(oh rear wiper motor seized)
Common problem. Easy DIY job (30 min) by easily removing the interior tailgate panels. DO NOT even dream about buying a new motor from the dealer. I bought one from RockAuto for about a hundred bucks. iirc the dealer wanted somewhere north of $300. Ridiculous.
The 2.5L DOHC engines (this one) and the 2.5L SOHC engines (1999-) both suffer from piston slap, as do most boxer engines thanks to the crank design and need for short skirts on the pistons. Many people had their engines replaced by Subaru under warranty, only to find their new one did it too. All of ours have has some slap, and having driven two of them to over 350K, it's a non issue to me.
Not to rain on redmans ad, but the thing on this particular engine to be wary of is the head gasket. But, if it's sealing now or has a new one (Subaru updated the gasket for a lot longer life) then you're probably good.
The 4AT is actually stronger than the manual trans, and with care (fluid changes) they can outlast most every other part of the car. The AT versions have a different AWD system that is actually a little more reliable than the manual versions.
Some thing redman left out...
The "S" models are much more desirable than the base as you get rear discs, heated seats, heated mirrors, heated wiper park, etc, etc,
and most importantly, the rear limited slip diff. Makes winter driving more fun!!
Does the clock work? If so, it might be the only older Forester in the world that it does!! If not, then there is any easy soldering fix that can be found with a quick google search.
