2008 Subaru Forester XT 2.5 boxer four
Summary:
When you REALLY need to move a refrigerator across a ploughed field quickly :)
Faults:
Loose power steering belt.
General Comments:
I needed a car that was comfortable enough on the road to cover many motorway miles, but that was also reasonable offroad (as we have a smallholding). I found this mint Forester in Glasgow, and flew up to make the purchase.
The only problems with this car was that it had done such a low mileage. It was stiff, and belts were baggy etc.
The Forester is a real engineer-designed car, not a sexy shape, but extraordinarily practical and well screwed together.
With the Impreza WRX's 2.5 litre, 237 BHP boxer engine in it too, it is powerful enough to see off many "performance" cars.
Possibly the best and cleverest 4WD system on earth keeps the car gripping, and 8 inches of ground clearance are enough for 99% of off-road needs.
The interior is airy and comfortable if incredibly nineties-naff. Controls are heavy and require a firm shove.
It has proven so far to be a good all-rounder, all the better for not being conspicuous.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 26th November, 2017
5th Dec 2017, 19:05
Owner here: I booked the car into a renowned expert garage to take a look at freshening everything up. Such low mileage, but the car had evidently been standing for a long time. Just as well I did; they identified a bunch of stuff that had seized or perished, and I had all fluids and cam belt replaced while it was in. This cost a quarter of the price I paid for the car, but it now looks, feels and drives like new.
Let's see how many miles I can put on this now :)