Head gasket needed replaced at 135,000 miles. A/C compressor went bad at 140k. Seats uncomfortable. Lower control arm snapped when driving. Very dangerous. Recall was useless. Subaru would not reimburse. Very disappointed. Reliable? My experience NO.

Insanely reliable. Nothing needed to be replaced in the time I’ve had it, and its 20 years old! Currently at 146k miles. Hope to see my specific Forester reach up to the >250k miles mark like many others!

I am the sole owner of a 2004 Forester XS which is still going at 277,000 miles. It has proved to be a reliable car with proper maintenance, and have trusted it so far on many backcountry and off-road adventures. By 2022 standards, the car is just adequately powered, but I was able to tow a #1800 trailer many a time. The engine required an extensive rebuild at 185K miles, which is typical for a Subaru, and the transmission was swapped out for low-miles used transmission at 250K miles - surprising good considering its life history. Road noise/air leaks around the windows are the biggest problem. The sunroof actuator broke mid-life, which was disappointing. Otherwise, a quality car.