Subaru Forrester '03 plate - what to look for

[scotlandtim]

HI all.

I'm viewing a Forrester on thurs evening. '03 plate 2.0l model.

It's for a winter hack. Can anyone advise on specifics to look for with these please! Thanks a lot!

Here's the ad:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Tim.

[TEKNOPUG]

Rust. Specifically the rear top mounts.

Blue/Grey smoke indicating burning oil – turbo seals / valve stems / piston rings.

Leaking rocker cover gaskets.

Blown exhaust gaskets.

CELs

Matching tyres (and tyre wear)

Everything else that you would expect to check on a 143k, 15 year old, 4WD, Turbocharged, Automatic……

They are easy to work on so give it a full service, stick a new battery on and then consider whether it’s worth refreshing the suspension and brakes.

[julianm]

Have a look at the MOT history - https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/
It had an MOT on 24th May - ad says it`s July 2nd. I don`t know how long it takes to update at the moment, but do know mine was updated by the time I got home from the test station. Good luck with it.

[Sa Calobra]

TEKNOPUG said:

Rust. Specifically the rear top mounts.

Blue/Grey smoke indicating burning oil – turbo seals / valve stems / piston rings.

Leaking rocker cover gaskets.

Blown exhaust gaskets.

CELs

Matching tyres (and tyre wear)

Everything else that you would expect to check on a 143k, 15 year old, 4WD, Turbocharged, Automatic……

They are easy to work on so give it a full service, stick a new battery on and then consider whether it’s worth refreshing the suspension and brakes.

Ah that old myth on AWD about must have matching tyres...

[Konan]

Clunky rear shocks. Expensive if they're self levels.

Fairly under stressed cars, all in all. Just look for good attention to general servicing (cam belts are pricey and sometimes skipped).

[ericmcn]

Sa Calobra said:

Ah that old myth on AWD about must have matching tyres...

not really a myth, unless you want to spend alot of time and money replacing a centre diff, which is certainly the case with the Legacy models. The first thing I done when I viewed my SpecB was check that all the tyres were matched.

[Konan]

ericmcn said:

Sa Calobra said:

Ah that old myth on AWD about must have matching tyres...

not really a myth, unless you want to spend alot of time and money replacing a centre diff, which is certainly the case with the Legacy models. The first thing I done when I viewed my SpecB was check that all the tyres were matched.

They should match, but even wear is a thing for Calibras. Couple in the centre diff coupling won't even start to heat with a slightly different RR front to rear.

[TEKNOPUG]

Sa Calobra said:

TEKNOPUG said:

Rust. Specifically the rear top mounts.

Blue/Grey smoke indicating burning oil – turbo seals / valve stems / piston rings.

Leaking rocker cover gaskets.

Blown exhaust gaskets.

CELs

Matching tyres (and tyre wear)

Everything else that you would expect to check on a 143k, 15 year old, 4WD, Turbocharged, Automatic……

They are easy to work on so give it a full service, stick a new battery on and then consider whether it’s worth refreshing the suspension and brakes.

Ah that old myth on AWD about must have matching tyres...

Who said anything about AWD? Random tyres are a classic sign of an owner skimping on parts and maintenance.

[Sa Calobra]

Mines got three Geolanders and one Avon...

[vxr2010]

vredestein are a good make of tyres they do two types both are very good , ultrac vorti are very good and sensibly priced , in principle it is better on diff wear to have the same brand and practice tyre rotation , the benefit of tyre rotation is 1 equal wear all round on tyres 2 tyres do begin to go off after a while so if you don’t drive much it means tyres still get changed rather than just for example wearing out a front set and having a set on the rear getting a bit old and past there better ago , some subaru’s seem more sensitive to tyre wear and rotation my fsti is , even to the point tyre pressure has a small impact on it too , it’s now on around 170k miles with all original transmission and drivetrain and tyre rotation plus the same brand , i used to use kukmo ku39 , vredestien are so much better way more grip , that’s my 2 pence worth lol

[ericmcn]

TEKNOPUG said:

Who said anything about AWD? Random tyres are a classic sign of an owner skimping on parts and maintenance.

true but random tyres on a FWD/RWD car is not nearly as wallet draining as on something like an AWD Subaru, as per my point above.

[Sa Calobra]

Tyre psi would have more bearing than different brands. It's almost impossible to maintain uniform psi over four tyres.

[mondayo]

I'm currently (with the help of man maths) thinking about getting a Forester.
There's a silver 2003 XT auto with 197k miles for £650 on Facebook at the moment. Good MOT history and current one runs to August. Only issue is "slight rubbing when turning at low speed"

Other option is a 04 X auto with 100k miles. Not sure if it'll feel like driving a slug though. It's a grand more but a better colour and has a tow bar.

Any thoughts/advice? All help much appreciated
Not a massive issue as I run an E55 as a daily but is the economy any difference between turbo and non turbo?
Due to geography, I'd be buying the silver one blind, as I'd just catch a train there. Quite tempted.

[Konan]

mondayo said:

Not a massive issue as I run an E55 as a daily but is the economy any difference between turbo and non turbo?

So long as you're not hoofing the turbo - very little difference between them in my experience.

My folks had an auto N/A impreza and it was worse than my manual WRX.