Went over to the dark side...

[hberdan]

I finally got fed up with my 2002 Saab 9-3 after several epic expensive repairs. I don't mind repairing my Tercel--but the Saab became wildly unreliable, and it was difficult to justify repairs anymore. So I traded it and bought a 2012 Forester (as a backup for my Tercel, of course).I've not taken any photos of my car yet, as it has yet to be delivered; Japan nearly nuked itself into the sea, as you know, and Japanese car deliveries are s-l-o-w. Dealers have anywhere from 10-20% of their normal stock... not a single dealer in the entire Denver area had the model I wanted in stock; I had to order it from future dealer deliveries.
Mine should show up on the 19th, in time for a couple of Xmas ski trips. It's pale green with a grey interior, like the stock photo, and is just the base model w/ a manual tranny. The only ups and extras I added were some floor mats and the alloy wheels. Subaru has great financing--but poor judgement--as they actually gave me a decent trade in price on the Saab.
Fwiw, I did take a good look at a couple of other vehicles, Rav 4's and CRVs, but the Subaru was the winner for me. Plus, the price was actually better than the others. (Ymmv)

[4wdchico]

Subies are great if you play the game correctly:

1) Get the extended warranty.
2) IIRC the timing belt and a whole bunch of other stuff needs to be done at 105k miles. So unload it just before it has 100k miles or before the warranty coverage runs out.

Actually this is true for most cars being sold these days. It is just that with the added complication of the AWD on top of stability control, anti-lock brakes & on & on, they are really expensive to fix if you are out of warranty coverage

[hberdan]

Good advice on the extended warranty!
These new FB25 Subaru engines have timing chains, no more belts!!!! Yeaaa!! Nice, another reason I bought it. As much as I disliked the Saab, it at least had a timing chain, about the only non problem in the car.

[Mattel]

Pity you guys dont' get the diesel over there. Or the dual range transmissions. Great cars though as long as you keep up with the oil changes.

[hberdan]

Pity you guys dont' get the diesel over there. Or the dual range transmissions. Great cars though as long as you keep up with the oil changes.

Yeah, that diesel s supposed to be really efficient, great mileage, but it probly will never happen in the US. Just like we never got fuel injected Tercel wagons. Subaru will have a hybrid for sale in the US next year, but from what I heard today, ot will not be all wheel drive, only 2wd, as the battery space takes up too much room on the chassis for the awd to fit.

[4wdchico]

Pity you guys dont' get the diesel over there. Or the dual range transmissions. Great cars though as long as you keep up with the oil changes.

Yeah, that diesel s supposed to be really efficient, great mileage, but it probly will never happen in the US. Just like we never got fuel injected Tercel wagons. Subaru will have a hybrid for sale in the US next year, but from what I heard today, ot will not be all wheel drive, only 2x2, as the battery space takes up too much room on the chassis for the awd to fit.

Cool, I'm game to see a both wheels driven 2x2 motorcycle.

[rer233]

congrats on dumping the saab (Something Always Aboutto Break.) subie should be MUCH more reliable if they're anything like the previous models. heard saabs are currently out of production and dealer - sourced parts are pretty much limited to stock on hand. good move!