To all you past and present Forester owners

[mikal83]

We are looking for a general workhorse/smallish suv. And the forester seems to fit what we are looking for, so we have a couple of ? to ask.

Looking at 2010 to 2014 ish which should cost 5k to maybe 8k. The diesel xc looks good and /or the satnav version, have also seen a suretrak on ebay but dont know what the differance is with that one.

What should I be checking the car out for, did u like yours. What did you hate....wish you didnt buy it maybe and got something else....

Any and all help appreciated.

Mike

[mikal83]

TEKNOPUG said:

The diesel engines have a poor rep for reliability. I'd stick with a petrol motor.

The petrol has atrocious mpg so that isnt going to happen.....what alternative diesel would you pick? The Sante Fe??

[mikal83]

Teddy Lop said:

The mrs has a forrester. Her mum retired recently having sold them for 20 years so knows a thing or too - like said the diesels aren't good and she said avoid the gen 3, go newer or older. We have an immaculate 08 2.5 turbo they seem to be primarily very well engineered cars , not as touchy feely nicely finished as a bmw say but better made.

Bugger. We were sort of looking at 2nd gen, the 2009 to 2010 ones seem nice and mpg good. Maybe a yeti?

[mikal83]

TEKNOPUG said:

How many miles are you doing for MPG to be a factor? Consider reliability, running costs, depreciation etc and then how much of the overall cost does consumption really concern?

Its not just mpg tho. resale, tax insurance as well. BUT its doable!

If I do around 2000 mpa, and I compared 2 cars at 35 and 45 mpg, with fuel prices as they are now, the differance is less than 100 pounds pa. The bugger is the petrol variants tow less, but the 2.0 pre 2013 forester gets 35 mpg and the newer lineartronic 36.5.

Edited by mikal83 on Monday 30th December 17:27

[mikal83]

vxr2010 said:

or get a jdm sti forester , 27 mpg with out trying 35 on a long run , tax is around 245 £ pa even on an 07 car , insurance very reasonable , plus a quick car when you want it to be

Wouldnt last 5 minutes on our Cornish lanes.

[mikal83]

HorneyMX5 said:

A forrester sti is ideal for Cornish lanes, it’s basically a lifter rally car!

And towing 1.5 ton would be such fun!

[mikal83]

sparkythecat said:

I know I'm likely to be stored to death for suggesting this, but go and have a look at some caravan enthusiasts forums/websites or magazines.
Their usually dislikeable traits of being penny pinching parsimonious gits come into their own here, and they'll guide you on the most cost conscious way to drag 1.5 tonnes around the English countryside.

Try this to start with
https://www.practicalcaravan.com/blog/41254-5-of-t...

Edited by sparkythecat on Tuesday 31st December 10:21

I'm dragging firewood around my local parish for a local wood community project to help the poorer in our society.

[mikal83]

ericmcn said:

Jim on the hill said:

27 without even trying? I get around 20mpg and 28mpg on a long sensible run. Great cars though but I wouldn't reccomend one if MPG is a concern for the OP.

The op like many people are too worried on mpg so a Subaru probably not for them. Diesel Subaru's a waste of time, Petrols a whole different ball game - take your pick

I have decided that diesels out. Now trawling thru the best small/mid sized SUV's that can pull up too 1500/1700kg and return a decent mpg. Mid 30's I am guessing. So far. Forester, Kuga, RAV 4, CR-V, Mazda cx5.

[mikal83]

sparkythecat said:

Kia Sportage

The 1.6 cant pull the weight and the 2 litre struggles to get 30 mpg.

[mikal83]

sparkythecat said:

mikal83 said:

sparkythecat said:

Kia Sportage

The 1.6 cant pull the weight and the 2 litre struggles to get 30 mpg.

Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were just dismissing subaru's woeful diesel, not every diesel.

Yeh the lot.
Did some sums and its less than 100 pounds pa for a petrol over a diesel, extra, so its a petrol suv

[mikal83]

ericmcn said:

mikal83 said:

ericmcn said:

Jim on the hill said:

27 without even trying? I get around 20mpg and 28mpg on a long sensible run. Great cars though but I wouldn't reccomend one if MPG is a concern for the OP.

The op like many people are too worried on mpg so a Subaru probably not for them. Diesel Subaru's a waste of time, Petrols a whole different ball game - take your pick

I have decided that diesels out. Now trawling thru the best small/mid sized SUV's that can pull up too 1500/1700kg and return a decent mpg. Mid 30's I am guessing. So far. Forester, Kuga, RAV 4, CR-V, Mazda cx5.

Try out a Forester or an Outback, then try the rest and take your pick. You won't get mid 30s on any decent petrol Subaru unless it's on a long run, most likely they will be mid 20s.

Ouch. Honest johns "real mpg" gives mid 30's!

Edited by mikal83 on Saturday 4th January 15:02

[mikal83]

Only one petrol model and its mpg is quite low. I am now leaning towards an suv....maybe. Cashcows etc cant pull enough weight as do Kugas. Rav4's Tucsons Grand vitaris are all out. The mazda cx 5 looks a maybe

[mikal83]

ericmcn said:

Why the obsession with mpg? Has it that a significant bearing on being able to pay bills? How much extra will you 'save' on a car that does mid to late 20s over a car that 'may' consistently give 30mpg per year?

If I gave you 2/300 pounds every year, would you moan?

[mikal83]

TEKNOPUG said:

mikal83 said:

ericmcn said:

Why the obsession with mpg? Has it that a significant bearing on being able to pay bills? How much extra will you 'save' on a car that does mid to late 20s over a car that 'may' consistently give 30mpg per year?

If I gave you 2/300 pounds every year, would you moan?

You're budgeting £5-8k when you good get a suitable car for less than £3k. If I gave you £5k would you moan?

What TF are you on about. Either help out with something like answer or ............

[mikal83]

TEKNOPUG said:

The "answer" is to buy a petrol Forester. A suitable one can easily be had for less than £3k. Maybe post a question on a different forum if you don't like the answers you are getting on this one...

Always listen to advice, whether you take it or not is a different matter.

Several good owner reviews on whatcar.

[mikal83]

egor110 said:

mikal83 said:

vxr2010 said:

or get a jdm sti forester , 27 mpg with out trying 35 on a long run , tax is around 245 £ pa even on an 07 car , insurance very reasonable , plus a quick car when you want it to be

Wouldnt last 5 minutes on our Cornish lanes.

Why ?

I'm on exmoor and foresters seem to be the car of choice ( possibly because there's a dealership here )

The sti version still has loads of ground clearance .

Exmoor is for pussies. If we get a forester it'll be the petrol autobox as it can tow more

[mikal83]

frozen cowst can do some real damage to a front spoiler ya know, ripped mine of my GT6. Elevation, bugger, there isnt a flat road for miles around here.

[mikal83]

Elevation the most you've got is brown Willy on bodmin.

.
[/quote]

Got a landie near the top once......!

[mikal83]

Jim on the hill said:

mikal83 said:

Elevation the most you've got is brown Willy on bodmin.

.

Got a landie near the top once......!

Hardly Ben Nevis is it, not even a mountain

Semantics.