With modern traction control and fuel prices, Subaru would be smart to rethink the all AWD strategy. They have good quality, and should be able to compete with 2WD on their most popular models. I think they could sell a lot of them.

Subaru has only been AWD – only in the US for 10 years (1997.) However, around here (CO) FWD cars newer than about 1994 are rare.

Subaru tried to compete with Toyondissan back in the 80’s and early 90’s and it just didn’t work. They have painstakingly built up their reputation as the “poor man’s Volvo” or the “thinking man’s Toyota” for too long to throw it away now. Go to any college campus in any snowy part of the country and you’ll see what I mean: The faculty parking lots that used to be filled with Volvo 240s and Saab 900s are now filled with Outbacks and Foresters.

As the paint on the rarely-waxed roof begins to fail, I suppose I shall need to replace it soon. It is nearly impossible to consider any other brand after such a good experience. It does what we need it to do, though I may opt for the Legacy this time around as a little more room would be nice. And as my company Ranger pickup is about ready for that lease auction run to it’s next life, the lease company informs me that the new replacement 4×4 I am able to get is a Forester. I could not be happier at the prospect.

She got an ‘04 Forester.

Anyway, another great story. Thanks!

Thanks for the tip. All she has to do is say “look in the garage” (I bought a nice new car last year) and the argument is over. But I wont get into semantics. Sadly, it will be me who’s driving in the NC mountains with the measly 166 HP. But your right though. I know.

My wife is making me get rid of my old Forester for a slightly younger Volvo. I was hoping to eke out some more gas mileage, but I think the V70 is just as bad. Forester has much nicer steering feel and the four wheel drive is nice for pulling the boat out of the water. Neither has a really cool image. I’ll stick to my Acura, which is older than either of the other two.

Hate to nitpick, but I think you got aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons mixed up. I would hope that your car has never had aromatic hydrocarbons in it. A quick google search should explain why.

Other than that, another good article.

Does anybody else have any suggestions how I can talk my wonderful (but sadly, a badge snob) wife into the Forester?

I was hoping that the CR-V’s rear impact ratings were as poor as the RAV4’s but to no avail. Now all I’ve got is that the CR-V is slow…

3 MPG in that truck is HUGE increase. And you didn’t change anything else about the vehicle at all.

I haven’t looked at the numbers, but picking up a bigger share of accord/camry money, or Corolla/Civic money is going to likely be a lot more than the TOTAL increase in awd sales across all manufacturers.

It won’t hurt their brand so long as the keep the premium entries as AWD only.

Also, a FWD Subaru might sell, but it would be absolutely AWFUL for the brand, like when Jeep came out with the abominable Compass (retch). Subaru’s brand is built on AWD and all-weather capability, and green credentials are maintained by their Indiana manufacturing facility and partial zero-emissions vehicles. Please God, don’t let Subaru make the same mistake Jeep did in offering a FWD car, I think that did more damage to Jeep than people realize.

No sales tax (Oregon)
Depreciation: $10,500
Financing: (home equity loan) $900
Insurance: Liability only after five years $3000
Registration: (Oregon) $189
Maintenance: Oil, filters, wipers, tires,etc.: $964
Repairs (rear wheel bearing) $190
Fuel: $7859

TOTAL: $23,603

When the somewhat aesthetically-challenged Forester was introduced in ‘98, I gave it a look, but not too seriously. Then the more I read, the more I became impressed. It also didn’t hurt that a friend and her parents had owned Subes and they ran forever. It had everything I wanted, decent power, manual tranny in a package that suited my needs.

I ended up with an Forester L (in white – no green for me) with “extras” that I initially didn’t feel I needed – alloys, fake wood dash trim, power locks w/remote, etc. But it had a stick and I was happy and of course, I came to appreciate the “frills” (except for the fake wood). The OE radio/tape deck and especially the speakers were crap and were replaced immediately. After perusing the Subaru accessory catalog, I found a set of rubber fender moldings which do a nice job of fending off dings to the Forester’s bulgy fenders, and perhaps almost as importantly (IMO), help to balance out it’s slightly gawky proportions.

Now 117K miles later, I’m still happily driving the Forester. Every now and then I’ll look at something new like the current Forester, but so far have ended up asking myself, why bother? At some point the old Forester will have to be put out to pasture, but in the mean time it continues to serve me well.

Depreciation: $11,000
California taxes at purchase: $1700
Fuel: $7500
Tax part of CA registration for 8 years: $2000
Liability-only CA insurance for 8 years: $3000
Non-tax part of CA registration for 8 years: $400
Total: $25,600

So far I’ve bought three Foresters and four Legacys during the past six months. Only one of them required any maintenance work, and that one needed a wheel bearing, a small piece of exterior trim (that cost about $50) and an 02 sensor.

So long as you keep them well maintained, you simply can’t kill them. A couple of years ago there was a survey out that showed the most reliable cars during the early 2000’s time period. Subaru was at the top of the list. Higher than Lexus, Toyota, Honda… all of them.

I guess my best Subaru story is this…

Back in 2002, I was working at an auto auction in North Goergia. We always did the in-op vehicles before the lane sale and, since I already did a lot of impound sales in the area (and knew those dealers), that responsibility fell to me.

I had no problem selling inoperable late 80’s Chrysler minivans and Lebarons that almost were weekly regulars at the inop sale. But somehow… a 1993 Subaru Impreza found it’s way to the inop lane. It was completely stripped of paint and had about 171k miles on the odometer. But the paperwork on the glovebox was nearly a mile long. Whoever had owned it was a true dealer junky. When I offered it for $100… no one bid. Apparently not many folks had a need for a Subaru parts car. Even one with a good history. So after a brief conversation with the dealership that owned it, I bought it for $25.

The sales tax was $1.25. After I bought a battery for it the next morning, it started right up with not even a whimper of engine noise. All the fluids were new… so new in fact, that they were sparkling in their clearness. However it was impossible to shift the dang thing out of park.

A friend of mine came over and spent virtually the entire afternoon removing and reassembling the transmission pin that was apparently dislocated from the shifting mechanism. I paid him $80 and a minute later, I was down the road with a car that cost less than $160.

I drove it for a few weeks, and it never missed a lick. It was boring as hell to drive… but the fuel economy was consistently in the mid-30’s. After the brief bonding experience I put it up on Ebay. 10 days later it sold for $1576 to a rally coordinator for Subaru.

The fellow ended up flying all the way to Atlanta to pick up the Impreza and driving it all the way back to California. He informed me that the holes for installing the AWD kit were already on the frame and the entire cost of doing so was less than $2000.

Oh well. I may not have ever enjoyed the visceral thrills of a WRX. But at least I earned a 1000+% return on my initial investment. After that time, I started buying cheap cars with solid ownership histories in earnest and the rest is history.

I don’t think that’ll happen. Subie’s strategy seems to be going upmarket. Sure, a FWD only (non-turbo) Impreza would be a nice addition to their line up.
Would it hurt the brand?
Would it sell at (I’m guessing) ~$16K?

If they did, the Camry would now be a lot cheaper, being from the states, but the Corollas would be largely unchanged, as most of the Canadian market ‘rollas come from Ontario.

I’d buy another, but refuse to pay the ridiculous prices Subaru Canada charge for the cars. Our dollar is now worth about 95 cents US. So why should a WRX go for $25.5K in the US and $36.5K in Canada? Plus, watching TV ads, they’re flogging off the 2007 Imprezas for $169 a month in Boston, and still Subie sales are down in the US, where I note that TTAC readers consider then overpriced! If you think they’re overpriced in your market, how do you think we feel paying 45% more? Reamed, that’s how.

If Subaru wanted to sell off the old models that badly, they could send them up here and price them at 30 percent off the usual Canadian price and still make good money compared to US prices. Plus, they’d sell them all by the end of next week!

Other car companies also whack it to us, but none as badly as Subaru. Can you imagine what the gross margin on a WRX is here compared to that in the US? Are there any collective brains left at Fuji Heavy Industries, or do they just feel fine robbing us?

According to our national media, about 75,000 vehicles have been purchased in the US this last year by Canadians who can save $10K on a Chevy pickup, fer crissake. And now automakers are threatening US dealerships who cater to us that supply may dry up. It looks as though we are the only place left that supplies the big 3 with any profit at all.

Hey, that’s it! Canada is keeping the US car industry alive! At least for another 36 hours as the big 3 squander the proceeds immediately.

Subaru, get out the Sale Price Stickers and give us a deal up here in the Great White North! We deserve it after being ripped off for so long. Maybe the Fusion AWD isn’t such a bad deal after all. It’s only 25% overpriced.

Grrrr….

So,

And in my 4runner, the difference in mileage with and without 4WD engaged is about 3 MPG.

I don’t think their quality is that good. My LGT is just average quality. It hasn’t gone to the shop for anything expensive, but the interior rattles and squeaks and overall it’s just an average car. The only thing that really sets them apart is the awesome awd. And with the amount of Subarus I see sold in Colorado, they don’t need to branch out of the snow belt.