For sure the best car you've had in many years! I'm think you were quite excited, opened and closed the bonnet without even mentioning what engine it is 😂
@@HubNut It'll be more sensible to keep the Berlingo because MPG..... so do the unsensible thing and sell that and enjoy more time at the petrol station 🤣🤣
In HubNut terms, this Forester is a Bentley Continental GT! Come on Ian, it's time to treat yourself to this fine, fast family car for a good while! 👍👍
Good call!!! Great for the Welsh winter. I wouldn't rush to sell it...... It's a proper car and ought to last for ages if it's not rusty. The smile on your face when you started it says it all.
This one is a keeper in my books! The mileage, the condition and to have something exciting to drive and not really break speed limits all the time. I love my Forester (although slightly jealous that yours is a turbo and mine isn't, although making similar HP), and I'm sure you'll fall in love with yours! I think this may push Bella out..... Just maybe.....
We've had a 1998 2.0 gls non turbo since 2014 and love it. Legendary traction in mud or snow, drinks fuel like an alcoholic drinks wine and loves to invite the tinworm into it's chassis. Get your hand up the inside face of the rear strut towers and cast a cynical eye over the rear subframe as they are favourite rot spots on the SF5.
@@Digitalpiracy It certainly is & just up the road from Ashridge, back in the day as a taxi driver in Berkhamsted I used to drop people off there to pick up their cars.
I have indeed driven a car with a 20 year old timing belt, and it took exactly two days to end just as you’d expect it to. I’d get that job done as fast as humanly possible. Lovely car though - you could do worse than sell on the berlingo and an other car and keep this one instead.
The smile says it all! It’s a keeper! On another note, I’m sorry that Mrs HN got pulled out of the car and arrested! I did warn her about selling knock off gypsy creams out the back of a van!
KEEP IT! These are the swiss-knife of cars! I know, I´ve got a 2006 Forester XT. It IS basically a Impreza WRX in a bigger jacket and on stilts. Most of the mechanical parts are interchangeable. And the 4wd-system on the turbo-charged Subarus are different and better (rear lsd, rwd-biased center-diff) than on the naturally aspirated ones. An overland capable rally estate!
Back in the late 70s, I worked for a year on a large Pembrokeshire estate owned by an extremely large pension fund. The whole place was run on a bit of a shoestring, but they had the sense to let the manager buy the car he wanted. It must have been one of the first 4wd Subaru estate cars in the UK, and I am guessing he saw Subarus on sale at the Royal Welsh Show. And a bloody good car it was for both on and off-road use. It was usually bang full of boisterous farm staff, with a couple of sheepdogs, a feed bag and a load of baler twine in the back. A lot more comfortable than a Land Rover. And apparently much cheaper than a Range Rover. So literally, a damn good estate car!
@@tsl56 I can relate to this one. I spent a year working on an Agri account. Everywhere I visited in the UK, each farmer had some sort of Outback model usually bought second hand, filthy and with a sheepdog in the back. Bought for all the reasons you mentioned. They just go, and go on forever...
Nice car and what a lovely thing to do by its previous owner! Nifty brand badge - the Pleiades are a star cluster that I love taking images of during the winter months.
Re: Oil on manifold. Don’t be tempted just to nip the cam covers up. Soft alloy bolts and the bolt seals go hard. Get a new seal and bolt seal set - only way to go. Sod of a knuckle scraper of a job, but doable in the drive … and the parts are pennies, but you will need a very short socket.
Fantastic cars! I had an sg turbo LL BEAN EDITION and it was wonderful. Easy to work on too despite peoples quams. The autos in them are great and theyre amazing off road considering their stature. Especially in sand. Love it!
That's got to be a keeper,in that condition and mileage, that would give you years of motoring , it would easily tow bob, the belingo could go,definitely do not sell this one.
Very cool, makes a beaut noise. I've had a few and that looks like a fun one: the handling is predictable, they're mechanically simple and elegant, parts are everywhere, and they're easy to fix. Manual gearboxes have been a problem, so nice that you have avoided that complication. Softer paint than a European car too. Enjoy!
I have an X-reg Forester S-Turbo Manual in green. I bought it in January as a workhorse whilst we relocate to rural Shropshire and it’s been astonishingly reliable, touch wood. The fuel economy is appalling and it only likes pricey petrol, but I think it’s a keeper. Best of luck with yours, looks great 👍
Had two of these, a mk2 All Weather and a mk3 XE. Best years' driving I've had. You needed to own an oilfield to drive them but that boxer engine is sublime. The XT was insane. Enjoy.
Another great find. It sounds brilliant, and looks great. I think Jeremy Clarkson thought the Subaru Legacy Outback was his perfect car, and I don't blame him.
The owner must be in mourning. What a gallant gesture. We all get to see his truly cared for example of a remarkably rare car, passed on to good hands, and an appreciative audience. I think you might have similar struggles in letting this one go. Only time will tell. An envious addition to the fleet, well done.
I started as an apprentice at the local Subaru dealer & absolutely adored them, couldn't afford one on apprentice wages & always regretted never owning one. This one hit me right in the nostalgia, I hope I can free up the necessary funds when (if) you come to sell it!
I'll jump on the band wagon and say this should be a keeper. Apart from the lurking temptation to thrash it, this is a very sensible and solid car, so long as you get the cam belt changed and get religious about changing the oil on time ... or sooner. The cam belt in my '03 Dodge Neon wasn't 20 years old ... only 17! And in spite of it having nearly 200,000 miles on it, it looked surprisingly "fresh", with no cracks or missing teeth. Changed it as a matter of routine since I was in there replacing the water pump. That was the bit that was truly shagged!!
Now that's a cracking motor! Here in Italy the emergency first aid cars that precede the ambulance have been Subarus for years. I know a doctor who has been driving Subarus since the early 90s, he was an Alfasud man before.
Keep this one. They are amazing load luggers. They work in all weathers. Great for towing. Just make sure you service regularly and check the coolant as they're known for HG failure.
I have owned many cars over 43 years but one of the few I would have again is my 2003 Forester XT, which was bought because my father owned the Mk 1 Forester. The driving position is perfect for someone of my limited height 5'7" and the torque delivery made it the perfect point and squirt car for cross country driving. The ride is also nice and balloony in the non-turbo models.
I’ve had 2 - 2003 2nd Gen & 2008 3rd Gen. Just the best cars - practical, well equipped, and my 2nd one was 2.5 turbo EJ255 230hp - very fast dog carrier. Timing belt is a dead easy job but all the bolts will strip out of the cover, and the water pump is dead fiddly. You’ll need cam lockers for the nearside cams. And if you feel it’s down on power - it’s always vacuum leaks … they get really bad. And yes - EJ205 interference engines
reminds me of 2 years ago when I bought my Saab 9-3 2006 TiD-150 estate. Also a London car pushed out by ULEZ. It had 49K miles on the clock and apparently its original timing belt. First drive on my collection caper was straight to a garage to get that and the water pump changed
Really good cars, had quite a few over the years - just need to keep on top of rust proofing the subframes, inner wheel arches & sills. It will be great fun on those excellent Welsh roads 👍
Excellent new ride, i'm rather jealous as i've always fancied one of these from when they first came out. I've also had cambelt issues, i found after a years ownership of my 94 VW LT35E that it had never had a cambelt in 26 years. All done now by the way
Foresters are great cars, I still have my 1999 mk1, my better half is drooling over your Turbo one! If and when you come to sell it we are definitely interested........
Haha, it's not often I guess new Hubcars, but with this one I recognised the interior and THEN you revved the engine, splendid. Proper rural beast so like everyone else here I hope you're going to hang onto it for a good while.
Wonderful car. I owned one about 15 years ago and I still miss her. Handled beautifully because of its low centre of gravity. The great burble sound effect. Possibly my favourite vehicle I’ve owned. Hugely practical and built like a tank. 😊
Very good. It brought back memories of when I lived in London, between 1968 and 1970. My father was an officer in the Brazilian Air Force and served at the embassy as an assistant to the air attaché. I was 12 years old. We lived near Sloane Square station, which I used daily. as I studied in Kensington. On the weekends, we would take the train from Victoria to West Byfleet to visit a family friend of ours. When we returned to Brazil, my father bought a VW Variant 411 (Typ 4), automatic with a sunroof, and shipped it to Brazil. This model was never sold in Brazil; ours was one of the few. I learned to drive with this car. My father sold it after 7 years of use, very cheaply, and bought a 4-cylinder Ford Maverick. B Regards.
Congrats! We had one almost identical to yours, if it weren't for the mods on yours they would have been identical. Thirsty but great to own. The interior shots really took us down memory lane. Ours was replaced by an Audi A6 estate that turned into Christine once the scuttle caused the interior to flood and the electrics went haywire. The only problem that I had with the Subaru was it's thirst.
I spent 12 years travelling by tube & rail around London & didn't realise how bloody loud the constant noise was. This hew Hub Mobile may turn out to be fantastic fun this winter & get you through any rough weather.
As an Australian, it's always curious to see Japanese built cars sold in the UK with the indicator stalk on the left side of the steering wheel. In both Japan and Australia they are supplied with the indicators on the right, the correct location for a right hand drive vehicle in my opinion.
Nice little collection Ian....I did my own 'collection caper' on Saturday 7/9/24 when I collected a 20 year old Mazda Mx5 with 24,000 miles on the clock from Basingstoke and 211 miles home!... so yes, a 20 year old timing belt on it (although I know it won't wreck the engine should it break)....couldn't say the same about the Subaru!.🤔🤔
Thanks for the Subie memories. I worked for a Subaru dealer back in the 80s. We serviced a lot of pushrod models back then, and the OHC cars were coming out. I'm an old fart and going from memory now, but I think at the time there were two timing belts.... one for the left bank and one for the right. One was longer than the other, and tended to break more often. They would pull the distributor cap (remember those?) and turn the engine over. If the rotor didn't move, then they knew it was timing belt. As I say, it was a long time ago, and my memory might have slipped a bit, but that's how I remember it. That was before the Forester.
Congratulations to your new car. It seems to be the best car you are having. Never thought that the Forester of this generation has such a luxury interior. Even the plastic doesn't look cheap. A family friend of us lives in Bozen, Italy South Tirol. She has a 2015 Subaru Forester Boxer Diesel. Often she has to travel to Germany looking after the parents house. Now this car had run over 270.000 km without any issues, only the clutch has been changed recently. But if I compare the interior with the elder Generation it has also luxury features which make driving comfortable, but in the newer version you find lot of cheap plastic. In Germany most Foresters have petrol engines. Many of them are used as towing vehicles. I was very surprised that even the Diesel engine has that typical nice boxer sound at higher rpm's. I think a Forester is a good purchase even when I swear on my Sorento 😊.
Oh goodnness me, that's a throwback. My mum and dad had a 2000 Forester S Turbo manual (facelift) for about 10 years. I honestly used to *HATE* it: the interior was badly made, the plastics scratched easily, the ride was too firm for long holiday journeys, and for some reason, I always felt quite embarrased to be seen in it. I always thought it was quite ugly and bulbous. After many years of it's passing (we got rid of it in 2015), I have slowly come round to appreciating how good of a workhorse these are. Subaru's AWD system is almost unbeatable, and to our car's credit, it never broke down or left us stranded. They are very rare now, and if you need them Ian, I still have some of the original badges.
@@HubNut I test drove once, and found it a bit too bouncy for our uses. OTOH, at the time the Forester was the favourite hoon car in Auckland at the time, whether stolen or acquired more or less legally.
@@HubNut Be fair, it is designed for hard work, not weekend cruising. I know that the standard of fixtures, fittings and overall convenience belies that category but that's what it is. I have a 2005 Outback here in the wilds of SouthWestern Australia and it really is one of the best cars in the 'Primary safety' class wth handling on loose ball-bearing gravel and clay mud roads which outclasses everything else. It was a low milage/kilometerage one owner car with less than 13,000km/8125miles on it when I bought it in 2018, in almost perfect condition and with all the logbook servicing correctly done. You gotta get lucky sometimes :) Unfortunately the newer models have gone the now traditional way of bugger, bulkier and less maneouverable trying to complete with the bigger and heavier SUVs and dual cab pickups which have proliferated like fungi in the forests after the first autumn rains.
Well I didn't expect that! I was almost excited until I saw the gear selector... Although it does seem to shift well! You owning one of those, what could possibly go wrong. 😂 Hopefully it makes it back to Wales with the insides of the engine on the inside.
Love that engine! Lovely car, feel for so many people in London who are having to give up perfectly good, serviced cars for this nonsense that is ULEZ🤬🤬🤬
Thanks for sharing Ian, it was good to see the underground. I'll probably never get to London to see and experience it in person. Enjoy the new car. Enjoyed the live chat as well. 😊👍
I was delighted to see this appear on the fleet! It’s like a mash up of the Berlingo and the Fairmont, and will do everything they can do. With a towball, it’ll be a great partner for Bob.
Great video and lovely car! I have driven a car with a 25 year old fan belt. This proved to be optimistic as it disintegrated completely within a few miles. Time is not kind to things made out of rubber.
WOW! Interesting times..........the Forester was a very capable vehicle and the build quality was excellent. Will be interesting to follow your future escapades with this interesting vehicle.😎
Nice! Hope you don't get any major issues with it. I always liked the tall wagon look of the earlier Foresters and it would make a good towing vehicle for the camper. I lived in Edgware for about six months when my family lived in the UK.
Travelling on the Tube was a deafening experience for me as well. I lived in North London for a few years when the ancient 38 stock was still bumping and grinding up and down the Northern Line. NVH wasn't a thing in those days. Every moving part below the floor made a noise and under some of the seats there were various bits of kit with obscure acronyms like EPDIC which had their own individual noise to make a contribution to the cacophony.
My wife's 2003 Polo started making an alarming ratting nose from the cam belt area last year, after taking the cam belt cover off I found a belt that had started to disintegrate and one of the idler pulleys had failed leaving its remains to be violently pinged around under the cam belt cover. Oddly when I brought the car there was mention of the cam belt being done in the history, never found it in the paper work and there was no signs it had ever been done and I'm pretty sure that belt was 20 years old and had 100k on it. Moral of the story, check your belts and don't trust FB marketplace sellers
After my Alfa 147 was killed off in an RTA, I replaced it with a 2003 Forester 2.0XT. It was an absolute weapon with the most Jeklyl and Hyde personality. At idle it would sit with that lumpy boxer idle, but open it up and it came alive with a shove of grunt mixed with incredible grip. I had to part with it when rear suspension turrets rusted out beyond sensible repair. Never had a car that hustled along a backroad like it.
Probably the best car you own. Keep it and sell something else.
That is the sensible thing to do. Which isn't very HubNut.
For sure the best car you've had in many years! I'm think you were quite excited, opened and closed the bonnet without even mentioning what engine it is 😂
@@HubNut It'll be more sensible to keep the Berlingo because MPG..... so do the unsensible thing and sell that and enjoy more time at the petrol station 🤣🤣
i would definitely sell the berlingo and keep the forester for towing.
@@m4r71n2006 agree
Great!!! Thanks for ruining the video. 36 seconds into the video. And your comment is top comment on mobile! Cheers! 😪🤬
Ha ha. Same for me!@@timfagan816
Like their fairmont…too thirsty …if berlingo now fixed best option especially when towing as diesels gulp less
Yes, up to the moment it needs fixing. And then the budget suddenly melts down.
In HubNut terms, this Forester is a Bentley Continental GT! Come on Ian, it's time to treat yourself to this fine, fast family car for a good while! 👍👍
I dreamt 20 years ago from a Legacy Outback 2.5, couldn’t afford one.. 😢
Keep it. It's a peach once it's had a fresh T Belt and fluids.
Sorry to say I'd pick over the Berlingo.
Probably much more reliable , at that mileage, it ought to last for many years.
Good call!!! Great for the Welsh winter. I wouldn't rush to sell it...... It's a proper car and ought to last for ages if it's not rusty. The smile on your face when you started it says it all.
This one is a keeper in my books! The mileage, the condition and to have something exciting to drive and not really break speed limits all the time. I love my Forester (although slightly jealous that yours is a turbo and mine isn't, although making similar HP), and I'm sure you'll fall in love with yours! I think this may push Bella out..... Just maybe.....
Too nice, too thirsty
We've had a 1998 2.0 gls non turbo since 2014 and love it. Legendary traction in mud or snow, drinks fuel like an alcoholic drinks wine and loves to invite the tinworm into it's chassis. Get your hand up the inside face of the rear strut towers and cast a cynical eye over the rear subframe as they are favourite rot spots on the SF5.
The dealer sticker 'Deer Leap garage' in the back window must stay. A now defunct local dealer with lots of rural charm.
out near Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire I believe
@@Digitalpiracy It certainly is & just up the road from Ashridge, back in the day as a taxi driver in Berkhamsted I used to drop people off there to pick up their cars.
@@no1froggy I used to swim at the long gone Dear Leap swimming pool
Certainly! My 98 Impreza still has the barretts sticker on the rear window
That sound!!!! Reason enough to keep it and get rid of the Berlingo
I would never have guessed a Scooby in a million years. Very tidy, certainly a change. Nice one HubNut!
We had a 2004 Forester. Apart from the thirst, just about the perfect car. Incredible in the snow with good tyres.
I have indeed driven a car with a 20 year old timing belt, and it took exactly two days to end just as you’d expect it to. I’d get that job done as fast as humanly possible. Lovely car though - you could do worse than sell on the berlingo and an other car and keep this one instead.
The smile says it all! It’s a keeper! On another note, I’m sorry that Mrs HN got pulled out of the car and arrested! I did warn her about selling knock off gypsy creams out the back of a van!
KEEP IT! These are the swiss-knife of cars! I know, I´ve got a 2006 Forester XT.
It IS basically a Impreza WRX in a bigger jacket and on stilts. Most of the mechanical parts are interchangeable.
And the 4wd-system on the turbo-charged Subarus are different and better (rear lsd, rwd-biased center-diff) than on the naturally aspirated ones.
An overland capable rally estate!
The way little hubnut's face lit up as you went round the roundabout says it all, keep it!
Ian is now truly Welsh with this purchase. All that's missing is the bale of hay and a large farm animal in the boot.
Ian should have worn his leather hat😁
Back in the late 70s, I worked for a year on a large Pembrokeshire estate owned by an extremely large pension fund. The whole place was run on a bit of a shoestring, but they had the sense to let the manager buy the car he wanted. It must have been one of the first 4wd Subaru estate cars in the UK, and I am guessing he saw Subarus on sale at the Royal Welsh Show. And a bloody good car it was for both on and off-road use. It was usually bang full of boisterous farm staff, with a couple of sheepdogs, a feed bag and a load of baler twine in the back. A lot more comfortable than a Land Rover. And apparently much cheaper than a Range Rover. So literally, a damn good estate car!
@@tsl56 I can relate to this one. I spent a year working on an Agri account. Everywhere I visited in the UK, each farmer had some sort of Outback model usually bought second hand, filthy and with a sheepdog in the back. Bought for all the reasons you mentioned. They just go, and go on forever...
@@tsl56 Uncle of mine bought an early Subaru 4WD estate for his work as a potato merchant.
Nice car and what a lovely thing to do by its previous owner! Nifty brand badge - the Pleiades are a star cluster that I love taking images of during the winter months.
Yes. The Seven Sisters.
My dad had a 91 legacy estate with the autobox. The 'power' light on the dash as it went in to kickdown was a thing of great joy to 9 year old me.
Re: Oil on manifold. Don’t be tempted just to nip the cam covers up. Soft alloy bolts and the bolt seals go hard. Get a new seal and bolt seal set - only way to go. Sod of a knuckle scraper of a job, but doable in the drive … and the parts are pennies, but you will need a very short socket.
Fantastic cars! I had an sg turbo LL BEAN EDITION and it was wonderful. Easy to work on too despite peoples quams.
The autos in them are great and theyre amazing off road considering their stature. Especially in sand.
Love it!
ULEZ, with no exception for limited-mileage use of older cars, especially in non-diesel form is, an idea from a right Khant, by a right old Khant.
Though BoJo brought the first scheme in.
@@HubNut it applies equally!
Bojo’s idea was sound. Central London was orribly dirty. Outer London has been comparatively clean as a whistle for decades. ULEZ just a cash cow.
During covid London transport needed money Johnson gave Kahn the money in return for expanding ULEZ
That's got to be a keeper,in that condition and mileage, that would give you years of motoring , it would easily tow bob, the belingo could go,definitely do not sell this one.
@@andrewmalyon5699 totally agree it’s a far better car than the berlingo
Yes 100% agree , if Ian keeps the Berlingo over this , he will to see a doctor
Too nice and too thirsty for what he does and uses his cars for.
Very cool, makes a beaut noise. I've had a few and that looks like a fun one: the handling is predictable, they're mechanically simple and elegant, parts are everywhere, and they're easy to fix. Manual gearboxes have been a problem, so nice that you have avoided that complication. Softer paint than a European car too. Enjoy!
Dunno about the noise on the underground, but the pollution is definitely above safe levels.
There are some lovely people about.
Giving a contribution to charity is a superb idea.
Watching from Diego Garcia. Love the way the doors operate on the underground trains
That looks lovely, clearly a cherished example of the Marque!
Always loved the Foresters, a very handsome car indeed. It’s going to be difficult handing it back!
One of Top Gears (real top gear not the last 2 terrible lots) favourite cars likely by all three.
I have an X-reg Forester S-Turbo Manual in green. I bought it in January as a workhorse whilst we relocate to rural Shropshire and it’s been astonishingly reliable, touch wood. The fuel economy is appalling and it only likes pricey petrol, but I think it’s a keeper. Best of luck with yours, looks great 👍
Ian this is a low mile family car, damn well KEEP IT, sell the Berlingo and keep this thing.
Had two of these, a mk2 All Weather and a mk3 XE. Best years' driving I've had. You needed to own an oilfield to drive them but that boxer engine is sublime. The XT was insane. Enjoy.
Another great find. It sounds brilliant, and looks great. I think Jeremy Clarkson thought the Subaru Legacy Outback was his perfect car, and I don't blame him.
The owner must be in mourning. What a gallant gesture.
We all get to see his truly cared for example of a remarkably rare car, passed on to good hands, and an appreciative audience.
I think you might have similar struggles in letting this one go. Only time will tell.
An envious addition to the fleet, well done.
I can't remember when I last saw a Forrester in such great shape. I've always liked this generation. That's quite the gift. Congratulations!
I started as an apprentice at the local Subaru dealer & absolutely adored them, couldn't afford one on apprentice wages & always regretted never owning one. This one hit me right in the nostalgia, I hope I can free up the necessary funds when (if) you come to sell it!
I'll jump on the band wagon and say this should be a keeper. Apart from the lurking temptation to thrash it, this is a very sensible and solid car, so long as you get the cam belt changed and get religious about changing the oil on time ... or sooner.
The cam belt in my '03 Dodge Neon wasn't 20 years old ... only 17! And in spite of it having nearly 200,000 miles on it, it looked surprisingly "fresh", with no cracks or missing teeth. Changed it as a matter of routine since I was in there replacing the water pump. That was the bit that was truly shagged!!
Now that's a cracking motor! Here in Italy the emergency first aid cars that precede the ambulance have been Subarus for years. I know a doctor who has been driving Subarus since the early 90s, he was an Alfasud man before.
I agree you should keep it, doesn't look like it's falling apart like the Berlingo so it may actually be cheaper to run!
That looks so great. I would be selling the Berlingo to keep the Forrester. Pulls lovely and definitely well maintained.
@@cbrown182 yes I agree a much better car than the berlingo and in wales will be outstanding in the snow
Subaru are not cheap cars to maintain, in my experience, the parts alone, tend to be a bit pricey.
@@ebutuoyYT Bearing in mind the money that Bella has cost, neither are Berlingos
@@cjmillsnun Bearing in mind that towing with the Forrester will give pretty horrific fuel economy.
Nice choice - we almost bought a new one back in 2006. I instantly recognised the enlarged sunroof opening!
Keep this one. They are amazing load luggers. They work in all weathers. Great for towing. Just make sure you service regularly and check the coolant as they're known for HG failure.
I have owned many cars over 43 years but one of the few I would have again is my 2003 Forester XT, which was bought because my father owned the Mk 1 Forester. The driving position is perfect for someone of my limited height 5'7" and the torque delivery made it the perfect point and squirt car for cross country driving. The ride is also nice and balloony in the non-turbo models.
quite happy with the new addition to the fleet! fun family wagon! mr mini hubnut seemed joyous about it
It looks to have a receiver for a tow bar. Hope the hook is in the boot. Handy for Bob if it is. Nice one. Big thanks to Chris.
Hubnut high performance :-) Very nice indeed and what a great noise they make. thanks for unveiling your new motor
I’ve had 2 - 2003 2nd Gen & 2008 3rd Gen. Just the best cars - practical, well equipped, and my 2nd one was 2.5 turbo EJ255 230hp - very fast dog carrier. Timing belt is a dead easy job but all the bolts will strip out of the cover, and the water pump is dead fiddly. You’ll need cam lockers for the nearside cams. And if you feel it’s down on power - it’s always vacuum leaks … they get really bad. And yes - EJ205 interference engines
reminds me of 2 years ago when I bought my Saab 9-3 2006 TiD-150 estate. Also a London car pushed out by ULEZ. It had 49K miles on the clock and apparently its original timing belt. First drive on my collection caper was straight to a garage to get that and the water pump changed
Love it! That exhaust note!❤
Fabulous acquisition Ian, absolutely adore these MK1 Foresters.
Really good cars, had quite a few over the years - just need to keep on top of rust proofing the subframes, inner wheel arches & sills. It will be great fun on those excellent Welsh roads 👍
That is a very nice car :) What a noise it makes too.
Excellent new ride, i'm rather jealous as i've always fancied one of these from when they first came out. I've also had cambelt issues, i found after a years ownership of my 94 VW LT35E that it had never had a cambelt in 26 years. All done now by the way
Very nice. Great choice. Not like your usual mobile skips.❤
Foresters are great cars, I still have my 1999 mk1, my better half is drooling over your Turbo one! If and when you come to sell it we are definitely interested........
Haha, it's not often I guess new Hubcars, but with this one I recognised the interior and THEN you revved the engine, splendid. Proper rural beast so like everyone else here I hope you're going to hang onto it for a good while.
Wonderful car. I owned one about 15 years ago and I still miss her. Handled beautifully because of its low centre of gravity. The great burble sound effect. Possibly my favourite vehicle I’ve owned. Hugely practical and built like a tank. 😊
That’s a proper nice car Hubnut! Surely a keeper!?
Very good. It brought back memories of when I lived in London, between 1968 and 1970.
My father was an officer in the Brazilian Air Force and served at the embassy as an assistant to the air attaché. I was 12 years old.
We lived near Sloane Square station, which I used daily. as I studied in Kensington.
On the weekends, we would take the train from Victoria to West Byfleet to visit a family friend of ours.
When we returned to Brazil, my father bought a VW Variant 411 (Typ 4), automatic with a sunroof, and shipped it to Brazil.
This model was never sold in Brazil; ours was one of the few. I learned to drive with this car.
My father sold it after 7 years of use, very cheaply, and bought a 4-cylinder Ford Maverick. B Regards.
Congrats! We had one almost identical to yours, if it weren't for the mods on yours they would have been identical. Thirsty but great to own. The interior shots really took us down memory lane. Ours was replaced by an Audi A6 estate that turned into Christine once the scuttle caused the interior to flood and the electrics went haywire. The only problem that I had with the Subaru was it's thirst.
I would never have guessed this one. Excellent choice.
Very nice. If the engine is ok and you change the timing belt, then you should keep it. This will tick every box and more.
I spent 12 years travelling by tube & rail around London & didn't realise how bloody loud the constant noise was. This hew Hub Mobile may turn out to be fantastic fun this winter & get you through any rough weather.
As an Australian, it's always curious to see Japanese built cars sold in the UK with the indicator stalk on the left side of the steering wheel. In both Japan and Australia they are supplied with the indicators on the right, the correct location for a right hand drive vehicle in my opinion.
Wow, very nice Ian! I haven't driven these in many years and when I did, they were superb. This next to Betty would make a fabulous two car garage.
Betty still in the stable?
The cambelt will be a chunk of change, but this is a keeper. An actual useful car that shouldn’t need too much else doing to it.
Get a cambelt done and under sealed cos that's awesome Mr Hubnut and little Hublet had a smile on his face.
That's a hell of a car, lovely bit of kit!
Get rid of that Berlingo, keep this!
Nice little collection Ian....I did my own 'collection caper' on Saturday 7/9/24 when I collected a 20 year old Mazda Mx5 with 24,000 miles on the clock from Basingstoke and 211 miles home!... so yes, a 20 year old timing belt on it (although I know it won't wreck the engine should it break)....couldn't say the same about the Subaru!.🤔🤔
A Japanese Volvo. Perfect choice for Wales. Could be a keeper this one.
Thanks for the Subie memories. I worked for a Subaru dealer back in the 80s. We serviced a lot of pushrod models back then, and the OHC cars were coming out. I'm an old fart and going from memory now, but I think at the time there were two timing belts.... one for the left bank and one for the right. One was longer than the other, and tended to break more often. They would pull the distributor cap (remember those?) and turn the engine over. If the rotor didn't move, then they knew it was timing belt.
As I say, it was a long time ago, and my memory might have slipped a bit, but that's how I remember it. That was before the Forester.
Congratulations to your new car. It seems to be the best car you are having. Never thought that the Forester of this generation has such a luxury interior. Even the plastic doesn't look cheap. A family friend of us lives in Bozen, Italy South Tirol. She has a 2015 Subaru Forester Boxer Diesel. Often she has to travel to Germany looking after the parents house. Now this car had run over 270.000 km without any issues, only the clutch has been changed recently. But if I compare the interior with the elder Generation it has also luxury features which make driving comfortable, but in the newer version you find lot of cheap plastic. In Germany most Foresters have petrol engines. Many of them are used as towing vehicles. I was very surprised that even the Diesel engine has that typical nice boxer sound at higher rpm's. I think a Forester is a good purchase even when I swear on my Sorento 😊.
Star Guitar -esque scenes from the train window.. very nice..
How can you possibly think of selling this? Given a fast and comfortable family wagon, that's a rare Japanese classic! Surely it has to stick around?
That's going to give Betty a run in the mpg stakes .
You should keep this! Get ride of the money pit... That Berlingo.
100% agree if he sells this and keeps the Berlingo , he may have gone mad
Oh goodnness me, that's a throwback. My mum and dad had a 2000 Forester S Turbo manual (facelift) for about 10 years. I honestly used to *HATE* it: the interior was badly made, the plastics scratched easily, the ride was too firm for long holiday journeys, and for some reason, I always felt quite embarrased to be seen in it. I always thought it was quite ugly and bulbous.
After many years of it's passing (we got rid of it in 2015), I have slowly come round to appreciating how good of a workhorse these are. Subaru's AWD system is almost unbeatable, and to our car's credit, it never broke down or left us stranded. They are very rare now, and if you need them Ian, I still have some of the original badges.
The ride is very much on the firm side, it has to be said.
@@HubNut I test drove once, and found it a bit too bouncy for our uses. OTOH, at the time the Forester was the favourite hoon car in Auckland at the time, whether stolen or acquired more or less legally.
@@HubNut Be fair, it is designed for hard work, not weekend cruising. I know that the standard of fixtures, fittings and overall convenience belies that category but that's what it is.
I have a 2005 Outback here in the wilds of SouthWestern Australia and it really is one of the best cars in the 'Primary safety' class wth handling on loose ball-bearing gravel and clay mud roads which outclasses everything else.
It was a low milage/kilometerage one owner car with less than 13,000km/8125miles on it when I bought it in 2018, in almost perfect condition and with all the logbook servicing correctly done.
You gotta get lucky sometimes :)
Unfortunately the newer models have gone the now traditional way of bugger, bulkier and less maneouverable trying to complete with the bigger and heavier SUVs and dual cab pickups which have proliferated like fungi in the forests after the first autumn rains.
Well I didn't expect that!
I was almost excited until I saw the gear selector... Although it does seem to shift well!
You owning one of those, what could possibly go wrong. 😂
Hopefully it makes it back to Wales with the insides of the engine on the inside.
Love that engine!
Lovely car, feel for so many people in London who are having to give up perfectly good, serviced cars for this nonsense that is ULEZ🤬🤬🤬
A fabulous car. Well played Chris for saving its life and I hope Mr Hubnut changes his mind and keeps it !
Fabulous video Ian, really enjoyed watching it. My favourite so far - thanks!!!
Thanks for sharing Ian, it was good to see the underground. I'll probably never get to London to see and experience it in person. Enjoy the new car. Enjoyed the live chat as well. 😊👍
Neat, interesting and usable, hope it becomes a long-termer
I was delighted to see this appear on the fleet! It’s like a mash up of the Berlingo and the Fairmont, and will do everything they can do. With a towball, it’ll be a great partner for Bob.
I had an almost identical S-Turbo T979ASL, great cars especially on cold greasy winter roads!
I had a later version as a company car and I loved it!!!!! That calls for an epic 'Ptchoooo!!!!'
Subaru Forester - The Official State Car of Vermont.
Judging by the colour and shape it's a Bond Bug.
😂
Great video and lovely car! I have driven a car with a 25 year old fan belt. This proved to be optimistic as it disintegrated completely within a few miles. Time is not kind to things made out of rubber.
I do like warbly Subarus, and the slightly left-field, frumpy but not quite SUV looks of the early Forester. Looks a good acquisition
WOW! Interesting times..........the Forester was a very capable vehicle and the build quality was excellent. Will be interesting to follow your future escapades with this interesting vehicle.😎
Nice! Hope you don't get any major issues with it. I always liked the tall wagon look of the earlier Foresters and it would make a good towing vehicle for the camper. I lived in Edgware for about six months when my family lived in the UK.
Keep it and sell a couple of other cars in your fleet. It'll be perfect for piling in all your holiday stuff and towing Bob.
Very nice cars! A bit thirsty but very practical.
Travelling on the Tube was a deafening experience for me as well. I lived in North London for a few years when the ancient 38 stock was still bumping and grinding up and down the Northern Line. NVH wasn't a thing in those days. Every moving part below the floor made a noise and under some of the seats there were various bits of kit with obscure acronyms like EPDIC which had their own individual noise to make a contribution to the cacophony.
My wife's 2003 Polo started making an alarming ratting nose from the cam belt area last year, after taking the cam belt cover off I found a belt that had started to disintegrate and one of the idler pulleys had failed leaving its remains to be violently pinged around under the cam belt cover.
Oddly when I brought the car there was mention of the cam belt being done in the history, never found it in the paper work and there was no signs it had ever been done and I'm pretty sure that belt was 20 years old and had 100k on it.
Moral of the story, check your belts and don't trust FB marketplace sellers
If in real concern about the belt, try have a look at it and check for fraying, its rare they snap clean , they generally start fraying
Treat yourself and the family keep this! And great for towing
Wow would be good to tow Bob
Congratulations on being given the Subaru. Lots and lots of things to go wrong, ( should be interesting).
After my Alfa 147 was killed off in an RTA, I replaced it with a 2003 Forester 2.0XT. It was an absolute weapon with the most Jeklyl and Hyde personality. At idle it would sit with that lumpy boxer idle, but open it up and it came alive with a shove of grunt mixed with incredible grip. I had to part with it when rear suspension turrets rusted out beyond sensible repair. Never had a car that hustled along a backroad like it.