Is there a year of Subaru Forester which should be avoided?

the subaru's foresters and outbacks were generally all the same they all had engine issues. so the real question you need to ask the owner is *has the car ever had the head gaskets done ? and if no how many miles are on it. the main issues most of the foresters and outbacks had was after around 120k on the speedo the engines would have lost the head gaskets and either warped or cracked the heads by that point. so if its never been changed to a simple fix which is buying after market head gaskets, before the damage was done then the car most likely will be not far off from needing 2 new heads or an engine. hope this helps.

The type and year of used car is not as important as the mileage and care it has received- low mileage, original owner will always trump brand and perceived prestige- all 21st century cars are basically throw aways- Used Subarus are horror stories- Happy Halloween

2001 and prior were the Foresters with the most common head gasket issues, with the 98's being the worst. However, if the owner has the receipts to prove the head gaskets were replaced, the issue shouldn't return for a long time if ever. The issue was with a weaker single layer head gasket.

Also if there is one specific year to avoid it's the 99 with an automatic, they used a slightly different transmission on that year specifically and it had alot of issues. I found this out the hard way.

From experience I would say avoid the 1999 Foresters. I am in a love/hate relationship with mine.

I have 2005 Forester and this Year (or up to) head gasket leaking problem was with almost all of them .Around 80-90 K km. I changed both gasket ,timing belt ,water pump and all rollers (You got everything open)

I wish I had avoided my 2015. It has been a complete disaster. My 2002 went over 200k on the original engine and head gaskets and ran like new when I sold it.

Does stop leak added into the radiator help the head gasket issue?

Yes stop leak buys some time.