any forester 2.5 xt owners out there?
 

I'm looking to buy a new car, its got to be practical (ie: estate), quick, not too common and ideally 4 wheel drive

I've narrowed the options down to a Legacy 3.0R Spec B or a Forester 2.5 XT

I've already done plenty of research into the Legacy but the Forester is a new option for me so I don't know too much about them other than they are pertty quick and if you can handle a bit of body role they handle well

What I would like to know is what they're like on the motorway, with only 5 gears and acceleration like that I imagine the gearing is quite short, what are they like comfort wise on long journeys and what mpg can people get on the motorway?

I'm looking at something around 2005 with 60k to 90k on the clock is there anything I should look out for or any major work I should check has been done (cam belt, etc)

Also if anyone has owned or at least driven the legacy and the forester a comparison would be amazing

Thanks in advance for your advice

Whats your budget!

probably looking somewhere between £4k and £6k, quite a big range I know but it depends what I find

I've found good examples of both cars within that price range

I run an 07 2.5XT PPP as a daily driver, probably the best car I've ever owned. It does have a thirst but I knew that when I bought it. One thing to look out for on a used example is sagging self levelling rear suspension, the replacement shocks are dealer only and very expensive.

In terms of gearing there's no issue with it having a 5 speed box, the engine has so much torque that it is incredibly flexible in 5th at cruising speeds. 1st is a little short for my tastes but it doesn't half pull from a standing start.

Consider changing the rear ARB for a 20 or 22mm Whiteline job, makes a big difference to the handling.

Lastly, I drove a Legacy Spec B at a Prodrive track day and it was an excellent car, very nice place to be and handled superbly. The engine in the 2.5XT eats it for breakfast though!!

+1 for the Forester. Although the one i had was the last of the 2.0ltr ones.
Used it on massive motorway run to Switzerland and back, was great with cruise control and the armrest that comes on front seats! 5 speed box no problem at all.


Apparently they also share something like 90% of parts with the Impreza so no problems sourcing parts etc

I have be fortunate to own a MY 04 Foggy STi 330/330 and a WR Ltd Spec B GT Leggy both from Litchfield. Both JDM and both will leave the UK Spec models for dead i n performance and spec, they are available but are beyond your budget.

thanks for that really useful feedback, from what i can see the forester would be more of a weapon and faster but the legacy would be more of a car to live with everyday being a nicer place to be.........decisions decisions

I have a MY03 Forester XT but the 2.0L block rather than the 2.5L.

Great car - very practical, great size boot and will comfortably take you pretty much anywhere in any weather. The gearing seems fine, 4th is perfect for cruising round 30mph zones while on the motorway at 70mph 5th has the engine at around 3000rpm; i.e. into the turbo's range so you have the touque there for overtaking. I sometimes think a 6th gear would be nice purely for motorway cruising to get a better fuel economy, but realistically the 5th gear is well suited to motorway speeds. The car is very spacious and cruise control and the fold down armrest make for nice motorway driving!

The handling is not to bad - as said above swapping the rear ARB out for a 20mm one from a newage Wrx sti is a really good mod and very cheap (around £35 from a breakers) dials out some of the understeer and roll. Also as said above watch out for failing self leveling suspension at the rear, mine have just gone at just shy of 90K miles. Very expensive to replace like for like but I'm just going to replace them with standard shocks and stiffer springs (to stiffen up the car a bit) which is much cheaper.

Have a look over at http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f75/ for a bit more advice.

Tom

I have no issue living with the Fozzy everyday and it's also a very nice place to be (I got the XTen with leather, moonroof & satnav), I just like low slung saloons if given a choice. Now that I have a young son, it's actually the perfect car, swallows the pram with ease and the rubber boot liner also helps.

I still get my sporty saloon fix as my wife drives a Legacy B4 RSK, they're getting on a bit now but it's a great car.