subarulover1973

Hi.

I've owned Subaru's for over the last 15 years or so. First I had a 1990 dl, then a 1995 Legacy, and now a 2003 Forester. I love Subarus, so don't get me wrong, but why the Heck do we have to dump so much MONEY into them!? I mean, I just bought mine for $8500 dollars and it's got 93000 miles on it and I already have to do a $350 dollar rear wheel bearing, and then the 105k service for $1500, and then the head gaskets for $2500, etc, etc ... these things just take so much money .... and the Foresters are UGLY at that .... BUT, I love em for some reason!

stan_t

I loved mine, but sold it for the reason you state here. For what it was costing me with upgrades, I could have been driving a more expensive car.

Stan

plazaxt

I got the love/hate and yea it cost a lot to keep it going ( my tbelt broke @ 71k) but when she's running good it's such a good car for where I live. My eclipse is a money pit as well so idk.

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2006 XT5spd
1995 GST 6bolt
79 RX7
94 fzj80

2.5x_sleeper

If you've read over our '03 X Member Journals, you know I never wanted a Subaru Forester, I always bought GM. Over the years the distinctive look of the earlier SG ('03-'05) Forester has grown on me & I bought an '07 FSXT, a later SG ('06-'08) as a retirement gift to myself. I passed the '03 X to my son. He loves his Forester, perhaps as much as I still do!

A Forester is so easy to MOD, it's almost impossible not to MOD it!

A wise owner keeps up the maintenance on their Forester, you know the old saying... "pay now, or pay much more later on!"

I expect to have problems with the '03 X, but other than the money I've put into it for MODs, it's been trouble free, requiring only scheduled maintenance. When... if the head gaskets fail, they'll be repaired & it should be good until my son decided to move on to another vehicle.

Bobby...

['07 FSXT MODding Journal] ['03 X MODding Journal]

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'07 FSXT - COBB Surgeline dyno Protune - Stage 1+
'03 X +AVO turbo kit = XT (son's)
'95 Neon Sport

stan_t

I think alot may depend on the amount of driving people do in their Foresters. Some people modify cars and have them sit in the garage most of the time, others put them through daily grinds and rack up miles.

Stan

Slatergs

I think you just described the cost of owning ANY car, I don't think you can just make that claim on Subaru. Maybe the Forester costs more for some repairs, but like 2.5X_sleeper said, you take care of it and put money into it now, you'll spend less later. Buying used is like playing the lottery, you hope you buy from the guy that actually took care of it. If they didn't, you get stuck with all of the repairs later and the bills add up.

Take that back!!
*slowly strokes the steering wheel, "He didn't mean it, I think your beautiful"*

urabusasnwonatas

DIY and the cost of operation will come down , not that it's high , but it can be even lower. A more expensive car is just that, more expensive to operate .

stan_t

My point is, with the amount of money put into it, I may have been owning a BMW or Audi. It was reliable though and alot of fun. But, if you add up all the money people spend on their XTs and see a number close to $40,000.. that's STi territory.

Stan

Tyr1

I had on 01 Impreza RS. The car cost me money, but only because I did silly mods and drove it kind of hard. I think that leaving it stock and doing the regular maintenance, there would have only been a few annoying recurring expenses like the air assist sensor, O2 sensor, and the stupid wheel bearings.

I consider my 04XT to be a luxury vehicle. The thing is beast and it is so nice to be able to drive under the radar, in any weather, with a car full of bikes or dogs, or friends, etc. The versatility is awesome.

If you want inexpensive and reliable and aren't concerned with the Subaru advantages, you could always get a late 90s 4 banger Toyota Tacoma. I got one of those with 203,000 miles on it. All I do is change the oil every 3,000.

schan1269

You want to talk money pit...

I have these...

1989 Taurus SHO(two of them, one is slightly modded, the other loaded and "original") and a 1969 AH Sprite.

Unless you've owned a British car, you can't call ANYTHING a money pit.

pleiad7

Nothing but love here for our Fozzies! I think we got our money's worth... my 04 XT with 172k miles has been remarkably problem-free, and I haven't made any significant upgrades in roughly 5 years. Last repair was a year and a half ago when the radiator went. Roo's 98 Foz is still alive and kickin' at 255k miles, and still worth more than we paid for it back in 2006. Couldn't ask for a better track record, really, and everyone who knows us also knows that these cars haven't been exactly babied.

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-Silke
04 FXT PP PSM ~ "Subed"
98 Forester S ~ "Slynki"

flstffxe

105K service and HG could have been combined to save several hundred dollars. Timing belt has to come off to do the HG. Timing belt basically just becomes parts cost since the vast majority of labor is overlapping.

You bought a 9 year old car with 93,000 miles on it. You should have known already what was coming up for regular maintenance. So you really can't complain about the 105k service. As always shop around for services, even in the 25 mile radius around me prices for HG repair vary $1,000 for the same work(~$1,500 - ~$2,500).

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Hers - 08 X 4EAT
Subaru oil filter comparison

g00fy

$2500 for head gaskets is pretty outrageous, My girlfriend had the head gaskets done on her 2000 legacy in december for about $1100 all said and done.

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Jr Tuned 35R'd 05XT Area1320 Block & IPT Race 4eat

guzzla

I own a 14 year old 330,000km Camry V6 manual which would have to be the most reliable car ever made yet my Forester is just as good, if not better, and costs no more than the Camry to service. At 194,000km the only non-standard service item that has needed doing to it is replacing the aircon compressor. It stays unmodded but there is nothing I really want to do to it and I reckon it is a great looking car. I love the individual character of Subarus.

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07 Forester XT 5 speed 236,000km

guylr

Find a new repair shop to trade with. The one you've been using is ripping you off. Many shops that 105K service could have been combined and totally covered by the price you paid for the gasket repair. That said, you're past the really big jobs and the car should give you many more miles of good service. Good luck with it.

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Four Wag Family!
00 OBS
01 SF L
02 SF S
03 WRX