About a week ago, I installed a stereo into my mom's '99 Forester. I think it was actually easier than in my '95 Outback. Anyway, for anyone considering installing an aftermarket stereo, don't bother getting it installed - it was so easy that when I was done, there was no feeling of accomplishment - sort of like when you assemble a jigsaw puzzle intended for a small child. ;)
I did run into two snags though. The first was that the stereo I installed (an older JVC "El Kameleon" unit, the kind that's supposed to look like a blank panel when turned off) had buttons at both ends of the stereo that were literally on the edge of the faceplate. Most car stereos don't have buttons out this far on the edge, and because of the flush mounting of the unit they rubbed up against the plastic bezel and were getting stuck. A few moments with a rotary tool equipped with a grinding wheel solved that problem by removing the excess plastic from the bezel, but it isn't something you'd run into unless you had those buttons at the edge.
The next problem I encountered was the fact that I was replacing the factory cassette/CD combo with a standard aftermarket stereo. Because the combo unit is essentially two separate modules, I was left with a gaping hole in the dash. I thought about checking out a stereo shop, but those places sell things at such outrageous markup that I thought my dealer might be a better bet. So I called them up, looking for the plastic pocket that would come on a non-CD equipped Forester, and the parts counter guy informed me that there were two (???) possible parts. One of them was $8, the other was $35!
I had him fax me a diagram of the parts, and a casual glance made it look as if the cheaper pocket, which appeared the same size but with a smaller opening, might work. So I ordered it, and went to pick it up today... Turns out we were both wrong.
The cheaper pocket was indeed smaller, so much smaller in fact that I immediately knew where it was supposed to go - right where the ashtray sits. A closer inspection of the parts diagram showed that indeed it was an option for the ashtray, but the way it was laid out on the page it appeared as though it might be an alternate pocket for below the stereo.
Since $35 is awfully steep for anything made of plastic, I mentioned that I was surprised at the cost, and figured that they would have a few of those pockets just laying around at the dealership, left over from customers who wanted the factory CD installed in an in-stock vehicle which only had the cassette. I was going to order it anyway, when he mentioned that they did have some laying around, but they were for Legacies. A few minutes later he came back with an old, dusty plastic pocket that was identical to the one in my '95 Legacy Outback.
Now the best part, he told me I could just have it. :) Awesome. I figured that even if this didn't fit as-is, I could always modify it and make it fit. Turns out that it fits perfectly, as the Forester and Legacy both use similar stereo mounting systems. (On the Legacy, I remember finding a removable metal rack with several premade holes for equipment, while the Forester uses a two-piece mounting bracket not unlike the drive rail systems found in some computer cases.)
Here's a picture for the curious:
That's it, just some hopefully helpful information for any Forester owners out there.
-Matt