What are your thoughts on The Subaru Forrester?

with baby bunny pants in the mix now we need a bigger ride. Both the wife and I are not down with minivans.

Thanks in advance


CB

I swore up and down before I had kids that I would never drive a mini van and certainly would never own one. Well, we have a mini-van now and I cannot imagine NOT having one. We have two kids and a dog and the mini-van is perfect for hauling everyone around, not to mention all of the stuff that one needs to haul when hauling small children.

The Subaru Foresters are awesome -- I work with a guy who loved his so much he bought one for his wife. However, if you are planning on having more bunnypants you will quickly outgrow it. Also, once your child gets a little older and you start driving him/her and their friends around, the 3rd seat in the back comes in very handy.

Just my two cents...

the warren is full

CB

and the thing was a tank that happened to fit into compact parking spaces. I love subarus.

I preferred the Toyota Highlander. We ended up with a Kia Minivan though, very comfy. We also have a Camry Hybrid.

I don't think you can go far wrong with the Subaru though.

On Edit, we got the Minivan when the third kid was on the way. We had a VW station wagon before that, which was a nice car.

having our third child pushed us to buy a minivan. Now, we're on our second one and I still like them because they are so versatile.

They can haul kids and their friends. Kids and luggage or camping gear when we vacation. The seats fold into the floor, so I have slept in it when I was traveling alone and too tired to set up a tent.

AND, with the seats folded down, I can fit a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood in the back. (Try that SUV drivers! :P )

I highly recommend the Mazda 3 hatch. Mileage, safety rating, reliability...all top scores. Pretty cheap too, in comparison.

of the 3 v the Forester are almost identical in size.

Although the hatch is not huge. I don't have kids so maybe there isn't enough room for all their stuff. I use to haul a kayak around and I can fit my paddle and all the stuff I need inside (I do lower the rear seats for that).

I have one and I love it! Very fun to drive and probably has almost as much room as the Forester. And it is probably cheaper (I paid about 16500) although it does not have AWD. Make sure you get at least the Touring edition because that has side and head airbags ans=d ABS. They are only standard on the Touring and Grand Touring models. The Grand Touring comes with a bunch of other stuff that I wasn't interested in.

the hated minivan in the long run. Repairs can be an expensive bitch, if and when needed.

Since all wheel drive is rerally rarely ever needed, consider the front wheel drive Escape hybrid which is about the same size but give at least an extra 10 mpg and that tax credit.

southsiders

CB

And, if you are only having one little bunnypants, you will like the forester. Both of my brothers who have one child each have one and really like it.

But, they're assholes who don't like minivans.

Minivans rock. Series.

have a good weekend

CB

After we added Mach 2 and 3, we got a Buick Century Estate wagon... Absolutely awesome wagon (1989).



When we moved here to the UAE, we first got a Peugeot 307 SW



Not an option in the states though... very cool car (French chic) and it had a 3rd row of seats.

However, it really took a beating on the roads here, so we got a Hyundai Terracan...



You may also want to take a look at the Kia Rondo if you can do without the 4x4

If you do need the AWD, the Legacy Outback is actually roomier and I think it's got a larger engine as well (it used to.)

is a better car than the forrester. I have cargo space for little MB's tae kwon do gear, and space for the dog...plus MrMB and myself.

The Forester was designed to compete with the SUV crowd, and has more ground clearance and a heavier duty suspension. I DO have to drive dirt roads, occasionaly snow covered to boot, so the lower, lighter suspension in the Outback kind of ruled it out. The Forester also has more cargo room, and has a spare well that accomodates a full sized spare (again, important if you're off the beaten track a lot). The Forester is also the only model with the awesome 3 foot sunroof, and it can tow one ton without a problem.

I do think the Outback is a more attractive car, and is probably better suited to suburbanites who only occasionally have to face any road conditions more difficult that rain (they're great for skiers). When my city dwelling friends ask about Subarus, I usually steer them toward the Outback.

My Forester seats 3 kids in the back just fine (one in a booster), can carry a huge amount of cargo, and will hit 30MPG if I take the crossbars off the roof. It replaced a 4WD Dodge Durango, and I have NEVER missed a single feature on the Dodge. My Subaru matches everything it did, with more than double the fuel mileage. If anything, I just kick myself for not buying one sooner.

i tried out the forester and thank got i sat in the back seat for a portion of the test drive....very cramped, my knees were wedged into the back of the passengers front seat. my kids would have killed me if i had gotten it.

If you get one, pay the extra $$$ for the PZEV model. It doesn't help the mileage, but it's almost pollution free and doesn't impact the cars great performance.

Skip the turbo model, even though you'll fall in love with the performance and the price premium isn't all that big. The turbo Forester isn't available in PZEV, and it will ONLY run premium gasoline. Lot's of $$$ there.

Oh, and make sure you check out one with the sunroof. I have an X model with the 3 foot long opening sunroof, and nothing short of a convertible beats it on a sunny spring day.

no matter how far you move the front seat forward there knees would be jab into your back

I'm 6'1", and my 5'2" beanpole 13 year old daughter sits behind me just fine. In fact, the only back seat complaints I get from my kids come when I pile all three of them into the back. It's just narrow enough to be slightly uncomfortable with my youngest sons booster seat in the middle. The two older kids, sitting on either side of him, don't have a lot of room because of the boosters bulk. When the booster is out of the car, I get zero complaints.

Edited to add: Keep in mind that Subaru redesigned the car for 2006, and they improved the interior space of the car at the same time. Have you sat in the back of a 2006-2008 Forester?

i.e. put someone in the back seat and have them scream. You need to know the car's acoustic features.

We also had a Mitsubishi Galant for awhile. It was a wonderful, trouble-free car. However, put kids in the back and they might as well be screaming directly into your ear.

Every time since when buying, we give it the kid test... the quiter the interior acoustics, the better.

Some other cars that didn't pass my kid sound test when shopping in recent years.

Toyota RAV 4- Don't even think about it.
Nissan XTERRA- very loud

and she hit an embankment and flipped the Forester upside down. All the windows blew out and the vehicle was totaled.

She walked away with a few minor scratches on her hands and wrists from the glass.

When it came time to get another car, she got another Forester. :)

It's a discussion site for Forester owners. They have a whole forum dedicated to wreck pics, and that same story is echoed time and time again. People get into horrific accidents, and walk away. Most Subies have a heavy safety cage in the passenger compartment to protect the riders, and it's as effective as the cage in a Volvo.

She LOVES it. They live in a mountainous/desert climate, and it does everything they need it to do.

I also had a friend in law school who drove one. She adored hers too.

Come to think of it...my aunt and uncle bought one, based on the rave reviews from my step-mom.

:hi:

has a 1998 or 1999 Forrester and loves it. The back seat is a little small on the Forrester. I will pretty much stick with Hondas, Toyotas and Subarus from now on.

We were driving to Lake Tahoe for a few days. It was PERFECT for the trip. We loved it.

Consumer Reports rates the Forrester a tad higher, but my mechanic said Subaru's harder to get parts for than Honda. I did a ton of research and selected this over the Toyota RAV4.

We have two CR-V's and love them. 27 mpg, and lots of room. Great features. Can't say enough nice things about this small SUV.

Get a 2003-2006 model if you can find one (the 2002 and earlier are smaller). In fact get the 05 or 06 if possible--more safety features than with the 04.

Get the LX front-wheel drive instead of the EX, unless you really really need AWD (which adds $3000 to the price).

PM me if you have any questions :hi:


Edit: CR-V's don't depreciate much either.