Silver Forester 2.5 XT

I was very surprised at the insurance quote offered for my Forester 2.5 XT Prodrive, was expecting to pay much more. With the excellent all wheel drive system, precise handling ( for an estate with a fairly high centre of gravity and good NCAP ratings my Foz felt very safe and secure. Paid over £400 for fully comprehensive cover as a second vehicle which should have earned zero no claims discount. Was also quoted £290 for a Suzuki Alto :o so definitely went for the Foz. Recently had to let her go though due to unforeseen circumstances. Looking forward to my next Subaru once we get the bank balance built up again. Possibly interested in a Legacy estate or an Outback, maybe even another FOZ. Really like the look of the Legacy Spec B estates but would have to have manual transmission and be a Pre 2006 model due to the excessive Road tax on the newer models.

Thanks very much for your understanding everyone and glad that I can remain a member of the forum.

Due to austerity measures and a couple of substantial misfortunes requiring rather a lot of cash quickly, I have had to part with our pride and joy :( . The choice was either sell the Forester XT or to sell our 9 seater diesel minibus. It was a very hard choice but the minibus won solely due to the fact that it is so versatile with 9 seats that can be easily removed or reconfigured giving us a huge load carrying capability. It does everything that we need from one vehicle and the Foz was a bonus.. Nowhere near as much fun or as nice to drive as the Forester XT but I have to say that it is just more practical otherwise it would have been sold instead of the Foz. I'm gutted, my wife's gutted and my teenage son ( who was hoping too learn to drive in the Foz ) is also gutted. I tell everyone who asks about her that she has been the best looking car and the best car that I have ever driven, bar none. I would still like to remain a member of the forum please and hope to get another Subaru in the future. Thank You

Thanks for the replies. Found one for sale on the bay of E which is for Land Rovers but allegedly works on Subarus and some other vehicles using the Kenwood 3200 sat nav. Not sure whether to take a chance for £27 or to price one up at the main dealers.

Would like some advice please on how to update the Sat Nav to the latest maps etc on a 2005 Forester?. Mine won't accept Post Codes. Has anyone updated the software and if so, how please?. Thanks

I ordered a pair of Osram Night Breaker Bulbs which arrived this afternoon. Just fitted them so will see what difference they make to my night driving vision. Don't really expect them to be as bright as the ones on my VW T4 which have a @ full 12 Volt feed but hopefully they will be better than the standard H4 bulbs that are now spares.

Last winter I upgraded the headlamp wiring loom and fitted a pair of Night Breaker Plus bulbs to my VW T4. The T4 headlamps always seemed a bit underpowered and this was mainly due to the fact that with the amount of wiring and resistors and other sources draining the power the Headlamp bulbs never actually received the full 12 volts of power from the battery. The upgrade wiring loom connected straight to the battery and used a couple of relays and heavier gauge wiring so basically fed the bulbs with almost 12 Volts. What a major difference it made when driving along poorly lit or unlit roads (that would be most of them around here ). Although only using 55 Watt bulbs, I now have a powerful bright white beam rather than a dim yellowy haze. :) I am so impressed that I would like to upgrade my Foresters' headlamps if possible. Is there an upgrade wiring kit available for the Subaru Foresters as I am now looking to improve the headlamp performance similar to that of my VW T4?. I don't want to use super bright ( headlamp lens melting and bonnet discolouring bulbs ) but would like to get 12 Volts to a pair of 55 Watt Nightbreaker Plus Bulbs. Thank You

I use a Roadhawk HD Dashcam. They are quite expensive compared to the ones for £12 but the image quality is good and it records the time, your speed and your location. I had one of those cheap dashcams. It worked well but only for a month or so then packed in ( maybe I was unlucky ). Sometimes also use a GoPro Hero 2. Try the £12 one then if you don't like the results or it breaks then get a more expensive one.

Mr B. The ride does feel better with the Excel G's and springcoils and the ride height is much better. The rear suspension feels stiffer than with the SLS setup but doesn't roll as much when cornering. Thanks.

Especially thanks to some very knowledgeable and helpful SOC members. :)

Good Choice. Very nice and in the best shape and colour too :D Bet that you notice a difference in the way that she drives compared with the Jimny, especially when you press the right pedal or go around corners?. Keep us posted as to how you go on, if you have any problems then i'm sure that someone on here will be able to help in some way. Good Luck

Love my Forester 2.5XT . She is my first Subaru and I looked long and hard before deciding to take the plunge but now I am glad that I did. High mileage at 146,000 but she can manage 30+ MPG on a steady run which isn't bad for an almost 2 Tonne, permanent 4X4 estate car with plenty of horses on tap. The road holding seems to be very good, as you would expect from a Subaru. There is some slight body roll on corners but that is due mainly to the increased ground clearance which is better for rough tracks, fields and potholes. My Forester now has a set of higher profile 17" tyres rather than the low profiles so she rolls a little more but has extra ground clearance which is what i wanted. After you have bought a Subaru, should any problems arise in the future there are some really knowledgeable and helpful members here who can point you in the right direction. There are a few common faults as there are with all makes and models of cars but many of them are DIY able. As mentioned, take a few test drives if possible before deciding on which car to buy. Good Luck.

I have heard many stories of problems with cars that are fitted with DPF's. Short journeys clog up and eventually ruin the DPF and it can be rather expensive to replace them which in my case would far outweigh any benefits gained by lower fuel consumption. There are cleaning products available for the DPF. I personally wouldn't buy a diesel car that has a DPF fitted due to the fact that I generally only travel short journeys. They are ideal for people who are doing high mileage each day though. My Forester 2.5 XT averages just over 30 MPG on a steady run and obviously less around town, especially if I am in a hurry. What sort of fuel economy does your Diesel Forester get please?. Was thinking of trading my Forester in towards one of these ultra efficient super minis which are excise duty free and claim to average @ 65 MPG with up to 80 MPG on a run. Can't see it being as much fun to drive as my XT though. Please let us know how you go on with sorting your DPF problem. Thank You

So which Breakdown Cover Company are our member with please?. It would be interesting to know. I am with the RAC. Thank You

I have been with the RAC for over 15 years now and have only had to call them out on three occasions. One was a " Fubared starter motor " KIA Sedona in @ 2006 , one was a Fubared Automatic gearbox Volvo V70 T5 in 2004 and the last one in 2012 was the live wire to the starter motor had corroded off on my Transporter. Can't complain about the service but the price is getting expensive now. I like the idea of the breakdown cover being for any vehicle that I happen to be driving which both the RAC and AutoAid offer. My renewal will be due soon ( money taken out automatically each year until I cancel ) and someone mentioned that AutoAid have a good track record. This was the first time that I had heard of them and wondered whether anyone on this forum could recommend them. Thanks

I bet that you are glad that you informed them straight away and kept a receipt.

As Above. Just came across this and it makes for very interesting reading:- http://britishbikersassociation.org/blog/entry/scots-biker-in-insurance-hell-after-legal-loophole-forces-him-to-pay-thousands-for-death-crash-on-his-old-bike Previously when I have sold a vehicle I would normally inform my insurance provider to cancel the policy later the same day. Never Again.

My 2005 Forester XT has started to make whining noise whilst being driven. The Forester was previously making a tinny noise under acceleration but thanks to forum members this was diagnosed as Heat shields which have now been sorted. Thank You

Attached is a photo of my my other vehicle. She is a Transporter T4 Caravelle. Not too bad in the snow considering she is FWD and not a Subaru. Being a 9 seater there are usually enough people on board to push her if she ever gets stuck ( been lucky up to now ). I really wanted a Syncro ( 4x4 ) version but decent ones are as rare as Hens teeth and Rocking Horse Poo.

Very Close. Skillful handling but also lucky. I would have asked him to pick six lottery numbers for me.

Thanks for the Heads Up. Great Info at the link.

Nice- Very Nice. :)

Welcome to the SOC. As mentioned earlier ,I would also like to see some pictures when you get the chance please?

I used to own a Volvo V70 T5 in a similar colour. Looked nice but was so difficult to colour match if ever you needed to. Would look nice parked up next to my Forester XT but the boss says NO at the moment.

Sorry to say that the flower trick did not work. Must try harder.