Suresh

--Comfort, not performance --

The missus is now 4 months pregnant and getting increasingly sensitive to the rock hard suspension in the scoob (best of the bunch, classic MY99). Time for a change then, if the wife's Pug 306 isn't going to takeover as our main car.

I'm thinking of trading up to a Forester turbo right now and see mostly advantages: More space, same flat four engine, chavless image and rock solid residuals if the local market is anything to go by. The loss of performance over a tek3 scoob isn't a major consideration.

What I don't know though is how Foresters are to live with in terms of ride quality and comfort? Thinking of an MY02 or newer.

Would appreciate to hear of any experiences you may have had living with the Forester day to day.

Thanks vm

Suresh

Bubba po

It's only five months until she drops. The scoob is a very practical car for a family, God knows why people think you need a pantechnicon to go anywhere with a new baby! The wife is greeting over nowt. keep the scoob.

dannytwo

iTrader: (5)

hi suresh,

i drive a forester turbo import,and all i can say is that its a wonderfull motor
weve had two baby since having our forester and its a lovely ride,lots of space and loads of little conpartments to put baby stuff into
PERFORMANCE side well im pushing about 260bhp std,but thats the import version.
if i was you id go for an import,as you get a higher spec,not just performance but stuff like air-con which is always handy when you have children,also you can pick one up pretty cheap.
good luck with it mate,i dont think youll be disappointed with a forester tho

stevem2k

You can tek 3 the forester you know .........

I traded on when my little one was imminent, needed the space for all the cr*p you have to lug about with tiny ppl.

If you are London/SE you can try mine if you want. PM me.

Steve

2001 S/tb

No-bars Krud

We have a MY2000 Impreza Turbo for me and my wife has had old style (2001) and new style (2003) UK Forester Turbos. We thought the old one was great until we drove a new one and had to upgrade because it was such an improvement in the areas of build quality and ride. The new Forester is very chuckable - only the standard Geolander tyres let it down, but as a car for everyday use, motorway miles, etc it is without parallel I reckon. I miss the mid range power of the Impreza when I drive it, but, away from the lights on boost it is surprisingly quick. I only wish it had the 2.5 engine they have in some export markets to sort out the mid range. I suggest you try one with the wife in mind, and if the power still disappoints, an import version (lower on the road and stiffer suspension) will I am sure provide enough power to satisfy.

Butty

iTrader: (2)

There was a Banzai shootout a couple of years ago and my JDM kept up with std UK Impreza turbos up to about 80 mph until aerodynamics took over.

They can be modded just as easily as Imprezas to get to 260/280 bhp - the JDM models having a head start.
Alternatively buy the STi 2.5 turbo model off the shelf. Its being imported here for about £26,000 and will easily embarass a WRX or classic.

Nick

GTB Limited

Every thought about a Legacy GTB?

Plenty of space, especially rear legroom.
Better build quality.
Fully loaded, and 280bhp to boot
B4 models can also be ECUTEK'd.

Oh, and it comes with a cloaking device

Mark
UK Twin Turbo Legacy Register

Old_Fart

We've got a 6 month old Forester XT Auto. They have height adjustable heated leather sets and are very very comfortable. Only issue is body roll as I sometimes forget when driving that it's not stable like the 22 or 911 LOL. Really good car that does exactly what it says on the tin. We might have to sell ours though as about to drop sprog 3 and space is at a premium. Regardless of that Nicki is very comfortable travelling around in the Forester right now and is over 7 months pregnant.
Only practical drawback is the economy...probably because I am always on WOT around town in it it returns lower MPG than either the 22 or the 911 LOL..maybe I should just relax a bit more in it?
Rgds
Chuck

mrklaw

on the other hand.....

I have an MY03 WRX, and got it last year, when my little boy was 2. We are now having another, and my wife drives in it while heavily pregnant, and we have no issues with having the baby in the back.

I'd take a test drive of both - forester and new-age WRX and see what you think. If your '99 car had hard suspension, maybe the newer models will feel a little softer?

Suresh

Guys - thanks for all the responses. Makes me glad to be a part of the SN community. Certainly some food for thought there. Will deffo have a look at an MY04 wagon as an alternative.


I should have been a little clearer about the fact I live in the Netherlands so unfortunately don't have access to the exotic JDM import models nor the Legacy GTB.

Thanks once again.

Suresh

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to thread highjack but Suresh are you coming to our meet in May

http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=309188

Suresh

Sorry mate have got visitors that weekend. 30th April is "Queens Day", the Dutch national day. It's usually quite good fun, lots of fesitivites and a more-than-necessary amount of drinking as well.
The meet is a bit far away too. Would have been more practical to reach when I lived in Switzerland, but I didn't have a scoob back then..

mattstant

I went from classic MY 99 wagon to a brand new ppp 03 wrx wagon and the major issue for the misses was there had to be a big improvement in ride comfort and thankfully there is.
I thought about going for a forrester as we have one sprog and another on the way but the actual boot space was hardly any improvement on my wagon and with a pair of thule roof bars for the 2-3 a year times we treck to north wales and back i dont see a problem

Nowucme

I'm about to do similar move - UK MY00 Impreza to JDM Forester (hopefully MY99 or similar).

My question is do the TSL/Sccobysport cat-less exhaust parts I have on my Impreza fit onto a Forester?

Butty

iTrader: (2)

Nowcume,
Your Impreza parts will fit on the Forester. The back box may cause trouble as the end pipe is too short and can melt the bumper - but with a bit of bending it can be forced away to avoid problems.
You may find that the JDM centre section just has a resonator box without a cat anyway.

Nick