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Wagons Subaru Crew Subaru Forester 2009 Subaru Forester
3640 messages, Last post on Nov 19, 2009 at 3:06 PM
You are in the Subaru Forester Forum. Your Host is kcram
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Replying to: ateixeira (Jun 24, 2009 9:16 am) Anyway..... I'm getting a bit off topic so i'll stop hijacking the thread now. |
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I am giving serious thought to turning in my '98 Explorer under the C4C program and would likely look at smaller SUV's. There seem to be quite a few good vehicles in the category. 2009 Forester is one of my favorites, but I noticed in Consumer Reports that it didn't score too well on reliability- I think it was ranked as average. Does anyone know what is hurting the reliability score? I can't find any information on that. Maybe just typical first-year issues? To me dependability is big issue and if the Forester is just average that's a concern. Thanks!
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Replying to: maybesubie1 (Jun 29, 2009 7:21 pm) Subaru is currently well below average for initial problems with cars. Still, "well below average" means they have 1 or 2 more problems per vehicle than the best cars. I'd suggest waiting for the '10's as they should have '09 TBS's addressed during assembly. CU ratings are sometimes hard to decipher (a car that does well in measurements may be rated lower in total, when compared to other brands) but in absolute terms, everything for '09 Forester appears to rate as "better" save fuel system and power equipment, which rate "better-average". I'd suggest researching your potential dealer to make sure they have a good service department and will fix whatever warranted problems you encounter. |
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Replying to: maybesubie1 (Jun 29, 2009 7:21 pm) Still, the average car today is very reliable, much more so than, say, in the 1980s. Having said that, we have all sort of conflicting early information: JD Powers says it's slightly below average in their IQS study. CR predicts "Average" reliability. TrueDelta recorded promising early numbers and the Forester stands out as one of the most reliable new cars for them. Hard to say what that means in the long-term. I had a 1998 Forester, which was the very first, and it gave me 9 great years of service and even sold for 40% of what I paid originally, so I'm not concerned. |
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Replying to: iamrod (Jun 14, 2009 7:30 pm) As a follow up in my situation, and information which may be useful to you: Is yours a PZEV? Talked with rep today after he experienced cold start: It is normal for PZEV which tries to throw exhaust back into catalitic converter. What convinced me, he explained it will stop the roughness if you hit the gas or if you shift to N -- both of these I have experienced. He said many complain. Only happens with PZEV 4AT. He also said impossible for engine to do anything abnormal without setting lights/codes. I am now convinced it is normal. Hope this helps you. Am interested in your experience with dealer. Bill
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Replying to: maybesubie1 (Jun 29, 2009 7:21 pm) impacting the '09 Forester reliability ratings are related to it being a new 1st-year model. I bought my '09 Forester X M/T w/ Premium Package when shipments first arrived (Feb 08). I now have about 15K miles on the vehicle. While I've been fortunate and not experienced most of the problems posted/reported, I've had one minor issue (rattle from inside door) which I fixed myself; and one major issue which was undersized plastic film rear fender protectors which required (under warranty) repainting and upgrading of the plastic film (which Subaru phased into all production vehicles by mid-2008). To their credit, Subaru did step up and repair my Forester under warranty with no hassle. I also upgraded the not-so-great (IMHO) stock stereo system. The only "nagging" concern I harbor is with the long-term durability of the body/paint. Only time will tell, but the exterior appears to be very thin and lightweight (compared to other vehicles I own/have owned)... hopefully there will be no issues down the road. Based on my ownership experience to date, I am confident the Forester will prove out to be a very reliable vehicle. And for me the feature mix is unbeatable - ie I wanted inclement weather performance (AWD), big sunroof, manual xmission, good fuel economy, SUV/wagon stowage capacity, and reasonable purchase price. The '09 Forester delivers on this and more! Good luck with your purchase decision...
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Replying to: maybesubie1 (Jun 29, 2009 7:21 pm)
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Forester X cost for 10,000 miles of driving; $2.69 gal  22 mpg $1222 Forester XT cost for 10,000 miles driving; $2.99 gal 20 mpg $1495 Outback H6 cost for 10,000 miles driving: $2.69 gal 18 mpg $1494 These are all 2010 models being compared. Interesting that fuel expense for the Outback H6 is similar to the Forester XT.
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Replying to: kurtamaxxxguy (Jun 30, 2009 6:28 pm) The CVT Outback 2.5i is rated at 31mpg highway, mama-mia! Ultra-tall highway gearing gets the credit for that, it's chugging along at 2000rpm at 80mph. That makes me want to sample a Forester CVT...it's lighter, maybe 32mpg? Sign me up!
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Replying to: ateixeira (Jul 01, 2009 9:46 am) But at what price? I would not be surprised at higher production cost for the CVT than the 4-speed's guts which is probably a high volume production JATCO unit. Does anyone know who actually builds the CVT belt assembly? It would be no surprise if it is JATCO with parts shared by Nissan and Toyota.
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