Used 2004 Subaru Forester Wagon Consumer Reviews
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Great Car
This is a great vehicle. I traded in my 2002 A4 for this car. I wanted a fun AWD small SUV/wagon. I was hesitant on the eterior styling at first...Once I drove the XT, I was hooked. The turbo 2.5 liter motor is addicting. The 5 speed manual is a little sportier, but this was the compromise between my wife and I. Plus the sunroof in the Premium is to die for. You can't go wrong with this vehicle
Like it more as time goes on
A practical car that made sense to buy, but wait! It's been a blast to drive, even more so on logging roads and when roads get curvy. Not a single problem so far.
Exactly what I needed !!!
My Forester XT have everything I wanted in a car actually: -Great power -Good look -Great handling -Lots of space for a family car and work -Expandability
So Far,So Great
Researched small suv's - crv,rav4 vs. forester.no comparison. Only driven 1200 miles but love everything about it. smooth,quiet,responsive,safe.Visibility best ever,moonroof biggest ever.Bought for wife for safety reasons,but she loves it for the fun of it. If it holds up mechanically, I will give it a perfect 10.
Best little SUV!
I had this car only a week now, and it has been great! I'm going from a Honda Civic to a Subaru Forester. A big change for me. A lot more space! I don't see people tailgating me as much as when I was driving my Civic (a good thing! I hate tailgaters!). The Forester rides really nice, and quiet. Steering is Ok. The acceleration will blow you away! No noticeable turbo lag. MPG is not that good, but you have to expect that for a turbo engine. Auto tranny is smooth like a caddy. Moonroof is huge! Leather is nice. Heated seats are really comfy.
XT Review
Very fast and comfortable. Quite a bit of power for a vehicle such as this. A little top heavy when driven hard. Gearing is to low for this turbo setup
Forester XT Manual Transmission
An excellent family performance wagon with far above average for class engine performance. It has great utility and value yet is far from being a mommy car. It is true to being a small ute from ride/handling perspective. I thought it would only be a tall wagon.
3 Months in
This is my first Subaru, and so far, at 4K miles, I am very pleased. The Forester XS with Prem. package has lots of nice features which match my needs. Mostly around town driving with some light offroad...gravel and dirt roads. Very comfortable seats for long trips. I'm 6'3" and have plenty of room. A solid, responsive, well conceived vehicle. My passengers are really impressed. So far no early defects, so I'm a pretty happy camper.
The swiss army knife of cars!
Want a wagon to haul stuff? Want to do some light off-roading? Want to smoke that 350Z sitting at the light next to you? The Forester can do it all! I am on my second Forester and am now a die-hard Subaru fan. My 04 XT is a nicely put together vehicle with nice materials, but most importantly, smoking performance. I smile just thinking about pushing my Foz through the corners and speeding away from lights. I like it, my kids like it, and even the wife likes to take it out for a spin! Reliability, style, utility, performance... you can't go wrong!
Problems
My '04 Sabaru is noisy, had to replace rear tire ball bearings, had accident because of a sticky throttle 4 days after a mechanic check, lacked sufficient room for passengers.