RE: SOTW: Subaru Forester S-Turbo
Discussion
cpl_payne said:
johnpeat said:
... BUT a boxer engine asking for oil is a sign that things are nearing their end.
Is it though? Not doubting your competence, but I was under impression that 'they all do that' (TM). My Legacy 2.0 (non-turbo) certainly has a healthy appetite for oil, but I never considered this could be a sign of a worn engine for that particular model... hmm... need to do some research.Oh, and (to return back on topic somewhat) Subaru spare part prices are somewhat eye-watering and the alternatives for non-sporty models aren't all that plentiful in my experience.
I had it for three years without problem.
Well, there were no engine related problems. The rest of the car was a total piece of crap. I blame the factory and suppliers in Mexico. Which is why I would never buy a VW made outside of Germany.
J4CKO said:
Wouldnt get overly fixated on the oil usage, its an old car, it says to me it is either going through a pint every day or the seller is just being honest as really who would actually admit that if they didnt have to, most cars need a top up occasionally, even some quite new ones, some VAG diesels seem to use it as an alternative source of fuel.
Of course this car is neqaring end of lfe, it is SOTW, Virgin just quoted me £1700 for two weeks hire of an SUV in the states so in context this doesnt seem so bad, if you get 10,000 out of it it is good value, scrap it for £150/200.
This car would be worth a few thousand in the US. If a car will still drive, then it is worth somewhere between 750 and 1000USD. Of course this car is neqaring end of lfe, it is SOTW, Virgin just quoted me £1700 for two weeks hire of an SUV in the states so in context this doesnt seem so bad, if you get 10,000 out of it it is good value, scrap it for £150/200.
There are no MOTs, high gas prices or punitive road taxes that make cars such as this uneconomically viable.
yellowstreak said:
Awesome - something I can actually comment on!
I run a 2005 XTen with a prodrive performance pack and around 250bhp. I've not replaced it because it does everything so well, I take it shooting where its ground clearance is useful and it holds all my kit. It churns motorway miles and is easy to drive quickly cross country. It never beats 25mpg though and does burn a little oil. Its been most useful in the snow we've had in recent years as it is a machine which can't be stopped (unlike my girlfriend's old Z4 which was useless).
On the downside my girlfriend is now embarrassed to get in it.
Anyway - as a sub-£1000 shed this makes sense to me.
9 months lurking and it takes this to get you to chip in I run a 2005 XTen with a prodrive performance pack and around 250bhp. I've not replaced it because it does everything so well, I take it shooting where its ground clearance is useful and it holds all my kit. It churns motorway miles and is easy to drive quickly cross country. It never beats 25mpg though and does burn a little oil. Its been most useful in the snow we've had in recent years as it is a machine which can't be stopped (unlike my girlfriend's old Z4 which was useless).
On the downside my girlfriend is now embarrassed to get in it.
Anyway - as a sub-£1000 shed this makes sense to me.
- thank good for SOTW for it's ability to bring out the lurkers 
One of the few 4x4 off roader type vehicles I'd actually consider owning alongside a Defender and a G-Wagon. Just something about them I've always liked since they first came out, maybe almost a Q-car quality they have 
Like the Impreza of this era though, I'd rather like to go JDM with something like this... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3803827.htm ...only 3 times SOTW budget
Like the Impreza of this era though, I'd rather like to go JDM with something like this... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3803827.htm ...only 3 times SOTW budget
I paid £1700 for my 2000 s-turbo 2 years ago. It had 125k miles on it when I got it, it's now up to 169k.
Rear clonk could be SLS, but may be arb bushes or droplinks which are both easy to change. A thicker arb from an impreza will improve handling. I've got whiteline droplinks and a subframe lock bolt kit on mine which make a big difference.
My rear shocks leaked at 150k miles so now I've got KYB springs and shocks all round. Cost about £300 for all the parts and just over a day to fit myself.
Cambelt kits including tensioners and idlers are about £170 from import car parts and a competent home mechanic could diy. At a specialist you'd pay £200 for just the belt, around £350 for everything. Some people like to change the water pump, and cam and crank seals at the same time but I didn't bother when I did mine. No special tools required - my cam locking kit was a block of wood and a clamp
Never had below 28mpg, usually does 32mpg on my 50-60mph commute to work. Oddly enough it does seem fussy about fuel and likes sainsbury's SUL best. New plugs (which are not as hard to get at as you might think, you just need a 2.5" socket extension) and a new MAF sensor has done wonders for mpg. Changing the O2 sensor can help too.
From posts on the forester.org forum wheel bearings seem to fail fairly regularly. I've had to replace 1 so far. They are a press fit so one of the few jobs I take it to a garage for.
Discs and pad were easy to change, and not too expensive from import car parts.
It does everything I need/want - it's quiet, comfortable, fairly fast, goes off road (green lanes), great in the snow, family holiday to eurodisney, commuting, etc., etc. I love the heated seats and big sunroof. I will keep running it and fixing it as I cannot possibly imagine what I will replace it with. Maybe a forester STI...
Rear clonk could be SLS, but may be arb bushes or droplinks which are both easy to change. A thicker arb from an impreza will improve handling. I've got whiteline droplinks and a subframe lock bolt kit on mine which make a big difference.
My rear shocks leaked at 150k miles so now I've got KYB springs and shocks all round. Cost about £300 for all the parts and just over a day to fit myself.
Cambelt kits including tensioners and idlers are about £170 from import car parts and a competent home mechanic could diy. At a specialist you'd pay £200 for just the belt, around £350 for everything. Some people like to change the water pump, and cam and crank seals at the same time but I didn't bother when I did mine. No special tools required - my cam locking kit was a block of wood and a clamp
Never had below 28mpg, usually does 32mpg on my 50-60mph commute to work. Oddly enough it does seem fussy about fuel and likes sainsbury's SUL best. New plugs (which are not as hard to get at as you might think, you just need a 2.5" socket extension) and a new MAF sensor has done wonders for mpg. Changing the O2 sensor can help too.
From posts on the forester.org forum wheel bearings seem to fail fairly regularly. I've had to replace 1 so far. They are a press fit so one of the few jobs I take it to a garage for.
Discs and pad were easy to change, and not too expensive from import car parts.
It does everything I need/want - it's quiet, comfortable, fairly fast, goes off road (green lanes), great in the snow, family holiday to eurodisney, commuting, etc., etc. I love the heated seats and big sunroof. I will keep running it and fixing it as I cannot possibly imagine what I will replace it with. Maybe a forester STI...
I did 100k miles in a 2000 Forester S Turbo, no problems whatever. I was so impressed I swapped it in 2007 for a new 2.5 Forester Turbo (210bhp), I've done 70k miles in that, also no problems whatever. You cannot ask for a better mix of performance, reliability, and practicality.
My main moan at Subaru now is that they have canned ALL of the fast Foresters - if you want a small, quick SUV now you need to look at the Evoque Si4 which (unfortunately) is getting a bit of a reputation as a hairdresser's car...
mike
My main moan at Subaru now is that they have canned ALL of the fast Foresters - if you want a small, quick SUV now you need to look at the Evoque Si4 which (unfortunately) is getting a bit of a reputation as a hairdresser's car...
mike
I think I'd replace mine with a newer one. We got a skoda ocatvia 1.8 turbo 4x4 for my mrs and after the initail love for it where I thought it was a better car than the forester it's been a massive pain in the arse. Throwing out all sorts of sensor faults and drinking fuel. We'll get shot of that long before the scooby goes.
A couple of questions for the other owners. Is a cam belt change an engine out job? and are the spark plugs an easy job with the right tools? I've done a wheel bearing and drive shaft change on mine when it got flagged for a torn drive shaft boot so I'm handy enough on the spanners.
A couple of questions for the other owners. Is a cam belt change an engine out job? and are the spark plugs an easy job with the right tools? I've done a wheel bearing and drive shaft change on mine when it got flagged for a torn drive shaft boot so I'm handy enough on the spanners.
Cambelt is very straightforward on most scoobies, usually just over an hour to do; the belt is pretty expensive though (£100ish?). Plugs probably take about an hour as well.
I've had a Turbo-S on an 03 for a couple of years now, it's done just over 120,000 and everything still works, it's comfortable, well equipped and extremely reliable; top car.
I've had a Turbo-S on an 03 for a couple of years now, it's done just over 120,000 and everything still works, it's comfortable, well equipped and extremely reliable; top car.
gck303 said:
I had a 2003 Beetle 2.0 (8v). That drank oil! About a pint every few thousand miles. It always did it and was told that they all do. And google confirmed that to be correct. I was living in the US at the time and it never failed an emissions test.
I had it for three years without problem.
Beetles often crop up in oil use discussions - the thing is, they ALL use a lot of oil, the dealers will tell you this and everyone understands it - just top-it-up every 1500 miles at least.I had it for three years without problem.
There are other cars noted for oil use - esp in the first 10-20K miles - but the Scoob boxer engines isn't one of them - so the need for oil here means either
a - there's a leak somewhere (pray it's not in the turbo)
b - it's burning it (BORK BORK BORK)
I always love it when car manufactuers hit upon a seam of gold that they make their own - then at replacement go and do something completely different and look for coal instead.
So the Forrester is one of those cars that I have always thought was genius - almost all of the advantages of a 4x4 (hence they are on the farm) but not the bulk and size hence good to drive and quick if you want a fast one, but with a tardis like interior space. Genius - and of course unique and a car I really see myself wanting. So of course it is then replaced with another samey 4x4 clone that is about as unique as another banana.
If I get another car it will be one of these if my mileage is low - period.
But what if you want a new car - does the success of the Yeti make this as close a successor as there is to the Forrester? I've never driven one but they look handy enough and the quick ones have decent performance figures.
So the Forrester is one of those cars that I have always thought was genius - almost all of the advantages of a 4x4 (hence they are on the farm) but not the bulk and size hence good to drive and quick if you want a fast one, but with a tardis like interior space. Genius - and of course unique and a car I really see myself wanting. So of course it is then replaced with another samey 4x4 clone that is about as unique as another banana.
If I get another car it will be one of these if my mileage is low - period.
But what if you want a new car - does the success of the Yeti make this as close a successor as there is to the Forrester? I've never driven one but they look handy enough and the quick ones have decent performance figures.
My main moan at Subaru now is that they have canned ALL of the fast Foresters - if you want a small, quick SUV now you need to look at the Evoque Si4 which (unfortunately) is getting a bit of a reputation as a hairdresser's car...
mike
[/quote]
Is the Yeti a Forester successor? And about half the price of the crazy expensive Evoque? I would love to know as I do have a leaning (many of my leanings being very misguided!!)
A friend has had a succession of Foresters over the. Last 12 years and runs them to 200k (unbelievably hard) miles.His job involves going from Cornwalll to Scotland every week as well as driving off road every day where he reckons he only has to get towed by tractors when the ruts are too deep for Defenders. He even uses it to drive his boss ,who has access to some pretty special cars(most famously a DB6 Volante) and apparently always comments on how Foresters are the ultimate country car.
Oh, and my mates job? He's a forester.
Oh, and my mates job? He's a forester.
Dad had a '98 S-Turbo, it was a great piece of kit that he ran in short order to well over 100,000 miles. Expensive on fuel, but utterly reliable and good fun to drive. I prefered the sound to an Impreza too, as there seemed to be far less 'warble', particularly at high revs- maybe the manifold was equal length, unlike the Impreza?
I came extremely close to buying one of these. I love cars that are built primarily for function and like the idea of having something that'll get you about regardless of weather.
I did some fairly mild off-roading with one once too and - aside from the ground clearance requiring some creative rock positioning - it was absolutely fine.
I did some fairly mild off-roading with one once too and - aside from the ground clearance requiring some creative rock positioning - it was absolutely fine.
Jazoli said:
Is anywhere near 30mpg doable in the Foresters?
I'd quite like to get one next (or an Impreza wagon) but tales of horrendous mpg puts me off, it'll be used for 90% town journeys.
I know someone who has a 2.0 NON TURBO Impreza of this sort of vintage and it won't do 30mpg around town - so with this having the turbo and being bigger/heavier/less aerodynamic - I'd say that's a big "NO".I'd quite like to get one next (or an Impreza wagon) but tales of horrendous mpg puts me off, it'll be used for 90% town journeys.
Of course his car may be broken, but in my experience it's hard to get any 2.0 car to stick at 30 unless you get it above 40 or drive like a granny.
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