debbie100

Hi T1, Our recommendation would be the 2017 Subaru Forester, manual transmission. We have owned four Forester's ( this is our 2nd toad one). The last tow car was a 2006 Forester. The 2017 is not on any tow car list, however the 2016 is. More on that later. The Forester is always rated number one (the last five or six years, safety, reliability, i.e.). 3,200 lbs. plenty of room for your stuff, your dog (part of the culture) and we get 31 to 32 mpg. all day long. The owners manual and Subaru itself ( have a e-mail from them) says nothing about NOT being able to flat tow these cars. The manual tranny cars get a little less m.p.g. than their automatic's, so we believe ( there are five of us with Foresters) that Subaru doesn't want to promote a car that gets less m.p.g. ( you know, the EPA and all of that) as a car manufacturer. So it pulled it's recommendation for this year. We all plan to tow these cars until the wheels fall off. Hope this helps.

"Thank You" to everyone who help answer our question(s). We really do appreciate it. Happy and safe travels to everyone! Ron & Debbie

We are thinking about replacing our 2-way refrigerator with a new "residential" model in our four year old Newmar. My only experience was with a 12 volt compressor model many years ago. You could always hear it at night. I'm comfortable with installing a dedicated battery bank and inverter, we do a lot of dry camping, but was just wondering if there would be any noise issues? We live in a log home with a open floor plan, and sometimes we can "hear" the refrigerator upstairs at night. Just wondering? Thanks. Ron & Debbie

Our friends in Oregon, my brother and my wife and I all bought 2017 Subaru Forester with the manual transmission for our tow cars. We have all used manual Forester in the past. No problems for the last ten years. Currently, no Subaru's are listed for any tow car applications anywhere, but we are certain that there won't be any issues. With no official mention in the owners manual regarding flat towing, and no change in design from 2016 (you could flat tow the 2016 Foresters) to the 2017 model, we feel very comfortable. Manual's get less MPG, so from a "Manufactures Perspective", we all think that is where the issue really lie's. One of the safest cars on the road and one of the safest cars to be in. Look for the black Subaru's being towed by the black/graphic Newmar coaches! (There are actually four Subaru's living the dream)! As long as you turn the key off, but DON"T remove it, the steering wheel stays unlocked.

We live in Northern Idaho (Sandpoint) and will be picking up some TireMinders at the Chandler (Rally In Valley Show). Our Newmar "Hibernates" for five months during the winter so I plan on pulling the batteries, and letting everything "sleep" during the winter. Seems the TireMinders are pretty trouble free. It's 38 here today, so 80 next week !!!!! C U at the show!

Herman, As we "speak" , I'm looking at my current Farm Bureau policy. It says in black and white, EXCLUSIONS: We do not cover loss to property for the following: Any LOSS due to tires or tubes unless the loss is caused by fire, windstorm, or theft, or is coincident (say you hit a rock, a road hazard, etc.) (still not covered) with other loss covered by this policy. I like my agent, nice guy, but when push comes to shove, he is not the one who is out the possible tens of thousands dollars, like you and me. Other policy's I've read say pretty much the same thing. I did have ONE (my agent) out four insurance agents I spoke with, (different company's ) tell me NO, damage due to tires, is not covered. The other three said "Oh, I'm sure they are", but would not send me any information so I could read their exclusions page. That is a little unsettling, but when you look at from the insurance companies perspective, they sure haven't paid for all of their twenty or thirty story mega office buildings, by paying out expense claims !! The tire companies, the same, read their warranty's. Oh well ............................... Hope this helps.

Thanks Jim. I checked Good Sam and two other companies and they all have, if you read the mouse print, (the exclusions real carefully) NO COVERAGE for ANY damage caused by tire failure! Read real carefully. It leads me to believe that our only option would be to go after the tire manufacture, IF the tire is still covered by their warranty, AND if the tire companies warranty covers consequential damage to your vehicle. I guess in closing I'll have to say Good Luck, to all of us!!

Reading up on my Farm Bureau insurance exclusions, I noticed that "loss due to tire failure" is not covered. That could mean a very expense repair, up to and including, the total loss of the coach. New tires, tire pressure monitoring systems, etc. certainly help, but I was wondering if anyone has a "reasonable" insurance policy that would include damage due to tire failure? Like Farm Bureau, really good rates and coverage, except for this exclusion. Any suggestions?

"Hi" Tietbohli, On our 2017 Forester we are using Roadmaster's LED Tail Light wiring harness (#152-LED) as there is room in the rear tail light module to place the LED bulb socket. Run the wiring harness to the front of the car and your done, nothing else ever to remove, turn on or off, or pull fuses. Good to hear about Sharden experience.

I would like to know if any one can offer some personal information regarding RoadMasters, BrakeMaster Model 9160, vs. the product that M & G Engineering makes which installs under the hood. I like the idea that M &G's product fits directly to the master cylinder and that the braking action is not affected by the lack of a brake booster (vacuum). It seems that it would take less effort to apply the brakes, and not have to go thru a non operating vacuum booster, as RoadMasters product does. Also, nothing has to be removed/installed each time you head out. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Ron.

I spent months looking, talking, e-mailing Subaru, etc. etc. before we bought our 2017 Forester with the manual. NOTHING in the official owners manual says you can't flat tow their car behind a RV. I take that as "Gospel" as any car manufacturer's owners manual is the "Bible" (you get my drift here, court cases, warranty, legal battles, etc.). Three different Subaru dealerships didn't have a clue. Spoke with three other 2017 Subaru owners who are all in agreement that we are all going to tow the wheels off these cars and just enjoy them, as they are the safest cars out there. Subaru's are no longer on the FMCA web page for Dingy Towing. Will give you yearly updates, but expect NO problems. Have also heard the rumor that Subaru is going to NOT offer manual transmissions, except in the Crosstrek. Reason, manual's get lower gas mileage, and that drags down your companies over all EPA results and ratings. Not a good thing when your ratings should be going up. Have owned three Foresters, all with over 200,000/250,00 miles on them! Love the car, only 3,200 pounds and lots of room inside for people,dogs, stuff, etc.

We would like to get our Subaru painted to match our coach. Approximate cost would be ...............................? Appreciate the feedback.

We ordered a 2017 Forester, manual, (they take 3 months to show up!! - two other friends have also had to wait 3 months). I got an "official" Subaru letter (after two weeks) that answered 3 of my 4, very specific questions. Pretty vague, typical, call center type of a response. Anyway, there is NOTHING, in the Subaru owners manual that says you can't flat tow this car, or it will void the warranty. That's as good as gold for me ( or any small claims court action that might follow-- if you get my drift). We are going to tow our Subaru UNTIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF !!! We are thinking Subaru wants to discontinue the manual cars as they do get less gas mileage than their CVT cars. And being a car manufacture, they are under government pressure to increase that mileage each year, so the manuals drag that mileage down, which doesn't help. We think Subaru of America is using that approach. Enjoy your Subaru, we have owned 3 Forester's up here in North Idaho, all with 200,000 miles, or more !!!

Hi JJ, We ordered a 2017 Forester, manual, (they take 3 months to show up!! - two other friends have also had to wait 3 months). I got an "official" Subaru letter (after two weeks) that answered 3 of my 4, very specific questions. Pretty vague, typical, call center type of a response. Anyway, there is NOTHING, in the Subaru owners manual that says you can't flat tow this car, or it will void the warranty. That's as good as gold for me ( or any small claims court action that might follow-- if you get my drift). We are going to tow our Subaru UNTIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF !!! We are thinking Subaru wants to discontinue the manual cars as they do get less gas mileage than their CVT cars. And being a car manufacture, they are under government pressure to increase that mileage each year, so the manuals drag that mileage down, which doesn't help. We think Subaru of America is using that approach. Enjoy your Subaru, we have owned 3 Forester's up here in North Idaho, all with 200,000 miles, or more !!!