Looking at buying a 2010 Forester 2.0d bad idea? Good idea?

[Danjwilko]

Hi all, first off I hope this is in the right place, welcome to remove if not. 

Anyway, I live fairly in a fairly rural area, Lincolnshire to be precise, single track undulating roads that bottom out constantly on a regular car (not lowered). End up off-roading daily due to width of roads, winter wise ungritted etc so wanting something with 4 wheel capability and above reasons and wife’s back arthritis a higher ride height so she’s not struggling in and out.

I had a Volvo XC90 se sport but damn it was both thirsty for a diesel and expensive on parts (i do all the work myself mind).

I ended up picking up a VW golf estate the old 1.9tdi 2007, under recommendation from our local mechanic, whilst cheap to commute, it’s boring to drive, uncomfortable(given me back pain if driven for longer than half hour or so) and falling to pieces literally.

So after much browsing I’m torn between getting a regular SUV for the added ride height and something a bit smaller of which the forester fits the bill. I’d take the outback but the Mrs doesn’t like the look of it and still struggles a little. 
 

So we found a diesel forester on a 2010 plate , with just over 100,000 on the clock full leather, to many extra to list and looks clean etc, so with all the issues on the 2007-2009 models I was hoping it would be a better choice, just not completely sold yet. 

I was wondering if anybody had any real world opinions or things to check for before taking the plunge, or if something else would be a better choice.

appreciate it’s a wall lol,

cheers in advance guys.

[Mr B]

A 2010 2011 2012 1013 subaru diesel still got a lot of problems, DPF injector learning and crank failure still present.
DPF is a complete engineering and environment farce you best avoiding (only buy diesels pre euro5 emissions)
Crank failure pretty much gives you scrap on wheels and they all will do it given enough time .
Modern diesels are pretty much useless and end up costly ballache and only worth owning if doing incredibly high annual mileage .
If you want a Forester then petrol is far better and saves money from reliability and simpler servicing requirements, also don't assume newer better, old ones far better built for dailly rough country commute chores.
After 2008 they went down hill rapidly (this same for pretty much all car brands).
The SF foresters still going while most the diesel ones scrapped or on eBay and autotrader for 500 quid spare or repair as crank snapped ...
I had a few customers who had crank failure and it a sad situation when got tell them bad news of repair cost and current scrap value of 200 quid on a good day .

[Brack]

Can only speak from my own experience owning a 2009 MY Petrol.

Had it 2 years 9 Months and honestly it has never let me down, it just fires up and goes every time ...  it needed a fresh cam belt / water pump and pulleys/ new set of tyres when I bought it at 106K miles, haven't had to spend much more on it since  ...a yearly oil change and she's happy 🙂 

[TamaquaPA]

Certain models of Subaru use oil ferociously. I had the engine removed and repaired twice, at Subaru’s expense. The problem was never fixed. My 2012 Forester is now 10 years old and uses 1 quart of oil every 400 miles. I verified on another chat room that this was a problem for certain models during 2010-2012. Oil prices are ridiculous to have to use that much oil. That is about 3 quarts every 1000 miles. Stay away from those model years. 

[HyperUniverse]

I know I'm replying to a very old topic, but it may benefit other people.

In 2016 I have bought a 2010 Forester 2.0Diesel with 96k miles on it.

BEST CAR I EVER OWNED.

Except for it's size.

I like bigger car boots.

Front seats are perfect for 2 tall adults, and back seats are perfect for two teenagers.

It's just that often I found myself placing ASDA shopping bags on the back seats, as we couldn't fit them in the boot anymore.

(yes we like shopping a lot, and cook our food in house).

***

As the original poster says that he's doing all the work himself, I do the same.

For people like us, a car will last a lifetime (ours not car's);

Not because we do all the work, but because we do all the work we understand how a car works and how it feels, and how it drives.

We can feel immediately when a squeak or knock starts, and because we like doing all the jobs ourselves, we take care of it immediately.

We don't drive the car until it dies, thinking that "I have a RAC or AA recovery, and they'll sort it out".

Myself, I have NEVER had, and I will never have a breakdown insurance!

And since 1989 when I started owning cars and driving them, I have NEVER got stuck on a road with a broken down car.

 

I'm not saying I've never had a problem with my cars.

But I'm saying that all the major problems I've detected earlier I sorted them out on my driveway, and other minor problems that came while driving I've been able to sort them out on the road in a few minutes, and then carry on with my trips.

That's what people who do all the work on their cars do.

In fact, since 1989 none of my cars have ever seen the garage and the mechanics except for the MOT.

And I've never had an MOT failure.

***

Now, back to this Forester Diesel.

I've read the same bad reviews before buying mine.

Just one came true.

DPF.

But, this car is classed as EURO4, although it has a DPF which should make it a EURO5.

So, I decided to make it a true EURO4 as the government guidelines says, and no more problems since.

***

About crankshaft snapping.

About 20 years ago I had a colegue who was driving our company's car, a Fiat Diesel.

And he was reving the engine higher than formula 1 cars, EVERY time he was pulling out from a traffic lights or a corner.

The company replaced 3 cars with engine failure in 6 months, and they couldn't figure out why they are so poor quality!

***

Oil consumption.

Because I do all the work myself, I change the oil twice a year.

Easter time, and Haloween time.

Comes to about 4 - 5000 miles each change.

I get into a shop I close my eyes and point to the oils shelf; I then open my eyes and buy the oil I'm pointing at.

In every 5000 miles I have never topped the oil ever, as it never dropped.

I am talking about this Forester 2010 diesel.

 

Oh yeah, if you tune your engine for more power, guess what nobody's telling you:

Your turbo will force your engine to burn more oil.

(if you really want to understand the physics behind this, then google it yourself)

***

About the comment one poster says: "Modern diesels are pretty much useless and end up costly ballache and only worth owning"

He is right when talking about Modern Audi, BMW, Volvo, Land Rover, Mercedes, and other high end cars.

Even the latest Forester with its stupid CVT gearbox.

You get a Manual transmission, and you NEVER have any problems.

You change your engine oil twice a year, and you NEVER have any problems.

You NEVER rev your engine thinking of winning the formula 1 trofee, and you NEVER have any problems.

***

Fuel consumption:

64mph = 50mpg on motorway.

70mph = 45mpg

town = 33mpg

***

mechanical work done on this car in 60,000 miles of my ownership:

1. brake disks x 4 pieces

2. brake pads x 12 pieces

3. tyres x 8 pieces

4. engine oil and oil filter as stated above

5. gearbox and rear differential oil x twice

6. rain wipers - 4 or 5 times

7. brake calipers rebuild once (rubber boot cracking and the piston rusting)

8. exhaust replaced with a stainless steel one - never a problem anymore

9. wheel bearings changed at 150,000 miles (no play in them but noisy at high speed)

 

***

No water leaks in the cabin from the huge sunroof (but I'm not parking it under a tree so there's no drainage clogged with leaves).

No other problems at all.

And I do believe in driving on the edge of the speed limit.

If anybody is driving at 25mph in front of me, then I overtake them to keep driving at 30mph.

So, I do tax my Forester every day, and yet it doesn't want to die.

***

Verdict:

If you do your own work on cars, and you don't buy a lot of groceries, then Subaru Forester 2.0 Diesel with a Manual transmission is IDEAL for you.

If you live in a big city that's going to forbid you driving a reliable car, then you are bound to buy a Modern Car