1 Lucky Texan

no numbers on it?

I'm wondering if there's a way to put a Koni-type insert in your old struts?

The pinks I put on my 06 wrx wagon dropped it about 3/4 inch. But, I dunno what the free length of them or my original springs was.

new block? I'd say that's the source as they are sand cast. At least, I've read that before. probably not worth changing anything but....?

make sure the clutch lever isn't cracked.

refresh all ground connections. I have read, once or twice, of iron debris collecting on the face of the crank angle sensor causing misfires....

That BATT light should be tested at key-0n, before start, with the other warning lights.

usually that bulb comes on when the alt is not working. Sometimes very dim or flickering if one of the diodes in the 'trio' go bad. Unless BMW is weirdly different.

Trim level CRV we got has manual lift gate. Maybe check all the trim levels on the Forries. It also has a big button on the center of the dash to disable stop/start. Just have to train yourself to push it each time you start the car. Do the newer Subarus still make you navigate thru touchscreen pages to disable ss? CRV has quite poor rear visibility - you NEED that back-up camera!

When we bought my wife's 2021 Honda CR-V, one of the first vehicles we drove was a Forester. We both felt it was very nice and ultimately only rejected for the seats. Same thing with a Mazda too. Some makers have 'bolsters' on the seats that are annoying for larger people. The Buick we drove seemed like an all-around joke.

IF fuel trims and knock sensor and vacuum, and performance, etc. are all OK, you could ignore the code. Problem is, many locales would never allow the car to pass emissions/safety test, AND, the cel would be on all the time - masking any new problem detection. just eliminate every other possible cause before jumping to a new after-cat sensor or new cat. converter.

6 cyl or 4cyl? scan for and make note of any other codes including 'pending' codes. Clear the codes and see how quickly the P0420 comes back and any other codes as well. many people jump to changing the cat conv (and of course they do go bad) but, that code can be caused by exhaust leaks, vacuum leaks or bad wiring. The code on the 4 cylinder cars is only a 'nanny' code intending to monitor cat efficiency but is NOT used to alter any air:fuel ratios or other operating parameters.

if you can fit a 'modern' rack in there, the STis (like maybe 05, 06) have a quicker ratio, like 15:1 . check cars101.com for when that started/other years....

a really cherry Forester from about 2010 ??? not sure really - the older any car gets, the less important its brand or 'relative reliability' and the more important its history of care/repair and its current condition. in other words, a given 13 year old Fiat 'could' be a better purchase than a given 13 year old Honda. Find a local mechanic and ask if he has any customers looking to sell, also ask about bringing him a car for a pre-purchase inspection. Try not to buy another person's 'headache'.

um, paging @lmdew ?