Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Forester may not be fancy, but the basics are covered. Let’s see if it needs a more basic price to gain our interest.
In David Lynch’s 1990 comedy noir flick Wild at Heart, Nicholas Cage’s character, Sailor, wears a trademark snakeskin jacket that he describes as “a symbol of my individuality, and my belief in personal freedom.” I was reminded of that characterization by the unique personalizations—decals, bra, etc.—made to the 1987 Nissan 300ZX we considered yesterday. Those seemed to lack a more universal appeal, and, hence, impacted the voting on the car’s $7,900 asking price. As a result, the ZX came up wanting in a 73 percent No Dice loss.
Today’s 2000 Subaru Forester has no such modifications. By all appearances, its only non-factory parts are a molded plastic load area protector and the new head gaskets for its 165-horsepower 2.5-liter pancake four. Well, with 88,000 miles under its belt, it’s probably safe to say the tires, brake pads, and most all of the fluids have also been refreshed since new.
Back to those head gaskets, though. As most of us know, those have proven problematic on Subaru’s EJ25 engines, with gasket failures occurring most commonly at somewhere between 100K and 120K. This engine was re-gasketed—hopefully with upgraded parts—at 60K, so it should be good for miles and years to come.
Other plusses on the car include working—and cold—A/C, a set of unused snow chains that will come with the car, and a fairly decent presentation. The interior looks clean and shows little to no wear, right down to the factory floor mats that appear to have never seen a heel.
Exterior-wise, it’s all straight, save for a sizable crease on the left-side rear fender. The cheap-seats steel wheels also show some age-related paint failure, but the seller claims to have rattle cans of primer and top coat that they will provide with the car to rectify that. Yes, they should have done that themselves before offering the car for sale, but it’s a job that requires a lot of work, so it’s reasonable to see them forgoing the effort.
Speaking of effort, there’s likely not much needed with this Forester. It may be fairly Plain Jane in appearance, but it offers electric windows and locks, power steering, a four-speed automatic, and Subaru’s iconic AWD. It also boasts an unremarkable Carfax report and a clean title.
Overall, this little Forester should prove a reasonably sensible and comfortable hauler that will look good (once you paint the wheels), as well. Could that make it worth its $8,000 asking price?
What do you say? Is this Subaru worth that big a bag of beans just as it sits? Or is that too much to ask, considering the car’s age and spec?
You decide!
Portland, Oregon, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
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