scoobie said:
Hi All,
Can someone let me know the pros/cons of 2000 subaru forrester with
2.5 boxer engine
I have never owned a Subaru ( always a Honda guy ), but my friend is
interested in selling
his forrester.
I can purchase it for $7500 - $8000
it has 130,000 miles and fully loaded
I had a friend that had an outback, and he had issues with head
gaskets., but I think
this might be a different engine.
any suggestions, ??? is this boxer engine any good ???
body of this car is mint and undercoated yearly.
looking forward to hearing from anyone
I own a 1999 Forester S, which is the loaded model. (Leather seats,
tinted windows, high-end stereo with 6-CD changer, the works.) So,
basically the same thing you're looking at. I'm a Subaru lover and this
is my fourth, so take what I say with a proper grain of salt, but here's
what I know and have experienced with my Forester.
The serious head gasket issues were with the 1997 through midyear 1999 4
cylinder 2.5L boxer engines. My Forester is late model year 1999, and
therefore has the same second-generation 2.5L boxer engine as the 2000
Forester you're looking at. There have been some reports of much more
minor issues with the head gaskets than existed with the
first-generation engines. If the vehicle has received the
Subaru-recommended maintenance, however, which includes an engine
sealant, chances are very good that the gaskets will last as long as the
engine does. At least, that is according to my Subaru-specialist
mechanic, Steve Courtice of Suby Specialities in Monrovia, California.
(Los Angeles area.)
My 1999 is actually considerably "younger" than your friend's 2000 -- I
bought it last year with only 44K miles on it. (Big company's executive
pool car, didn't get used much.) I had Steve give it a *very* thorough
checkout, however, and also ran it through one of those complete engine
diagnostic places as well. There was no discernable wear on the engine
and none of the signs of impending head gasket trouble that would
usually show on a car of this age despite the mileage.
Since last May, the passenger side window control has decided to quit
raising the widow, although the window goes down fine, and up just fine
when the driver-side controls are used. It had been in a minor
fender-bender before we bought it and the front passenger suspension had
been repaired improperly; Steve fixed that. One CV joint shoe had torn,
probably in the same accident, and he also repaired that. Finally,
there were some ball-bearing issues with the rear wheels that the dealer
fixed before I bought the car, known issues with 1997-200 Foresters and
Outbacks. At 130K miles, your friend's Forester will have had this
repaired, and once repaired, the issue goes away permanently.
Nothing else, no matter how minor, has gone wrong with the car in the
past year.
It has, however, acquired a number of scratches in the paint from avid
offroading, and about 25K miles on the odometer. It also acquired a
good, solid off-road skid plate beneath the engine a few weeks after we
bought it, and has needed that -- we are of the "drive 'em hard,
maintain them well" school.
My husband and I have driven this car
on freeways, on city streets, on twisty mountain roads (a lot of those),
on dirt roads, and up jeep tracks in various National Forests. At this
point, I'm confident I have the measure of this car.
The Forester is a joy to drive. It handles off-road conditions I'd
hesitate to expose many 4WD trucks to with ease; that critical two
inches of extra clearance combined with an engine designed to sit just
above the axles makes a huge difference. The boxer engine is low and
flat, meaning that despite being an SUV the Forester actually has a
lower center of gravity than most passenger cars. You feel this as
excellent handling and stability, especially when turning on steep hills
where rollover is otherwise common.
It isn't a race or rally car, but I find its accleration quite
acceptable, more than I need to merge on an LA freeway or maneuver in
traffic. A sports car driver would probably find it tame and slow, but
a sports car driver who wanted a Subaru would be looking at a WRX or
turbo model.
It gets decent gas mileage -- about ~17-20 MPG in tough off-road
conditions, ~20-21 MPG in stop-and-go city driving, and ~25 MPG on the
highway at an average of 70 MPH with the air conditioning on. The front
seat has lots of legroom; the rear seat is adequate for all but very
tall adults unless someone has the front seat *all* the way back. (A
friend's 6"2" nephew found it slightly cramped sitting behind my 6"
husband, but not behind me.)
I would recommend caution with any car with 130,000 miles on it, and a
bit of added caution with a Subaru. Most Subaru owners drive them in
places that owners of less capable cars don't -- that's why we own them.
If you have an unskilled driver on a bad road or off-road, they can
easily do damage to the suspension, steering system, oil or transmission
pans. If they then don't get these problems fixed quickly, they can do
much worse and more expensive damage.
So especially with a car with this much mileage on it, take it to a
test-only engine diagnostic center and pay the $100-$150 for a complete
check. In addition, take it to a good Subaru-specialist mechanic,
preferably an independent one since unlike the dealer they'll have no
reason to try to convince you to buy a new car instead.
But if everything checks out, and a check of the Kelly blue book
indicates that your friend's price is reasonable, don't let the mileage
worry you. Subarus last a long time. If it has been maintained
properly, that Forester probably has a good 70K miles left on it, maybe
considerably more, before you'd need to rebuild the engine or
transmission. Subaru builds tough cars.
