fun car. my wife drives an 08 5spd XT.

@ 100k miles you're looking at doing the timing belt and probably wheel bearings if they haven't been done in the last 20k miles.

test it hard and see if it holds boost / doesn't buck and jive under full throttle.

I can echo Grant's experiences.

I've had quite a few beater subarus, and they've really impressed me with the durability. My current daily driver/dog hauler is a '93 impreza wagon I bought for $300, fixed some bent/broken suspension for $150, and have driven for over a year without doing a thing but filling it up with gas.

I also just recently sold a WRX wagon, which would be similar to your Forester XT. It was a great car, that did everything well, I used it for daily driving, road trips, autocross, and (SCCA) rallycross. Once I started pushing it at rallycrosses and autocrosses, I started to dislike the weight of the car, and the AWD screwed with my RWD wired brain... but for a street car, it was great.

Also worth noting is that Subaru people change turbos and wheels like women go through shoes, so it's rather inexpensive and easy to find lightly used performance upgrades. So if in the event your turbo does go, it shouldn't take too long to find a replacement. Also, Subarus are like Legos, and there is an amazing amount of interchange between models and years. This means there are many options at the junkyard if parts go wrong or the aftermarket if you want to upgrade to something shiny.

Post road test update!

Car is silver with roof racks and GINORMOUS sunroof. Holy fuck, its like driving a solarium. 5 spd shifts like a champ and lots of turbo boost. The pre-purchase road test was going great...

UNTIL THE RADIATOR VENTED TO ATMOSPHERE. There was a nice spray of coolant at the seam between end tank and core.

Oh man, I was laughing so hard. I sure a new radiator will affect any future price negotiations.

I seem to remember seeing a certain Tony honking at me in his new (to him) AUDI last night! Good heavens! Such a high roller now...

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formulaphoto
I seem to remember seeing a certain Tony honking at me in his new (to him) AUDI last night! Good heavens! Such a high roller now...

Good gawd.
Maybe he'll get laid now!

Hey Warwick, you coing down to the Unexplored Southern Area for Ol-limp-us? When youse going down?

The dealer replaced the XT's rad and the road test resumed. Too bad it bucked like a sonovabitch under full throttle. I moved on and bought an Auto Union. 30,000 fewer kms and a full service history means the A4 was the better choice. Many thanks to everyone who offered advice here. First road trip will be to Olympus.

Oh, John? You and Al WILL finish, understand? I'm bringing a Jamie bat replacement to make sure there is no confusion.

-Tony

A4 is a great choice. I've been extremely happy with the wife's '04.

---

-Jason

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AnthonyLatham
The dealer replaced the XT's rad and the road test resumed. Too bad it bucked like a sonovabitch under full throttle. I moved on and bought an Auto Union. 30,000 fewer kms and a full service history means the A4 was the better choice. Many thanks to everyone who offered advice here. First road trip will be to Olympus.

Oh, John? You and Al WILL finish, understand? I'm bringing a Jamie bat replacement to make sure there is no confusion.

-Tony

When you coming down Tony?
Where are you staying?
I think Al "sMegulon" is bringing wifey and kiddie and wants a room all to themselves so I oughtter think of where I might lay me head down.

There's an 05 here in AB for $16k on Western Subaru Club. Seems like a good deal. It's black too!

WSC

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NoCoast

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john vanlandingham
The B23 connecting rod bearings are approximately---damn near twice the width of the Subrau MAIN bearings.
The Subaru rods bend at low stress---Volvo rods make big block Chrysler rods look wimpy.
Subaru crank is cute, and revative to a V4 crank, spindly. Comepare to the fine hunk of forged steel in the Volvo, the Subie crank looks like some lawnmower thing.
The Subie pistons have square dishes that FAIL in the corners of the dish.

Spiritual antithesis.

None of that matters whatsoever in a street car. Fact is, Subaru stuff is easy and cheap to work on and is super reliable. I was going to say that you also don't get confused for a lesbian in a Subaru either and then I realized that we were talking about Foresters and now I'm thinking back to that thread where some sensitive person was all offended in a thread about perception of drivers where I stated that it was a commonly accepted perception that only Lesbians drive Foresters. Actually I think I said dykes. Regardless. A friend wanted a 5 speed Forester. He looked for like a week, which is almost forever for him as he likes to decide he wants something and go buy it. He ended up getting an Outback XT shipped from Florida to Colorad as he couldn't find a five speed XT. Ironically the next day after he put down some big deposit on the car I came across a tech in a 5 speed XT with dealer plates at a 7-11. They'd taken the car in on trade and he'd just finished changing the clutch. But I digress...

There's too many of them in the PNW to assume all people driving them are dykes or lezzies. Though it's typically a first thought. I know a lot of both and surprisingly none of them have one. Two fits, a focus and an element are parked at the two homes I visit the most. I do know a gay dude with an old legacy wagon though.

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AnthonyLatham
The dealer replaced the XT's rad and the road test resumed. Too bad it bucked like a sonovabitch under full throttle. I moved on and bought an Auto Union. 30,000 fewer kms and a full service history means the A4 was the better choice. Many thanks to everyone who offered advice here. First road trip will be to Olympus.

Oh, John? You and Al WILL finish, understand? I'm bringing a Jamie bat replacement to make sure there is no confusion.

-Tony

Well, we know you made it down. It was nice to meet you, wish the meeting would have lasted longer. Coming down for Oregon Trail?

Yes, the new ride made it down and back in style. Its one HELL of an upgrade from the old Mazdog. I guess I need to change my profile info for this forum.

I don't have high hopes for going to Oregon Trail but this may change. I need to spend a few weekends looking for shop space first. If I go it will be a last minute thing. In the meantime, you can all reach me here. I even respond to the occasional PM.

-Tony

Tony - were'nt you planning to be out at TTR for May 14 (conflict with OTR)

Sorry Keith, its not in the cards this year. I think anyone who can go, should. Looks like a fun event.

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AnthonyLatham
Yes, the new ride made it down and back in style. Its one HELL of an upgrade from the old Mazdog. I guess I need to change my profile info for this forum.

I don't have high hopes for going to Oregon Trail but this may change. I need to spend a few weekends looking for shop space first. If I go it will be a last minute thing. In the meantime, you can all reach me here. I even respond to the occasional PM.

-Tony

If you do make it down, you're welcome to stay at my place. I only live a short way from PIR. Though I plan to camp on Sat night up at Dufer.