2008 Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester is an interesting vehicle. Though it’s listed as a wagon, it looks and feels more like a SUV with its AWD and more rugged styling. This is a great car for those suburbanites who like to go out camping and fishing but who still want a smaller more urban ride.

Driving this car is a lot of fun. It has quick get-up and go, handles gravel, snow or rain like a champ and has room to fit five people with space for extras. The roof rack is nice to have for extra luggage and equipment as well as adding a nice touch to the outdoorsy look. The seats in the Forester are just ok, nothing to complain about but the there's nothing to rave about either.

The problem with the Forester is that it's a Subaru, which makes it very expensive to own and maintain. It’s not an easy car to fix for those who like to do their own work, in fact they are difficult enough to work on that it’s sometimes hard to find mechanics who will bother with them at all. The parts are absurdly expensive and an oil change and tune up (which must be kept up with diligently) can cost upwards of $350 for parts and labor. Up-keep is extremely important for this car. You must keep with the scheduled check ups and maintenance described in the owners guide because if you don't change that timing belt or coolant when you should, the car will break down and you will pay many hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to fix it.

Otherwise it’s a great car. The gas mileage runs between 23-28 MPG even when pulling a small trailer or boat behind it, which it does have the power to do (keep in mind I said small).