Used 2003 Subaru Forester XS AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A) Consumer Reviews
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50,000 km and a huge bill
kloc, 11/12/2012
Subaru Forester XS AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
36 of 41 people found this review helpful
Our 2003 Forester has been maintained by our dealer since purchased new in late 2002. From day 1 it has had a coolant leak, a fact that has been pointed out to the dealer at every scheduled service. The dealer, of course, could not find the source of the coolant lead until after the warranty expired, whereupon we were told that the head gaskets were leaking and the car had developed piston slap to the point where driving the car was ill-advised. The master tech told me that Subaru has told dealers to ignore the problem until the warranty expires. Last Subaru I will ever purchase; this was our 7th.
superroo
roopower1, 05/31/2002
Subaru Forester XS AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
Hi. Just purchased a 2003 Forester XS auto. Love it-in spite of paying too much. Never buy a car for your wife on your anniversary. Compared to my 1981 Subaru Brat, I have no complaints about power! Plus you can drive Forest Service roads at 65 mph and pretend you are Tommi Makinen in the SWRT WRC. Visibility is great, lots of room (haven't sat in the back, just the 2 of us). The auto-climate control is nice, go for the upgraded speakers if you like quality sound (the base is so-so). First tank of gas-got 25.1 mpg on 50-50 mix city/highway. No defects noted, no problems noted in first 500 miles.
Fair
Skip, 05/24/2010
Subaru Forester XS AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
This vehicle has been dependable and good in the snow. However the engine noise is very annoying. The dealer calls it " piston slap" and says it is normal for Subaru and would not do anything under the warranty. Because of this I will probably not purchase another Subaru
Falling apart
Gerterschnitz, 07/24/2010
Subaru Forester XS AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
We bought this car new in 2002. It was fine for the first few years. It's been well maintained. However, in the past 2 years we have replaced sway bars twice; sway bar links need replacing; heater blower fan just died; several engine gaskets are seeping. The car is simply not built for much other than smooth highway driving. It's also noisy - and was right from the get-go. I would not buy again.
Where are the cup holders
Dockhawg, 01/27/2003
Subaru Forester XS AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Bought 2003 for my wife in Dec. She loves. Great in our icy,snowy climate. Wish gas mileage was better considering a 4 cyl. Needs better cup holders. Nice ride and handles great. This is out 1st Suby, will let you know more later as it only has 1300 miles at this point.
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