Hi All,
Thanks for taking a look. My wife and I are in the market for a smaller sized SUV. We test drove the CX-5, Rogue, Tucson, Santa Fe, and Forester. We have narrowed it down between a 2014 Fotester (13k miles, $27.5k) and a 2013 Tuscon (32k miles, $24.5k). I currently drive an 06 Legacy and love it but the more I ready into newer Foresters, I see red flags about major oil consumption. Any tips or experiences with either the Forester or the Tucson?
Thanks!
The CX-5 is the best of the bunch in my opinion. I would also take the Tucson over the Forester provided a competent mechanic checked out both of them and passed them.
search this forum for “forester”, seems there’s quite a few reports about them here . But that may be just b/c there’s a lot of them on the road, don’t know.
As you’ve probably seen in your searches, some Subarus, especially Foresters, have had some very specific problems, but most of those were on older models. Consumer Reports still recommends them and thinks the reliability is fine. They also have a more complex AWD system than the competition, which is good for situations where AWD is beneficial, but also means there are more complex drivetrain parts that can wear out or break. Of the models you mention, I like the CX-5 best, but there probably aren’t as many used ones around.
Define excessive oil consumption?
I have and love a 15 Forester. Of interest is that I paid $24k for it new. And I probably could have gotten a lower price. No oil consumption.
I selected it because of top rated CU reports, specially great visibility.
You have to ask yourself why someone is selling a car with that low a mileage on it…
b
Here is another vote for a Tucson over a Forester. It has the edge in the looks department I believe.
I am not going to recommend any make/model, but seems like you could get better deals on new models. Check edmunds and truecar to see how much off MSRP you can get.
On Subaru, I live in CA and AWD is almost never needed, so I don’t see the need for the extra complexity in my case, If I was in NE, things would be different.
Certainly AWD and 4WD are expensive to buy, to own and to repair so unless needed it’s worhtwhile to pass them by IMHO. And while considering such vehicles it would be good to know the difference in SUVs an Crossovers and which best suits your needs.
I’ve had my 2015 Forester since September with no issues at all,. One of the big things for me looking at small suv’s was visibility and some appeared to me to sacrifice styling for rear/side visibility more than the Forester such as the Honda CRV. At the price listed you could get a similar deal on a brand new one depending on how loaded up an example you really want/need. A friend who’s had a Kia Rio for a long time looked at the Hyundai/Kia twins as well as the others on the market and bought the NIssan Rogue.
Foresters have great visibility compared to many other compact CUVs. A big plus to me.
Foresters are best you wont regret the performance.