2003 Subaru Forester Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

Angela on June 11, 2021

i brought this car for $1,800 second hand with 293,000 on the meter, the engine has been running perfectly since ive had it. Ive only had a few problems with it as expected with the price i brought it for. the front drive shaft gave out resulting in one of my wheels comming off completly but was booked in with the mechanic anyway, other than that i've had pretty much no problems at all, ive driven it 4000 and have loved every second of it, being just night drives, random drives, beach drives its been a great car though it

Kimmbalo on May 25, 2021

This is the longest I have ever owned a vehicle. I got it in 2014 w/144000 miles on it. I went from tahoe to Bay Area and back almost every week for 5 years. It screamed up the mountain in 3 rd and 4 th gear no problem. I feel I push it at times because I often am driving up and down the mountain. I was making payments on it when coming back from Bay Area, going up the hill in el Dorado hills, I threw a rod out the bottom of the motor at 154000. People had the nerve to ask if I had oil in it. Turned out mice had made a nest in the catalytic converter (because it was stored for a year before I bought it) . Supposedly that’s why. Because I was still making payments I opted to buy a motor from Japan, which is a 2006 Impreza motor. $1710.00 later new motor new clutch assembly. Runs great now. I have 203000 miles on chassis and only about 70,000 miles on new motor. My boyfriend rear ended someone and we replaced the quarter panel, head light assembly and found a matching hood with a scoop ( so now I’m always challenged to race cause everyone thinks it’s an STI-I wish). I have replaced a lot of suspension and steering parts, starter, fuel pump, control arm end links, front brakes and rotors, front shocks, driveshaft, battery, front left cv axel, new front lower ball joints, new clutch again, rewire head light assemblies, put premium rims and nice stereo system, studded snow tired. Then a tourist hit and ran and destroyed my rear quarter panel. At that point I was like “I have so much into it I may as well fix it” so I got all the dings and dents repaired and new paint job. I’m attached to this car. It’s like no other in the Tahoe winter with the studded tires. It’s safe and I don’t have to worry so much that it’s such an expensive car if I do happen to slide off the road in the snow. I will probably keep on repairing it unless the motor blows again. I am a female, but a lot of the maintenance and repairs I do myself. Like tune up and oil change. I also replaced the drive shaft myself ($400) as opposed to paying between $800-$1200 to let someone else do it. Replacing the alternator was easy also. If I can find how to do it on YouTube, I will do it myself.

keef richards on July 7, 2020

best car ever owned, as long as you service it, will never let you down great in snow and ice, good fuel consumption, owned now for 5 years past every mot only thing i bought is new set of tyres, it will never let you down though, dont buy the 2.5lt they have head gasket problems buy the 2.0 engine indestructable.

danny and rose on July 22, 2019

this car met and exceeded our wants and needs.The radio with cd player could be better,but we still have fm,am bands also, love the weather bands.

TempleOS on April 10, 2019

Excellent build quality overall. 110kW on an AWD = pretty gutless, but that's okay so many cops around now anyway lol. Excellent driver visibility. Exterior style still looks good today. Interior layout is good but back seats a little cramped for adults. Good reliability so long as you do the basics like check fluid levels, change oil on time, change timing belt on time etc. If you don't do this kind of stuff then expect problems.

AdofoLee on November 7, 2018

My Subaru made me one of those guys. Yes the nut jobs that owned Subarus before 2016. We were a devoted hard core set of fanboys and girls. We went around in our little engines that could. No one but us knowing there were few places we dared tread. We only gave respect to Land Rovers and Jeep CJ owners. 200k hah! That?s a wuss accomplishment! Races, Rally?s, into the woods, the beach, the SNOW! It was the most fun I?ve had in a car in my life (2002 Q45 excepted). 250k miles been in accidents where the other cars are totaled and she?s still running. Got a bigger, more luxurious, more efficient 2019 Forester, not feeling as much fun, but still nicer for my older behind. Let?s see what happens there.

SubaruFan03 on October 18, 2018

I bought this car new in 2003. It has met all my expectations and more. Great highway traveler plus economical and useful around town. Great reliability for the money. My son's family now owns it and it is about to turn 200,000 miles. With regular maintenance, this car can last virtually forever.

Danylallen on August 11, 2018

Great commuter car, reliable, best Colorado type of auto for all kinds of weather - never gets stuck in snow. Gets good mileage, and is a great investment.

zootmoney on July 25, 2018

Bought my XT in 2003 a demo with 900 miles on the clock, now 160,000 trouble free miles. Super reliability, hoping to get to 200,000. Only significant expense two cam belts and a clutch.

"Grief" after Rommel's command car on February 18, 2018

Well! This baby grows on the crockels of my heart. I think it will plow through more mud than a hummer and won't complain if you do fawn over it when upkeep comes around. A tough, cream puff that can keep up with higher price cross country cars that can only ford a rock bottom stream. The more you get to know this "Thing" it is like the VW thing-ready for "The Eastern Front" with or without much fanfare.