Used 2003 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
Used Forester for sale
Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!
jtecho, 09/03/2013
2003 Subaru Forester XS AWD 4dr Wagon w/Premium Package (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
i personally love the car, i am a auto enthusiast and this car is just great. it has a very sturdy look and build quality. mine is 10 years old and has over 120k miles. i have replace the converter once and took it in for annual check ups and maintenance. one major problem is the the head gaskets and the oil. other wise the car is outstanding. the AWD is one of the best in the business and does its job really well.
Fair
Skip, 05/24/2010
2003 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
2003 Subaru Forester for sale near you
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- XS WagonMSRP: $5,099387 mi away
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- XS Wagon w/Premium Leather PackageMSRP: $4,450578 mi away
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First Suby I have ever owned and just love my car!
T Harding, 03/04/2016
updated 03/07/2018
2003 Subaru Forester X AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
My sister who has a 2012 Forester heard about this car becoming available for me, so she is the one who helped me. She has a lot of experience with Subarus. The car only had 74,000 miles on it when I got it. It had also recently had the head gasket repaired, and the car had a thorough look through an an excellent mechanic before I got it. I have loved this car from the get go. I find it fun to drive, easy to drive, and so far I have only had service to the tune of one alignment and oil changes. The mechanic has told me I should have no problems with the car up until I need the timing belt/chain replaced at about 100,000 miles. But given I don't drive too much that should be years down the road. I love how the car handles too, esp. on the road. Very very comfortable road car. I can't think of a thing I don't like. I love all the extra little storage places on the inside, and also like the fact that it comes with a lot of tools in the trunk if I ever needed them. I enjoyed driving the car in snow this winter, and had no problems even with all season radials. I plan on having the car for some time so it will receive a lot of tlc. Update. Have now owned the car for about 3 years. Have totally fallen in love with the car. No maintenance other than oil changes required now in 3 years. Love it!! Still own this car, and still love this car, even more than when I first got it! I am now at just 85,000 and other than alignment checks and oil changes, have not had any major issues. Love it.
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Every Camper Needs One
KC in WA, 07/14/2003
2003 Subaru Forester X AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Bought it at invoice May 27th and been lovin' it ever since. We took it camping to Yellowstone with 4 adults (~2900 mi)and it performed well off and on-road (30 mpg average with a cargo box!). The engine seemed a tad winded on very steep grades. Handles great even in tight curves and with a fully loaded cargo box! We took it places where no regular wagon would ever dream of going. The only thing it didn't do was make hot chocolate for us while we watched a wolf pack at 6 am!!
Wanted to love it; absolutely hate it
kal13, 04/17/2012
2003 Subaru Forester X AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
10 of 16 people found this review helpful
This is my wife's car but I drive it more than her because she cannot stand the road noise, brake noise, lackluster A/C and other querks that cannot be fixed. My wife had wanted a subaru for a while so we traded in her truck for a forester to get better MPG and handling while keeping AWD for winter safety. It has been disappointing from the start. There is horrible wind noise above 35mph that gets exopentially louder with increased speed. Dealer and independent mechanics say it is window/door design and cannot be fixed. brakes squeel embarassingly loud regardless of pad type. It is mediocre at best in the snow - on par with most FWD cars. Head gasket went at 100K mi - $2,000 repair.