[abqdave]

Hi. I am a Subaru Forester owner who is considering replacing his vehicle. The Jeep Compass is very similar in virtually every specification, and I like the basic design of the Forester, so it the Compass seems like a good candidate to replace it. Are there any former Forester owners in the forum? If so, how do you like the Compass vs. the Forester?

 

[ACX]

I had a 2005 forester 2.5 xt 5 speed.

Obviously it was super fast and fun.

The issue between the compass and Forester is the price. For what a BASE forester would cost, we picked up our LOADED compass limited.

Infact I think you'd be looking at 29,500 (with freight / pdi) + gst for a base forester auto, whereas our loaded limited was 27,200 +gst.

If I were looking at spending near 40k for a loaded up crossover, I would either get the new Ford Edge or a Forester again.

Like the Forester, I like the fact that the compass is a safe vehicle in terms of crashworthiness. I like the subaru AWD better, interior was a saw off with a small edge to the forester. Driving manners to me are basically equivalent, I think the compasses brakes are better, get up and go out of the NA motors is equivalent. My turbo was way fast though.

For our needs, the compass was 90% of what I liked about the forester, with about a 7-10k lower pricetag - this of course is canadian pricing.

 

[Webmaster]

I'm not a former Subaru owner but I concur with ACX. We chose the Compass due to it's lower price tag. Sure some of the other SUV's may have a slight advantage (e.g. power, speed, capability, etc.) but they can't beat the price (value) of the Compass. Ours is a Sport 4x4 model and it came to $25K and change (plus tax). Canadian $...

 

[ACX]

I'm not sure what pricing is in the US, but I would assume normally the compass would be cheaper as well.

IT was an ubeatable value for us. Perfect? Not compared to things costing 10k cdn more, but it is pretty damned solid and a wild value here.

 

[Cherokee]

Gotta agree ACX, not much of a Ford fan, but the Edge is really a neat looking car. Actually saw one of those in town the other day. I actually had to do a double take. Still, I have yet to see a Compass. Lots of Calibers, though. There are 5 Compasses sitting on the lot where I bought mine, and they are always still there when I drive by.

 

[zorak]

Whilst i wait for my Compass im still tooling around in my Subaru Baja. (non Turbo) and before that i owned a WRX, turbo.. and how . So i was a bit of a Subaru loyalist.

When i grew up, got married, i got rid of the WRX, to many speeding tickets. The lawyer got sick of seeing me.

So i got my 'barbie truck' 'Baha'.. whatever.

Loved both my subarus, but when it came time for a new car i couldn't pony up the 25k for the forrester and ride around in the big glass rectangle, with less options then the compass. (Maybe thats why i like the compasses over the patriots). The Forrester is due for a complete makeover in my opinion. It's design looks "dated" to my eyes.

 

[Cherokee]

I thought I did, but perhaps I never mentioned, I had an '83 Subaru wagon, which I bought used from a lady that used to live across the street from me before I moved. I liked the car when she brought it home. When I noticed a couple years later she had it for sale, I went to inquire as to why. I knew her very well, and she had had a stroke. The truck she had been driving was her boyfriend's, and it was a manual. She was paralyzed on her right side, so she found that too difficult to drive. I asked how much she was asking and she said 1K. I was newly married at the time, so, money being tight, and my other half having their own truck,(which I ended up buying later), I decided to go for it. She kept complaining that the car had no power steering. When I checked the reservoir, of course, it was bone dry, so she had been struggling with it that long. As it would turn out, I took that car down deer trails, fishing, etc., pretty much everywhere I wanted to go and everything I wanted to do, there was nothing that car wouldn't do. Of course, that was back before AWD, and it was 4WD. I loved that car, even to the point of putting a water pump and starter in it, gotta love the spare tire under the hood. Eventually, as much as I hated to, I sold it and used the proceeds to buy my '91 Cherokee. So, there you have it, I was a Subaru owner once upon a time, and if my partner hadn't forced me to, I would still have that car along with my 2 Jeeps and my Dodge truck!!!