1st gen. Forester or 2nd gen. CR-V?

I wasn't really looking all that hard for either of these, but I have found a somewhat rare manual transmission Forester and a very rare manual transmission CR-V. 

Both dealers are "asking" $5K, but the older Forester has only 115k miles on it while the CR-V has nearly 168k miles on it. 

I know that most Subarus eventually develop  head gasket "issues" and some folks say wheel bearing issues, any other weak points? 

I drove the Honda today (haven't tried the Subaru, yet), and it seemed a bit louder than I remember any of my Civics.  I couldn't go far  because as it turned out both front tires we going flat/were quite under-inflated.  The loudness seemed to be from the back of the...car(?) and it even made an odd sort of whistle sound when I lifted off the gas, again sounding like it was coming from the back. 

BTW, this CR-V is an AWD EX model, assembled in Japan...if that helps. 

My brain tells me try the Subaru, you may prefer it, but I am wondering which is possibly more trouble-free and/or easier to keep running?

And if worse comes to worse, which would be the easier to sell on? 

Crap, I just double checked the website for the Subaru's ad: it's a 2nd generation (2004), just like the CR-V. 

A friend of mine has a first gen forester that has a ton of miles. His has needed wheel bearings. From what I know, it’s been flawless otherwise. For the same price and that mileage I would take the Forester. 

My Subaru has been as reliable as gravity.

I'm wondering if that loud noise that I heard from the Honda was wheel bearings?

The subie can be reliable. Both are sloths. Even with a manual. But the b series is a turbo away from greatness. The forester will take a pile of cash to make fast, although power may not be a requirement for you...

the Fozzy will have a better build quality though, and be sturdier for off-road antics. The crv looks badass when murdered out. 

Wait, so is that a manual transmission K24 CR-V? Because that's awesome. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

Wait, so is that a manual transmission K24 CR-V? Because that's awesome. 

Whoa it is! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CR-V

the second gens were either k20 or k24 and 5 OR 6spd! That almost seals the deal. A slouch no more. I retract the previous statement. The foz will be the slouch and still take a wheel barrow of cash to get into the “fun” territory. Whereas, Bolt ons alone make the k series more fun, and turbo would make it frightening (provided the running gear stays intact.)

Still drive my '99 CR-V sometimes. Has 250k on the clock and shows no signs of quitting. I've toyed with making it some kinda light off-road truck, but it functions too well as a hauler. K series is cooler...so, do that. 

My Mom has a 2004 CR-V AWD Auto. Has the K24 with ~175k miles. It likes to eat brakes. It used to make some noises in the rear due to the swaybar endlinks failing. It's been really solid. 

2g CR-V is one of my favorite small SUVs ever, actually.  Having said that, the whining noise from the rear that changes on decel is more likely to be a rear diff issue than wheel bearings. I would definitely make sure all the tires are the same diameter (properly inflated..) before getting stuck on the idea but even if true, a junkyard unit shouldnt be more than $100-200. 

CR-V awd parts have been used in some pretty powerful civics..

I drove a manual 2004 Forester for a few years. My mom put 100k on it and I put another 45k on it. It's one of the best driving daily drivers I've ever driven. All the controls are nice, the seats are comfy, it's got tons of room, 30-32mpg highway, 26mpg city, heated cloth seats. We did normal maintenance and had zero problems other than an egr sensor fault.

It's not a rocket ship but it's plenty quick for a daily driver.

I've got a 2nd gen CR-V with the manual transmission. It's been a great family car for the last 9 years. The only big issue is the A/C compressor that has failed a couple times. Some more info here:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/school-me-2004-honda-cr-v/120654/page1/

The second gen Forester is mostly a first gen with better looks and fewer head gasket failures. I'm not a fan of Hondas. Fine cars but dull as a butter knife. Subarus have a quirky personality that I find endearing. Good web site-- http://www.subaruforester.org/

Head gaskets on those will usually weep oil on the driver side motor mount first and give plenty of time to get them done. Wheel bearings are a Subaru constant. If they misfire NGK plugs and wires will often fix them (no other brand wires!). Sometimes a coil will take a dump. Crank sensors can go bad but are cheap and easy to replace. P0420 catalytic converter codes can be a problem. Check the web site above for the "$5 fix" jury rig.

Subarus are the Mr Potato Head of cars. You can swap parts around pretty willingly from different models. I did a full WRX suspension swap/drop on our gen 1 Forester.

I have had four 1997-2000 CR-Vs (B-20) and they were all solid reliable cars. I gave them to my kids, and sold them to friends. An easy 300K + vehicle as long as you adjust the valves periodically. Interiors held up better than any other car I've had. My wife's dd is an '03 Element manual K24. In about 150k miles I've replaced the clutch, a few bushings, and the front crank seal (for a slight leak). Other than that, oil, gas, and maybe some brake pads.

Recently got an '07 Forester LLBean. Just over 100K miles. noticably weaker than the K24. Slight oil leak on right side is most likely the HG . Brake pedal switch is going bad. Headlights leak and fog up. It sometimes shifts hard when it's cold. Not a bad car, but disappointing.

Manual K24 CR-V would be a no brainer for me.

Forester, because Honda = boring. K-whatever, it's a Honda. 

I drive a 2002 crv with the manual trans, and i would recommend one wholeheartedly! Same for the 2004 Forester my mom owned. The difference between the two is that the Forester will handle more like a car, and the CRV will swallow all of your things. Ease of maintenance is equal between the two. 

The noise from the rear is fairly easy to fix; it's either tires, bearings, a diff mount or vibration damper, or(do this anyway) has never had the dual pump fluid changed.  Any clunking going over bumps is most likely only sway bar bushings or end links, and the only bushings worn out on my 250k CRV are the compliance bushings up front. 

Just sayin...

...Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Which one...

Choosing between these is a good problem to have.

Is the manual trans K24 CRV rare?  There are 3 of them on my local classifieds. I've always thought a boosted K24 CRV would be a fun daily.

In reply to 2002maniac :

AWD and manual or FWD and manual? 

All AWD and manual. Not many people bought FWD CRVs around here due to the snow.

In reply to 2002maniac :

I might need one of these, for the children of course. 

What's the big deal w/ the K24/ manual? I had a K24/AWD/Manual Element and while it made the box more fun than an auto would be, it was still nothing to write home about...

I was also unimpressed with the AWD system. Seemed like it only activated when I didn't want or need it to. 

Erich said:

What's the big deal w/ the K24/ manual? 

Potential. K20 heads, cams, maybe one of those spinny air pumps you hook to the exhaust. The basic architecture has a TON of support. They're currently the LS of four cylinders. 

I want to drink the kool-aid on K24s, but from what I understand, and the one I test drove had this problem, they often consume oil due to a bad ring design. 

That said, the Subaru will most likely need HG, are slow, have a Subaru clutch (hate the feel of them), and get poor MPGs. 

Remember the dealership is going to cost more than a private seller with all of the fees, even if they come down. For those prices and miles, I'd punt on both of them.