Used 2001 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
Used Forester for sale
I WANTED TO LOVE YOU
JDMfan802, 09/14/2020
2001 Subaru Forester S AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought a MINT, I mean showroom clean white 2001 Subaru Forester S, it was rubber under coated professionally and done right, this S model was so good looking in 2013 that Hemmings motor news in Vermont wanted to feature it in a magazine. The interior was spotless but the clock as with all first gen foresters didn’t function. Also, WHAT WAS SUBARU THINKING WITH THE CUPHOLDERS?! Seriously, anything else would had helped. Awful, cheap, flimsy and dangerous design. Want hot steaming coffee immediately on you when you hit a pothole? DONE! Want fluids to damage your stereo? Done! Seriously bad design. Seats were heated and actually pretty comfortable, car felt safe and proved it was but we’ll get to that. Car had 188,222 miles upon purchasing in Vermont. No problems until day I drove off lot, immediately check engine, they replaced head gasket next day, only other problem was a pulley breaking during a commute but it didn’t die, the pulley just flipped around inside the belt area for 42 miles somehow belt never slipped, amazing. Car averaged 23 miles per gallon combined, no modifications at all. I loved it, typical boxer click which I loved, brakes were okay, steering was bulkier than my 01 crv but Subaru was going for utility not carlike as with the big forehead civic, err, CRV of that year. I loved it, LOVED IT, Until Valentine’s Day 2013 Had a drunk driver hit me HEAD ON FRONT OFFSET PASSENGER SIDE, THEN TRY TO DRIVE OFF, only his Pontiac vibes transmission literally disintegrated upon hitting me, he made it 20 feet, my fiancé at the time ripped him out through his own window. It was a awesome night. Ended up being ticketed for blocking traffic, mind you, I was hit by the drunk driver, all in all, good car. Be aware of fuel filler neck rust out issues. Buy one it’s fun to drive!
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- Technology
- Performance
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- Reliability
- Value
Unsolvable overheating problems
Kiki62, 07/09/2020
2001 Subaru Forester L AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Mine started overheating at 100,000 which is reasonable at that mileage, which can often mean its new head gasket time.. Multiple checks in online forums indicated that this model fell within a range of specific years of Foresters that had a design flaw that led to this: after replacing a head gasket, the car would still overheat unless a Subaru-specific sealant was used. And apparently, the Subaru corporation is aware of this flaw. Neither the company nor my local dealership contacted me with this information and unfortunately, I didn't find this out until the headgasket had already been replaced without the special sealant. My bad for not doing my homework, but I found it disingenuous of them to have not contacted owners with this fact. Contacting the company did not good and they offered no solution or apology. It continued to overheat after the headgasket replacement, as well as after numerous radiator, timing belt, etc. replacements, none of which ever solved the issue. Every possible cooling system part was replaced, to no avail. After reading more online forums which indicated that many other owners had similar issues even after replacing the head gasket, and multiple other parts, I was done. There was also a chronic wheel hub replacement issue every few years, ithat is due to how the exhaust was routed over the wheelbase. I can understand why so many folks love these cars, because before all of this began it was a great little adventure vehicle and I had a lot of fun in it. But given how the issue was mishandled by the Subaru Corporation, I doubt I'll purchase another Suby in the future.
- Reliability
- Value
2001 Subaru Forester for sale near you
Showing 3 of 12 listings
- L WagonMSRP: $8,000944 mi away
- L WagonMSRP: $3,9951,468 mi away
- S Wagon w/Premium PackageMSRP: $2,9952,248 mi away
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I like it, but...
Roadman, 06/07/2003
2001 Subaru Forester L AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought this car for reliability, however I've had problems. The front boot on the axle broke and cost 200.00 to fix.(the dealer wanted 500.00! The "check engine" light was on for 35,000 miles and the dealer told me twice that it was a "bad" computer chip. It was the catalytic converter, which needed to be replaced (which is why the light goes on in the first place) These knuckleheads should have fixed it in the first place! NOW, my "all wheel drive" gears are frozen. It's going to cost at least 1,000.00 to fix at a local mechanic's place and I don't even want to think what the dealer would charge, they're crooks.
Simply Perfect For My needs
Troutbum, 03/30/2003
2001 Subaru Forester S AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
My 2001 S has exactly the features I wanted with having to pay for things that I did not want;heated everything, 5 spd, sporty handling, good gas mileage, good stereo, terrfic AWD etc.,I live in Northern Ontario we get a lot of snow and inclement weather but my Forrester has a stick to the road security that I have never before experienced.I have two Great Danes that can actually be comfortable in the back with the seats down and thanks to the massive headroom. I recently received a 2003 Toyota Highlander with AWD as a company car but I do prefer driving my Forester.I have averagd 34 mpg in cruise control at 60 miles an hour over long drives.
Made A Bad Choice
RichardM, 02/05/2003
2001 Subaru Forester L AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Happy with my Subaru???? Not a chance. 2001 Forester, 38,000 miles and I get a check engine light. OK, probably just a loose gas cap, NO. Take it to the dealer and guess what, blown head gasket, ruined O2 sensors, ruined cats. What gives here? I though these were the best of breed for these kinds of cars. I'm really upset, disappointed. I have a habit of buying multiple copies of a car if I like it and was just test driving an H6 Outback last weekend. Forester will be traded for a Hyundai Santa Fe, I'll be buying the XG350 for myself. Pretty sad these Subaru's.