[DR1665]

I've been lurking. Maybe a couple of days now. One thing that's really stood out to me, is the way people seem to reply to these posts with "Welcome to the forum from Oregon!" I also recall seeing welcome from Wisconsin too, I believe. That's a nice touch.

Preemptive thank you from Arizona. :biggrin:

I was just kidding with the title of this thread, but I'm hoping to get some expert confirmation that I'm on the right track. Was hoping I might summarize what I know and make sure I've got it (as well as open up things to other considerations I hadn't, um, considered).

A bit about me, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Mitsubishi owner. I've started, ran, moderated, contributed on a number of DSM forums over the years. I started Mitsubishi Gearbox Magazine, go to Mitsubishi Owner Day at HQ in Cypress, California, and consider the DSM/EVO Shootout at Buschur's in Ohio a yearly pilgrimage.

I daily drive a 92 Galant VR4 (#464/1000) and, in my garage, I've got a 91 Galant VR4 (#195/2000) being stripped for rally prep. It's painfully slow progress, but it's getting there and I hope to be out in SoCal mixing it up with "those funny sounding blue cars" by April.

I know. So far? :crazy:

I'm into getting my cars dirty. Filthy, mud-covered, drive-it-like-they-designed-it-to-be-driven. So I'm a member of DirtyImpreza.com. Just because I favor three diamonds on my grille over seven sisters doesn't mean I don't have much love and respect for the Subaru community.

Now my wife tells me she really likes the Forester, so I'm starting my research in preparation to scoop one up by summer. Since I trust the DirtyImpreza community, I went to them for general Subaru insight. When the Forester came to the fore, they pointed me here.

So here I am. Longest. Intro. Shopping. Thread. Evar.

We're looking towards 2003-2008 FXT with the slushbox. I believe that means it's called a 4EAT or something. All have the 2.5, but "T is for Turbo," and that's what we want. NT models were more susceptible to HG failures, but if they're going, they tend to go externally back towards the firewall.

30K service is typical of a turbocharged, AWD vehicle, although driveline fluids get changed out. The turbo models go 60K on plugs, though? I'd change more often. T-belt interval is 105K, at which point the usual suspects should be replaced along with it.

Foresters are damn reliable when properly maintained and, although some might say two heads are better than one, I know they all have adorable little cams in them. Little cams, big heart. It's just going to take me some time to get used to riding around in a car that sounds like my Galant with a dead cylinder.

So, am I missing anything? I haven't been too far outside of this area of the forum, but should we pick up a Forester, I suspect this will end up being my go-to resources.

Appreciate the patience with the read and anything additional you think would be worth looking for when considering a used Forester turbo in the private market. (Particularly, when the seller says all maintenance is done, but has no receipts, tips on things to look out for.)

Cheers.

Brian

 

[pleiad7]

Welcome, I think you're making a good choice. The 04-08 turbo models are solid and last a long time when properly maintained. My 04 FXT is now around 140k and still running like a top! The plug change interval for the turbo models is 60k, as you correctly pointed out, and the 105k timing belt change is crucial.

 

[DR1665]

Thank you, Silke. Appreciate the quick reply.

I'm not so much concerned about basic tune up details, as those are fairly easy to accomplish and something I generally do as soon as I get a car, but I wonder if there might be other things to look for when considering a privately sold Forester.

 

[vicali]

interesting, funny, informed and educated... I think you will fit in perfect around here. Welcome from BC..:biggrin:

as far as things to look for on an 04-08 I would just look at the basics, there aren't a lot of red flag issues.. just see if the previous owner looked after it.

ps. please please please post a thread with pics on your Galants over in the relatives section, there are a bunch of us here jonesing for rally projects of our own..

 

[MudRunner]

Welcome aboard! I think you hit pretty much everything on the head. :lol:

Nothing against three diamonds here. :smile:

EDIT: Couple things about the 4EAT.... the filter is a spin-on type, often mistaken as the engine oil filter by the iffy lube folks. If you see an engine oil filter on there, that is likely what happened. I'd recommend using only the Subaru OEM part for that, as they are really the only people who make it, and it is designed to be changed every 100,000 miles (not sure that an engine oil filter would last that long... lol). As usual, check the fluid, and the front diff fluid. Lost of iffy lube places also like to drain that, thinking it's the engine oil!

Just a couple quirks I thought of!

 

[bbottomley]

Continuing the friendly aura of the place, Welcome! Subaru, the official car of New England! Oops, that doesn't quite apply to you, but welcome anyway. :icon_wink:

 

[DR1665]

interesting, funny, informed and educated... I think you will fit in perfect around here. Welcome from BC..:biggrin:

as far as things to look for on an 04-08 I would just look at the basics, there aren't a lot of red flag issues.. just see if the previous owner looked after it.

Thank you kindly. It generally comes down to the seller. "When in doubt, there is no doubt." :icon_wink:

ps. please please please post a thread with pics on your Galants over in the relatives section, there are a bunch of us here jonesing for rally projects of our own..

I'll have to double check my settings on the board. All I saw were three threads, two of which were about Subarus. Hmmm...

Interesting that you call your Forester "Daisy." That's what I called my 97 Talon for most of the last decade...

 

[vicali]

Interesting that you call your Forester "Daisy." That's what I called my 97 Talon for most of the last decade...

our first drive we went though fields and fields of them, I spent 10 minutes picking them out from underneath.. so the name stuck.

It was either that or 'Thumper' after bouncing a couple of birds off the windshield during that same drive :biggrin:

 

[TSi+WRX]

interesting, funny, informed and educated... I think you will fit in perfect around here.

+1.

And a welcome, too, from Cleveland, Ohio.

Although it's strange that my DSMs (currently still have a 2Ga TSi [very mild, just a fully supported EvoIII 16G, only at 300 to the wheels] in the garage) never saw David's place, I've taken my '05 Legacy 2.5GT - my true daily-driver (and, ironically, the car that I actively mod, instead of the Talon) there, twice, for dyno tunes.

My daughter's first electric go-cart still carries his Vinyl:

[ Yes, that's indeed a "real" cupholder for her sippie-cup, and yes, your eyes are right, those are "real" driving lights and a "real" RADAR detector, both fully functional. ]

It's good to have yet another DSMer here.

ps. please please please post a thread with pics on your Galants over in the relatives section, there are a bunch of us here jonesing for rally projects of our own..

+1.


----

The turbo models go 60K on plugs, though? I'd change more often.

I also do plugs more often, but brother, let me tell ya, it ain't nearly a 10-minute task as we're used to on the 4G63. :raspberry:

With your extensive background with turbocharged vehicles (and your mechanics' certification, from being a long-time DSMer :icon_biggrin, you'll be just fine with the Forester.

 

[AzNFoLife924]

Welcome to the forum from the Blizzard-covered Maryland! I believe you've hit most of the essential points about the 03-08 FXTs, but then again... I don't know much at all about them.... I do love the MY09 though, and its just what I've been looking for! Good luck with your search, and if you need anything, be sure to start a thread or PM some of the regulars around here!

 

[TheUhrinator]

lol, Welcome to the forum from Washington... :new_multi:

 

[themathguy]

I've been lurking. Maybe a couple of days now. One thing that's really stood out to me, is the way people seem to reply to these posts with "Welcome to the forum from Oregon!" I also recall seeing welcome from Wisconsin too, I believe. That's a nice touch.

...snip...

Hi Brian,

Welcome from Oregon! lol :Banane35:

I really like my forester, albeit it's probably newer than what you're looking for.
These are the key things that I love:
- High h-point (compared to sedans; what I've previously driven), and amazing visibility all around.
- Utility - My wife and I like to camp (see avatar), and everything fits in the back with room to see over it all.
- Off-road capability - I haven't taken anything very serious, but have traveled some pretty rocky roads. High ground clearance is nice.
- Winter driving - IMHO, this is what really sets Subaru apart from the rest. We had a freak 4 inches of snow one day (that's a lot for us), and had no problems at all on my 7 mile (city driving) commute home. Others were sliding sideways and even 4wd trucks/suvs were slipping some.

Hope you enjoy whatever you decide on!

 

[Tuned200]

Welcome to the forum from KY and good luck with your search for a 4EAT XT! I recommend a sport model(07-08) as IMO they are the best looking XT's EVER made!

 

[funkymonkey1002]

IIRC the 07/08 XT sports with the auto transmission were the only foresters to get the VTD center diff, which is a huge improvement over the MPT on all other auto foresters.

Biggest annoying problem with these is the wheel bearings. Any sort of weird driveline noise that varies with speed or when cornering is probably the wheel bearing.

Otherwise they're incredibly reliable. ~130,000 on my 04 4eat XT, with the last 100,000 of those being complete abuse with lots of dirt road, offroad, and snow driving.

The only major issue i'm having with mine now is rust, but thats 100% due to it being in rochester for those past 100,000 miles. Salt is bad. Being out in AZ, you should have no issues with rust at all!

 

[DR1665]

You know, there's this wording in most reply notifications that says, "There may be other replies, but you will not be notified until you return to the thread."

I can't hit flickr/imagshack/et al from work, so I just sort of waited and waited until this morning to get online at home. Here I see I've been a douche and not been active in the thread, maybe even left Vicali hanging. My bad.

Appreciate the continued warm welcome. :Banane35:

I'll weigh the VTD trans option/year issue when we actually start shopping closer to summer, but it's good to know. Snow isn't really an issue here, so I'm not so much concerned with the traction. My open diff-equipped Galant has no trouble crawling through loose sand up to the rockers, so I suspect that, aside from very unhappy carrier bearings (with torn boots on them I noticed), fancy transmissions are a nice-to-have on our list right now.

Damn. FNG/Lurker laws in full effect! Can't post links to jwright77's awesome muddy Fozzie on Dirty Impreza. Can't post links to pictures off site either. 12 more posts to go...