I thought about buying a Forester, so I came here, and it seemed like I saw mostly positive posts. I bought the Forester, and it immediately attracted a vicious hail storm :-( Today I come back, and it seems like every post is about some horrible Subaru problem: oil issues, start up knock, head gasket issues, etc.
What is this? Is the honeymoon over, or did I just overlook the obvious? I need a hug.
Because of the nature of a newsgroup, most of the postings are going to be problem related. Some people give "xxx,xxx mile updates" where they tell of the status of their ride at a certain mileage, and many of those are trouble-free. I myself have traveled 60,000 of the 168,000 miles on my '95 Legacy without many issues. A few sensors and an alternator + battery. And I likely killed the alternator myself by having to jumpstart several co-workers! Overall, my Subaru experience has been so overwhelmingly positive that I'd be a fool not to buy another; in fact it's sort of weird when I see another non-Subaru car that I actually like, as I think "Well, that might be nice to have, but I'm sure it wouldn't hold up as well as the Legacy."
-Matt
I've had my Impreza 4 years now - apart from routine servicing, the only thing that has gone wrong is the reversing light bulb 'blew' last year. I can't fault it, I love it to bits, if it was female, I would marry it (thinks --- I've always referred to it as 'she', wonder if 'she' will accept my 'proposal'.........?????)
Hi,
Best I can say is most people have a good experience with most cars. But... no car is perfect, either as a make/model or individual specimen of same. And, human nature being what it is, people complain far more frequently than they praise. IME NGs tend to attract those who have (or might have?) a problem and are looking for an answer rather than "my ___ has been absolutely wonderful for the last 100k miles!" types. And some of the "problem" posters really just want to vent rather than find a solution, too.
Look at the number of posters mentioning problems here, remembering we're talking a worldwide audience, then look at the number of Subies sold each year... I think you'll find overall the marque is pretty good.
Then, when reading individual posts, try to "qualify" the poster as being knowledgeable, not so, hypersensitive to problems, etc. What nearly drives one person to the loony bin never even hits another's radar screen! (For example, Matt--Hallraker--takes his need for a new alternator in stride due to the jumpstarts, while I have a friend who'd be looking for a new car if her alternator ever went out, regardless of why.)
To illustrate personally, my Subie's currently got some serious oil leakage and semi-serious head gasket leakage problems. It's eating (leaking?) a lot of oil and needs to be torn down for some tender loving care. Engine may even need to be replaced. Sounds bad, doesn't it? Now, let's look at the odometer: 354k miles, the first 209k on a lot of dirt roads, and it's never been opened up! All of a sudden what sounded bad sounds pretty good! See what I mean about qualifying a post?
Sorry about the hail storm, and I hope it's the only glitch you have as you enjoy your new Forester!
Rick
My family has 4 drivers, and 4 suburas. 3 Outbacks and 1 Imperza. The oldest, a '99 with almost 100K has never had any problems. As with everything, negatives get pushed to the front while those with unremarkable positive experiences stay content and quiet.
Usenet -- go figure. We bought a 2001 Forester a month ago, and absolutely love it.
Never take the blindest bit of notice of people knocking cars on usenet. Firstly, it is too small a sample to have any validity. Secondly, it is strongly skewed towards people who like moaning. The vast majority of Subaru owners are happy with their cars....they simply don't post here.
Latest significant UK survey shows German cars to be the most unreliable from new.....and Korean to be the most reliable.
David Betts snipped-for-privacy@motorsport.org.uk
Maybe the dents will reduce the wind resistance like on a golf ball, and it will go faster.
I bought my first Subaru in '95, that was a used SVX (wish I had held on to it). I only sold it because my kids outgrew the backseat. It was the best car I've ever owned in over 30 years of driving. Currently, I drive a '03 Baja. What impressed me about Subes is if you look in the For Sale ads, you won't find a bunch. Seems folks wanna hold on to them.
Before I read the other replies I'll respond with this:
People who are having fun and not having problems will not post much.
People who have troubles, just like the proverbial squeaky wheel, will make a much louder demonstration than the much larger group of happy drivers.
TBerk
And some helpful soul responded:
NOW I feel better :-)
Sorry to rain on your parade but the dents in a golf ball are to make it swerve in a direction corresponding to the direction of spin.
Next time you go into a clockwise spin you will probably swerve right, and visa versa.
Isn't physics wonderful?
:)
-- GW
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