I was surprised when she went the full circle and started to let me look at later models. My brother has an MY04 manual Forester X and I pretty much new what that was about, I saw a few Outbacks for sale, but nothing in my price range, but the one I bought being a MY03 Forester X auto had done only 61k kms and was spotless. A drive around satisfied me to buy it, and having read enough about other owners on this board saying how forgiving an auto is, it was going to suit me. I needed a vehicle to get my bikes and trailer out of the muddy farm paddocks in winter and something to get me around on the beach for windsurfing and also be economical to drive to work and travel, and that my missus could drive easily - the Forester fitted this easily, so could have an Outback.
So the salesman at the dealer remembered me from before as I had been there before looking, as was the neighbour to a Foreman from work and looked after me for getting original option floor mats and rear tray mat and roofracks chucked in. He even offered me to borrow his Thule roof pod, which I took him up on a week later.
So on week after getting the Forester, I loaded up for a trip to Lancelin WA for a weeks break doing family stuff, as I got to work Christmas this year on my roster. It was loaded to the hilt, lucky for the pod, made good use of that. Suspension sagged a bit on the rear, but handled ok, roof load was a bit of a drag to economy, but ok all the same.
Took the Forester onto the beach heaps of times up there and a drive behind the dunes on the tracks to Ocean Farms along Sappers Rd, a sandy limestone ridged capped bush track. I have already got some scrub marks on the paintwork on it and my son christened the back seat with a chuck and the whoops on the sand tracks are pretty relentless, and full of fine Lancelin white sand by weeks end, well and truly broken in now, and driven how it should be!
I was really impressed how the auto went, being my first auto offroader. It holds it own and so smooth when it gets boggy, no changing down and loosing momentum, use the Hold for gear selection and easily powers through, aircon on as well! Clearance underneath was good being stock, never bottomed at all. My brother who came up for one day, was a bit pissed I didnt need to change to low like he did. Real impressed it comes with LSD and 4 disc brakes, always sort after items for L series.
Power is around the similar to the turbo EA82T wise, but without the rush, but a least a lot more forgiving and runs normal fuel.
So far the first mods will be a towbar, maybe a tranny cooler, then look for a front mount bullbar and lights, if this sags the springs a bit, some King Springs may be the go with a 1" suspension lift. One day later maybe a 2" lift kit??
Cheers,
Roger
Heres some pics from last weekend:
Brothers MY04 manual and my MY03 auto - both red, just so happens to be.
