[Blind_reaper8]

Hello all,

Sadly dissapointed i wont be recieving any free icecream :icon_confused:

However, here goes. I am in the market for a 2009+ Forester. I am currently driving a honda element :woohoo: but hope to trade in for a forester. I have driven the E on some pretty loose sand before, and beings the forester has better clearance and an actual AWD system i figure it has to do better than the E. (the elements 4wd system doesnt kick in 'till the front wheels are already slippin:yell: = stupid). Anybody have any experience on OBX or similar beaches?
ANYWAY, I am currently livin in Eastern NC. I like candle lit dinners and long walks on the beach. Mud is my friend and i will occasionally go out of my way to find unpaved roads and trails. I dig metal :Banane08:, if you wanna talk metal, bring it on.

Any stuff i gotta know before i buy me a subie?

Cheers :Banane35:

 

[2.5x_sleeper]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon! :biggrin:

Good luck on your Forester search!

It sounds like you're into off-roading, so to me, it sounds like an earlier model Forester be perfect for this use & would cost less. :wink:

Bobby...

My MODding Journal

 

[Blind_reaper8]

I dunno about that bobby. I want something with moderate trail capability, but i also want the on road ride stuff. If i were to do serious offroad stuff i would probably get some old beater jeep thats half rusted. Its gonna be a daddy car in a few years (NOT YET lol) but it will get more road use than off road. The unmodded E handled what i did fairly well, only bit off more than i could chew (or it could chew) very few times (2 that i can think of). But i had to be very careful on the sand... you know, ease it so the front tires slip a bit but so i dont dig myself in to the frame... not hard, but it was some sort of witchcraft.

 

[Duderotomy]

Welcome to the forum from Niagara Falls!
I'm sorry we tricked you about the free ice cream for newbies, but thanks for reading that sticky at least.
A few members have ventured into the sand, myself included. There is a thread in the offroading section on techniques for driving in the sand, and the Forester is quite the capable little ride.
Best of luck in your searching, I hope to see some pictures of one posted up in here soon :wink:

 

[Blind_reaper8]

Ive heard that Subaru is the best kept secret... why isnt this forum hidden in a dark cave somewhere?

Yea, When i do get one, i will be sure to get some pics n whatnot. I gotta sell my old E first, then my wife will let me get one... i cant WAIT rawwrrr, i want my subie NOW! Only thing that stinks, is to get the one i want for the price i want... im gonna hafta do some road tripping.

Thanks for the welcomes

 

[Cuddles]

Hi!

 

[Woody '04]

get familiar with possible headgasket issues and how to look for external leaks. you should be able to see the area with telescoping mirror and good flashlight.

over the last 10 years or so subarus have been known for:
internal hg leaks resulting in overheating
external hg leaks resulting in loss of coolant
external hg leaks resulting in loss of oil

a car with recent documented hg replacement would be more desirable to get.

just had the hgs replaced on my 2004X with 86,000 mi due to external oil leak that was starting to smell due to oil getting on exhaust.

Forester automatics typically apply more torque to front wheels until slip occurs. I'm not familiar with the Element drivetrain to compare the two. Forester manuals run 50-50 front-rear split all the time.

 

[Tuned200]

Welcome from Ky.

 

[Blind_reaper8]

get familiar with possible headgasket issues and how to look for external leaks. you should be able to see the area with telescoping mirror and good flashlight.

YAY another car with BHG issues... i have also previously owned an '89 toyota supra.

The supra was notorious for BHG issues for both the Turbo and N/A verisons.

Is the BHG really only an issue with the Turbo subie? In The Supra forums MX section every other post was a BHG issue it seemed. It doesnt seem to be the case here. How often is it really an issue?

 

[Woody '04]

actually HG issues are less with turbo models b/c they use a stiffer block with more reinforcement ribs called a "semi-closed deck" design. someone here has said they went to this for 2010 outback but i have not seen confirmation of this or pics of any teardown yet.

they came out with another headgasket design that is (again) supposed to fix the problem of early failures. the latest design is a multi-layer shim design, which I got on mine. 2010 production may have these on them. you can look from above at the head to block joint and see if the gasket is multilayer or not. oh, i forgot newer cars have that goofy plastic "engine cover" on them so that might block the view?!

 

[rusty jake 11]

Welcome, and here's hoping you join the Subaru family real soon.

 

[Blind_reaper8]

Thanks again for all the welcomes

The current SF i am looking at is a 2009 X
Sun roof
Roof Rack
Tow package
23000 miles
Pearl White
Their sticker is $20,995

Hope i can get it down closer to 19,000... THoughts?

 

[Duderotomy]

I like to use this website as a comparison for a lot of things... this place sells used Subaru's for about as cheap as you can find
Used Vehicles Bill Kolb Jr Subaru-Orangeburg Subaru New York New Jersey

 

[Blind_reaper8]

Dang... wish i could get that far north... thats a BIG hop skip n jump away from me down here... Great prices there

Thnks Dude!

 

[Rippin508]

Welcome from MA.

 

[Blue&Red]

Sadly dissapointed i wont be recieving any free icecream :icon_confused:

We're all disappointed about that, but it's good to see you read the liner notes before posting.
Welcome from South Jersey.
Red