Subaru Forester (1997 - 2001) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

One of the best cars I ever owned. Has been and will go just about anywhere! Over 250,000 miles with the original engine and running gear. We take this Forester all over forest service roads and I am constantly amazed at where it will go. Interior is a bit busy for this year. Grey cloth with purple, blue, green etc... accents. The cloth does wear very well and is easy to clean. Rear seating is a bit small but the rear seats do recline slightly making it more comfortable on long trips. Both rear seats fold flat making great room for cargo of even car camping for someone under 6' tall. Radiator caps in this vintage are prone to leak after about a year or so. At around $8.00 for a new one, I recommend changing it once a year. The only real maintenance issue is head gasket leaks. Original ones will leak oil around 80-120K. Replacing them runs around $1500 t0 $2000. (this problem exists on the non-turbo Subaru's) Replacing the gasket with the metal one used on the turbo models is a better fix than original gasket. My car has a factory Barometer, Altimeter, Compass and Exterior Temperature cluster built into the top of the dash. Kind of cool when up in the Mt's All and all a fun, reliable safe car. Feb 04, 2015

Extremely reliable car with enough power to get around. Excellent Build Quality and extremely reliable. Low Cost of ownership relative to other vehicles. Interior colors of Gray and wood tones is not really the best for me. The exterior two-tone is a bit lame but for me, the yakima roof racks add a little more aggressive look. For a car with it's capacity and all-wheel drive. I get around 23 city and 25/26 Highway. The only thing stopping this car to be fun to drive is the fact that the gas pedal is too sensitive and the steering isn't quite sharp enough. It can take turns fine...but it just could use a more solid, directed feel. Apr 05, 2012

I love my Forester. Mine is a "Generation 1" 1998, the first year they came out. I love the cargo room , smooth ride and exceptional handling. I don't know why it's classified as a "Wagon" it's really more of an suv. The interior is a little tacky with purple and blue streaks but still comfortable and set up nicely. Leg room in the front is ad quit and I'm 6ft tall the back seat is a tight fit though. I have the manual which splits the power front to rear 50/50 under normal circumstances and has a viscous slip switch that can very the power split as needed. The "Boxer" engine ( Horizontally opposed) is smooth, quiet and puts out allot of torque. It climbs hills with no problem even though it's a 4 cyl. The handling is suburb, I can't tell the difference between wet and dry pavement, it also corners like it's on rails. I love all the little storage compartments on each door and in the center of the dash. It's fairly good on gas I avg 22mpg combo hwy/ city driving however on my last road trip it got 27 mpg. My only complaint is that the clutch is very fussy and should have been better built. This car is very fun to drive a pure pleasure. The only reason I gave mine a 4 instead of a 5 was that it was mistreated before I got it and took about $3000 to get right, which is VERY A-TYPICAL of Foresters. I have about 146k and still running strong. Jan 04, 2009

First off everybody knows Subaru is world renound for their symetrical AWD system. Although the forester is mechanically identical to other Subaru models it has much more cargo room and ride height. I can go offroading and then drive it like a sports car on road. Always my passengers comment on how safe they feel in my forester. SO to sum it up: Good performance, Great handling, looks good, feels good, decent on gas, and fun to drive!Nov 08, 2008

This is a car that gives you the freedom to do whatever you want with it. It has great performance overall and will never say no to anywhere you take it. A very fun car to drive and very easy to live with. A car that i would recommend to anyone that likes fast cars but does not want to be deprived of the freedom to enjoy his/her outdoor sports (diving, skiing etc.) by the road only design of a sports car. Sep 23, 2008

Well this use to be my mom' s car so now i ride it harder than she ever did....plus she's an older girl but she keeps up NICELY! I love the clearance the all wheel drive the comfortable room the amazing cargo space the durability of this car and the nice softer purr of the engine and i love the sound system...my sub woofer is right under my seat and it ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!Jul 17, 2008