Daughter in law buying a Subaru Forester (2017) with 49,000 and a 4 cyl any good?
She traded off a Chevy equinox that burned oil and that she had to replace a head on once. I haven't kept up but it is a auto trans.
Please take note of the following. Thank you. (Details and question moved into body of post.)
Well assuming a good mechanic gives the Forester a thorough inspection and says it's OK it's certainly better than an Equinox, but not as good as a Toyota or Honda. The weakest part of late-model Subarus is the automatic transmission (CVT). First thing you'd want to do is have the CVT fluid changed. (Ignore Subaru's claim that it's a "sealed transmission" with "lifetime fluid" if you want it to last.)
Subaru Forester any good?
It's "Somewhat" good.
Engines are mediocre, transmissions are mediocre, electronics are mediocre - everything about it is mediocre.
It's not a Toyota, if it passes a thorough pre-purchase inspection and will get serviced FREQUENTLY - it's fine.
4 cyl
I hope it's the 2.5L variant - they consume much less oil and have much less issues overall.
The rule of thumb with Subaru engines is to monitor for engine noise and for temperature.
Subaru engines really hate overheating and are really prone to it
(overheating it once usually equals two head gaskets if not two heads)
And when Subaru engines make noise it usually means they're half a quart low,
So if it starts sounding funny, stop ASAP, turn off the car, wait 5 minutes, check and add oil.
Also note that these have a tendency to engine crack valves so again, a thorough pre-purchase inspection is just a MUST.
auto
Subaru CVT automatics (aka. LineTronic) require you to drive correctly and service frequently.
You're going to want to replace the gearbox fluid every 20k-30k miles with the OEM fluid (if possible filter too)
Avoid internal slippage as much as possible (a slippage between engine RPM and wheels when the belt is transferring power), so no rocking back and forward in the snow and no harsh starts - after all, in a conventional CVT the entire force is transferred by a small metal belt on two smooth metal cones, it's really easy to stretch the belt or scuff the cones amounting to thousands in repairs.
She traded off a Chevy equinox
That's a great decision, the Equinox is one of the worst cars out there.
At what millage did the first head ago? and at what millage did it begin to burn oil?
