Mitsi Outlander OR Subi Forester

[GASWAGON]

My missus EF Mont is getting on and its a sedan with the big lpg tank also so she's asking for something with more room for the boy and more reliability and something than can tow a trailer for camping gear or a trailer tow to the tip etc etc.

Anyone know what the reliability of the Mitsi Outlander or Subi Forester is like?

My experience from Japanese motorbikes is that thye're extreemely reliable.

Ther are some really low kilometre cars around for under 10K!

Poor old EF has had camber kits fitted in front and all new tyres and brakes but we think its blown the head gasket and the trans is starting to play up.

We can either get the head gasket replaced or just buy something else that will actually be more versatile for us???

[ZA-289]

Forester. Higher quality in every aspect

[XtRmn8]

New or used?

If new there are much better alternatives on the market today.

[GASWAGON]

Originally Posted by ZA-289

Forester. Higher quality in every aspect

Ye I remember my old man telling me years ago how reliable the early gen Subaru's were.....But I do like the higher ground clearence of the Outlanders.

I am leaning towards a Forester just for that boxxer 4 and all the reliablilty.

[pmacc]

Subi's may be reliable but when they go wrong the parts are going to be alot more than compared to a Mitsi.

[SSVPom]

Second hand ? Outlander XLS lux or VRX.. Cheap and reliable, spacious with 7 seats and loaded with kit on these higher spec versions. They don't drive as nicely as the Forresters though, but only need servicing once a year instead of twice, and parts are much cheaper.

[DougM]

I have a diesel Forester......I love it....We tow a camping trailer....Our usual trip is 650km return trip. I do it on 50 litres towing a trailer......The best part is, up hills it maintains speed.....We go past Yass(NSW) and there are only 2 hills where I downshift from 6th to 5th to maintain 110km/hr.....I borrowed my inlaws' Pajero(petrol) once and it used 3 times the fuel and I had to downshift to 3rd gear on most hills and still couldn't maintain 100-110km/hr. The Forester handles great on dirt trails too....I have three kids in the back aged 7-11.....No complaints yet for comfort.....The Subaru really surprises my mates with bigger 4WDs.......

[NX74205]

Originally Posted by XtRmn8

If new there are much better alternatives on the market today.

This.

Drove the new Ford Kuga recently and loved it. If I wanted an SUV I'd get the Kuga.

[nstg8a]

I think the op is intimating that the budget is 10k and under....

[Jacko*]

I have had a bit to do with my dads 2002 Subaru Forester lately. He sent it to me to have a look at some issues it was having. Oil leak, bad shuddering when turning & slight misfiring at 2000 rpm. The oil leak turned out to be the passenger side head gasket. Apparently being a flat four engine the gaskets are exposed to oil along the bottom all the time, even when the engine is not running. Over time contaminated oil sits there & eats the surface of the gasket away til you get an oil leak. I believe later models have better quality head gaskets. Its a pain to try & replace the gasket with the engine still in the car, so I cleaned the engine up & monitored how bad the leak was over a week. It wasn't that bad more of a weep, so I said to Dad I would wait til it gets worse before I would fix it. This will give him time to save money for the parts which are expensive. While the engine is out I will do the timing belt & water pump. The shuddering issue I thought was the front CV's as they had a bit of movement, but after replacing them the shuddering was still there. I did some more research into the issue & found out about a thing called torque bind. This happens when turning sharp corners, the front wheels turn more revolutions then the rear. This is fine if the center differential is functioning properly, but unfortunately in Dads car the clutch packs in the center diff remain locked up even when cornering. As a result the drive train front to rear binds up til one of the tyres looses traction. The centre diff is located in the rear of the auto transmission & the AWD clutch is activated hydraulically by a solenoid within the transmission. As a temporary measure I have put a fuse in, having the effect cutting power to the solenoid & making the car front wheel drive only.
Repairs to the transmission will be costly & therefor happen as funds become available. The issue of misfiring was a simple one to fix, just a broken ignition lead. Just my opinion but I would give the Forester a miss, I know people say Subaru's are reliable but I would disagree.

[SumoDog68]

Subaru Forester is one of the most reliable cars you can buy . Trouble is once they drop to under 10k they are over 10 years old and even though they are still pretty good used car buy it wont be as reliable as in first 10 years. Repairs and parts unless you can diy are expensive.
Outlander is similarly reliable and more underrated . Problem is that small SUV market is overpriced second hand - you get much better value in a sedan or station wagon these days.

[mechanic]

Neither.
Unless you're going on a lot of rough gravel roads why not a Falcon.
Any small SUV will need a tyre upgrade if you're thinking of going into rougher gravelled areas.
City SUV's only have highway tyres from new.

[Franco Cozzo]

If you MUST have an SUV its worth checking out one of these, the only thing is they really need to be run on at least 95:

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d.../?Cr=4&sdmvc=1

That one has full service history, low kilometers at 127,000 (if the service history is correct its just had the expensive 120,000km service done).

Its not the fastest SUV getting around but they're real reliable cars, when I was working at Honda we never had any problems with the CRV.

[GASWAGON]

Has to be 10K or less.....Thers a couple of Foresters around with 125,000k's and a couple of Outlanders too.

Did'nt think of the CRV will have a look at them too and also Rav 4's.

[The Yeti]

We just replaced my wifes Territory with a new outlander LS and she loves it, we didnt need the towing ability of the territory any more and we deffinatly didnt need the fuel consumotion. And the best thing 5000km in and unlike the ford iy hasnt had to go back for minore warranty issules like brakes and stering issues

[Road_Warrior]

A Forester. With service history.

[DFB FGXR6]

If its the Subaru, a service history is a must.
Skipped oil changes on the boxer engines can cause major problems down the track.

We had the first gen Forester, a '98 model from new. Not one problem in the 5 years we had it.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

If its the Subaru, a service history is a must.
Skipped oil changes on the boxer engines can cause major problems down the track.

We had the first gen Forester, a '98 model from new. Not one problem in the 5 years we had it.

Listen to this man.

Skipped oil changes = bad juju for boxer engines.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by DougM

I borrowed my inlaws' Pajero(petrol) once and it used 3 times the fuel and I had to downshift to 3rd gear on most hills and still couldn't maintain 100-110km/hr.

What's this got to do with the thread?
How can you compare a Petrol Pajero to a Diesel Forester.
2 different class of cars and 2 completely different engines.
Petrol is always going to use more fuel and need lower gears than a diesel. Especially when the petrol weight 800kgs more.

The new Diesel Pajeros are great. They have to be one of the most powerful 4 cylinder 4x4's around. Still great economy since they should average under 10L/100kms and weigh 2.2 ton or more.

[EB#]

I don't have any experience with the Outlander, but my partner has had a
few Subies over the years....

She had a 1990 L series wagon for a number of years that ran up 300Kkm on it and still
went very well. It did have an oil leak issue, but an industrious mechanic fixed it once and
for all without too much expense. This was the only real issue with the car. This
car was sold in 07 and she updated to an 03 Forester, purchased with 80Kkm on it.
The Foz has now racked up 200Kkm, is still going strong and has had no significant problems to date.
These Subie wagons are great vehicles in my experience for both around town and out
on the road for camping trips and the like. As far as parts go, there are a number of
non-OEM suppliers about for various bits and pieces that do offer better prices than
Subaru. The water pump, timing belt and tensioners has just been done on the Foz and
we used non OEM parts, still guaranteed, but with a fair saving.
Note also that the 02-07 Foresters are slim on rear leg room, so OK for small
kids but a bit tight for teenagers/adults. The AWD is excellent on wet bitumen
and on the gravel. The boxer 4 up front provides much of the excellent balance
for the car given the high ride.

The key to a good one, as mentioned, is a good service history.

When considering a Forester, look for a full set of stamps in the log book
as well as the timing belt receipts at 100Kkm. The master window switches
on the drivers side door are prone to failure and wheel bearings can be
troublesome if not installed/grease packed correctly. Like most cars there
are a few Subie issues in my experience, but none enough to be a deal breaker.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by EB92

INote also that the 02-07 Foresters are slim on rear leg room, so OK for small
kids but a bit tight for teenagers/adults. .

This is the reason we moved on from the Forester and the only real issue about the car. Hard and uncomfortable seats as well, certainly not the marshmallow comfort of a Falcon seat, both front and rear.

[Vesper Martini]

Whilst I agree with most here the Subaru is the best bet, the budget is 10K and (without me looking) I'm guessing your going to get a newer less millage Outlander.
this certainly rules out diesel Forester..
IMO have a look at X-trail, they are a bit plain but more Robust.
my experience with baby SUV's is they all have a firm ride, firm seats etc. something to consider if going on long trips

[GASWAGON]

Theres still two other options also.......Toyota Rav 4 or even the Suzuki Vitara???

[dirtyclevo]

I dont understand everyone buying suv's lately.

my sister in law was telling me after she hounded my brother in buying a dualis and how great it was to be up higher, and see everything, it was much safer she said.

but she still managed to write it off. my brother was in the car at the time i might add. well done. go figure

[nothin suss]

I had a 2002 Liberty with a Manual 2.5 litre and hated it.
Was a **** weak engine for towing or when loaded up with 4 people.
Spat a clutch at 100k and head gasket at 120k.
Can't comment on the Auto performance.
Fine for a commuter.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by EF_6

Theres still two other options also.......Toyota Rav 4 or even the Suzuki Vitara???

Rav 4 like most other Toyotas IMO is overpriced and its no Hilux.
Vitara I really like we had one a few years ago, was the only small SUV that had a low range. and a grunty little 2.5L V6 similar to the one below, they must be popular as they still seem to be holding their price as we traded it in 3 years ago for 8 grand

(not a lot of space though, I still recommend the X-Trail)


.http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/de.../?Cr=1&sdmvc=1

[4stanger]

Go and compare vehicles for yourself and then decide.
Don't decide by some one else's opinion.

My wife had her heart set on a forrester and would not test drive one as she reckons they look good and heard nothing but good things about them,
When I finally convinced her to test drive one, she was very disappointed in how the seat, steering wheel were positioned (her opinion).
We then went and tested a lot of other SUV's, end story, she now drives a 2008 outlander XLS (with the 7 seat option, that has come in handy a couple of times)
We have taken this vehicle of road (on roads that need high clearance) and to Melbourne via the Snowies (from Central Queensland) and back, we have never had an issue with this car (touch wood) for the last 4 and a half years of ownership.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Arnaldo

We then went and tested a lot of other SUV's, end story, she now drives a 2008 outlander XLS (with the 7 seat option, that has come in handy a couple of times)
.

Is that the V6 or I4?

[4stanger]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Is that the V6 or I4?

We have the I4 - XLS.

I think the v6 came in the VR & VRX

[GASWAGON]

O.k thanks for the input guys......We are still just thinking about our options.