Forester Question
 

Can anyone here give me any info on the '98 Forester S? A friend of mine is interested in buying one with 85K on the odo, but I really don't know much about them. I take it they are easier to maintain than SVX's (i.e., no tranny trouble).

Other than that, I'm trying to find out what goes wrong with 'em and if there's anything one should look out for. Any help youse guys can give would be appreciated! :)

Our 2001 Forester S just hit the 3 year mark. The 98 models are basically the same as the 01 models. Here's what I know about the Foresters from experience and talking to the service guys:
-they have wheel bearing issues (similar to the SVX), so listen for louder than expected rumblings from the back
-the orignal tires wore out very quickly (about 25k miles), so I would bet that there is new tires on the vehicle. Check to make sure they are all the same brand and that they also have enought tread
- the manual transmission have some problems. I heard this from the service guys and I don't remember specifics and it doesn't affect our Forester as it's an automatic

I haven't experienced or heard of other problems.

As with all used cars, make sure that the regular maintenance has been done. With 84k on the odo, the timing belt should have been done by now. If not you will have to do it and that costs a few hundred bucks.

Cheers,
Matt

Wow, thanks a lot! Interesting about the wheel bearings, I'll tell her to be on the lookout (or listenout, as the case may be) for that. And it's funny that you mentioned the tire issue; in the pict of the vehicle online, the tires look a little bald. But it has a much smaller footprint than the SVX, so it shouldn't be too much to put new shoes on it.

Again, I really appreciate the response!

98 Forester
 

The engine has some head gasket issues as well. Let it idle for a good long time when test driving it.

Hey Olu, good to see you around. How did the emergency radiator repair go? Did you get a new one yet?

Hey Rufus! Haven't gotten a radiator yet. Should be able to pick one up next week. The car made it back here from Rochester without overheating, but now when I drive it occasionally, it will overheat (or the temp guage will start climbing) after about 45 minutes of driving. It's never gone totally into the red though, and I always have premixed coolant in the car to top it off. I have a feeling another leak sprung elswhere in the radiator.

In any event, I will be leaving it parked until I get another radiator, or only taking it out for very short drives. I'm actually in the process of getting a second car, so if I find a radiator in the area (which I'm sure I can) I'll be able to pick it up and go from there!

Re: 98 Forester
 

Hmmmm ... head gaskets, eh? Well, I'll pass this on so that she knows to idle it. Is this something that comes up around the 100K mark, or pretty much anywhere?