Gotta buy a new car soon. Went looking at libertys today until I drove one. No knee room between steering wheel and handbrake lever and my foot didn't fit between the clutch and the foot rest. :o

So we looked at a Forrester instead. Same motor but lighter and cheaper. Went harder and the Missus seems to like it. Rather ironic that she's pushing for the boxer when I want a Peugeot TDi.

Anyway, anyone got one?
Any comments?

BTW, if we get one there'll be two EJ25s in the family :P

an uncle of mine is on his second one, loves it to bits, swears by them wouldnt have anything else now, its the 2nd one cos he got the new model when it came out, even says the old one was nice, nuff said.

I have a 2L forester and think the world of it.
The Wifes boss has the 2.5L XS Luxury pack and he loves it (he is also well over 6ft tall)
The wifes company car is a 2.5L X and it goes like the clappers.
When we can afford it i am sure that we will be upgrading to the 2.5L.

Overall I can't speak highly enough of the forester.

Lee.

[ Edited on 28-12-2005 by buzzbug ]

We have the Forrester 2.5X.

BLOODY FANTASTIC!

I cant praise it enough.

Cant go wrong.

MY05, the new one.

We have a MY05 Liberty but it is auto - I'm 6'2 and have no probs with leg/foot room...but as I said, it is an auto so that frees up room around the pedals since there are only 2

But yep, I love it and can't praise it highly enough either (apart from the recall on the rear door handles which no longer work - but they are aware of it and will obviously fix it at no charge as you'd expect).

2001 GT 2.0 turbo
Only had it for 2 weeks and cant drive it enough. Starting to feel sorry for my square sitting in the driveway.
It is the sort of car that makes you want to drive.
T54

Pete I've got a 2003 2.5. The new one is basically the same with a face lift more than anything. If you're planning on keeping it 3/4 years they make a good buy. Nothing falls off them really. You're more than welcome to take it fer a spin if you want. They are fairly kid proof, though with 2 kid seats - esp a baby capsule, the middle seat dissapears, which is the only crap thing. Even if you buy a new one, they will hold their money pretty well over 3/4 years. I recokon we've lost about 12k in 3 years, but ours is still pretty low ks.

Reasons NOT to buy the Pug (and I like Pugs) - they BOMB their money as only people in Balmain buy them.

The RX Wagon holds it's money as does the Forester, so make a good family investment. To buy one, get 4 dealers to fax you a quote on paper, then haggle with the best 2. They won't shift too much on price, but get all the 'extras' thrown in - especially the boot bumper protector as the pastic is soft as shite and scratches up just by looking at it.

Watch Inchape Finance or GE though - if you go a 4 year with a balloon (about $12k) - then watch the terms - Subaru like to get the price - then lob on the total interest payment - then you start paying it off, so you in fact walk out the door with a good $14k in interest that you are locked into for the term, or at least last time I looked.

They main reason Sube buyers keep buying - bullet proof reliability - low service costs (like you don't need to) - and solid resale prices. We've replaced 2 front tyres in 50,000ks.

Reasons not to buy - They are NOT economical at all around town esp if you're thinking Turbo Diesel. We see sub 500ks off a full tank in the 'burbs.

[ Edited on 28-12-2005 by crewcabconnection ]

I don't own one, but I've never heard a bad word said by anyone sensible

My dream car.. (well one of them) ...
Forrester GT turbo, Black, lowered, bling blings and dark tints...
Love it...

Ta Deano, but we took the forester out today for drive.

Here's the wash up. The pug costs $1k less for top of the line vs povo pack forester, has 100Nm more torque, only 20kw less power and 140litres!! more boot space. Not to mention the whole 1000km to a tank of fuel thingo. I'd love to own another boxer, but I dunno, the fuel economy on the forester is listed as worse than the liberty with the same motor, can't figure that out. Also, don't really need a soft roader either, got a buggy for that.


Gunna drive the pug again and compare the difference. Hard one really, both good value for what they are, both the missus and me are being kept guessing and we are usually pretty decisive.

Thanks for the tips about the loan, but I have some contacts that can get me really good prices. In the end, that might be the difference. Probably a better chance of a killer deal on the Subie than the Pug.

Hey Pete
here are a few sites taht will offer some good advice

http://www.gtrydaz.com  &
http://www.subaruforester.com 

Lee.

One of my half sisters had a Subaru once. A Sherpa . That doesn't help does it.

In the panel beating game, the Subarus hold well in medium collisions, and are not too much of a pain to fix. Impreza's are a bit of a pain with numerous brackets on the front area, but the Liberty seems a lot easier.

Foresters have some almost poisinous part prices, like the genuine nudge bar on the front bumper.

Nothing for a Subaru is cheap, but that is also indicative of the quality. They are not cheaply made.

Definitley get headlight, bonnet protectors thrown in, along with floor mats and a rear bumper top cover protector. Subaru's have rubber protection mats for inside the back of wagons too, and may have them for sedans as well.

i have a 03 XT Luxury that i just love to bits... it has just clocked over 50000k's and still going strong. Nothing has gone wrong with it since i got it new. I highly recommend one as i think they are well built and the interiors dont look cheap and nasty - though the interior has changed design from mine to the new one.
Console is different and the front seats no longer have arm rests and probably a few other things that have changed too.
I just love the turbo engine, runs really good, lots of power etc.
Good luck with your decision