2002 Subaru Forester consumer reviews

I bought this car used, with a previous owner that kept up on the maintenance and took excellent care of it, with no rust despite 16 years of Michigan winters. I've just rolled 165k miles, and she runs like she's only got 100k on her. I've babied previous vehicles up to 240k miles, so I'm expecting her to reach at least 300+ as trusty and reliable as she is. The engine is quiet, the transmission is smooth. I've recently had to do a couple of wear-and-tear replacements, such as exhaust pipe and right CV axle, but those weren't unexpected repairs. I'll likely need a new clutch in the next year or two, but it's original, so not completely surprising there, either. Other than that, just regular maintenance (oil changes, tires, wipers). She's amazing in the snow with her AWD; I can easily cruise through half a foot of thick snow at 40-45mph like I'm on dry pavement because of how well she handles. She's also just the right size to be able to load up whatever I want with plenty of room (dog, groceries, hiking supplies, etc). This car is my baby, and I hope to have her another 5-10 years. She's sold me on Subaru's. I won't have anything else now.

Being a single father with a child in a car seat going from a stick shift coupe to this, I am in heaven. It is so spacious on the inside, yet is still a manageable size on the outside. I got mine with 75.5k miles, it's 16 years old and still runs like a champ. No complaints yet. I'm confident this vehicle with be with me for a very long time.

Recently bought a 2002 Subaru Forester for my daughter and absolutely loved. It has low miles 106K even though its an older model. I liked the all wheel drive feature and the fact that it is reliable and the safest car to drive during the Winter. The only thing I notice on this Forester is that it has a soft brake touch feel compared to the other cars I'm used to. I Googled on it and I guess this is how Subaru brakes are. Just have to get used to it. Other than this I absolutely love the Forester.

It is an aesthetically great car, but it was really hard to turn the car either direction, the wheels squeaked a lot. I wish it was in better shape.

This was my daily commute and the weekend family adventure car. perfect for both. Said to see it go but it was totaled when a distracted driver drove me off the road against a guard rail and scraped up the drivers side. at 128k miles she was still young.

Subaru is one of the best all wheel drive/four-wheel-drive's I've ever driven. There has been very few times where I've lost traction on this car one of those was trying to drive over a snowbank that was 4 feet high and getting all four wheels in the air and the other time was on a snowy road row simply missed a shift and had to start over in first gear on an uphill in a dirt road in a foot of snow. The most amazing thing I did with it was drive up the Sandune with about eight people in the car and it didn't miss a beat. The car handles well on the road and drive like it's on rails thanks to the all-wheel-drive. It gets good gas mileage is small enough to be easily parked, yet large enough to carry pretty much everything I need for camping and what not. I have told a trailer across the country and through some back country that my wife to still tell scary stories about, and driven the car back-and-forth to work for years with very few problems mostly tires brakes things like that typical maintenance. Bottom line if maybe the ads but I definitely love my Subaru.

Agile handling with good ground clearance. Works well in snow. Upright ride position with lots of big windows and few blind spots make it easy to drive. Not great on gas mpg in town (mine gets 23) but hwy is good at 30 mpg. Typical Subaru, exterior noise is loud especially on rough road. Fit and finish is good. Car can haul lots of stuff especially for a small car. Plenty of space inside. At 106 k mine has now developed a rattle in main drive shaft (either loose bolt or need replaced) but till now has done fine. Happy with car and with proper maintenance will serve me just fine.

Loved this car! Very dependable and safe, no blind spots, would buy again if I had the money. A Vehicle that you can truly depend on

I love my Subaru Forester. It's the most dependable car I've ever owned. xxxxxxthru deep snow better than other SUVs and goes where others can't.

For my first Subaru, it is a great car. Good on gas, yearly costs are low. I have not done any major work to it but head gaskets like the 2.5 says every 100k miles to do. Seat are comfortable, the back should only have kids in the early years.