Subaru Forester, buying used cars, and relationship questions :)

[Bruno Schull]

OK, guys, here's the deal. I need car advice, and maybe some relationship advice

1.
My wife and I share a late model Subaru Fiorester. I think it's a 2018. Gasoline, manual transmission, 55,000 miles. Runs great. I LOVE how the car drives, especially on snowy mountain roads. I HATE all the modern electronics, the buttons on the steering wheel, the illogical consolbe, the screens, and so on.

2.
My wife and I separated last year. We are still on good terms, and we are trying to decide what to do with the car. The lease expires September. Who should keep the car, and who should look for a new car? We both dont know, and we go back and forth very week.

3.
I could pay the remaining part of the lease and keep the car we have now. My wife would buy her own car, probably a new car on a lease. She has the financial means to buy a new car, while I do not. So I would get a new modern Forester that runs great, but I would have to deal with all the annoying stuff that makes me irritated every time I drive

Or my wife could pay the remaining part of the lease and keep the car we have now. She likes the car, and the electronics don't bother her at all. I would buy a used car. For example, I can get a 2006 Subaru Forester with the same amount of miles (55,000) for about 5,000 dollars. It's an automatic, but that doesn\t bother me (or at least I don\t think so, see below). The negative is that in terms of years it's an older car. The positive is that it doesn't have any of the annoying electrical features. It has a simple steering wheel with no buttons, a logical console, no screens, and so on. I identify and love cars from this era.

So I guess my questions are, would it be a terrible mistake to buy a car from 2004? What's the best way to judge a used car, by milage or by year of first registration? Are there any big red flags for a Subaru Forester with an automatic transmission from 2006? I obviosuly don't need the best or most modern car, but I want a quality, reliable car, that won\t cost me a fortune to maintain.

Any help greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[Bruno Schull]

Oh, I forgot to add some more about the relationship part...if I buy a used, older version of the car we have now, my ex-wife will be a little depressed and perhaps think less of me.... a step backward so to speak.

However, I actually like the idea of owning a reliable, older car. Buying a brand new car on a lease never felt right for me.

 

[cantunamunch]

1. Start a poll.

2. You keep the current Forester.

Maintenance costs will only escalate as you go further and further into the used market - and sorry to say it but you don't strike me as someone who does a significant portion of his own work. You should be able to take the current vehicle out to approx. 2030 - or change your financial situation between now and then.

If either of those two factors changes, and you're in a position to get a new vehicle or to work on your own stuff, I would change my answer to "get whatever you like and want to drive".

 

[Philpug]

What it the buyout for the 18 and is it worth it?

As far as the 06, the head gasket is a concern with them about 100-120K. But for $5K with 55K it is a great value. With the steelies on it it looks like an XS, w/o the Premium Pkg (sunroof). Basic drive, auto is fine, a real durable transmission. We looked at an 17 Forester stick like you have now, walked away from it because we didn't like the manual, very clunky in our opinion. But you cannot go wrong grabbing this, do it quickly or someone else will.

Looks like it comes with snows too!

 

[Jerez]

IMHO, unless you are so old you don't think you will survive the terms of the lease, or you own a business and can write it off, or you are buying something you cannot relky afford then leasing is not a good financial decision.

 

[cantunamunch]

What it the buyout for the 18 and is it worth it?

As far as the 06, the head gasket is a concern with them about 100-120K. But for $5K with 55K it is a great value.

Which year was the one you drove to Trexlertown with us? '08?

 

[Philpug]

IMHO, unless you are so old you don't think you will survive the terms of the lease, or you own a business and can write it off, or you are buying something you cannot relky afford then leasing is not a good financial decision.

I disagree, there are many times that leasing IS a good decision, not every time but there are times. I have leased many cars and purchased many cars.

I wrote this a while back...

Leasing 101: Should you lease a car?

The subject came up on another forum and it reminded me that I did an article on Epic. It might be useful for some members here. Ah, the age old question..should I lease or buy? With the average price of a new car being around $32,000 it is a question many buyers are asking and many of those...

www.skitalk.com

Now, i am not sure what is going on in todays market with leasing, rates are up and I am not sure what is going on with residuals.

 

[crosscountry]

Oh, I forgot to add some more about the relationship part...if I buy a used, older version of the car we have now, my ex-wife will be a little depressed and perhaps think less of me.... a step backward so to speak.

Does it matter? She's your EX-wife!

However, I actually like the idea of owning a reliable, older car. Buying a brand new car on a lease never felt right for me.

I'm not a car person. But my experience of buying good-condition older cars had been quite good. So I'm biased towards getting that older Forester.

That said, ask yourself how well you can handle repairs (the cost of it, that is). If you're financially able to afford a new car, have the discipline to save the money just in case, then by all means save the money and get an older car.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

I have a 1998 Forrester with 275,000 miles on it. It looks like it has been driven through a war zone but it is a very reliable car. I had the head gaskets replaced in 2003 or so but after that have really not had much maintenance on the car. I do like that it does not have a ton of electronics so the maintenance issues you are dealing with are mechanical. it is not my primary car. It is a back up car. I do loan it to friends and let people use it who are in from out of town. I wish they made more cars like this. I agree with you on all the screen stuff.

 

[Bruno Schull]

This is all great--it helps me process--keep it coming!

Right now, I am leaning toward buying the older car. I don't have any savings, but I do have a good regular income, so I can set some aside for money for maintenance costs every year.

 

[fatbob]

I'd go older if you genuinely don't value the newer gismos. There never is a perfect decision just one which you are comfortable with. Only flag I'd raise is if you are in CH don't you hit a wall with mandaotry roadworthiness testing which can make older vehicles uneconomic after a while?

 

[Near Nyquist]

That 2006 is a head gasket job waiting to happen.

Every one of them fails at that vintage because of the single layer 633 gasket Subaru stubbornly continued to use on the EJ25

Factor this into your decision.

Budget around 3K to have it done correctly.

Cause the motor has to be pulled to fix it correctly

More Head Gasket info

https://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gaskets-problems-explained-part-ii/

Also has the timing belt ever been changed on the vehicle cause the belt is getting really old if its original.

Any service records, indications of regular maintenance ?

Also there are signs of rust on the rear quarter panel, Get it inspected


Please Don't get me wrong these are extremely reliable snow vehicles that can run 300K easy when properly maintained
with the early forester models being a sought after by many Subaru purists

 

[Philpug]

This is all great--it helps me process--keep it coming!

Right now, I am leaning toward buying the older car. I don't have any savings, but I do have a good regular income, so I can set some aside for money for maintenance costs every year.

You cannot find a nice $5K car in todays market. Grab it.

 

[Philpug]

This generation is also a "J" build, means it was built in Japan, not Indiana.

 

[crgildart]

If it's been running the OEM SuperCool 100K coolant WITH the conditioner added the head gasket is probably OK. If they replaced it with regular 50/50 antifreeze I'd drain that and go with the good stuff.. and the conditioner.

My 09s about 125K now. Drinks oil (always did) but no coolant/water issues.. Timing belt, plugs and seals, lots of brake rotors, 2 batteries, exhaust overhaul, wheel bearings, .. so far.

Now that the kids are grown and rarely tag along on my adventures It's honestly too much car to be a daily driver for me these days. It stays parked only getting to go to the beach or mountains... If I end up having to go work in the office again more than once a week I'll be looking for something smaller and sportier, with 2 doors..

 

[wooglin]

“ I would get a new modern Forester that runs great,”

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

 

[cantunamunch]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

EX-wife, eh.

 

[David Chaus]

This is 2018 vehicle (I know it’s not 2019 or newer based on the taillights). That is a really long time for a lease, 5 years?

FWLIW I leased my 2019 Forester, then bought it in 2022 when the lease was up. 2022 was a great year to have 2019 pricing locked in with the lease, so it worked out well financially. As far as the electronics, I really like having the blind spot monitor and the infotainment scree works well with CarPlay and I don’t find it confusing. I would not go back to my 2005 Forester. But that’s me.

As far as who gets which vehicle, if she gets either this Forester or a shiny new car, don’t be concerned about what she thinks of your choice of a vehicle. It’s really none of her business, and you don’t need her approval for the vehicle of your choice, once you are legally divorced. If she would be happier with this Forester than you would, let her keep the vehicle and deal with the lease end, and decided whether to buy it or lease a new vehicle.

 

[Tom K.]

Well, that older forester is almost assuredly gone, so I'll say go find a similar mileage Honda CR-V and live a happier life.

Yeah, not a Subie guy, for so many reasons. Maybe that should be a caveat?

 

[Wasatchman]

Not sure how you found that Subaru for $5k but you should have jumped on it because worst case you could have easily flipped it.

If you don't have to pay your wife any money for getting the leased car, I'd definitely take that. Chances are the car's value would be nicely ahead of the buyout price in the lease terms when the lease expires.