I Bought a 1998 Subaru Forester With 183,286 Miles, Took a 20,000 Mile Road Trip, Drove It Another 3 Years, and Decided It Was Finally Time To Let Her Retire

Would you take a 20,000-mile road trip in a Subaru Forester with 183,000 miles on the odometer? 

You would if you were Ben and Max from Pittsburg. Ben is graduating high school, and Max is ready to graduate from college. 

"Our plan was simple: head west and soak in as much of the world's wonders as possible. We believed in the beauty of spontaneity; for us, the sky was the limit at the end of each day," Max recalls with a glint of adventure in his eyes. 

Max reminisces, "The road trip was my brainchild. 'You're graduating high school. I'm graduating college. When will we have a month of freedom again in our lives?' I asked Ben, and he was in without a second thought."

Here is Ben and Max's eventful story in a 1998 Subaru Forester.

I was looking for an adventure, but we had to be back by his graduation ceremony. That was a big rule of my mom's: I can't miss high school graduation. So that was all we had – 24 days.

It was like, OK, this may be possible, but I want to know if we can get a car. My mom had about five Subarus in her lifetime, so Max was planning the miles for my mom's Subaru and seeing if we could take that one.

I didn't think she would be cool with it.

Mom says there is no way they are taking her Subaru.

I said no. It was my reliable car; it was my car that gets me back and forth to work," says Ben and Max's mom.

She said if we want to drive across the country, we must figure something else out. We wanted a car, and if needed, we could sleep in. And would make it across the country.

They narrowed their search to Subaru Foresters and Outbacks.

Benjamin found the car on Craigslist and called the guy; he talked to him, and it was still available. It had 180,000 miles on it and a big dent in the door. I lay down in the back to make sure I would fit. We're like: cool! So we bought it right there. 

Despite the dent, the car was in surprisingly good condition. We were worried about its performance and hoped it would be a reliable companion throughout the trip.

It's happened. We will be riding through this thing, and this will be home for a little bit.

On the first day of the trip, we woke up early. It was 4 a.m., and it was still dark out. And I remember pulling out of the driveway and just looking at Ben.

That's when it hit me — the road trip just started. I'd never been west of Ohio at that point in my life, so everything we saw was new.

Seeing the Tetons for the first time, going into the redwoods, looking at the tree, and seeing how big it is compared to me. As you go out there, it's humbling that you're so minuscule and that nature's so powerful.

And then down from the redwoods, we took Highway 1 the entire way down, so we got to see the coast – which was pretty sweet – the whole way.

I would've never gotten there without the Subaru Forester, without Ben supporting me and saying, "Yeah, let's go do this trip and travel in the car together across the country.

Along the way, we realized that we were a little behind schedule. I have to graduate in 36 hours. We have to go.

So, we needed to make it from San Diego to Pittsburgh without any driving issues. The Subaru was going for literally a day and a half.

We drove through some pretty severe weather. Dude! This is a STORM, yo, Whoooo!

And it added to the fun of the adventure that, at the last minute, we had to hustle and get there.

Finally, at probably 1… 2 a.m., we arrived in the driveway. I was catching up with all my friends, telling them about the trip, and it was a moment of pure accomplishment. We had done it. We had conquered the road, and the Subaru had been our faithful companion throughout.

Our Subaru Forester lived a whole new life in just three weeks, exploring the country with us. We developed a deep bond with the car. Throughout the trip, we added about 20,000 miles to its odometer. The car became more than just a mode of transportation; it was a vital part of our journey, accompanying us through every adventure and obstacle.

After the road trip, it just kept going because I drove that car daily. We would take the Subaru out at school no matter the weather. He drove it for probably 20…25,000 more miles. The car's post-trip life was as eventful as the trip, proving its longevity and reliability.

But, two years…three years after the road trip, we decided it was time to let her finally retire. We knew we had to keep the trunk (with all the stickers) because so many memories came with that. 

The number one question people always ask us is: Were you actually at those places with the stickers? So it was a very proud moment to say, yeah, I took this Subaru with my brother and went to these places, and here is my proof that I made it there.

Dear Subaru, Thank you for making such a reliable car. Your safety, trust, and potential made this road trip a reality; we are forever grateful.

I got the experience of a lifetime from those 24 days together. There's so much more left; I can't wait to see what life holds.

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I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Reporter since 2012. My 30+ year tenure in the automotive industry, initially in a consulting role with every major car brand and later as a freelance journalist test-driving new vehicles, has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge. I specialize in reporting the latest automotive news and providing expert analysis on Subaru, which you'll find here, ensuring that you, as a reader, are always well-informed and up-to-date. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

Photo credit: Denis Flierl via Subaru USA