Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options

Subaru Crew Cafe

1…6061636566…343

Comments

  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Interesting story of the mid-70's HD Dodge Big Horn (aka Ram 950) trucks, and of Dodge's possible return to the HD truck market.

    http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/buzz03/b011703.htm

    Bob
  • Options
    kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Thanks for the responses.

    Brian: So were you happy with going with an infant seat first and then switching to the convertible seat (Fischer Price)? Do you think it's possible to just start with a convertible seat?

    Paul: Where did you read info on potential separation? That certainly concerns me -- can you point me where you found that info?

    My wife and I looked at some seats today. The infant seats were nice, but our concern is that they'll be too heavy for my wife. She's small and I don't think she could carry the infant seat with one hand.

    Ken

    Ken
  • Options
    subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    It is possible to start with a regular convertible seat. It's really up to you though.
    The carrier is nice, but yes, it can get heavy. It makes it easy to bring your baby in/out of the house, especially when they're sleeping (which they'll hopefully do a lot of the first few months! LOL)

    Our Brooke was 9 pounds 11 ounces, so she was heavy from the get-go. By 6 months (perhaps even earlier), she was too long (and heavy) for the carrier, hence our switch to the convertible seat.

    I have not heard of any problems with the base for the carrier. It latches in 2 spots on ours. You should be able to take a peek at one in the store.

    -Brian
  • Options
    hammersleyhammersley Member Posts: 684
    Ken: One point to remember, my oldest is now 11 - the problems with 2-piece car seats occurred early on in their history. I remember seeing articles & recall notices related to same in CR, but I'm guessing they've evolved since then. Would I buy that style today? Dunno - maybe, but only if I could be sure of the fastening system''s reliability & sufficient human-error proofing.

    Our kids outgrew the infant carrier so fast, by the time they graduated to the full-size child seat, they were old enough to sit up in the shopping cart, so carrying them around in a device was a moot point.

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I'd never driven a vehicle equipped with a CVT before, so I was curious as to how it felt and worked.

    In a nutshell, very well indeed. It was quick, you never felt any gear shifts, as there aren't any. It felt like a very smooth automatic. Besides "Drive," there is a "Sport" mode, which raise the revs, so the response is quicker still. There is also a "Low" mode, which act just like Low would operate in any automatic.

    From what I've read so far, the car magazines have given the Murano high praise. C&D equates it as a bargain-priced BMW X-5 in terms of on-road prowess. I'm not surprised, as I too was impressed. It felt the sportiest of any mid-size SUV that I've driven.

    The only thing that I really don't like is the huge blind spot created by that goofy rear quarter window.

    Other issues I have is how Nissan packaged the vehicle. There are two trim levels, and it's very difficult to tell one apart from the other. They both seem to be premium in terms of content. Also the many different option packages force you to get items you may not want. Like Toyota, Nissan seems to be nickle-and-diming the customers, if you want a decent vehicle. The prices are a bit steep too, in that they are in the low - mid $30K range. It really is more like an Infiniti in terms of feel, content and price; rather than a Nissan.

    Bob
  • Options
    Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    FWIW, I found these Edmund's articles. Hope there is some info you can use.

    http://www.new.edmunds.com/ownership/safety/articles/43806/articl- e.html

    http://www.new.edmunds.com/ownership/safety/articles/45195/articl- e.html

    And this discussion in A&A:
    Child Seats That Fit
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    on the Detroit auto show.

    http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/2003DetroitAutoShow/

    Bob
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Not sure if I posted this before...

    http://TheCarConnection.com/index.asp?article=5664&sid=275&am- p;am- p;n=157

    A quote from the above link:

    << Looking ahead, a Nissan full-size SUV based on the Titan, but with an independent rear suspension, will be shown at the New York Auto Show along with the Titan Crew Cab. And Nissan seems to be studying seriously the development of a heavy-duty pickup. Diesels, too, are on the consideration list, and execs say they&#146;ve talked to Delphi about that company&#146;s Quadrasteer four-wheel steering. >>

    Bob
  • Options
    jay_24jay_24 Member Posts: 536
    Another thing nice with the two-piece infant seat is when its cold. You can get the baby bundled and covered before venturing out in the cold. They also seem to recline more which is nice for the baby since they can't hold their head up.

    One more thing... LATCH system that all cars have is worthless. The automakers did a good job, the baby seat makers just need to use it now....I shopped at both Target and Walmart and found no car seats that used the LATCH system or kits to let them use it.... Seems to be "hardware sold seperately" issue and stores aren't selling it.

    --jay

    (3 kids. 6 weeks, 3 and 5 years.)
  • Options
    lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    For Michael, we had a Fisher-Price car seat...it was heavy but it had the highest rating of all car seats.
    Had you decided on the name of your daughter yet?
  • Options
    kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Thanks for all the information, folks. I really appreciate all your help. Just the car seat selection alone is daunting! I'll keep researching.

    Serge -- no, no name quite yet. We had this initial flurry of ideas and then we kind of got distracted with other things going on and the naming went on the back burner.

    Ken
  • Options
    jay_24jay_24 Member Posts: 536
    Just to be safe pick out a boy's name too! A local weather person just had a baby that was a girl according to ultrasound/doctor. Ooops! its a boy!. Babies are just full of suprises.

    With the last kid we went with Graco brand...Had a problem with the swing, but one email and in 5 days we had new working, upgraded part. Very good customer service.

    --jay
  • Options
    kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    I liked 2-piece seat for infant. And yes, it really helps that you can put it in/out quickly. And the fact that seat is reclined also helps.

    With Andrew, we had a click-on rear-facing 2-piece seat first, and then switched to a larger front-facing seat from Cosco (I think it was rated pretty high in CR that time).
  • Options
    subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    With Brooke, the ultrasound was inconclusive as to whether it was a boy or girl. So, we had to wait until the birth to find out who she was. Numerous people swore that it was going to be a boy, so did the Chinese calendar, among other wives tales.

    This time, we were able to determine that Brogan will be joining us in June. The doctor said he was very certain, and I agree as you could definately 'see' him.

    -Brian
  • Options
    fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    We got Emily at 4 months old, and thought we would just jump right to the convertible seat. But even at that age, we quickly discovered the merits of the carrier type with their detachable base. As others have said, the ability to bundle up and carry out with the overhead handle is a great asset. When Em approached the weight and length limit, we 'graduated' to the convertible seat. Since '96, they have expanded the concept to strollers that the same carrier can snap into, as well as selling extra bases for your other car.

    Now for the disappointing part. When we traded up in auto to vehicles with LATCH, we sold all of our belt attach seats. Figured that when we adopted #2, we would go for the latest and greatest form of protection. We saw some that use the new top tether, but as Jay said, little sign of life yet in LATCH models. Oh, well, hopefully before we need one closer to the end of the year, there will be something out there.

    Steve
  • Options
    fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    we received confirmation from Beijing last week that our completed dossier has been received and logged in. Now the wait for an assignment (could be a year) begins.

    And you guys think its hard to wait for a new car model to hit showrooms? ;-)

    Steve
  • Options
    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Thought you were talking about the Trooper, it's called Big Horn in Japan :)

    -mike
  • Options
    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Loved that Doge Link. Voted for my favorite SRT8 :)

    -mike
  • Options
    nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Another "Daughter" or a job? Confused as usual.

    Greg
  • Options
    hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    technically, you could call both. ;)

    -Dave
  • Options
    fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    The wait is for another daughter (or as Dave so aptly said, another full time job - for Mommy, at least....).

    The minivan has lots of seats - gotta fill them ;-)

    Steve
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Just got it in the mail today. If you go to that new '04 Impreza micro site, you can order a brochure there. That's how I got mine.

    As to new info... There's not much in there, and certainly nothing in it we don't already know; just the pictures are better. :)

    Bob
  • Options
    nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Isn't fathers day coming?? Better order several brochures to scatter around the house.

    Steve, my wife has always said she would like to adopt a baby girl from China. Maybe hosting a college student is the next best thing (without diapers).

    Greg
  • Options
    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Anyone have any stats on mini-van drivers? Such as how many speeding tickets, accidents etc? I drive alot (50K a year usually), in the past year I've noticed that the absolute worst drivers on the road are mini-van drivers! Most people hurl stones at SUV drivers but I think it's the mini-vans to blame. During the 48hrs of Tri-state, we drove ~1500 miles, we were driving quite expediently the whole trip. The only major vehicle type to pass us were mini-vans. In both the dry and snow they passed us. Of course in the snow, at least 1 of them ended up off the road a few miles down! Also during our snowy 300-400 miles across NYS 80% of the vehicles in the ditches were mini-vans.

    I just find it funny.

    -mike
  • Options
    jay_24jay_24 Member Posts: 536
    Around WI/MN most of the drivers in the ditch are SUVs and trucks. They too often forget that 4x4 doesn't equal better braking.

    --jay
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    << The only major vehicle type to pass us were mini-vans. >>

    Could it (really) be the fact that there are minivan drivers that actually had the *nerve and audacity* to pass Mike!?!? ;)

    Bob
  • Options
    nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Nah, we need to offset the image, so we drive aggressively. MY 0.02, SUV drivers are much more arrogant and unsafe. During bad weather here, I constantly see SUVs turned over, losing control, etc, but, usually not minivans. No real statistics though, and sure Mike is not one of them. :)

    Greg
  • Options
    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    agressively :) I'm not in the norm though :)

    On a side note the Mini-vans that did pass us on the dry stuff 1 was gold the other was silver. In the snow (who eventually flew off the road) was red.

    :)

    -mike
  • Options
    bsvollerbsvoller Member Posts: 528
    Hmmm. Most of the stats I've seen are in favor of the mini-van guys, sorry. The overall fatality rate per passenger mile driven for SUV's is something like 1.6x that of mini-vans.

    The industry wants us to believe that's because the demographics are different, but I don't buy that anymore. Most of the SUV's I see are driven by soccer moms. Driving style might be a different matter.

    Anecdotally, the percentage of overturned / otherwise stranded vehicles off the road after every major or minor snowstorm in the Denver area seems heavily weighted to the SUV's and pickups. Given that they make up about half of the vehicles registered in the state, they are more prone to go off-road (pun intended) than you would expect, statistically speaking. Saw another one today, rolled his tires off the rims when he spun out and got sideways.

    Someone did a study outside of Denver on I-70 eastbound a couple of years back, where they looked at speeds driven by vehicle make and model. Fastest vehicles ? Chevy Suburbans. Avg speed? Almost 90. The bigger the vehicle, the faster they went.

    I think you can make a case for drivers of big SUV's having a false sense of security, which leads them to be more aggressive than others irrespective of their demographic profile.

    Scientific American just published a study examining fatality risk for drivers by vehicle type. It turns out that SUV's are no safer to drive than mid-sized or large-sized cars, but much more dangerous to drivers of other vehicles than any vehicle type besides pickups. Most dangerous to drive yourself ? Sport cars.

    One flaw in a lot of these studies is lumping all SUV's together. I bet if you split the SUV category up like they did for cars, (small, medium, large), they'd have had markedly different results.

    My guess is that smaller lighter (more likely car-based) SUV's have about the same risk as similarly sized cars, and bigger heavier (more likely truck-based) have profiles more like pickups.

    The bottom line remains the same, as I see it: if you overdrive the conditions, and/or take unnecessary risks, bad things happen.

    -brianV
  • Options
    nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    I think you are an exception. Most SUV drivers do not understand physics and overestimate (as Brian mentioned) the truck's abilities. I am definitely more cautious, especially around turns, with the minivan since it can't come close to matching the handling of the OB.

    Just read an article that the Bush administration is proposing a business tax deduction up to $75K for any vehicles with a gross weight of 6000 lbs or more. This will "force" the local accountant to buy an Excursion instead of the Insite since he can use the complete cost as a write-off and lower his year's taxable salary.

    Greg
  • Options
    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Most people can't drive SUVs and Mini-vans well. :)

    As for Tax Breaks they are already in place. I know several doctors who bought Navigators because they were over the 6K GVWR and could be written off in 1 year.

    -mike
  • Options
    hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    There is an old saying that4Wd will only get you 100 yards deeper in trouble.

      Notice that I did not say AWD.

      Cheers Pat.
  • Options
    wrxsoon1wrxsoon1 Member Posts: 158
  • Options
    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I have no objections to Subaru building a Saab. Maybe if they produce cars they can spread costs and increase profits, all without watering down the Subaru name. Just let's not do it the other way around.

    I like mike's list for GM divisions, and I'd even go one step further and remove GMC, since Chevy sells far more trucks already. Leave just Chevy, Pontiac, and Cadillac. Bob is right in that most successful companies have 2 divisions, but you could argue that AMG and BMW-M are a 3rd, and that Pontiac should strive to be like those.

    Kill Buick, whose customers are 70+ anyway, and will likely just buy Chevys in their place. Kill GMC, which is identical to Chevy Truck. Kill Saturn, which is now selling clones with plastic bodies and huge panel gaps. Keep only Saturn's sales and marketing practices. Or put them in charge of customer service, something like that.

    Bob: I bet the wife would like the Murano. Sporty and quick, eh? I bet they sell well. Not sure if they can demand what Toyota does for a Highlander, though. Did it seem as roomy? Is the interior cheesy?

    The Titan looks kind of, I dunno, goofy. The front looks odd. The specs are the real deal, though. The F-150 actually is styled better, I really like it.

    -juice
  • Options
    ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    I drove Suburbans for years (had 3 of 'em cause I needed the space at the time) ... I think if anything I was MORE cautious in it, than the cars, but then ... my 'first' large vehicle experience was driving a 3/4 ton pickup truck with a slide-in camper on it!! (I think I was about .. um ... 24?
    It was MY truck and camper, too!!
  • Options
    bsvollerbsvoller Member Posts: 528
    I was of course referring to drivers of large SUV's as a group overall. Your mileage may vary ! (again, pun intended :) )

    -brianV
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    As controversial as they are, from a styling standpoint, I've already seen more Muranos on the road, than I have Bajas! BTW, I like the styling a lot&#151;except for that lousy working (but good looking) rear quarter window.

    It seemed well made. It seemed more Infiniti-like, than Nissan-like. On the inside they use real aluminum, instead of plastic painted to look like aluminum (like Subaru!).

    I am impressed with that CVT tranny though. At 60 mph I think it was turning only like 1600 rpms! It's supposed to be more efficient than a conventional automatic (quicker and more fuel efficient).

    Bob
  • Options
    kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Okay, so I have yet another OT question. I just finished through a final walk-through of our new old home. Escrow closes today!

    Anyway, we're planning on having the floors redone (sanded and resealed) and the interior repainted. Any suggestions on the order? I see pros and cons for each.

    Ken
  • Options
    hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Leave the floors to last, my neice had some remodeling done lately and she had the floors done first, big mistake, she ended up having the floors done twice, and this is not the first time I seen this happen.

      Cheers Pat.
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    the floors first, because there will a tremendous amount of dust generated when they sand. You don't want that dust all over freshly painted walls.

    Bob
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Good luck Ken. Even the Crew can't agree on this! ;)

    Bob
  • Options
    originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Do the floors first and wait until cured then cover. The sanding is a mess and will cling to the walls. I know a great floor refinisher in Burlingame. The best. Nice guy and great work and not top dollar. Email me if you want the info.

    bit
  • Options
    originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I just emailed you.

    bit
  • Options
    lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    does anything else need work? If you anticipate having workmen traipse through the place doing plumbing or whatever, floors need to go last. Even if it is just paint, I am with Pat. floor work generates dust. yea on the walls, and everywhere else too. You are going to have to clean no matter what. Better to finish the floors after paint guys have stomped around and dripped than come in to find drips and scuffs on newly done floors. Its a common rule of home renovation. Floors last.
  • Options
    kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Thanks for the opinions. I have been doing some research on newsgroups but people seem to be split 50:50 on this topic.

    Some say paint first since you don't need to worry as much about paint drips. Others say floors first since the dust is horrible. Oy!

    bit: got your email and responded. Thanks!

    Ken
  • Options
    lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    see, the dust IS horrible. It is so bad you are going to HAVE to scrub everything down anyway. Even if you painted last, you'll still have to clean the walls to prepare them for paint. So paint first, then floors, clean like the dickens and....voila! freshly painted walls and pristine floors.
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/buzz03/b012103.htm
  • Options
    lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Bob knows I like the Unimog. I want to drive/ride in one just to say I did. It is what it is, like the Hummer used to be.

    Uh-oh, bad thought. Can we expect AMG or Brabus Unimog conversions with big chrome blinging wheels, leather and massive sound systems?

    Ed
  • Options
    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    how about a Unimog low-rider, with a Mexican jumping bean suspension? ;)

    Bob
  • Options
    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I like the Murano's styling, too. And by the way, I showed a photo to my wife and she loved it. But then I said mid 30s price and she said "no way".

    CVT sounds fun, but I'd like to see a manual. The Altima is fast but has major torque steer, AWD would cure that and let you enjoy the VQ engine fully.

    Ken: We had some wood floors refinished at the old house. You've never seen so much dust in your life. I had painted beforehand, and the paint still looked OK after I cleaned up (vacuum and wet cloths). My tip is to get plastic sheets and tape them to doorways to seal the room as much as possible. Limit the dust to just those rooms.

    Good news is they looked GREAT when we were done. We had them use just a clear varnish, and they used putty to fill any holes and cracks in the floor. My dad lives in the house now and it still looks quite good 10 years later, so it's worth doing.

    Use a runner for the high traffice area, though. It'll save your floors. We went through 3 of them in those 10 years.

    -juice
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles