Questions - been thinking about a new car (merged thread)

I owned two Subarus before but a long time ago. I also used to work for Subaru in the Pacific Northwest and it was the most sought after car.

Recently I bought a 2018 Forester 2.5I Limited (leather seats) because we needed a new car and my wife remembered how much she liked the Subarus we had. We test drove several SUVs in this class Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Mazda and the Subaru had better visibility to it. I had no idea of all the CVT issues since the last suvs we owned did not have them yet.

I am dissapointed that after reading of so many problems here I dont see much good news. I think the reputation of old Subaru is keeping the company afloat in a sea of diminishing quality. All due to greed.

We have had no problems with our car so far (knock on wood) but it is still new. I read this article that came out in November and it somewhat confirms what I am explaining;

https://www.autonews.com/article/20181112/OEM/181119964/subaru-quality-problems-extend-to-u-s

If it were me, I think I would look at the Toyota RAV4 with the AT transmission and then the base model. You can get the cloth seats upholstered with leather for less than what they upcharge for it anyway. Someone I worked with did this and I was surprised how affordable it was.

The leather seats in my Forester 2.5i Limited are OK, but nowhere near the quality of the other cars I have had with leather seats. The holes collect dirt and the sides are like felt cloth material. The stereo in my Forester is horrible too, on the highway with the road noise you have to turn the volume up real loud and then the sound stinks. We will keep this one for a few years and change to something else I think. Good luck.

Johnnu said:

Is there ANY way that I could shut-off all the safety technology especially:
1) the start stop foolishness
2) the auto-braking for pedestrians or cars too close
3) the lane departure thingie (I don't text so there is no danger I will wander off the road)
4) any and all the other alerts.....
5) can I shut-off all the Wi-Fi connections (I certainly don't want to use the HomeLink and give all the parking attendants the opportunity to visit my house while having dinner in Manhattan)
There's a lot more that is quite frightening should I purchase a car with all this junk just because I want "leather". Pls. give me your thoughts kindly....THANKS, John

Click to expand...

Johnnu - I'm likely not as old as you, but far from young (50's) - and I love trying new things!

That said - although I've only been shopping the Forester, I've worked in automotive for over 30 years.
Stop Start: You need to disable each time you start the car. I've been driving vehicles with this for years, and you honestly stop noticing it happening. But some executions are not as good, and I certainly understand why some people hate it.
Auto Braking: I've driven vehicles with collision alerts for years (not auto braking). I've found it not intrusive at all. When it does activate, 99% of the time it's because I wasn't paying enough attention. I think ultimately you won't notice this feature unless you are a poor driver - and then the feature is only helping you stay out of trouble.
Lane Departure: Same story here - if you stay in your lane, use turn signals, you won't even know this feature exists. It's not a texting feature, it's a distraction/poor attention one. It can be turned off (not sure if Subaru requires it turned off for each ignition or not).
WiFi/HomeLink/Connections: You have to pay for connected services, so if you don't you wont' have them. Don't program the homelink (problem solved). Ultimately if someone wants to target you for some reason, it's not going to be via your car.

In general, I'd suggest you keep an open mind and try new things. You might have preferences about sharing too much information with Google/Facebook (legit in many ways), but don't let new vehicle technology that will improve the safety of you and other drivers fall into that same category.

I believe my Grandfather back in the 70's/80's could not stand the buzzer telling him to buckle his seatbelt! So he just left it buckled and sat on it - and complained about too much technology! That's a silly perspective! Be open-minded to new things, learn about them, try them before you form a strong opinion. Don't be the "you kids get off my lawn" guy! Be the "cool grandpa" who is keeping up with change!

Just my two cents...

As people mentioned above, there are ways to go around all the safety features.
I drive to relax and i enjoy driving. However, when i noticed that these safety features do certain things while driving normally, feeling its benefits, my brain naturally started drifting away assuming the car will help me.
There was a thread a couple weeks back about a guy that rear ended somebody and his eyesight didnt work. He probably looked away for that much longer because of the eyesight.

When i go back into my 08 fxt from my wifes 16 impreza with eyesight, i definitely notice i allow myself to ease my awareness with eyesight, and have to regroup whenever going back to my car.
Suprising to know what happens with our subconscious without our control.


off topic,
Im really curious to know how the newer buicks ride.
Ive owned 97 regal (best car for luxury, ive driven cadillac, lexus) which was junked due to transmission problem. and currently my second emergency car is a 02 century. Pretty much the same as the regal. But it seriously rides like a cloud. my wife even loved driving it.

i wonder if they still feel like that..

cz9h3d, great advice about not being stuck in "old fart" gear . I try to always embrace the advances the kids play with. I have two problems I deal with: 1) learning and 2) focus. Learning is difficult for me and I tend to only use my energy on the things that are absolutely necessary.... hence my flip-phone. My focus (especially now in my 70's) is critical since we need to adjust for hearing and sight that sadly do deteriorate... I stopped flying Cessna's 15 years ago. Now, frijoles articulated my fear very well: "these safety features do certain things while driving normally, feeling its benefits, my brain naturally started drifting away assuming the car will help me.
There was a thread a couple weeks back about a guy that rear ended somebody and his eyesight didnt work. He probably looked away for that much longer because of the eyesight." I'm concerned about my focus as well as my car taking over and surprising me. So, I'll just shop around for a car that will either let me control my own destiny or keep my 2009 Subaru and 2016 Camry... When they stop driving, i guess that I will too. Many thanks for ALL the good advice everyone has contributed.... I do appreciate all your thoughts....... John

Hi John,

I am no spring chicken, and agree that at any age, technology that is too intrusive can be a net negative, not a positive. I would not shy away however from considering a 2019, especially with the concerns you raised for the following reasons

You can easily turn off any of the systems you want with a simple push of a button at start. Yes, it is a pain to remember, but just like a pre-flight check, it can be a series of actions that become second nature. I would not turn off the Eyesight feature. The one or two stories where it "didn't work" do not outweigh the phenomenal benefits

The Safety, both passive and active is 2nd to none with the Subaru brand, and the Forester in particular. The fantastic visibility is a boon to Seniors - you will have far better situational awareness then the vast majority of what is offered out there now. Reliability is high also, see Consumer Reports

There are numerous other advantages to this vehicle. I have linked some videos below that may be helpful. You can check the IIHS recent crash test results, as well as Consumer Reports. If you don't have a Consumer Reports subscription, I would be happy to send you a PDF via PM of the report which is consistent with their fair use policy: