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10-09-2002, 03:56 PM | #1 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 875
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Irwin, PA
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A few questions for all you Forester guys
1.Is the 03' any bigger on the inside then the 1st gen? Particularly in the cargo area? The wife needs a new car. She is looking at SUVs . I almost have her talked into a new Forester, but our friends 01' is just a bit small on the inside. She hauls alot of equipment around and we have a labrador retreiver we take with us on weekend getaways.
2. Is the 2.5 powerful enough to haul a couple of smallish adults, an 80lb dog, bikes and other gear? 3. She likes the Premium. Is it worth it? (I know its still less exp than other medium sized SUVs) Does the huge sunroof ever feel old? Looking to make it a 2 scooby family.
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10-09-2002, 04:09 PM | #2 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 24353
Join Date: Sep 2002
Vehicle:2001 Forester Silver |
1) not much. Supposed to be more rear seat room, but I didn't notice much a difference. The rear cargo space looks about the same too, except I think they said the redesigned opening is bigger. So in short, there's not enough to really notice an difference between the 01
2) Yup. You'll run out of space before you run out of power. I had my car loaded until the rear wheels were almost rubbing the fender, but still had plenty of power for a 1400 mile drive. 3) The sunroof never gets old. Still the best feature on my car. If it didn't have such a huge sunroof, I would've saved 5K and bought the cheaper model. |
10-09-2002, 04:12 PM | #3 |
Vendor
Member#: 23050
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: www.sogperformance.com
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2001 Forester
Cargo Volume (cu ft) 58.5 2003 Forester Cargo Volume (cu. ft) 64.1 |
10-09-2002, 04:18 PM | #4 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 20325
Join Date: Jun 2002
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Vehicle:08 Yamaha WR250R 07 Suzuki DL650 |
Power is not a problem. I towed another SUV 600 miles, including through 2 mountain ranges. No problems at all other than being really hard on the brakes.
(Yes, I know the tow rating was being exceeded by a fair margin. I was trusting their engineers to build in a saftey margin...) |
10-09-2002, 04:46 PM | #5 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 24353
Join Date: Sep 2002
Vehicle:2001 Forester Silver |
One thing I forgot to mention is that the premium model has less cargo room than the regular because of the sunroof, it takes away about 3 cu ft. So if you really need the extra 3 cu. ft, you'll have to do without the sunroof. On Edmunds, they have the 2001 cargo listed as 63 cu. ft, but I think with the sunroof it's closer to 59 cu ft..
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10-09-2002, 06:27 PM | #6 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 5424
Join Date: Apr 2001
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: not where you are...
Vehicle:BRP STi Version 3 Type RA V-Ltd RHD |
Quote:
(This info is apparantly not B.S. mechanic talk as someone had posted a few months ago. Apparantly, the bearing has a plastic race that dents when the wheel is given a good jolt. This causes the bearings to fail within about 5k miles. This was explained to me by Dale at Teague's Auto, who I trust.) Their tow rating safety margin is that you shouldn't tow anything over 1,000 lbs. without the trailer having its own brakes?!? What 2k lb. trailer has its own brakes? Usually not until they reach like 5k lbs. IIRC. What would you need to tow that is less that 1k lbs. that wouldn't fit inside? 10 bales of hay? 12 dozen (a gross) of down pillows? Two lawnmowers and a weed-eater? SHeesh? |
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10-09-2002, 06:28 PM | #7 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 21445
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: bay area, ca
Vehicle:08 STI silver |
okay... if your wife doesnt want the forester then show her this as well as the url at the bottom
small suvs such as the forester are the only sensable SUVS for people to have... we dont need another woman driving a huge ass SUV blocking paths while talking on the phone. Do people think they will be safe in thier SUVs because they can block people's views and paths? or because they topple over so easy? (remember, im bashing *big* SUVs) when you think of an suv you think... a big heavy... king of the road!! nothing can stop them! when in fact wrong.. a) whenever you see a large SUV in a comercial its going offroad when in fact they will just topple over and fall b) when was the last time you saw a large SUV that had its cargo bay full? c) when was the last time you saw a large SUV that had mud around it? d) all large suvs do is block paths get a large SUV if: you are constatntly toeing things like boats you need a car that will hold all 5 of your children and *LOTS* of stuff Large SUVs are gas guzzling, unsafe, path blocking, toppl overing scam. if power is a worry, upgrade it (which it shouldnt) good job on ur wife choosing a kick-butt SUV!! www.stopsuvs.org |
10-10-2002, 04:02 AM | #8 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 8167
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Guernsey, British Channel Islands
Vehicle:2001 ForesterS-Turbo Premium Silver |
Consider a legacy, it's quite a bit bigger, although not as high. The forester is pretty good at carrying as long as you put the seats down. I've had a 4 drawer filing cabinet in mine before.
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10-10-2002, 08:11 AM | #9 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 8022
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Centerville, OH
Vehicle:2003 Forester Pacifica Blue |
Quote:
Power in the 2.5 is good, but not stellar. Well, it would be kickass if it weren't for the AWD hogging so much from it. If you drive it right, you could very well surprise a few WRX's off the line. |
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10-10-2002, 09:02 AM | #10 |
Vendor
Member#: 23050
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: www.sogperformance.com
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Rear Wheel Bearing
The rear bearing for the Forester is part # 28016FC000.
If you are taking it in for service, cause it is making noise, have the dealer use part number 28016AA030. It is the same part for both sides Lisa |
10-10-2002, 04:14 PM | #11 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 1424
Join Date: May 2000
Chapter/Region:
MAIC
Location: Potomac, MD, USA
Vehicle:1998 Forester Acadia Green Metallic |
The 2003 has something like half an inch more rear legroom, but not much.
It's fine for kids, though. Plus there is so much leg room in the front, that I'm 6' and I move my seat up an inch or so. Unless you have a 6 footer behind another 6 footer, you'll be fine. Power is never lacking. Much better than the 2.0l SUVs out there. The moonroof is awesome. Back in '98 they didn't have one, so I put an aftermarket model in. It's tiny compared to the Premium's. Get it. -juice |
10-10-2002, 05:05 PM | #12 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 875
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Irwin, PA
|
Wow! Thanks for the responses. Kind of reminds me of the old days. I might have to hang out here more often.
I agree on the anti big SUV thing to a point. However I do like the exra power, seating capacity and storage, but right now we don't need that type of vehicle. I have an old beater 4x4 pickup with 4" lift and 33's for hauling, towing, muddin,etc... When it dies I'm not sure what we'll replace it with. What are some of the other vehicles you folks would consider? She says a minivan is out of the question. (even though realistically that is what she needs). She didn't care for the Toyota Highlander. The Liberty and XTerra are too tall and small inside. The CR-V is too small the Pilot is too big. Fords are crap (though she does like her friends Escape). The Envoy and Trailblazer are $$$, too big and also crappy. The new Volvo XC90 seems cool but it is like $40K. I might check out a Passat VR6 wagon with 4motion (Slightly bigger than the legacy). We thought about a Legacy too (B4 wagon were are you?), but I think the space is used better in the Forester. She is a rec therapist for kids with disabilities. She is always hauling soccer stuff, swimming stuff, kayaks, wheelchais, kids, etc.. She runs out of space quick in the wagon. The truck just doesn't work for her either. Not to mention how cramped it gets when we go away for the weekend (quite often) and take the dog and all of our crap. I wish we could rent a new Forester for the weekend and see if it works out. |
10-10-2002, 05:17 PM | #13 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 24353
Join Date: Sep 2002
Vehicle:2001 Forester Silver |
If the CRV is too small, then the forester is going to be too small too. VW passat is really nice, but you'll end up paying about 30K+ for the wagon w/4 motion and VR6. I was at the VW dealership looking at it the other day. The only other options for wagons are volvo's and saabs, which are more $$$$. Why does she want an SUV so bad? You're right, your wife really needs a minivan, no point in paying more money for less car. But if she's worried about room, she can always put a roof rack on the car for bigger items. Since the Forester is much lower than most other SUV's it's really easy to load stuff on the roof.
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10-10-2002, 05:28 PM | #14 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 8022
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Centerville, OH
Vehicle:2003 Forester Pacifica Blue |
Actually you'll pay alot more than 30k for a passat with 4 motion. More along the lines of 34-36k.
BTW: Its not a VR6 either (Sorry I'm a VW geek ), it's a 30v 2.8l V6. And if this matters, you can't get the 6 or the new W8 with a manual shift.. They're all dog-a-matics. |
10-11-2002, 09:57 AM | #15 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 875
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Irwin, PA
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Geeze I didn't know Passats were so $$$. Can you get the w8 with 4motion? Thats near Audi or BMW territory. Good point about the roof rack. Our freind's S+ 01 has a Yakima basket on the roof and it doesn't look too bad.
She thinks minivans are dorky. The new Mazda MPVs are really nice, but they ditched awd with the redesign. She really needs the awd and that puts you in the $30K+ Chrysler catagory. We could afford it but if I'm spending that much I'd just get a Tahoe/Pilot/ML320/Durango she would win and I'd be done with it. The other thing I was thinking is a quad cab pick-up. No not the Baja. Like a Tundra or something. She's not to crazy about that idea either. If it's raining all weekend we might see if the dealer will give a Forester for a couple hours to see what we can stuff in it. |
10-11-2002, 11:49 PM | #16 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 1895
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Bay Area, CA
Vehicle:05 Leg GT Ltd. W Silver |
I find the power in the Forester to be quite good for daily driving especially mated to a 5-speed.
One thing you might want to consider in favor of the Forester is it's "hip-height". The seat height is such that it minimizes the need to climb up or lower oneself into the seats. Ken |
10-23-2002, 09:39 PM | #17 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 26094
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Washington, D.C.
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Quote:
First of all the Passat wagon V6 with 4Motion all wheel drive starts at $28,000 and that is pretty well loaded with every option you could possibly want except leather. It's not a VR6, that is a horizontally mounted narrow angle V6, the Passat engine is a traditonal, longitudinally mounted 90 degree angle V6 built by Audi. Same displacement as the VR6, but the similarities end there. Passat has an Audi transmission and all wheel drive system as well. (not that there is a huge difference between VW and Audi!) The 270 hp W8 engine is considerably more expensive, but VERY competitive with anything else in it's class (the 250 hp and up AWD European car class!) And Volkswagen will be introducing the W8 with 6 speed manual transmission for the upcoming model year (includes a sport suspension) |
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10-26-2002, 02:24 AM | #18 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 4520
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: LAS VEGAS
Vehicle:93 STi V.4 RA www.flat4lv.com |
Two Subaru family here!!!
My wife loves her Forester! Intake and an exhaust = great power!!! |
10-29-2002, 01:24 PM | #19 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 875
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Irwin, PA
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OK 1 more. What are the floor dementions of the cargo area for the 03' Can anybody measure it? My wife has a piece of equiptment that is 42"X22"X10". Will it fit with the seats folded up? It fits in the wagon with the seats down. It would be nice if she didn't have to give up seats for it. This could be the deciding factor. They have a nice red XS Premium on the lot, low financing for a couple more days.
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10-29-2002, 02:34 PM | #20 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 24353
Join Date: Sep 2002
Vehicle:2001 Forester Silver |
If only you had asked this yesterday, I could've given you an answer. I was just at the dealership, looking at the new baja and foresters.
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10-30-2002, 06:40 AM | #21 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 2760
Join Date: Oct 2000
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Hudson, NH
Vehicle:'18 Tundra Platinum White |
Quote:
- Ken |
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10-30-2002, 08:43 PM | #22 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 2760
Join Date: Oct 2000
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Hudson, NH
Vehicle:'18 Tundra Platinum White |
Quote:
- Ken |
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10-31-2002, 10:01 AM | #23 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 875
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Irwin, PA
|
Thanks Ken! I'm not sure it stand up that way. Its sort of bottom heavy. What is the distance between the wheel wells? We were able to find out that it is exactly 42" in the Escape. Tight squeeze. However on the Escape the wheel wells only protrude 3" up into the cargo space. I think they take up more room in the Forester. Looks like she will have to actually bring the vehicle and the loader home and try to see if it fits.
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10-31-2002, 10:08 AM | #24 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 2760
Join Date: Oct 2000
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Hudson, NH
Vehicle:'18 Tundra Platinum White |
Between the wheel wells it was in the 30s somewhere..
- Ken |
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