seems most folks here think changing timing belt at 60k-90k intervals is a good thing. its when you go past the cutoff and still own car that there is an issue. maybe it will break, maybe not. if it does not and you sell car problem is gone. you can tell buyer you did not change belt and go on.
I had the same dilemma with my 2005 Honda Accord V6 with 187,000 miles. I got good offer on a trade-in and took it, buying a 2017 Accord I-4 to avoid timing belts in the future. the car still ran well. The used car manager commented on how well the engine and transmission ran with this mileage. Remember that any problems you encounter now are maintenance. The only repairs are for items you replaced recently. You will put about 30,000 miles on any car commuting each year. Do you want to do that to a new car or a this one? In less than 7 years you will be at this point again on a new car.
This is the warning shown in Alldata for the timing belt replacement for the 2003 Forester 2.5 L SOHC;
CAUTION: INTERFERENCE ENGINE
When installing the timing belt, be sure to align all alignment marks on the belt with corresponding marks on the sprockets. If incorrectly installed, interference between pistons and valves may occur.
Yes, I checked the actual procedure and I see that warning too. My comment above is based on the Technician’s Reference /Timing Belt Replacement tab. It appears that info doesn’t match the warning in the procedure. The procedure mentions that it was updated in 2009. Not sure if that update applies to the interference/non-interference issue.
I’ll edit my comment above as it appears there’s an inconsistency in what AllData says. That may be confusing the OP’s shop too.