My beloved '91 Integra has terminal cancer in an invisible-but-impossible-to-repair location, and I must regrettably begin considering replacing it with something from the odious, loathsome, rolling-rubber-room, NHTSA-designed malignancies currently polluting the new-car market.
I was originally considering only the Honda CR-V or the Toyota RAV-4, but somebody in another thread suggested to me the Subaru Forester. Well, the Forester does look inviting, if for no other reason that you can actually see out the back and back-sides without needing a camera: the Forester has actual windows and not just gun slits! Impressive! How'd they get away with that and still pass the NHTSA death-tests?
Then I bought the latest edition of Consumer Reports New Car Ratings and Reviews. That publication tells me that Subaru vehicles, after they reach about six-years of age, tend to develop serious engine issues, specifically with the head gaskets and other major engine components. My long-term browsing and lurking in BITOG tends to confirm what CR's survey says.
So. What I'm asking for here are dissenting opinions, preferably backed by personal experience. Let's see 'em.
I was originally considering only the Honda CR-V or the Toyota RAV-4, but somebody in another thread suggested to me the Subaru Forester. Well, the Forester does look inviting, if for no other reason that you can actually see out the back and back-sides without needing a camera: the Forester has actual windows and not just gun slits! Impressive! How'd they get away with that and still pass the NHTSA death-tests?
Then I bought the latest edition of Consumer Reports New Car Ratings and Reviews. That publication tells me that Subaru vehicles, after they reach about six-years of age, tend to develop serious engine issues, specifically with the head gaskets and other major engine components. My long-term browsing and lurking in BITOG tends to confirm what CR's survey says.
So. What I'm asking for here are dissenting opinions, preferably backed by personal experience. Let's see 'em.