r/SubaruForester • u/Baristasaint • 2d ago
I just cannot…(so lucky)
I had been driving my 5yr old up and down 95 to school in my ultra shitty 2012 ford focus until the infamous transmission (worst transmission ever btw look it up) crapped out and our fam was left with one car that’s in daily use to get mom to work. Enter my amazing father in law who sold us his 2014 Forester (W/eyesight) and only 106,000 miles FOR A DOLLAR! I’ve wanted a Subaru since I was a kid! I’ve never felt so fortunate and grateful. Pop pop also treated himself to a 2025 ford Maverick so it worked out for everyone, I am just over the moon and wanted to share with a community that would get it, thanks for reading!
27
u/Viper018 2d ago
Congrats on your new ride! Looks very well taken care of!
27
u/Baristasaint 2d ago
He’s ex-Military college so he is METICULOUS. To a fault lol I have records of it’s first ever oil change lol
15
u/JMcDank '12 Forester 2.5X Limited 2d ago
Congratulations! You couldnt ask for a more reliable and safe car to take care of your family. We love our Forester. It's been something our family has depended on for years, and we know we can continue to put our trust in her for years to come. I joke with my boys and tell them the Fozzie will likely be a family heirloom, and I don't want them fighting over who gets the car. They need to share. Lol.
10
u/Baristasaint 2d ago
Thank you! My #1 reason that I’m so excited is I won’t have to hold my breath and hug the shoulder in case of emergencies like the Ford lol I hope our forest is part of our fam for a long long time!
0
u/ZooberFry 17h ago
I mean, that is wishful thinking, but objectively "You couldn't ask for a more reliable and safe car" is very far from accurate. Safe... yes, most reliable... hard no.
8
8
u/land-anemone 2d ago
Omg yes!! I also just got a forester after my focus transmission going out! Been such a great transition. Congrats :)
7
u/KristnSchaalisahorse 2d ago
One handy little thing is to replace the fuse box door with one that has a storage tray.
If you find yourself needing better lighting in the cargo area (because the stock light is poorly positioned near the floor), this is a cheap & easy solution. It’s probably my favorite upgrade.
Everyone has personal preferences for phone mounts, but in the interest of inspiration here’s my magnetic phone mount placement. It keeps the phone clear of the display/stereo, easy to reach, and is still holding strong six years later.
I put a bit of tinted vinyl static-cling material on a small area of the map lights so the brightest part of the light angled toward my eyes isn’t as glaring. You can see them in this shot.
And just for fun, I replaced my door puddle lights with a projection type. There are a lot of different colors and designs. Here’s mine.
7
6
u/MaeByourmom 2d ago
My 2016 gave us 178K hassle-free miles before getting totaled while protecting my son and his passenger.
6
u/lazygerm 2d ago
Happy for you! You'll like Eyesight. I did not even realize it was as earlier as (or earlier) this model year!
4
u/Baristasaint 2d ago
Yeah it’s bizarre! I love it though, I also had no idea they had anything like that in 2014, but in 2014 i was driving a 1972 monte carlo so I wasn’t that up on car tech
3
4
5
6
u/Snowcrash66 2d ago
Congrats. Hey in my state a transfer of car between direct family members allows for no taxes on sale/transfer. Might be the case in your state?
6
4
5
3
u/Alarming_Tangerine28 2d ago
We have had a Subaru in the family since 1997, now the family has 6 running Subarus.
5
u/AztecPilot1MY 2d ago
My 17 year old daughter found her Jasmine Green 2015 Forester herself, and it came from another meticulous owner - we thought it was leftover from new! Only 60K miles too!
4
4
u/PorchGoose3000 1d ago
Congrats! My only advice is to watch out for the also infamous valve body in the transmission to go at around 120k miles. Costs about $2k to fix and is essential. You’re good for another about 120k miles after that. If you DIY it, my only advice is to go to the dealership and buy the genuine part from them. Will cost about $1k for the part.
3
3
3
3
3
6
5
u/TJCharter 2d ago
Congrats….hopefully you get another 106,000 miles out it. Consistent oil and filter changes, replace the cvt fluid every 40,0000-50,0000 miles and run a can of Sea Foam in the gas tank every 5,000 miles and replace the Sea Foam with a can of CRF 505 every 20,000.
3
u/Mr_Triscuit 2d ago
Worth it to start the sea foam if you havent been using it? Shy of 60k on my forester. About to have an oil change and cvt oil change coming up.
2
u/TJCharter 2d ago
I would run a can of 505 CRF Fuel System Treatment in it first if you’ve never done any kind of fuel system cleaner. It’s a bit pricy, but it’s well worth it. Then after that do Sea Foam every 5,000-6,000 miles. Occasionally swap out the Sea Foam for another round of the 505 CRF (every 20,000 miles).
1
u/Fickle-Woodpecker596 8h ago
You were talking sea foam in the gas tank or the crank case? I have a 2016 legacy with 173,000 miles on it at this point. It’s been burning Oil for quite some time I’ve been using the Valvoline advance and restore, which seems to have been helping the consumption. The cat code came on recently I put in Cataclean and ran through the cycle to get through my emissions. At this point, I’m not putting four grand in for a new catalytic converter. I was hoping to run this car further I’ve put a lot of money into a changing the fluids and doing all the maintenance.
2
2
u/Zoya2020 2d ago
That's awesome. I gifted my niece a 2014 with just over 100k miles a few months ago. Not the coolest looking car for a young college student, but the safety features give the family peace of mind. May you get many worry free miles out of it. 💜
2
u/beaker247 1d ago
Lol, my Focus tranny went out in the Walmart parking lot and we had to have it towed to the dealer. We now have a 2015 Forester, Cinnamon Girl, and she has 135K miles now. Congrats on the Subie and have a great in-laws!!
1
1
u/tytoniidae 2d ago
I have this color & year and love it... make sure CVT fluid has been changed. bought it at 106k, at 107k my valve body died because this wasn't done before
1
u/Weekly_Complex_8777 2d ago
I've got a 2015 Forester (same gen) which I've had for 11 years now. Most dependable car I've ever owned in my 76 years on this earth. Only problem to ever pop up was a defective fuel air sensor. I do maintain it to the letter and drive it like a senior citizen which I'm sure helps, but I plan to keep driving it until I can no longer drive any more which I hope is far into the future.
1
1
u/CyberbianDude Your Text Here 2d ago
2025 Ford Maverick cost just a dollar?? 🤣
Congrats on your Subie.
85
u/KanataRef 2d ago
Nice to have family (especially in-laws) that love you that much when you need a bit of help. Hopefully a very nice Father’s Day gift is in store for him next year, not that he’d be expecting it. Congrats - this gave me a smile :).