Replace, refurbish or swap?

Drive it into the ground! Give it a warriors death!
 
stilson said:
its the yellow wires right?

[EDIT] I think that might be the AIRBAG wires, ST ... if so, DON'T INTERFERE with these! [end edit]
Click to expand...

The seat belt reminder wiring is in a black sheath, and is easily traced to where the seat belt clips in.
 
Brilliant answers, gentlemen. Thankyou.

I'll have a look at it today. (I've seen it before, of course, but not paid particular attention - been for a ride in it down to the shops once or twice a year or two back, paying more attention to the new baby in the family than the new car, that sort of thing.)

There seem to have been two or three sets of engine changes to the later model SGs, from what I can make out. I might try to go into them in a bit more detail in the engine thread. The reality is that they won't matter all that much. Certainly nice to have but unlikely to be the difference between buying the car and not buying it. The 120 thousand k on the clock and the less-tired general condition is the main thing. (And I don't know what model year it is yet anyway.)

But are there any other differences? The grille is obviously different. Did they change seats, instruments, trim levels, stuff like that?
 
During last years upgrade to my car, I also installed a better interior. Better condition I found out. My car is an MY04 poverty pack "X". The base model. Each seat came equipped with fold down arm rests and map pockets. The seats I replaced them with were from a newer XT. Neither seat came with arm rests, and only one came with a map pocket. And I don't think they are as comfortable as the original seats. Later SG's appear to miss out on the dash mounted retractable cup holder, although they do gain side air bags.
 
Interior is nearly the same, just minor differences, like the later SG's have three spoke steering wheels. There would be greater difference going between X, XS, XT options then the years. My favorite seats are the XS cloth seats, don't really like the leather ones. Also my later SG still has the retractable dash cup holder.
Later SG's also have larger side mirrors with indicators in them.
Later SG has seperate globes for low beam and highbeam. There are actually minor variations in the headlights over the years in the later SG model. When I swapped my 2005 (MY06) headlights for some 2007 headlights, they were actually brighter, despite me transferring the same globes across. (Minor but noticeable differences.)
Only disadvantage with the later SG is the larger bumper gives slightly worse approach angle.
 
One other difference with later SG's. They have DBW. Means a better cruise control, but otherwise cable is better I believe.
 
If your car is that tired, you may as well buy your family members later SG. I loved mine, but always thought I should have gotten the facelift with the better engine (EJ253).

Matt Chaplin (subieliftoz, Nachaluva is his username here) does 1" lifts for $150 or so, including postage.
 
We are going with the swap - she's having my red MY05 to drive the kids to school with; I'm having the green MY07 (I think it's an 07 - doesn't matteer much really) to drive round town and go bush with. Done both RWCs - the red one needed practically nothing done - two parker globes and a new clutch pedal rubber was pretty much it - which is not bad after near-on 300,000k. (Well, OK, I've spent a few grand on it these last couple of years: clutch, tie rods, drive shaft, various other suspension bits, springs, shockers, lift kit, and so on.)

Next week, we are going to take them both in to the mechanic at the same time and they will swap over:
  • lift kit
  • springs (standard front, HD rear)
  • shockers (Subaru ones, all four replaced about 10,000k ago
  • Wheels and tyres (wheels are the same, tyre wear is about the same but the red one has light truck tyres (virtually puncture proof but harsh riding and not great handling) where the green one has road tyres.

That's about it.

Oh, I have to get a sparkie to wire in the second battery. Or do it myself, possibly.
 
Wow! $150-odd is fantastic value Kiwifoz! I forget what I paid for the American lift kit, but it was certainly more than that.

Some observations:

The MY05 already has the three-spoke steering wheel. (I think the MY04 did too, but not certain of that.)

I'm pretty sure that it was the MY05 which introduced DBW. Curiously, it retains the mechanical cruise control. (This is from memory mind you.) I gather that they switched over to an electronic cruise control a bit later. Headlights are different - presumably better, the MY05 lighting is carp.

The green one (MY07?) has the larger mirrors. Apart from that the interior is virtually identical. Exact same dash; same radio; same controls in every detail; same interior lighting (complete with no damn courtesy light on the glovebox!); same cup holders.

The centre console is slightly different. Can't think of anything else that I noticed.
 
Congrats, Tannin.

While the differences seem small on paper, the actual practical and driveability differences are very noticeable. When I first test drove Roo2, I had driven a series I SG about an hour beforehand. The difference in driveability was quite starkly obvious.

However, I'm sure you have already ascertained this.

All the best with your new to you wheels, mate ... :biggrin: :cool:.
 
Nope. I haven't driven it. Haven't even sat in it. But then my (er ... modern families are so complicated and we don't have words to suit a lot of relationships, let's just say a bit like a stepdaughter, very approximately) ... anyway, she hasn't driven my old red one either, at least not for maybe ten years or so. Wouldn't surprise me if it drives better than the green one does, given the amount I've spent replacing all the worn suspension components over the last couple of years.

No matter: if need be, I'll replace the same bits on the green one. Might cost a bit but bugger it, I want to get another 10 years of Forester SG goodness before I have to buy some horrible POS modern car with prison-slit windows you can't see out of and electronic garbage going off in my ear all the damn time.

I hate current-model cars. There is not one new car on the market today I'd rather have than a 12-year-old Forester.

(I have owned ... er ... 6 ... cars, and evey one except the first one has had great visibility. The HR panel van was no good at all to sides or rear - mirrors or nothing in that old clunker, but every car since then has been better than any new car you can buy today. The old Mazda RX4 was a sedan but quite good in that regard, VW Golf was superb, VL Commodore wagon was great, Barina hatchback was even better, and the SG Forester is brilliant. (Assuming thast you fold the back seat down, of course - otherwise the head restraints clutter up the back window a bit. I always take them out.) Every now and then I drive my girlfriend's little Volvo V40 or my father's Mitsubishi Outlander. The Volvo is a great little car, and the Outlander is new and plush, but you every try backing a trailer in those things? How the hell are you supposed to reverse a trailer when you can't even see the bloody thing out the back window?

Maybe in 10 years time the manufacturers will have finally got a clue and started making cars that are worth buying. If you gave me three or four brand new cars - a Merc, a Beamer, and a couple of other things, let's say - I'd still drive the Forrester. Or the VL Commodore would do if I still had it, or the old Barina. Did 100,000k in that little 1.4 litre rocket before I sold it (to the same family member I'm buying the green Forester from), including most of a Big Lap and any amount of gravel. Never missed a beat. No good in mud or on the rough stuff, of course, but it floated over sand like a hovercraft. I guess they weigh about as much as a large sheepdog, which is no doubt why.)

</rant>
 
My daily driver is a Skoda Yeti- fairly easy to see out of except the head rest of the front passenger seat gets in the way. A lot better than my XA Falcon hardtop. I could cope with someone giving me an Aston Martin or a base model Ferrari, even if it meant I had to see a therapist. (More likely a magistrate!) But you are dead set right about the appalling visibility out of so many current model cars. One saving grace is the excellent blind spot monitoring systems. I drove a Mazda CX3 with BSM and while they give the odd false warning, are a great idea. The SG is very easy to see out of, and since I don't have a back seat, headrests are not a problem. When I did have them, like you I removed the head rests. And as much as I love my SG, if I had to choose I'd rather have my MY99 WRX.
 
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