Sell my 01 Subaru Forester for a 4runner?

[Music_man185]

I'm trying to make sure I'm aware of everything I'll be losing/gaining by selling my 01 Subaru Forester and getting a 3rd gen (possibly 4th gen) 4runner.
A little information about my situation: I have 07 Tacoma double cab that I bought brand new. I've always taken care of it and babied it. The subaru used to be my wife's, but we recently got her a 07 Jeep Commander Limited which she really loves. Since we both have fairly nice vehicles that we both enjoy, we try our best to take good care of them. After getting the commander, we decided to keep the subaru as a "beater" car. It has definitely been nice having a car that we are not as particular about when certain situations call for it.
We've recently been kicking around the idea of selling the subaru and getting an older 4runner and possibly lifting it. We have both always loved the 4runners and would kill to have a new 5th gen, but that's not in our cards right now. We live in the mountains in NC and see a lot of snow and ice in the winter, so the subaru is definitely nice to have for getting around in the winter without worrying about damaging one of our other vehicles. I know that the subaru will get much better gas mileage than a lifted 4runner. But other than that, what would I be gaining/losing by trading the subaru for a 4runner?

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Now mind you this is all opinion but....you gain off road capability however the subie probably has better on road snow traction. 4runner probably has better power and definitely more cargo capability. The 4runner also has more utility as far as camping goes but just FYI you can lift a Forrester. It's not like a 4runner but it is possible.

There is something to be said for keeping a car you have a history with but I love my third gen too.

 

[LittleCaesar]

As long as you haven't experienced the dreaded head gasket failure on those years of Subarus, I'd be inclined to keep the Subie. At least you know the history of the car.

But the 4runner is more adroit off road and offers more space inside. Make sure to read through the buyers guide to 3rd Gen 4runners at the top of the forum here.

 

[Music_man185]

Having more interior room would definitely be a plus. I understand that the subaru may perform better on ice/light snow covered roads, but how much better? Would it be night and day difference? It is not uncommon for us to get large accumulations of snow that stop the subaru in its tracts.

The subaru is starting to have some problems. It uses more oil than it should and the transmission is staring to act up a little. If I don't sell it to get a 4runner, I will probably just keep driving it until it dies.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Having more interior room would definitely be a plus. I understand that the subaru may perform better on ice/light snow covered roads, but how much better? Would it be night and day difference? It is not uncommon for us to get large accumulations of snow that stop the subaru in its tracts.

The subaru is starting to have some problems. It uses more oil than it should and the transmission is staring to act up a little. If I don't sell it to get a 4runner, I will probably just keep driving it until it dies.

Ditch it for the runner then.

I would say it's a fairly big difference if the 4runner is in 2wd but once it's in 4wd I would say it's more marginal if you get one with the transfer case lock. The 4runner is hard to stop in deep snow especially with a great snow tire.

 

[CDNsurf]

Having more interior room would definitely be a plus. I understand that the subaru may perform better on ice/light snow covered roads, but how much better? Would it be night and day difference? It is not uncommon for us to get large accumulations of snow that stop the subaru in its tracts.

The subaru is starting to have some problems. It uses more oil than it should and the transmission is staring to act up a little. If I don't sell it to get a 4runner, I will probably just keep driving it until it dies.

I have no real input towards the subie and I've only owned my surf/4runner for 2 months but it sounds like you have your mind made up already...

It was kinda of like how I was when I got tired of my jetta before I got hit and got my surf.

The last 2 months in my surf has been awesome, and here in Alberta we get a lot of snow/ice for ~6 months, haven't had one issue yet, just gotta have good tires!

 

[NorthernRunner]

I drove a Subaru Legacy for 3 years before buying a 4Runner this past December. The Subaru was awesome but we needed something with more cargo space and something that would let us get down old mining roads.

The Subaru obviously handled better on ice/snow than the 4Runner does in 2wd, but in 4wd the difference is negligible. I had studded Nokians on the Subaru and have them on the 4Runner as well so it's been an easy comparison to make. If you're super concerned about losing the AWD function of the Subaru just make sure to get a 4Runner with the locking centre differential option and you'll be fine.

 

[Quadsbc]

Having more interior room would definitely be a plus. I understand that the subaru may perform better on ice/light snow covered roads, but how much better? Would it be night and day difference? It is not uncommon for us to get large accumulations of snow that stop the subaru in its tracts.

The subaru is starting to have some problems. It uses more oil than it should and the transmission is staring to act up a little. If I don't sell it to get a 4runner, I will probably just keep driving it until it dies.

I've had 14 Subarus and this is my first 4runner. A Subaru with snow tires will blow my 4runner away on snowy roads even with the multimode transmission. Granted I'm running mud tires this winter. I've been able to get my 99 legacy outback out of a parking space and 150' to the nearest plowed road only needing to back up once in 26" of snow. I'd frequently used it in 12" of unplowed snow to get to work without issue. (3am where I did snow removal)

The 4runner is hands down more capable off road. Which is why I got mine. I moved to Maine where my commute went from 40 min to 2 min but there are a lot more off road trails. I'd keep the Subaru for commuting and buy some dedicated winter tires.

When you say burns more oil than it should, how much in 3000 miles? And what transmission problems?

 

[Do-boy]

Realistically, the only major advantage to the Subaru is fuel economy, which shouldn't be a concern for a non-daily. The 3rd gen will haul more stuff, get you more places, is arguably more reliable, and is just about done depreciating. Might as well get the value out of the subby now.

 

[JayRolla]

If you have the XT Forester with the 2.5L turbo I would keep it! Love those cars. STi in a Forester. Guy here in the CO running 10 second 1/4 miles on one of those.

But if not I would go for the 4runner. Its just a lot more fun on the trail lifted. You dont know how many times I have to help the Subaru guy out when he gets stuck thinking he can hit the mountains in the snow.

 

[white_n_slow]

I used to have an '05 Saabaru turbo.

SNOW: I would consider the subaru better in the snow at any depth up to about a foot, the 4 Runner being better at higher depths. Either one will benefit greatly from dedicated winter tires. It's hard to imagine snow deep enough to stop a subaru with good tires on an actual maintained road. On a logging road or somewhere off the beaten path, the 4Runner will keep going longer before getting stuck (which could be a good or a bad thing!) Think about it realistically, how many times last winter did you drive in snow deeper than a foot and for how long? When it snows around here, or when I drive up to the ski slopes, I prefer my low-slung 2wd acura with snow tires over my 4WD LX450 (land cruiser) with AT tires or my wifes AWD RX350 with all-seasons. Tires are very important.

CAMPING/4WHEELING/HAULING: If you're going to use the vehicle for car camping or off roading much, the 4runner definitely fits the bill. I have seen some people "off-road" in subarus and get to locations that you wouldn't think a commuter car could get to. But do it much and you will break stuff, get stuck, or both. The 4runner will take a beating and shrug it off. It's also got more interior space, you can sleep in the back, fit a bigger couch, etc. If you don't do much of this type of stuff, then the subaru might be a better bet.

Reliability wise, either is OK, but I think the Toyota wins this contest. There are a handful of known issues (trans cooler/radiator for autos, LBJs), but once those are addressed, it will just keep going and going.

 

[Music_man185]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

In response to some of the posts:
The subaru is about a quart low at around 3k miles. The transmission will occasionally "miss" a gear. When the the transmission tries to up shift, the rpm's will jump and the car will rev for a second before shifting. This is very common on cold winter mornings if the car hasn't warned up yet.

It is not a turbo model. Basic 4 cylinder (2.0 maybe?) It is a S model.

MOST of time, the main roads are not deep and the subaru has no problems. Side roads and secondary roads usually take a lot longer to get cleaned and scrapped though.

I am a little shocked that you are able to drive in 26" of snow with your subaru Quadsbc. My subaru has been sidelined in a foot of snow before. I usually keep a good set of all terrain tires on it.

Gas mileage is a little bit of a concern. The subaru isn't our primary vehicle, but we do occasionally take it on longer trips. Most notably, we meet up with some friends of ours to go to college football games. The University we go to is about an hour and half drive. We take the subaru for a few reasons. It's the most gas efficient vehicle we have, keep the miles off our other vehicles, and we usually meet up in a shopping center parking lot and leave our vehicle there for the entire game and ride into the game with our friends. It's nice to be able to leave our vehicle in a public parking lot all day without worrying about other people or shopping carts banging into it. I know the 4runner will not get the gas mileage of the subaru. I'm willing to lose some mpg's, as long as it isn't a huge difference.

Off roading/trails aren't a big concern with me. The lift will mostly be for looks. Camping is a possibility though.

 

[white_n_slow]

FWIW, for tailgating purposes, either one is pretty easy to break into (I have broken into both when a friend locked the keys inside), but I think an old Forester has about the lowest "steal me for a joyride" factor of any car out there, lol.

Transmission problems sound a little iffy to me, but I don't know enough about Subaru automatics to comment specifically. I do know that they are pretty terrible from a "pleasant to drive" standpoint.

 

[gamefreakgc]

I do not own a Subaru, so I can't speak to any drivability sort of perspective.

However, I will say that 4Runners do not get good gas mileage. They got 19 MPG highway from the factory (I think 16 MPG city?) but in the real world I drive about 70% highway and get 17-18 MPGs. This sucks for any kind of road trip, which is why our other car is a Nissan Altima Hybrid that gets 35 MPG. Makes a huge difference.

I don't think I would ever own two vehicles with poor mileage for just that reason.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Can I throw some other options into the mix? It might not be popular here, but...
I was concerned about mileage when I bought my 4Runner. Another option might be the RAV4. You won't get the extra cargo space, but the mileage is much better. I would argue that the reliability of the RAV is better than the Subaru too. It has a good 4wd system and decent clearance (maybe similar to, or a little higher than, the Forester?). Another option might be to find a 4 cylinder 4Runner. I think they get better mileage, but still not as good as the Subaru.

 

[JayRolla]

I do not own a Subaru, so I can't speak to any drivability sort of perspective.

However, I will say that 4Runners do not get good gas mileage. They got 19 MPG highway from the factory (I think 16 MPG city?) but in the real world I drive about 70% highway and get 17-18 MPGs. This sucks for any kind of road trip, which is why our other car is a Nissan Altima Hybrid that gets 35 MPG. Makes a huge difference.

I don't think I would ever own two vehicles with poor mileage for just that reason.

Agreed. You dont buy toyota for gas mileage. They spend more time on making reliable vehicles than researching motors and design. If its not broke, they dont fix it.

 

[berock]

As long as you haven't experienced the dreaded head gasket failure on those years of Subarus, I'd be inclined to keep the Subie. At least you know the history of the car.

But the 4runner is more adroit off road and offers more space inside. Make sure to read through the buyers guide to 3rd Gen 4runners at the top of the forum here.

I agree with LittleCaesar, you know the history of your Subie. Plus, 3rd gens are getting pretty old, so the more you know about where it's been, the better off you are.

 

[jgue467]

Normal oil consumption

...
The subaru is about a quart low at around 3k miles. The transmission will occasionally "miss" a gear. When the the transmission tries to up shift, the rpm's will jump and the car will rev for a second before shifting. This is very common on cold winter mornings if the car hasn't warned up yet....

That is very normal oil usage, even for a newer engine.

If you haven't already, I'd have the trans fluid flushed our professionally, this resolves Many cold shift issues for many people. Luck! :cowboy:

 

[Riders of Lohan]

I owned an 03 Forested and loved it before selling it and driving an 05 Outback sedan. Also loved that car.

Subaru's are great.

Sold the OBS to my dad as his winter car, bought the 4runner.

I like my 4runner more but both subaru and toyota can consider me a "customer for life" when shopping for a car - at least, I would consider whatever they offer in the segment.

After reading what you drive and what you're looking for....just drive the subie until it dies dude.

Drifting a forester (no traction control) in the snow is a ton of fun

I think you'd gain little and lose little making the swap - so save the money (and put it in an account for a 5th gen)

 

[Quadsbc]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

In response to some of the posts:
The subaru is about a quart low at around 3k miles. The transmission will occasionally "miss" a gear. When the the transmission tries to up shift, the rpm's will jump and the car will rev for a second before shifting. This is very common on cold winter mornings if the car hasn't warned up yet.

It is not a turbo model. Basic 4 cylinder (2.0 maybe?) It is a S model.

MOST of time, the main roads are not deep and the subaru has no problems. Side roads and secondary roads usually take a lot longer to get cleaned and scrapped though.

I am a little shocked that you are able to drive in 26" of snow with your subaru Quadsbc. My subaru has been sidelined in a foot of snow before. I usually keep a good set of all terrain tires on it.

Gas mileage is a little bit of a concern. The subaru isn't our primary vehicle, but we do occasionally take it on longer trips. Most notably, we meet up with some friends of ours to go to college football games. The University we go to is about an hour and half drive. We take the subaru for a few reasons. It's the most gas efficient vehicle we have, keep the miles off our other vehicles, and we usually meet up in a shopping center parking lot and leave our vehicle there for the entire game and ride into the game with our friends. It's nice to be able to leave our vehicle in a public parking lot all day without worrying about other people or shopping carts banging into it. I know the 4runner will not get the gas mileage of the subaru. I'm willing to lose some mpg's, as long as it isn't a huge difference.

Off roading/trails aren't a big concern with me. The lift will mostly be for looks. Camping is a possibility though.

I was pretty impressed. I thought for sure I was going to be stuck and not going to make the structure fire. It's within spec for a Subaru to use 1qt of oil every 3000 miles. I'd change the trans fluid with non synthetic and run it until the head gasket pops( biggest failure with the forester). 2 ways to get lift for the forester. Buy some 2004-07 forester xt struts and springs1.5-2.5 inches of lift cost 150-300 depending on condition used. Or lift blocks 1" lift (I've got a set I'd sell for 80 shipped).

Here's my impreza outback sport in 15+ inches of snow. I was able to stop and keep going. That's with dedicated winter tires.