Back in Late august of 2002 my wife and I were in need of a new car. The 㤁 Cadillac Eldorado that I had was on its last legs. We started doing our research for new cars by looking at Consumers Reports Used Car Buying Guide, looking at the National Institute of Highway Safety’s web site, and Looking at the US Government's site of crash test. Since we needed a SUV that was not too expensive and safe. All three sources pointed to the Subaru Forester as that vehicle. CR said that it was very reliable, safe and a recommended buy, the Institute of Highway Safety said that it a one of the safest in it's class recommending it as a good buy, and the Us Government gave it mostly 5 stars in all its crash tests. Three sources saying good things about it, how could we go wrong? After looking around for a good dealer we got a 2000 L model for a total of $15,900 with 34,000 miles on it. It now has 45,000 miles and we haven’t had major problem yet.

The forester came with the following features. First of all the safety features are anti-lock brakes, driver and passenger side air bags, a factory installed alarm, front and rear crumple zones, and side impact beams. For convince there are auto windows, power locks, remote entry, driver and back passenger cup holders, tilt steering, a cargo net for groceries, clock, lumbar in the driver’s seat, floor mats, plenty of head room, folding back seats to increase the cargo area, a powerful air-conditioner, a standard Cassette AM/FM stereo, front and rear power outlets for a 12v plug, and fog lights. The mileage is about 21 city and about 28 highway, which is pretty close to what I get (I get about 25 miles per gallon).

Driving the Forester has its good points and some bad points. First the good points of the Forester: The forester I have has a peppy 4-cylinder engine. It does 0 to 60 in about 10 seconds. When you need power it has it. Besides being a peppy engine it is also pretty quiet. The only time I ever really hear it is on start up and if I need to floor the accelerator and even then it is still pretty quiet. Speaking of quiet the Cabin is not the quietest I have ever been in but it is not the nosiest one either; the best way to put it is that is quiet enough. The outside sound, of the vehicle does not over power the radio The Idling and the shifting is very very smooth. I never feel the engine while at a light nor do I ever feel the shifting of the gears while accelerating or slowing down. Driving is quite a joy since it handles as well and as smoothly as expensive luxury cars I have driven in the past (several Jaguars, Lincolns, Cadillacs, and a Mercedes 560 SL sports coup). The controls for the wipers, the cruse control, the lights are within the reach of your fingers form the steering wheel. The AC control and the radio are within reach without having to take your eyes off the road, once you adjust to this SUV form what ever else you were driving. As far as maintenance you should always change the oil at 3000 miles and have the Factory recommended service as the owners manual instructs. Out side of that my Forester has never needed anything else.

Some of the bad points of my Forrester are as follows. First of all I am 5'11” and it took some use getting accustomed to drivers seat. In all my other cars there was plenty of legroom but this dose not have the legroom that I am accustomed to, in my driver’s seat. The back seats have very little legroom especially the person who sits behind me. The cargo space is not as large larger SUVs. To make matters worse the cargo space has the rear wheel wells intruding into the cabin taking up a good amount of space. The stereo that came with it is sub-par and had to be replaced. The ride of the vehicle is not very smooth. The only thing to help with that is to get use to the ride.

Not many people ever get to actually experience the safety features of their car and if they are lucky they never do. Unfortunately I was not that lucky. Back in late March I got involved in an auto accident. I was driving to work, on a major interstate highway, one morning when I saw a red Toyota Corolla starting to swerve. I was in the extreme right hand lane and the other driver was in the center lane when he lost control. Since a bad driver was riding my bumper I could not immediately slam on by breaks to avoid him. I moved into the shoulder instead and then slammed on them. The Anti lock brakes kicked in allowing me to slow down with control. Only problem was that the Corolla driver now totally lost control and his car was perpendicular to mine. He came at me head on my left side. It was too late. The front of his car hit the from the front of the back door all the way to the front tire. He crushed my door in. Remarkably the side impact beam held preventing his car from entering the cabin of my car. I was able to get out and walk away without any injury. He admitted fault and his Insurance Company paid for the repair of my car. All that had to be replaced were the shells of both doors, the molding, and the front quarter panel. The Forester held up quite nicely. It has been running ever since it was repaired and I will probably have it for years to come.

In my opinion the Subaru Forester 2000 Model is a good car for the value and safety. Before having this car I would never have recommended a Forester but now I do.

Amount Paid (US$): 15,900
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: L model, Automatic