we got the car at 53k. That little bugger costs like $35 shipped. I bought a bunch of extra crush rings so I could just change the tranny fluid when I changed the oil. It's easier to change the tranny fluid than the oil actually since you don't have to drop any shroud to get to it. Fresh fluid is happy fluid and this is one time where I totally don't agree with their maintenance schedule in the glove box. Sorry about the tranny issue's ....that's obviously going to be a rather $,$$$ fix if you have to replace it.

It's the cost of consumables and insurance I would be more concerned with than 4k up front. Consumables as in premium fuel for as long as you own it. Typically insurance costs are higher but that really depends on your age. Why not try a Forester XT if you want a kick in the seat of the pants while still retaining some utility.

Timing belt tensioner's can sometimes make that sound too. How may miles are on it and was the tensioner changed at the same time as the belt? If it's a sticky lifter, sometimes it's as easy as switching to a different brand of oil. I wouldn't include Penzoil as an option if it were me...

That upper bolt for the camber adjust is offset. As you rotate the bolt it will shift the strut inside the mount. Once you get the strut aligned the way you want it when you put it back together, you have to keep that bolt head in one place and tighten the nut only else the camber will shift on you. I just replaced a CV axle on my '93 Impreza and that's what I observed anyway.

I just purchased this car about 2 month ago and it stutters between ~1700-2500rpm. Sometimes it's hardly noticable, other times it will jerk the car, not violently but you can feel it definitely. It doesn't seem temp related. If I get past 3000, it pulls smooth to red line. On the low end it doesn't stutter either. It idles like a sewing machine..super smooth. It is most noticable in 2nd and 3rd when the engine is under load. There is no CEL on and car has 165k on it. I have replaced the following: - plugs - wires - PCV valve - fuel and air filter - crank and cam position sensors I have checked or done the following: - 1 bottle of techron (1st tankfull) - 1 can of seafoam (half into the intake, half in the gas tank, 2nd tankfull) - 2 bottles of heat (3rd tankfull) - Grounding kit, re-tourqed stock ground points - Resistance on fuel injectors is 11.4 ohm accross the coils on all 4 - EGR tested good, bogged engine when vacuum present - coil has no sign of deposits or corrosion...not saying it's not bad but.... I don't know how to pull OBDI codes or I would have done that. I did a lot of searches on this board and others and found a lot of suggestions for similar problems but no definitive answers. Sometimes folks don't post back though when they do have a solution The fuel economy is great, 28mpg avg. in three tank fulls and I'm not on the highway much. Obviously I feel like I'm down to all the expensive stuff. Coil, MAF, TPS or injectors. Sorry for the long post but I didn't wanna keep saying "I tried that". Thanks in advance for any input! Brent

If you don't need the cross bars, remove them. They do make an annoying whistle right over your head. Not sure about a "moan" though. Our '01 makes some noise around the side-view mirros as well. You should get upper 20's mpg-wise on an '05 N/A and I wouldn't be surprised if you hit 30. Providing you keep it at 70mph or less. Our's get's 20 around town and 25-26 on the highway. I think I need to replace an o2 sensor though. Seems like when you breach 3000rpm's, fuel economy starts going downhill. You will be happy with your purchase!