Does anyone have a Toyota Highlander or Subaru Forester?

[Barrie]

Just looking for opinions on these two vehicles as I'm nearing the end of my lease. TIA! :)

[SPITFIRE]

I love my 2000 Subaru Forester! :D :D
We bought it new and over the years have been very pleased with it. You have the advantages of an SUV in a car-like frame. The all-wheel drive handles great in the winter. It also consistently ranks high in vehicle safety tests.

When it eventually becomes time to replace it, DH and I plan to buy another Forester. Good value for the money, IMO.

I know this is really general. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions for you!:cool:

[alisajean]

My DH has a 2002 Toyota Highlander. We both love it! All of our most recent car purchases have been Toyota (I have a 01 Camry). It drives more like a car; but the convenience of AWD during those nasty winter months. Also note that Toyota has pulled in the No. 2 ranking in US car sales just behind GM.

I nothing nothing bad to say about Toyota -- my father-in-law's 89 Toyota is still going at 250,000 plus miles.

[slknight]

I love, love, love my Forester. In fact, there are several devoted Forester fans on this board - Gertdog, KValley, Natasha (I think), KathrynY, etc. If you search on Forester, I think you'll find lots of raves about it.

[slknight]

Hmm. For some reason this didn't bump.

[Beth]

My mom has a Highlander and loves it. I have driven it a number of times and had it while my car was in the shop and they were on vacation. The only thing that has bothered me about it is the noise and the air pressure change it makes if the passenger side windows are down.

[Mlasley]

I too have a Forester and I LOVE it!!!! I got it used (1998) with very low milage. Guess there is not a huge market for them in NC. The all wheel drive was fantastic during this recent ice storm. The thing I really appreciate is that I am short (5'3") and in most SUVs and minivans I had difficulty seeing the end of the hood and had very bad blind spots along the side. I have no problem seeing in the Forester and it is so nice to sit up a little higher on the road. I had been driving a Nissan Sentra so this was a nice difference.

[SueK]

My mom has a Highlander and she loves it. It's given her absolutely no problems, go well with all this snow, :( and also gets good gas mileage.

[KathrynY]

New Forester owner here! :D

We bought our 2004 Subaru Forester XT in November, and I love, love, love this vehicle! If you do a lot of highway driving, I definitely recommend at least test driving the XT model because the turbo-charged engine is really a nice luxury for not a lot of extra $$. The XT model does require premium fuel, which may make a difference to you. The X and XS models do not require premium fuel, though.

I work downtown in a major city, and find the Forester extremely easy to parallel park. It drives like a sedan (dimension-wise it's actually a few inches shorter than our old Corolla), only it sits a little bit higher. Not sure if you need this where you live, but the AWD has been fabulous in the snow and ice. For insurance purposes, the Forester is classified (at least by my insurance company) as a car, not an SUV or truck so you save a little $$ there.

I should say that before this purchase we were (and still are) VERY loyal Toyota owners. Our 1995 Tacoma has been very reliable, and if Toyota made a vehicle comparable to the Forester with 4WD or AWD we would have seriously considered it. Already owning a Truck, we wanted a vehicle that was more sedan-like than the Highlander, so the Forester won out.

Good luck with your shopping! :)

[VictoriaL]

DH has a Toyota 4-Runner, which is a slightly smaller version of a Highlander. We have owned 4-Runners since 1985 and are on our third. Believe me, DH wouldn't buy it if it weren't the best car for the price. He trades them in every 7 years or so. The last time, in 2000, he researched and was close to switching a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but his previous good experience with Toyota just pulled him back! We have never had any problems with any of them and will probably get another in a few years. :)

On the other hand, my sister swears by her Foerester!

You have quite the decision to make!

[angelamaria]

i had a 1998 Forester i can't remember the model type. i loved loved loved my Forester, however the transmission broke last year. it was right before the warranty ran out. i only had 25000 miles on it. they rebuilt the transmission. my dh traded it in for a buick riviera and says we will never get another one because of the transmission breaking. that being said secretly i miss my forester:(

i had a red one.

after my buick is paid off i think i will get the new toyota suv hybrid car (don't know the name). i think it is coming out this year.

[memartha]

My in-laws just bought their second Forrester. Also, two SILs have them. FIL can't say enough about this car.

[Ralph]

Love my 2 year old Highlander! Not quite as truck-like as some other SUVs. I had a Pathfinder previously, but though they've updated the exterior, the inside still isn't as roomy as the Highlander.

JMO, but the Forester is kind of ugly:( .

[Natasha]

Hey! I take offense to that comment. ;) My Subie is cute! :D

As Susan said, I have a new Forester too, and LOVE it so far. Just love it. And it actually seems quite good on gas, for its size. Given this winter so far, too, I'm grateful to have an AWD car like this. :)

Natasha

[newbiker2003]

Another forester fan here-mine is a 2003 XLT! at first i thought the heated seats were overkill but now i wonder how anyone gets warm in the morning without them;) Seriously, love the car, the safeness of it, have used it in hurricane weather, sleet, snow, etc...drove it from Maryland to Florida and back with no issues (and got over 30 mpg). DH, who is 6ft tall, fits comfortably too...

Kel

[Barrie]

Wow! Thanks, everyone, for all the great feedback. :) I truly appreciate it. It sounds like there are a lot of loyal Subaru and Toyota owners on this board.

[Valerie226]

We have a 04 Forester. It handles better than any car I?ve driven & has a nice ?stuck to the road? feeling. Solid and stable. Nice storage areas. Wide open visibility, no blind spots. I like the weather band on the radio. Outside temp reading on the dash. Side air bags. AWD& anti lock brakes. it?s zippy enough even without the turbo package. I wish the gas mileage were better but it?s reasonable. We were told by the dealer than you can?t put chains on it but the manual says different. If you live or travel to areas where chains may be necessary you should clarify this. In fact if the Highlander is AWD ( it might be 4WD) that might be a question to ask also. I think he highlander is a bigger, taller more SUV-like vehicle, while the Forester is lower to the ground and more carlike. The Forester still has decent ground clearance if you go on rough roads.

We also have a Toyota Tacoma truck and a Toyota corolla & have high praise for Toyota products in general. Our truck had a serious transmission problem. It was clear that the service mgr ( and toyota) would move heaven and earth to get it resolved. And they did. I?ve had lots of cars and dealt with many dealers. Toyota has been a standout.