Sell or hold onto our Subaru Forester L 2002 with 44K miles (2011, auto)
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I really need to take a picture of our main car... it's a 2001, has 241k miles and you'd be hard pressed to tell from the inside or the outside. But it's been garaged since we bought it in 2005, we keep it washed and waxed, keep the inside cleaned and conditioned (lexol on the leather, vinylex on the plastic), and it Certainly does not look like a wreck... actually, here are a couple I just took:
There's no reason to expect a car to be a "wreck" unless it's actually involved in a wreck, or completely neglected. Since you've decided to keep it, why not do everything in your power to keep the vehicle as nice as possible?
Brian your car looks fantastic given its age and mileage imo!
So, you take care of it mechanically, and looks are the only other thing. That means clearing the garage of those things (that you probably haven't touched since you bought the car), to make room for the car. It makes a HUGE difference on how a vehicle ages, even a simple carport/roof over one makes a big difference.
I know a lot of people have issue with hording things, even if it's no where near as bad as what's shown on TV. But if you have it stored in a garage and haven't touched it in a year or more, it's not doing Anything to enrichen your life. Why hold onto 'stuff' when it's doing absolutely nothing for you? Especially when it IS having a negative effect on a vehicle you do care about?
I really need to take a picture of our main car... it's a 2001, has 241k miles and you'd be hard pressed to tell from the inside or the outside. But it's been garaged since we bought it in 2005, we keep it washed and waxed, keep the inside cleaned and conditioned (lexol on the leather, vinylex on the plastic), and it Certainly does not look like a wreck... actually, here are a couple I just took:
There's no reason to expect a car to be a "wreck" unless it's actually involved in a wreck, or completely neglected. Since you've decided to keep it, why not do everything in your power to keep the vehicle as nice as possible?
Oh, brother. We do not hold onto things we don't absolutely need, etc. You sure made a lot of assumptions that we don't need what we have in the garage. And to even hint that we are not able to know what you seem to know...is, well, annoying at best.
OK, I should not have said "wreck". Our car looks a 9 out of a 10 for its age, even 9.5. I just don't like having a car that looks worn down and old and worried it might in 5 years.
Have you looked into a car cover for when the Forester is parked on the driveway? That can certainly help to preserve the finish, just be sure to get one the is of good quality so you would not have one that is prone to tears, etc.; and, you would want a cover that protects against UV damage, sort of like a SPF cover for your car.
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Sell our 2002 Forester L Subaru now, or keep it for a few more years.
My husband says keep, I say sell. ??? We never drive a lot, do some local highway miles and some city driving - husband took the train to work and I worked at home so we need only one car (we are retired) and we still do the same kind of low mileage driving.
Which is a better deal: Keeping for 3 more years or selling? The car is in fantastic condition (almost no dents or scratches, and what there was were mostly removed because we had it partly repainted after someone (yes!) poured paint remover on the back roof as a prank (ha ha) last year. Actually, he did us a favor because now the car looks fabulous and even has new roof racks courtesy of our insurance, mostly.
Current mileage is about 44,500 miles!
We have never been in an accident, have it serviced religiously at the Subaru Dealer we bought it from - we feel it can go for years. Tires recent, all upkeep done, interior excellent.
Price for a private sale in Very Good condition (it is almost Excellent, actually) is around $7,000 on Kelly BB.
Or, do we buy a new Forester? We love the Subaru.
Thanks!
I wouldn't replace it. I have a 2012 Forester. I don't think it is better. The sheet metal is thin and dents very easily from even people bumping into it with grocery bags in the parking lot. The new synthetic oil is junk. Subaru claims a quart every 1200 miles is normal. Mine has been using a quart every 3000 to 4000 miles on mostly steady driving of secondary roads. The dealer said that Subaru is now recommending oil changes at 5000 instead of 7500. So much for the benefit if longer-lasting synthetic oil. My old Subaru Impreza never needed any oil added between regular oil changes.
My friends with older Subarus like yours typically got 200,000 trouble-free miles out of their Foresters/Imprezas/Outbacks. I'm skeptical of the longevity of my new one. I'd stick with what you have. You drive very few miles and will just be giving the next owner a great deal.
If its a turbo car I wuld ditch it. Apparently subarus have had some turbo oil starvation issues. In fact a guy on another board just had his legacy GT, turbo take a dump, and his car was dead at 60,000 miles.
Have you looked into a car cover for when the Forester is parked on the driveway? That can certainly help to preserve the finish, just be sure to get one the is of good quality so you would not have one that is prone to tears, etc.; and, you would want a cover that protects against UV damage, sort of like a SPF cover for your car.
To be perfectly honest, and not to sound ungrateful - I really do appreciate your suggestion! - I wouldn't be bothered. Where would we store it every time we had to go out? No place. We are in NYC in a city suburb with close together houses, etc. Our driveway is way back and I am not interested and taking a cover off and walking to garage, unlocking, and putting in a cover every time we go out. But I understand what you are driving at (bad pun) and your suggestion is appreciated.
I wouldn't replace it. I have a 2012 Forester. I don't think it is better. The sheet metal is thin and dents very easily from even people bumping into it with grocery bags in the parking lot. The new synthetic oil is junk. Subaru claims a quart every 1200 miles is normal. Mine has been using a quart every 3000 to 4000 miles on mostly steady driving of secondary roads. The dealer said that Subaru is now recommending oil changes at 5000 instead of 7500. So much for the benefit if longer-lasting synthetic oil. My old Subaru Impreza never needed any oil added between regular oil changes.
My friends with older Subarus like yours typically got 200,000 trouble-free miles out of their Foresters/Imprezas/Outbacks. I'm skeptical of the longevity of my new one. I'd stick with what you have. You drive very few miles and will just be giving the next owner a great deal.
My goodness! I feel so upset just reading about your problem with the synthetic oil, but I am confused: Read over your post: "Subaru claims a quart every 1200 miles is normal. Mine has been using a quart every 3000 to 4000 miles on mostly steady driving of secondary roads." I would think that is GOOD!
But that is horrible getting dents so easily. Have you checked this out with other 2012 owners?
Oh, yes, we have decided to keep this car. I am about to post about our trip to the service department 2 days ago. Look for it!
If its a turbo car I wuld ditch it. Apparently subarus have had some turbo oil starvation issues. In fact a guy on another board just had his legacy GT, turbo take a dump, and his car was dead at 60,000 miles.
I made a mistake. Ours is a Forester L, not S, and it is not a turbo. Just an ordinary automatic.
I hope everyone finds this post. If not, do you all think I should start a new thread?
We took the car to the same dealer service dept we have used (they are great) since we bought the car from them.
New water pump (even though it was fine, our decision), new timing belt installed, changed valve cover gasket (which was leaking some oil) and did some wire and 4 spark plug changes, replaced CV joint boots, and a bunch of small, routine stuff, including rotating tires and checking them. (They are all replacements and don't need a change now.)
The guy who deals with us is a master mechanic.
He said the head gasket is dry, not any leaking of oil. Recommended not to change it as of now.
Bill was $2400 (took off a couple of hundred as a courtesy discount).
What do you think? We are very happy. I am going to take some photos of the car to post. We have not quite hit 45,000 miles!
the first step here would be a check on trade-in value from the dealer.
No, that's insane. The trade-in value is totally irrelevant. There is no combination of trade-in value and new car price that will make replacing this vehicle a smarter move than keeping it.
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