Please do not rely on CarFax reports when considering the purchase of a used car.
We are a Subaru Forester-Crosstrek family that was formerly an Outback-Forester family. My 2011 Forester Premium has excellent visibility, which is why I selected it over a Honda CRV and a Toyota RAV4. My neighbors have a 2019 Forester with all the bells and whistles and has a peppy automatic drive (I drive a manual). I have had to do very few repairs, even fewer than with my 2001 Outback. I would have kept my Outback had a driver not smashed in my passenger side while doing a U-turn off the highway without looking. ?
I do not know what my next car will be, but it’s likely to be another Subaru.
I like the gas mileage of the forester, but hate how uncomfortable the seats are for long drives. I bought a ford Escape and it’s super comfortable to drive, but the gas mileage isn’t as good.
My parents are on their 3rd forester in a row, and my sister has one as well. They all clearly love them. I’m the only one that finds them uncomfy.
All of theirs were new. I bought mine used w/ 8k miles on it.
CarFax and its competitor AutoCheck are primarily sources of negative information, but will not necessarily find everything bad that could have happened to the car. A finding on one of their reports may be reason to be extra suspicious of the car or skip it entirely before spending time to go see it, but the lack of any finding still means that the buyer needs to exercise the usual caution and suspicion as with any used car.
We test drove the Forester for the 2nd time, to make sure that was our preferred choice. Dang. A few things I noticed more the 2nd time: VERY uncomfortable rear seats. I’m typically in the back if we drive with family, since I’m the shortest. Visibility was not nearly as good as I remembered. They also have an awkward grouping of ? on the top of the windshield that was bothersome (to me). But most importantly, the cargo area, with seats down, is very short - 10" shorter than our current Honda Fit. That was a huge surprise!
We would buy another Fit in a heart beat, except the new ones are much different from the older models. Much cheaper finishes, and much less glass. They felt claustrophobic to me. I’m assuming the new cars have much less glass in exchange for a stronger body for crash tests. But visibility stinks. You have to have rear back up cameras now.
This next car will be our touring car. Would love comfort, safety, visibility, and great gas mileage. Back to other options.
@kjofkw, I also drive an older Fit and aside from not liking the gas pedal angle and needing more clearance, love that car. I haul stuff around and it is a great little workhorse car with great gas mileage. I was afraid of getting less hauling space with something larger, paradoxical as that might be.
CarFax protects used car sellers, not buyers.
This service misses major negative events. Or, possibly, the reports are doctored by used car sellers.
These types of services cause used car buyers to trust when they should not.
Again, these type of reports only protect used car sellers.
(Lemon Laws protect new car buyers.)
If you did a CC research project of all car threads you would find a high probability that most threads end up being an argument over Subarus. I feel if you love them, you’ll love them. 
I have a Forester and love it. It is a 2014 and I hope to keep it as long as I can - and then will walk right back into a Subaru dealer (if I had to decide right now) and purchase another Subaru.
I think it’s easier to like the LOOKS of a car - but you can get a whole different opinion when you are sitting in it as a driver - or passenger.
I LOVE the look of the Tiguan and we looked at them twice. Each time though decided against because the Volkswagen dealerships for maintenance are few and far between in our area.
@kjofkw did you try test driving an escape? By far the most comfy of the ones I test drove, and the new ones get much better gas mileage than mine (2016)
@fendergirl: I’ve always liked the look of Escapes, but I didn’t think the Escape cargo area folds flat. At least the older models did not. We need a flat bed, once the back seats are folded, for a variety of hauling reasons (music instruments, kennels, etc.). The Foresters once had a stepped cargo area as well, but changed in 2019, and even now it slopes slightly, but no major bump. We also prefer a flat entry (no lip at the rear hatch).
( to clarify my last post: Forester cargo area is 10" shorter in height from the Fit – not in length.)
I’ll fold mine down and let you know how it is. if I remember right it’s mostly flat, but a slight incline. Will let you know either way.
OP here with an update:
I had the XC40 for an overnight and I took it to the Subaru dealership to do a side by side comparison and another ride in the Forester. I was much more comfortable in the Volvo, the Forester seemed uncomfortably much bigger. I got home and compared the specs of the 2020 to the 2010 I owned and, by golly, it grew. The closest Subaru by size to what I was used to was the Crosstrek. It was shorter, lighter and much less SUV than the Volvo.
So tomorrow I pick up my 2021 Denim Blue XC40 and start learning what to do with all the technology bells and whistles.
Great choice @mominva.
My XC60 is blue (I think it’s called denim - with slate/gray interior).
I think I took it in for service sometime after your original post, and I checked out the XC40. It seems small for me, but it is a nice size. (I went from XC80 - I could literally fit a twin bed mattress in that car, to an XC60 once we didn’t need room for 6 occasionally.)
I hope you enjoy it.
Congrats! Great color. Enjoy and safe travels.
Congrats!
We recently bought a used car with our son. I had a hard time finding a car that had lowish mileage but was reasonably priced. Very few private sales . Most had all the bells and whistles and so were not much cheaper than a new car with less features.
What does one use besides carfax to find out about used cars? Just curious.
Carfax’ best known competitor is Autocheck.
Neither will necessarily find everything bad that could have happened to a car, although if they do find something bad, that could be reason to treat the car with even more suspicion than usual or not spend any more time on it.
Carfax is often incorrect and, therefore, unreliable. Take any used car to a mechanic whom you trust before buying.
Carfax is really for the benefit of used car dealers even though pushed as a benefit to consumers–which it definitely is not.