pcray1231
Well-known member
Haven't pulled the trigger yet. But the wife is considering a new car. She'd trade or sell a 2010 Subaru Forester with about 115,000 miles on it. For the right price you could get us off our butts (though I'm not really in favor of selling, but, it is her turn).
4 cylinder. 4 speed auto transmission. Winter weather package. Gas mileage is rated at 20 city/27 highway and that's about right, so not quite the mileage you'll get from an Accord or Altima. 8.6" of clearance so your high center areas aren't a concern. It's an SUV. A light one. Among the best AWD systems made for ice and snow, and some light offroading if you wish. Unlike some, it's not glorified FWD that only throws a little power to the rear once you slip. Going straight down a road, not accelerating or slowing, the front to rear torque split would be 50/50 in 1st and 2nd gear, and 60/40 in 3rd or 4rth, and it throws more to the rear on speeding up, more to the front when slowing down, etc. Left to right torque splits are still through open diffs, though, both front and rear, with the ABS system braking the spinning wheel like most AWD systems out there.
And it's better on those gravel and washboard roads than is heavier SUV's or trucks. Turning radius is the tightest I've ever encountered, makes it great for cities or tight parking lots. Handles very well on the twisties, with a low center of gravity from the boxer engine and the front/rear weight balance is pretty close to the driver.
PAFF sticker already on the back.
Riding on Michelin Premier A/S tires that should have at least another 30k in them. It's got some cosmetic stuff. Lived outside, not garaged. Few bird dropping stains that I didn't get wiped off quickly enough, which made permanent white spots etched in the paint on the hood. A door ding or three. A dent above the windshield from a bird collision. Some surface rust on the undercarriage. One small rust spot just beginning to emerge in the paint, on the corner where the driver side rocker panel meets the rear wheel well. Inside, well, we have young kids. So a bit of a mess, crushed cheerios, a few milk stains from the baby, stuff like that. I'd clean it up the best I could. Never pets, though.
Mechanically, we've had 2 issues in that 115,000 miles. A brake caliper seized up, requiring a new rotor and pad. And a coil pack destroyed itself which knocked it down a cylinder for a day or two before we got it repaired. That's it. All suggested maintenance has been completed, including the timing belt replacement, which is a bigger one. Plus differential fluids in all 3 diffs, recent coolant and transmission flushes, and we've had it on a conventional/synthetic blend oil since about 60k. Probably due for spark plugs before too long.
It does have a heat shield rattle that we've had to adjust a few times, but is ok right now.
