I am reposting in the right section now....Suburu Forester, Outback and a few others.... (2010, buy)

[tigerclaws]

I drove the Outback for 110k miles before trading in for the Odyssey (we wanted even more space). Outbacks are based on the legacy platform and are more refined than the Forester which is based on the impreza platform. They are great in New England weather btw.

[RayinAK]

The Toyota Rav 4 has a lot more room than the Forester, but it's more expensive. The V6 4WD has quite a strong little engine (269HP), but it uses a little more fuel than the Forester. A good thing for both the Forester with normally aspirate engine, and the Rav 4 V6 is that they use regular unleaded gasoline.

[tigerclaws]

If I had to do it again I would get the Ouback XT model (the one with turbo). Now that would be real fun to drive sleeper car.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by tigerclaws

If I had to do it again I would get the Ouback XT model (the one with turbo). Now that would be real fun to drive sleeper car.

Do reseach on the turbo. The one subie use isn't the greatest. Cost 1900 to fix. My car is on its 3rd.

[tigerclaws]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

Do reseach on the turbo. The one subie use isn't the greatest. Cost 1900 to fix. My car is on its 3rd.

Doesn't matter, I would still do it. Use synthetic oil and let it cool down for 30 seconds before you remove the key. Worst case get an extended warranty.

What model year do you have?

[minibrings]

Turbo requires premium fuel and eats into mileage. I had a WRX, could not wait to get rid of it once gas prices went up.

I say go with the one that will fit what you need to haul.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by tigerclaws

Doesn't matter, I would still do it. Use synthetic oil and let it cool down for 30 seconds before you remove the key. Worst case get an extended warranty.

What model year do you have?

2005 Legacy GT. I heard the newer models are slightly better though.

[tigerclaws]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

2005 Legacy GT. I heard the newer models are slightly better though.

I had the 05 OB and other than the struts that were dying, I did not have any real problems. Probably it was the first year of the redesign so probably the turbo was weak but I could not afford the turbo car at that time. Served me well for 110k miles.

AWD vehicle do require more maintenance than regular FWD vehicles.

[reed067]

Like others here have said I'd take a Subaru over the Volvo, while I like Volvo's Subies are just tough! I had a Subaru Brat a long time ago thought I was going to have to shoot it to get it to stop running.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by seamusnh

I have been disappointed in our 2001 Subie Forester: repairs, rust... I have had better luck with Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. Check out the Honda CRV or Toyota Rav4. We have a Honda Pilot but that is larger than the CRV. The Toyota Highlander might be a good choice and they make a hybrid.
We live in southern NH and all these AWD SUVs will do well in our snow...

I just purchased an 04 Forester in excellent condition. It has 104K on the clock, but had the belt and head gasket replaced. These vehicles tend to need $$ maintenance around 100K... Hopefully I won't have very many issues with the one I bought. It really is a very good vehicle overall. I have the "XS" package on mine.