2004 Subaru Forester XT Review: Subaru's Best Swiss Army Knife? 

Ah man, that 0-60 cant be right. My 08 FXT with the 4EAT is in the high 5.0 seconds range.

I’m surprised the vehicle has not sold yet. I’m so tempted to buy it and sell my 2005 WRX Wagon.

Thanks, I’ve got an 05 non-turbo 5speed. They are a fantastic little beast- picked up on the cheap-engine knock. Turns out Gates has a recall on the timing kit- the tensioner knocks. The engine is fine so far!

Just picked up a gem for my son’s first car. Found a senior driven bone stock 06 forester xt limited all black leather package turbo manual. 169k on the clock here in Florida. Picked up the car from a trailer park. Car was used down here while the snow birds were town. The car has one little bubble of rust on the hood other than that it’s the body is completely rust free. Yes the spare tire well, seat brackets and all quarters are rust free, even the differential has a steel protector cover around it. Runs very strong, no oil burn or leaks. Just put new timing belt, tires and plugs in it. New exhaust going in next week. Obviously the stock exhaust had its time. Yes I even have the old plugs for comparison and conversation purposes. Two little door dings on the passenger side door one is a dime size the other a quarter. Pant is a close to a 10 that you can get. One non performance issue is the vent solenoid is bad on the charcoal canister. This car could be for sale just testing the waters before i potentially put the car on bring a trailer. If interested let me know. The car tucked away in my garage out of the elements clean a waxed.

Great cars, just change oil in time and keep it lvl, let engine warm for 15min before hammering it, have a custom tune on my2005 2.5xt 5mt 165k miles :)

I have the full FSTI suspension imported from japan and STI rack in mine. Handling goes up a large amount withj these additions.The Automatic is actually really well suited to the Turbo tuning for urban assault purposes. Wish mine was corrosion free. If you get a Northern used steering wheel it will be like new.

Two seconds longer than car and driver and motor week But I saw your comments below

I have an 04 Legacy Outback LL Bean edt. I am on the hunt for either an XT, XS or a LL Bean edition. which one do you think is better?

With 0-60 time, your turbo is probably done for. Whats r mileage on this car?

Just had heads rebuilt in my stg 3 FXT. Got it back yesterday and want to sell it as I have crossed my fiftith trip round the Sun and a screaming fast Forester suddenly is scary to me. How would one go about selling such a beast?

I would consider the 2.0 turbo engine much better choice ,and the classic sf5 Forester being the best looking

Is this still available for sale where can I buy it or??hardly see these posted online for sale

How about 5.3 0-60? “The mighty 350z just got smoked by a family of five and a dog”?

These are selling for $16-17k, not 10k. Autos will go for that.

Best car ever

Just got a 2004 XT black on black leather interior, automatic, super clean, everything works, new timing belt and head gasket 20k ago, 2 previous owners, everything works, clean car faxs, all maintenance, tires were decent. One big concern... The transmission delays between 2nd and 3rd gear and then thuds into gear. Ive heard this is no big worry and may be a solenoid and not the tranny? Any advice? Paid $6,300, how'd I do? Its a super clean and well maintained vehicle. be honest,,,, thanks

thx for this review! I am going to check one out that has only 92k miles!

Dang I’ve had mine for 3 years and I haven’t driven it much in the last 2 years as I don’t daily it anymore I’m going to dedicate a month of just daily driving it miss driving it haha

Chadwick?

Picking up a red 2004 manual xt with 119k miles today

Is your cat okay? Also I need help finding a good mosquito net, since the windows on this car have no rim around the window. Once the window is open the door is separate from the car. Any idea what I can do? I am going on a roadtrip soon.

Found this exact model with 180,000 miles, bone stock, no problems, for $7K

How to install a fuel pump on a Subaru Forester 2000 04

Still reliable at that mileage?

I own 2 04 xts

04 or 05 better?

I've recently found out these 04-05 Forester XT's are actually pretty much just FWD cars most of the time. They have a 90/10 power slip front/rear, and they only engage the center diff lock to send power to the rear wheels once the front wheels are slipping and spinning at a rate greater than 20% faster than the rear wheels. So "feeling that awd grip and pull out of the corners" is a placebo effect, unless your getting front wheel spin... These cars do not have the VTD (variable torque distribution) center diff that the WRX and STI's have.

I bought one of these 2004 subaru forester 2.5xt awd me and my dad rebuilt motor and transmission and everything around it bigger turbo pushing 400hp. Had this car for about 2 years and loved everything about it, was a great daily driver and super fast when we sold it to some teenager he was so excited and happy to see and buy the car the same excitement I had when I first got and washed the car and was happy to sell it to him and let him continue the journey and now realizing what a gem 💎 and rarity that car is. It's amazing to have had one of those subaru hatchbacks out of all my line if cars I had since now I am 27 and first car BMW 2000 528i E39, second car BMW 2001 530i E39, this was my third 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5xt, fourth car BMW 2005 E60 525I M Sport, fifth car and now current BMW 2013 F10 535i M Sport one of my dream cars that I have crossed off in my bucket list. 🙏🦍🪙