Hello, my name is Ron and I have successfully convinced my son he needs a Forester for his first car. Yes, he is a smart kid. I wanted to get on the forum and check to see which may be the best model if there were any upgrades or improvements around the model year we are looking for ie price we are looking for. $5000 and below should put us in the 2000 2001 range depending on mileage and all. he is going to go for the automatic, other than that we do not know but are willing to drive wherever to get the car, he doesn't want much and for the price range we are in should be able to get a car to last him past college. He is 16 and does really care if it is a beater or not. We are in no rush because I have already told him he has to finish a large project before he gets the car, which he should have completed by fall. OK for now I will lurk around and see the fun. SEEYA Ron