Even if the rest of the car is a pretty reliable, overall problem-free vehicle, I think it gives folks a bad taste in their mouth for the car if they buy one for 8k, and then in 9 months have to drop 2k for the repair. As others have noted, I would get a close inspection of this area in particular by a mechanic who really know what to look for. The newer ones are external, and thus tend to manifest more as weeping external oil/coolant that can actually go on for some time before a full replacement is necessary. The earlier engines tended to have catastrophic failures where you got the milky oil, overheating, etc. Seattle Subaru Repair There is a good explanation of where the issue originates, and a good discussion of the cost/benefit of the repair as (a potentially interested) party sees it. If you go here: Subaru Head Gasket Problems Explained. The HG issue that some were claiming was resolved on newer models isn't entirely true. It fits the dream criteria when I was car shopping in 2002 'I want a car that 10 years from now, I still can be driving.'. When I got it in 2002, I couldn't find a used one that was only 2,3 years old, couldn't find one under 100K miles for sale. Anything like that is costly at the time.but for a $20000 in 2002 car and who knows what now, well worth it. GRANTED, at around 100K miles, 4 or 5 years ago, I had to do two $1000ish each maintenance jobs on it, one for valves, one for belts. I am considering the 03-06 model years.Ģ002, 126K+ miles and it still feels like to me, a 'new car' or one just a few years old. How does the Forester rank on the highway? Is the overall value for a used car quite good in the 6-8K range? Thanks.

I have had MPG of close to 30 highway with another Subaru. If anyone has owned this vehicle for a long period of time have you run into any major troubles? It also appears that crash test ratings improved from 2003 on with a five star ranking. It seems like based on MSN auto reviews that one of the trouble spots in this vehicle is the engine during several model years.

2006 subaru forester forum