2017 Subaru Forester too old for 2026?
Just my rant.
So yesterday, returning home from a trip, my wife brought up the idea of needing to plan for new vehicles soon. Nothing is wrong with our cars beside them being a little on the older side. I used to own a 1986 Mazda RX-7 so these cars aren't "old" for me, lol, but they are for my wife. I enjoy wrenching on my own cars so again, no issues for me.
Wife has a 2017 Forester 2.5 Prem and I have a 2012 Mazda3 Skyactiv (6spd MT!).
I just replaced both of the forester's front control arms due to bad bushing, and fixed her AC, after I checked and adjusted the AC clutch gap. both of which seems to be notorious for these model years. On my own car, I had a bad MAF sensor but was covered under warranty. I also need to replace my tensioner and belts (already got the parts in) but those are usual wear and tear items anyway.
We've done regular maintenance and the usual new sets of tires when needed, and in my opinion, the cars have been awesome! and we don't have any car payments. with the cost of new cars going up, i don't want to purchase new cars JUST because our current cars are aging.
If we do go with new cars (know that i would have loss the battle), she still wants another forester. With all of the issues I've read about the new models, i'm not feeling too confident...I'm going to drive MY car into the ground first! Anyway, folks with the new models, am I reading too much or are the issues legitimately wide spread?
Ok, rant over. Thanks.
Posted Jun 22, 2026, 5:54 PM UTC