1999 Subaru Forester consumer reviews

Never heard of a Forrester when I bought this rig. 70k on it and a blown head gasket -which the dealer repaired for free- and I am still driving it. No major work on this car. Yes it drips oil...All 99's do. Yes, the motor is clanky but dependable. I would drive it CA tomorrow (slowly) but it would get me there. I am buying a newer one for my daughter.

People selling cars can be great people. YOU MUST Have a mechanic check out ANY used care. I went to this website, saw the 1999 Subaru in Carmel Valley with 167,000 miles. I drove 200 miles one way after owner said in great condition. He did a video tour. Looked great. He said "okay to have engine checked out". So I paid $100 to 3rd party mechanic...thank goodness! Found out "COMMON" for Subarus over100K to need new gaskets. Valves. etc. The owner of the car said car was fine. SO WRONG. Car needed $2500 - $4000 in engine work. BUYER BE AWARE. Nice people should know more about their engines before they sell them. Subarus great, but used...Have a mechanic check.

Long lasting and practical. Really tough to beat on a tight budget. Probably the highest space verse practicality (mpg, interior room, and capible AWD) on the market. A vehicle that is a jack of all trades but master of none. Repair cost can be high and is the only downfall I can find with this vehicle.

Had 100k miles when we bought it 3 months ago, performing flawlessly since then. I had forgotten how much I like a manual transmission. A worthy substitute for our 2002 Forester that was totalled. Enough interior room for the three 6-footers of our family and lots of cargo space.

I bought my 1999 Subaru Forester in September 1998 - brand new off the lot. I was the only owner. I had 187K on the car all my miles - combination of highway and city. The car averaged 25MPH up to the end. The end for this car was February 10, 2011 - when my car was rear-ended by a semi-tractor trailer rig on I405 - jack-knifing big rig that couldn't stop. I have to say that while I don't feel well and that I'm injured from the accident - this Forester probably saved me from much more serious injuries. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this brand this car again. My 99 Forester is totaled, otherwise I would still be driving it. Okay, this car is a little loud on the highway. I did have the valves replaced around 89K - I also did the free oil changes every 3K - and followed the major maintenance that is recommended by Subaru. I had the -S- model heated seats, moon roof, and we did make some changes to the sound system with the way that audio changes - but all in all everything was original. This is a great little SUV and for the price and reliability I wouldn't hesitate if this your budget - I know it's hard to consider a car this old and this price point - but they are reliable - and to be honest? I'm truly going to miss my trusty 'lil Red. RIP and thanks for saving my life.

I own 3 Subarus A forester, an imprezza wagon and an imprezza sedan. All 1999. Change the timing belt & water pump at every 100k and they will go forever. My forester is a rock. Reliable, it has never let me down! Engine gets a little nosier as it ages but doesnt affect anything. I hate to give it up but now I need a Van. I wish Subaru would make a full sized Van !!!!

This car has ended up costing far too much so I'm NOT happy anymore. The gas fill pipe rusted out, this caused the engine light to come on. It cost $583.70 to replace! Next the head gasket blew, this cost $1400. Subaru parts are out of this world. Headlight, my fault $423.00 The car was good up to around 70k but down hill after this. My other car is an Audi A4, it has 136,000 miles and a MUCH better car.

I have loved my Forester and have very few criticisms to offer. 1st the pros: reliable, solid, fun to drive, great in snow and foul weather. cons; interior material quality could be better, (some small parts broke within the first year of light use), brakes feel sluggish until you get used to them, one of the last auto makes in this class that still offers no hybrid or higher fuel economy. Unfortunately, I will be selling my Forester and opting for a more ecologically minded vehicle. I have waited the last 4 years for Subaru to release a suitable hybrid/electric/or diesel engine vehicle of this class but I am still waiting.

I bought a used Subaru and owned it for 7 years. Yeah, things occasionally needed to be repaired, as they do on any used car. However, I would never be afraid to take it on a long trip, as I would with most American high milage vehicles. . . As a homeowner, it was a great work vehicle -- it had a lot of room to haul stuff. Would I recommend this vehicle to a friend? Absolutely!

Well, I had high hopes for this car when we got it 3 years ago with 50000 miles on it. People kept telling me about driving a Subaru until past 200 000 miles..blablabla.The truth is that Subaru enthusiasts remember the good and conveniently ignore the ugly about their cars. To be fair, we liked it when we got it and up until about 90 000 miles it never needed any major repairs. It has never left us standing. At 124 000 miles I now have to replace the rear wheel bearing (again) at $670. Search the internet and read all about Foresters and wheel bearings before buying this vehicle used. I have to listen to the knock in the engine even though I ALWAYS changed the oil at the DEALER at EVERY 3000 mile intervals! Subaru engines are noisy and it is usually the valve lifters and actually doesn't mean anything is wrong. I also worry about the fact that Subaru won't pay for replacing the head gaskets that could go at any moment. Please research this issue online before buying a Subaru. I have to smell burning grease from the leaking CV boots that I have had to replace at a $600 a side. NO, Mr Service manager, this vehicle has never been operated offroad!I need to replace the oil pan at $200 because the plug's threads are worn out from oil changes. The little light on the AC button stopped working, the overhead clock stopped working, the Foglight button light stopped working...annoying, but to be fair, the AC and foglights themselves are actually still working. You just don't know it. The Check Engine light came on. It turns out the spark plug on number 3 cylinder was bad. Perhaps this one is not Subaru's fault. They only picked this part to install in my car, but they didn't make it.The gas mileage is poor. After 124 000 the car only gets 18MPG in mixed driving. At best I got 26. And that was on a trip where I never went over 55mph.I guess I would lease this vehicle since it seems to be OK when new, but I would not buy a used one since they do not age well. But then, if you belief the AWD hype, the Subaru is your best bet. But please take this from someone that has own a vehicle with AWD. It is only useful for starting off and accelerating on a regular paved road when the snow fell and some ice patches formed. It will NOT keep you form fishtailing, sliding off the road, stopping, etc.