I would lol and do a title search and wonder how many cars they stitched together. Anyone with a great low mileage Subaru doesn’t need to list it, there will always be some family member who would love buy it. In the snow belt you would have a list of people who would take it off you before you even considered advertising.
Yes, the head gaskets are an issue for the 2002 - 2005 Foresters. I had mine completely rebuilt at one point, which was expensive. Subarus are great and reliable, but I am done with old cars and will replace my Subaru every five years going forward. I want reliability and the latest safety technology!
We still have a 2001 Forester that we keep for puttering around and hauling things. Currently a little over 100K miles on it. Other than having to get the head gasket replaced 2 or 3 years after we bought it (new), I’d say it’s the most dependable car we’ve owned.
My husband had his Subaru Forester for 10 or 11 years… he LOVED that car!
Our kids both drive newer cars than we do precisely bc of the huge improvements in safety technology. We thought it was more important for the greener drivers in the family to have the technology than for us — something Consumer Reports also suggests.
I have to say…we have a 2011 outback and we really like it.
BUT we have several friends who have had significant rusting issues with the same year or so Subaru. Cost them big bucks to fix.
They have all switched to Honda or Toyota.
Check and see if the 2005 Forester has the cylinder head problem. We had a 2001 Legacy that had this issue. It needed a major repair at 45K miles which Subaru paid for. Same thing happened at the 90K mark but Subaru wouldn’t cover. The fix would have cost almost as much as the car was worth, so we bought a new car and traded it in. If the 05 Foresters have the cylinder head issue, I would steer clear.
We went through this same thing when buying a car for D20. Originally I was going to get the car and she was going to get the hand-me-down. But her new car has so many safety features that alert her to when there is a car in her blind spot on the side, something in the way as she’s backing up, alerts when she pulls up too close, etc. that I felt more comfortable giving her the new car and driving the used car.
That being said, my car insurance company loves used Subarus and Volvos for teens and young adults. I looked at both when I bought my car in 2011 and I looked at Subarus again this time around for the teen. The AWD tire thing stopped me both times because I live in an area with a lot of highway construction going on and often pick up nails. I just didn’t want to worry about replacing all four times every time I got a nail. (I have replaced two tires and patched one on my Honda for this reason, so I guess it was worth it to not get the Subaru.)
I have never in all the Subaru talk in real life and CC heard about this tire thing. I had a flat on my 2014 Forester and had no issue getting a new single tire.
“I have never in all the Subaru talk in real life and CC heard about this tire thing. I had a flat on my 2014 Forester and had no issue getting a new single tire.”
It’s true for all AWD cars. A new tire will have a slightly different diameter than the other three (which have worn down), so the new tire turns at a different rate. Over time, this can fry your differential.
2010 Forester owner here…worst, worst, WORST car we have ever owned! Head gasket issues, catalytic converter issue, check engine light on constantly. Dealer serviced the entire time we owned it and the head gasket issue hit when it was 5 year old, about 100k miles. We bit the bullet and fixed it (almost $5k) because S17 was getting his license and we figured with a rebuilt engine it would get him through college, no problem. WRONG! LOL Nothing but problems. Even before the head gasket issue, more things went wrong on that car than ever did on the Camry we had for 200k miles or the Mazda we also put about 200k on. We’re trying to sell it now and hoping to get enough to cover the down payment for a lease to get S17 through college.
You have received a lot of good advice here. I love my 2011 Forester, loved my 2001 Outback, and my husband drove a 2007 Forester and now a 2017 Crosstrek. Our college-age niece now drives an older Forester. The head gasket/burning oil have been our only major problem. That said, definitely run a history on the vehicle.
Another 2010 owner that is NOT HAPPY. Now that we’re approaching 100K, the head gasket has had all kinds of leaks. We have a 2012, too, so I’m waiting for problems there, too. We’re going to stick to Toyotas/Lexuses in the future, as we’ve had 3 with no serious problems.
A new tire can be shaved to match the other tires.
Also, some AWD cars have separate drive trains at each end of the car.
Happy 2015 Forester owner here, but only about 60,000 miles. Had a 97 Legacy Outback wagon, bought used, that bit the dust (timing belt - and we paid non-dealer mechanic to replace it at 60,000 miles so not sure why it went at 90,000 miles). Loved that car and looked into getting new engine for it but there were none available. Many friends and family have had Subarus for years and love them, have not had the problems others here report. The Forester especially is very easy to see out of for backing up. Let us know what you found out if you use Carfax and what you decide to do.
As @cameo43 says, “The older Subarus often had problems with the head gaskets. That causes oil leaking and burning and it is an expensive thing to fix… they have to remove a lot of the engine in order to do it.”
I had a 2005 Forster myself that I Ioved (especially the huge rear window)…until the head gasket issue 8 years in. I ended up selling it rather than getting it fixed as the cost was going to be $3,000+. Now every time I see those lovely Subaru commercials about passing their cars down to their kids for a new generation of adventures I roll my eyes.
Look at Consumer Reports for ratings from the 2005 era because there are several years where Foresters get back marks for engine issues.
@abasket This article talks specifically about the tight tolerance for Subaru tires.
https://www.souzastireservice.com/tires-101/tire-matching-awd-4wd.aspx
Our dealer and regular tire place agreed, too.