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!

on number 1 - The new FB engines are cam chain instead of belt so, there's little less maintenance there. check cars101.com for details, I can't recall if the chain came in 12 or exactly when. Does the Crosstrek come with a manual tranny?

Edited September 1, 201312 yr by 1 Lucky Texan

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. 

Edited September 1, 201312 yr by Patrickjd9

The new Impreza platform (including Crosstrek) actually has a LOT of room. Though cargo area is still a bit small compared to the new Outback. New Forester doesn't have a whole lot more cargo room then the Impeza since they're still built on basically the same platform, but the body design does increase usable cargo space wih the squared roof/tailgate.

 

The Forester debuted the FB engine in 2011, (timing chain) and those are generally in the $15-20k range which might put it a little above your budget, but they would almost certainly be under mileage and still in great mechanical shape.

To be within your price and mileage range you'll be looking in the 07-09 and maybe a high (above average) mileage 2010 model year range.

 

If fuel economy is at all a concern, the Legacy platform gets a bit better fuel mileage, and would certainly have enough room and cargo area. But Legacy didn't get the FB engine until after the Forester.

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.

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

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

I thought it might, just wasn't sure.

 

I t 'may' get a little better mileage than a Forry, but of course you sacrifice space and maybe performance for that. It was just a thought.