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by rjc33
Dec 9, 2006 - Updated Dec 28, 2006 (A Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 40 Recommended: Yes 
Pros: Standard Safety Features, All-Wheel drive system,
Fit and Finish
Cons: Tight back seat, Rear Brakes 2.5X, Lazy Automatic Transmission,
Too much unpainted plastic body cladding.
The Bottom Line: A very good all around vehicle for a small family.
The Forester handles well for an SUV it provides good standard safety features and an excellent all-wheel drive system.
At the time my wife and I purchased our 2003 Subaru 2.5X, we planned on starting a family. The Forester was a replacement for my wife's 1998 Jeep Wrangler. My wife needed a vehicle that can get her to work during the harsh New York winter season that ... read more
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by kwajmark
Apr 4, 2006 (A Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 40 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Handling, AWD, power, styling, interior, available options, availability of parts and accessories.
Cons: Stock tires, road noise, transmission characteristics, passenger seat comfort.
The Bottom Line: Love this car and will buy another.
Almost the car we've been waiting for. Compromise between power and fuel consumption is satisfactory, but would like to see a bit better mileage (we're getting 24/26). Transmission is a bit clunky (automatic) and there is a fairly long delay between ... read more
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by thadii23
Jan 24, 2005 - Updated May 27, 2006 (A Very Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 40 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Size, reliability, safety, fun to drive, AWD, cargo space.
Cons: Shifter, noisy cabin.
The Bottom Line: An all around great vehicle that combines car like and SUV like features into an attractive and cohesive package with great safety and value.
On Saturday, a routine drive of the car lots near my house turned a test drive of a 2003 Subaru Forester 2.5X. It has just over 52,200 miles. It booked for just over $17,000. The dealer price was $13,999. It had just been put on the lot the day ... read more
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by joybell3
Jun 1, 2004 (A Somewhat Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 40 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Handling, comfort, rear leg room, cargo capacity, exterior and interior styling, visibility, safety rating.
Cons: No full length rubber cargo mat, warranty repairs, no engine option, no FWD version.
The Bottom Line: This is a nice wagon with thoughtfull styling, fun handling and high safety ratings. Visibility is good and there is ample cargo room.
I waited a full year before writing this review. This is a handy little wagon with SUV styling and really great handling. There is ample leg room in the rear and the cargo capacity is good. Seats are firmly comfortable and very adjustable. There are a ... read more
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by bassman32
Nov 11, 2003 (A Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Acceleration, traction, features, subaru reliability, looks
Cons: looks
The Bottom Line: Great car, can't beat the price/performance ratio
Recently, I have test driven the 2004 Subaru Forester XT. I am going to give you all the information I can, that I gathered from the test drive. Handling. The handling in this car is unbeatable for its price, with the exception of the WRX sedan, ... read more
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by msenin
Oct 22, 2003 (A Very Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 40 Recommended: Yes
Pros: All-Wheel drive, all-wheel all-time ABS, great looks, a lot of power, spaceous, fuel economy.
Cons: Low power amplifier (get "upgraded speakers" package), a little noisy compared to Outback.
The Bottom Line: Powerful All-wheel-drive car with near-luxury looks that's fun to own, show off and drive. My next car would be another car though - maybe Forester XT, or more powerful Outback.
I bought this car as a gift for my wife. There were several reasons to choose this particular car: 1. I own Subaru Outback Limited (Wagon), and love it. 2. I was gonna buy from same dealership as I bought my own car, so I had, or I think I had, better l ... read more
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by spanikopita
Oct 21, 2003 (A Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 20 Recommended: No 
Pros: Good forward visibility. Good seats. Nice sized cargo area.
Cons: Rearward visibility, stereo, gas mileage, passing ability, rear legroom. Wiggly on snow.
The Bottom Line: Stick with Front Wheel Drive. More predictable handling, better fuel economy, less things to go wrong.
I have owned a 2003 Subaru Forester XS since October 2002. Since then it has had problems with the ABS (three trips to dealer), No-Start condition (two trips to dealer) and the A/C (one trip to dealer). There is also intermittent noise from the front end, ... read more
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by crash613
Sep 9, 2003 (A Very Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Drives like its on rails, Safety features, the HUGEST MOONROOF I have ever seen!
Cons: No cigarette lighter, electrical power when ignition off, wet arms (read review) crappy radio.
The Bottom Line: Buy this car. You will not be sorry. One of the safest cute-utes out there. 2 words. HUGE MOONROOF.
I Really do love this car. In fact let me start by saying I wasn't sure at first. but after the break in period, and I became more comfortable with the car I couldn't be happier. well I could. I wanted the 04 Turbo, but they weren't going to deal on t ... read more
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by davenj
Aug 4, 2003 (A Very Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: MPG, AWD, ABS, fit and finish, safety.
Cons: Price=A bit expensive. Features=Can't think of any. Very pleased so far.
The Bottom Line: I would definitely recommend buying this car if you need an SUV, good tow vehicle (limit=less than 2000 lbs.) and good mileage.
My Honda Accord (206K miles) is an excellent car and has held up well, but when I got an estimate fo ... read more
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by dgcam55
Jul 21, 2003 - Updated May 19, 2006 (A Very Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Quietness/Smoothness, Quality feel controls, Gas mileage, AWD
Cons: Tinted rear glass as an option would be nice.
The Bottom Line: Go and test drive it. You will be surprised.
** LONG TERM UPDATE - SEE BOTTOM OF REVIEW *** I have a 2003 XS+ 5 speed. It is basically loaded - it just doesn't have the sunroof & leather interior. The car is a rock in both rain & snow (I live in the mountains of northwest NJ). At the pump: ... read more
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by morro897
Jul 20, 2003 (A Somewhat Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 20 Recommended: No
Pros: Good car like ride, good on road handling, excellent safety rating
Cons: Not an off-road vehicle, poor back seat leg room, very little cargo space
The Bottom Line: Good vehicle for pavement. Don't buy if you are thinking of getting off the pavement.
When I bought my 2003 Forestor, I was initially very pleased with it. The comfort and ride on the ro ... read more
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by havugrappa
Jun 26, 2003 (A Very Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Excellent accleration and road hold. Decent space and Subaru reliability. Huge moonroof.
Cons: No power seat option whatsoever. Plastic dashboard pieces.
The Bottom Line: Recommended. A great buy on many counts.
I recently test drove a Subaru XT with black leather, moonroof and heated seats. I am in the market ... read more
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by tinca
Apr 7, 2003 (A Very Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Everything. The handling, the lack of engine noise, the breaking, etc.
Cons: The CD player, wind noise and the service department where I bought my Forester.
The Bottom Line: If you want a nice, safe vehicle that's a joy to drive, buy a Forester.
This is the fourth vehicle I've owned. The last one was a 2000 Ford Focus LX that was constantly getting repaired or getting another recall done to it. I need a reliable car, but then, who doesn't. After my Focus decided it didn't want to let me put my ... read more
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by barbarshop
Mar 31, 2003 - Updated Nov 18, 2003 (A Somewhat Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 40 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Size, Versatility, Drive comfort, Workmanship, Quality, Safety, and Cargo Area.
Cons: No scan feature on the base radio/CD.
The Bottom Line: If you need the space commonly found in minivan but don't want to be a, "soccer mom", or if you drive in adverse conditions regularly, consider the Subaru Forester.
8/30/2003 Subaru very kindly decided that our first Subaru Forester was a lemon so they bought it back and gave us a brand new 2004 Subaru Forester. Very good customer service. ------------------------------
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11/18/2003 ... read more
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by rodneyk
Mar 30, 2003 - Updated Jun 29, 2003 (A Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Comes with a lot of options, Fuel Economy, Safety
Cons: Automatic Transmission saps some horsepower
The Bottom Line: Buy one! You get a lot for what you pay. The ONLY option I got was the automatic transmission.
The Specs
If you're looking to buy an SUV and have been doing some research (like you should be), then you probably have read all the technical specs for the Forester from Subaru or some other source, so I'll keep this section short.
... read more
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by crvdriver
Feb 26, 2003 (A Somewhat Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 40 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Comfort, handling, styling, ride
Cons: Noisy windshield, seat adjustment
The Bottom Line: Nice ride and convenient station wagon and SUV features.
Great cross between a station wagon and an SUV. The standard large tires and all-wheel drive make the ride very smooth and the handling is good. I'm five feet two inches tall, and on the model with the manual seat adjustment I couldn't get high enough ... read more
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by fyschebone
Jan 28, 2003 - Updated Oct 27, 2005 (A Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Capable, Agile, Practical
Cons: Transmission occasionally slow to downshift, a few design quirks
The Bottom Line: It does everything I need it to do without being a gigantic, gas-guzzling behemoth. Practical and accommodating.
I purchased my Forester two weeks ago after much online research, a trip to the Detroit Auto Show, and a lot of haggling on the phone. I am pleased to find that the car has been everything I've hoped. I wanted a vehicle that would: 1) accommodate ... read more
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by ross63
Jan 20, 2003 (A Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Greatly improved interior
Cons: Jury's out at this point
The Bottom Line: Love it so far, was worth trading in my 2001
Taking advantage of Subaru's financing deals (0% for 24 months, 2.9 for 48 months) I decided to trade in my 2001 Forester with 29k miles for a newer model. The dealer was able to match my monthly payment amount while rolling in all costs so that I drove ... read more
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by raroach
Jan 13, 2003 (A Very Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Value, engineering, safety, AWD, handling, reputation.
Cons: Nothing of much significance; minor interior features I would make better.
The Bottom Line: If you are considering something in the small SUV class, you should give the 2003 Subaru Forester very serious consideration.
I spent a year looking at various SUV’s. When I found the 2003 Subaru Forester that was it. I bought one a few weeks later. I found most impressive the opinions of Forester owners; all of them seemed to love this car. I looked at some other cars ... read more
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by ishinomoritdk
Jan 8, 2003 (A Very Helpful review)
Author's Product Rating: 50 Recommended: Yes
Pros: Safety, Price, Amenities, Performance, Practicality
Cons: "wagon-like" shape and rear seats
The Bottom Line: The Subaru is safe, reliable, less expensive, a good performer on light offroad conditions and smooth on pavement. The Forester is practical and the best value for the buck.
There are some things I'd like to briefly mention before I go into depth on my experience with the Subaru Forester.
First, I'd like to pay my respects to the car that I traded in. My old car was a 1988 Mercedes Benz 260E. She was my first ... read more
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