I used to have a 2016 WRX for about five years until a deer decided to jump over the median and land right on my hood last week. Insurance will probably total it, so I’ve started looking for a new car.
I came across an ‘08 Forester X with really low miles and it caught my attention.
Is it a good idea to get one of these in 2024? What do you all think?
At 66k miles, I’d say go for it. That generation was one of the last truly reliable Subarus.
Mine has 228k and still runs great—no weird noises, no major issues. Still on the original suspension too, except for ball joints that had to be replaced when the boots tore.
@Grayden
The only downside for me is that it’s not an XT, but I doubt I’ll find an XT with under 120k miles that isn’t priced at 20k.
I think insurance is gonna lowball me, so I might just throw in a new head unit and backup camera for city driving and still come out ahead compared to buying a $15k+ used car.
Grayden said: @SolomonMark
Yeah, after a WRX, it’s gonna feel slow, but at least that means fewer speeding tickets, right?
Finding a low-mileage XT is tough unless you’re ready to pay crazy money for it.
Somehow I never got a ticket with the WRX, but it did give me headaches when I misjudged the trunk space.
That’s another reason I’m looking at the Forester—I’ve lost count of how many times I couldn’t fit a cooler in the WRX or had to avoid certain driveways because I’d bottom out. Time to get something a little more practical, as much as I hate to admit it lol.
@SolomonMark
Yeah, wagons are a whole different world. I once fit a dishwasher in mine with the seats up—got some funny looks from a couple in a truck parked next to me.
If you ever need more ground clearance, it’s super easy to lift these with strut spacers and bigger tires. You could get 10 inches of clearance for just a few hundred bucks.
Misha said: @SolomonMark
If it’s from the Northeast, have you checked for rust underneath? An ‘08 could have a lot of corrosion depending on how it was kept.
From what I saw, it looks like it was garage-kept, but I’m gonna go back today and check again in better light.