Subaru Forester 1997 Release (1997-2002)

I bought the 1999 GT and it's an awesome car. Drives smoothly and handling is brilliant. I have been using Premium or super unleaded petrol since I bought it, but switched over to standard unleaded recently and it does not drive as well.
The dash and interior (black) were fashionable for it's time, but is still OK.
The car has been very reliable and have not broken down yet. Mileage is a 9 to 10 Litres per 100km on average driving around the suburbs.

Issues with the car I wish to point out.

(1) The clear paint started to peel way too e...Read more

Well, after now having put 6 tanks into it, I feel qualified to write a little about the fuel economy of this vehicle. Seeing some of the other reviews here gives me a smile, as some don't seem to appreciate that thrusting their foot to the floor, on every occasion, may have an effect on their car's economy. I have only filled the tank when it is below a quarter full, and here are the results : Best economy (3 times) 7.3 litres/100km (32.2 miles/US gallon, 38.7 miles/Imperial gallon). Worst economy (1 time, fully laden with a sea kayak on roof,...Read more

Don't be fooled, these cars are just an overrated SUV's with poor fuel economy and need maintenance frequently which is very expensive.

We drove 428klms on a full tank(60 litres), highway kilometres the gauge was below empty.

When you go to buy some parts you almost need a bank loan, so buy secondhand(used) if you can.

No idea how these cars received positive reviews and car of the year sometimes.

The one positive is they are comfortable to drive.
...Read more

This car has been extremely reliable as well as versatile to boot! It feels solid and well planted and is reasonably comfortable but I would have preferred for the seat to have been able to move back one more notch to be perfect. The car has been been a light duty commuter for about nine years but that changed five years ago increasing its drive from a 12k to 60k round trips including some hilly sections.
Over the practically 15 year life, the car has only suffered from a dodgy front wheel bearing (seem to hear from others with that too) a per...Read more

We bought it with 132.000 km on the clock and added another 35.000 km in over a year. It is simply amazing. No matter where do we go, how long or how far do we drive. Deep sand is not a problem if you know how to handle it. On the Stockton Beach or through Yardie Creek we went pass let's call them "serious 4x4" cars stucked in sand. But we always made it. The key is momentum (auto gearbox) and weight often a half of big truck's.

Often other drivers were surprised seeing us in the middle of nowhere in SUV. With care it handles medium terrai...Read more

We bought a 1997 Subaru Forester Limited about a year ago, as we wanted something small-ish but still high enough to go off road comfortably. It currently has 220,000kms on the clock but still runs perfectly... I expect it will last for a long time to come!

It is a really fantastic all-rounder. Interior and exterior are very high quality, stylish... It doesn't have a huge amount of space inside but is very versatile. I expect this would be good for a small family or young couple (like us). It's also currently a very affordable car at about $...Read more

We bought our 1999 Limited forester with 52,000km on the clock in 2003. Now it has done over 210,000km. The only problems we have had with it in our time has been:
- Radio reception problems with in glass antenna and after market radio. I installed an external antenna and have had no problems since.
- Left rear wheel bearing went at about 186,000km. Replaced for about $600. no problems since.
- Hole in exhaust. Fixed for $120. Used a generic exhaust which I think is better than the subaru one.

We have tried many different tyres (yokies, B...Read more

I bought my Forester 2 years ago. I chose a Subaru as they have the ability to go offroad yet a good city car unlike a real 4wd. I went this route over the usual Commodore most 17yr olds get.
Onroad its fun to drive, very comfortable, roomy, economical, safe. Offroad it went well but needed improving for my standards. I installed 2.5inch of lift in it with chunky offroad tyres. It goes really well now and with these goes much further and with less damage occuring. For the most part it keeps up with the big 4wd's except for rock crawling where ...Read more

We bought this car brand new in 2000 (manual). Was very good until 3 months after warranty ran out(at only 50000KM) and a rear wheel bearing went. Subaru didn't want to know anything about it. They regulary do wheel bearings, we have had to replace 3 and only 160,000km. They also do CV boots a lot and also CV seals.

Until recently, the only timing belts you could get were genuine at a cost of $1,000+ every 100,000km's. They had a habbit of doing clutches as well, it is unusual to get passed 100,000km without replacing clutch.

For...Read more

I bought this car for my kids to learn to drive in (ABS brakes, all wheel drive, twin airbags, unpainted bumpers and cladding) and it has been perfect for the job - very forgiving of learners poor gear changes and clutch slipping, and very safe once they get their licences.
It is also my car when I go bush, the nose and tail are a bit long for steep bush tracks, but otherwise she is great.
Bought her at auction for a pittance with 270000km and spent a few thousand replacing struts, springs, timing belt and convenient engine seals.Has worked li...Read more

I have had my 98 model for 3 years now and haven't been happy with the 'lack of' power since I bought it, it is a manual though it seems to make no difference. My car has now done 290,000km and is really starting to cost me money now. From what I've been told, subaru's are fantastic and don't miss a beat until the km's start getting up there.
I park on a steep lawn and in winter I have never slid and lost grip even though the ground is mud. All in all, as much as don't really like this car (only because of the power issue!), I feel safe, very...Read more