Photo : Craigslist

The litany of laudables on today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Subaru is long and illustrious. Just for starters there’s AWD and a five-speed stick. Let’s see if being well priced can be added to the list.


Question—is there such a thing as a cheap premium car? And yes, I just inferred that yesterday’s 1990 Chevy Corvette is a premium car. The C4 is not the best loved of the ‘Vette line, but it’s still a Corvette and not a bad one at that. And at just $3,000, that particular one was certainly cheap. A good 58 percent of you felt it worthwhile at that asking too, giving the car a narrow Nice Price win.

Let’s now consider the flip side of that previous question—is there such a thing as a premium cheap car out there? How about Subarus? They are said to have the best owner loyalty in the business. They also bring AWD to the masses and offer those drivelines paired with reasonably high output motors as well as, in a few cases, manual transmissions.


This 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5 XT Turbo just so happens to be one of those cases. First off, I’d like to point out that while the Forester is positioned as a crossover, it’s really little more than a tall station wagon. The ratio of length to height is more wagon-like than any of its direct competition and that’s a bonus for those of us who prefer to hunker down on the road rather than tip around corners like we’re driving a bar stool.

This Cayenne Red over dark grey edition also comes properly kitted. That means a 210 horsepower flat four up front and a five-speed stick. The turbocharged engine breathes through a top-mounted air to air intercooler that does its duty by way of a functional and totally bad-ass looking mid-hood mounted scoop.


That all sounds like a set up that would encourage driving, and that makes the car’s modest 67,000 miles on the odo a bit of a shock. The seller says that the car spent the majority of its life in Arizona where it spent its off hours biding time in a garage. The paint shows in as-new condition as a result, as do the factory alloys.


The interior is claimed to be even better and shows as such in the ad. This is not a Limited model so it rocks cloth center seating sections rather than leather. That’s probably a good thing considering how leather holds up these days. The only possible complaint in here is an aftermarket head unit for the stereo that looks a bit out of place.

The engine bay is almost as clean and rocks an Optima battery as a bit of bling for those in the know. There’s no word from the seller as to the maintenance history, although the ad does note that he “has all the paperwork” for it. The title is clear and the seller says he is selling the car because he doesn’t need it. I take issue with that as I have plenty of cars that I don’t ‘need,’ and hence don’t really understand the concept.


Well, someone will need it, that’s for sure. Whether to get from point A to point B or to just make their life complete, this Forester looks like a pretty sweet ride. And, with the turbo and stick it’s a fairly rare one too. The seller obviously realizes this as he has set his asking at a lofty $11,000 for the sale.


Now, I’m not saying that the car isn’t worth that—that’s for you to decide. I’m only noting that there are very few 15-year old Japanese wagons around that could command such a price. There are perhaps even fewer that you might appreciate being in such condition.


So, what do you think, is this almost as-new Subaru worth that $11,000 asking? Or, does that price simply put this Forester out of reach?

You decide!




San Francisco Bay Area, CA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!

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