by "Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
Published 04/03/2017 at 19:30
by "Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
Published 04/03/2017 at 19:30
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STARS: 7
On April 3rd, 2009, we picked up a 2009 Forester 2.5X Limited in Sage Green. Little did I know the significance of this event…
By the start of 2008, my dad was realizing it was about time to start thinking about ditching his 2001 Passat wagon. As fun as it was, it certainly wasn’t getting any more reliable as it got older. I was the big car researcher in the family as a kid; my dad would toss out ideas and I would look into them, keeping in mind that this particular purchase would be for my mom.
One of those ideas was a 2009 Forester, which was freshly redesigned for the 2009 model year. I’d never given much thought about Subaru as a brand up to that point. Before then, you could reasonably consider me a Volkswagen guy, and somewhat a Toyota guy. My uncle did own a ‘93 Impreza wagon (
which I don’t remember
), and a friend’s dad owned an ‘03 Legacy L wagon, but my direct exposure to the brand was extremely limited.
We did the research, checked them out at auto local auto shows, and took some test drives...
(My uncle also bought a 2009 Forester around the time we were looking, which may have somewhat aided our decision...)
Long story short, we ended up with a 2009 Forester 2.5X Limited... our first Subaru... and absolutely loved it.
But the story doesn’t end there... I soon discovered the numerous online Subaru communities and their vast wealth of knowledge, and I couldn’t stop learning as much as I could; more in-depth than I ever had been before. It was also about this time that I discovered Jalopnik (and later Offtopic/Oppositelock); my handle coming directly from this car. 8 years later, there are three Subarus in the immediate family, I’m still hooked on the brand, and I’m still here on Oppo.
The Forester has seen a lot in the last 8 years; the daily grind, road trips, camping excursions, various adventures and misadventures... being the second car a younger Boxer_4 got to drive... and eventually, becoming mine two and a half years ago. The Forester has also taught me a lot in the last 8 years, both in driving skill and in car ownership. That learning still continues; this spring and summer I plan on tackling some projects and upcoming maintenance, both big and small, with the help of some amazing friends...the lot of us having gained a lot of confidence ( and some skill ) working on ( you guessed it ) another Subaru.
The last 8 years have been amazing with the Forester... and I’m looking forward to many more...
Apologies if you saw this post earlier; you’re not going crazy, I assure you - it went live earlier than I intended, which has been fixed...
(Also, look for a review in a few weeks or so when I finally cross 75,000 miles).
"E92M3" (E46M3)
04/03/2017 at 19:37, STARS: 0
No engine work yet? How many miles are on it?
"Captain of the Enterprise" (justanotherdayinparadise)
04/03/2017 at 19:38, STARS: 1
Nice story!
"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
04/03/2017 at 20:47, STARS: 0
The only engine work other than regular oil changes, spark plugs, and the occasional injector/throttle body cleanings were valve cover gaskets and spark plug tubes at 60,000 miles.
It will be hitting 75,000 miles soon. My mother owned it for the first 5 and a half years and other than road trips and some camping, it mainly did shopping/church/gardening duty, and the 2 and a half years I’ve owned it so far were mainly driving back and forth to college. It’s still low mileage at this point! I hope to be driving it a lot more now that I’m a free man (graduated this past December).
The engine had been very solid so far (knock on wood). So has the rest of the car. I’m due for a timing belt this August (time, not mileage), and I should think about replacing the PCV valve as I’m almost positive it’s never been done. That’s all part of the maintenance I plan on tackling with the help of my friends this spring and summer. I’ll be detailing that in another post sometime soon.
"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
04/03/2017 at 20:55, STARS: 1
Thanks!
I saw the delivery date on a service bill recently, which got me thinking about it. Subaru had become a large part of my identity, of which this car played a significant role. There were indications that I may be a Subaru person from a relatively early age (that’s worthy of it’s own post some time) but the Forester sealed the deal, so to speak.
"Captain of the Enterprise" (justanotherdayinparadise)
04/03/2017 at 20:59, STARS: 0
I really got into Subarus a couple of years ago and still like the foresters(particularly the gen you have), the WRX (everything but blobeye), outbacks before they got pretty big and legacy especially the last gen. But it was looking pretty risky in the sub $4000 range especially with how slowly they depreciate.
"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
04/03/2017 at 21:15, STARS: 1
Those are all awesome if I say so myself. I wish my generation of Forester XT was still available with the stick in the US like it was in Japan and Australia. Also sometimes wish my Forester was an XT, but that’s neither here nor there; I still love my 4EAT 2.5X.
Even the $6,000 range (for the turbo models) can be dicey. A mutual friend picked up an ‘03 Bugeye in that price range about 6 months ago, and our group of friends have been working the entire time to fix issues and catch up on maintenance (and there’s still a lot of work to be done).
"m-b-w loves his SUBAROO" (m-b-w)
04/03/2017 at 21:57, STARS: 0
God, you’ve got no miles on that thing!! It looks great for an 8 year old car! I’m just about to cross 46k on my 2015. Can’t believe it’s already been 2 years of SUBAROO ownership for me!
"vicali" (vicali)
04/04/2017 at 13:39, STARS: 1
We just crossed 100k Km on our 08 Forester, so around 62K miles..
Bought it on 06/07/08...
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
04/04/2017 at 16:18, STARS: 0
You drive about twice as much as me. People’s minds are boggled that I’ve put barely 10k on my FoST in the 2 years since I bought it.
"m-b-w loves his SUBAROO" (m-b-w)
04/04/2017 at 16:34, STARS: 0
I dig your Canadian spec non painted bumpers! Wish we got those in the states post facelift!
"vicali" (vicali)
04/04/2017 at 16:43, STARS: 1
Canadian Anniversary Edition, used to be the LLBean/Columbia version.. It’s the X base model with the huge sunroof, heated mirrors, and heated seats.
I like it because even with the UR RA the gravel can’t touch it..
"WiscoProud" (wiscoproud)
04/04/2017 at 16:51, STARS: 0
I saw
"boredalways" (boredalway666)
04/04/2017 at 19:16, STARS: 1
Matt Foley would be very proud of you
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/motivational-speaker/n10432?snl=1
"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
04/04/2017 at 20:15, STARS: 0
See my reply to E92M3 regarding the mileage.
It’s in really good shape except for a few fairly minor cosmetic issues; a small dent or two, two scratches that could use a professional touch up, a peeling PZEV badge and center caps, and a few minor interior issues (cracked door armrest, sun visor that doesn’t stay completely up, and a strangely worn passenger seat).
That may seem like a lot, but it’s a bunch of little things that have accumulated over the last 8 years. I plan on tackling a lot of those over the summer (except for the dents, those are staying due to the story behind them).
Time really flies, doesn’t it...
"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
04/04/2017 at 20:25, STARS: 0
I know exactly what you mean. The 2015 Forester which my mom replaced my 2009 with has ~16k on it after 2 and a half years of ownership. And that’s with taking it on a few road trips.