Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

leo2633

Congrats on the marathon. I have a friend who is trying to convince me to run a 1/2 marathon with her in September. She still needs to do a lot more convincing, though.

Len

rsholland

SUPER! That's quite a feat—or is it "feet!!"

That's a great time too. It's probably very close to an 8-minute mile, which is a super time for a first marathon!

Ah, it brings back memories...

Bob

rsholland

My sister-in-law is consdering getting a used '98 Outback. She and her husband found the following car. What do you think?

...So, our mechanic , who also sells cars on the side, has a 1998 Subaru legacy outback with 70,000 miles on it. Mint condition. New timing belt, tires, and stuff. $14,500. I'm thinking that this is a good deal because it will cost us a lot less to insure (NH rates are horrible) and regisiter (NH gets you there too!), and it has already had the usual things replaced.

Bob

hammersley

Bob: Running a sample AT, excellent condition OB thru KBB for my zip code came up with $13520 retail, $11165 private party. Edmunds TMV dealer retail on a red one is $12252. The new timing belt & tires are worth $700-800 or so? Looks like an OK deal, not great. That's for the left coast, not New England.

Cheers!
Paul

locke2c

Bob,

also sounds high to me but then again this part of the country has never been a Subaru stronghold.

-Colin

rsholland

were that it sounded a bit high too, but I want to get some feedback from the "Crew," and you can't get better Subie feedback than from here.

Any problem areas with '98 Outbacks to be aware of? As of right now, I don't know if this is a 5-speed or an automatic Outback, or if it's a base model or a Limited.

Bob

outback_97

First, I love my '97. It's an auto w/ 93K miles. But, I think that price might be a little high, and that's coming from a very Subaru-centric area (Salt Lake City, UT). There's tons of Outbacks here. A dealer might ASK that much, but it seems high to me.

As far as things to look for, on mine the oil pump seal started leaking around 70K miles, along with the left valve cover gasket. The pump seal showed up with a leak and distended gasket on the bottom of the timing belt cover. This may be a common problem. The alternator went out (covered by recall) at 75K. Not sure if 98 was affected. The power steering pump died at 85K. The front struts made it to 90K but they aren't cheap to replace. Now, I worry about the head gasket after hearing of many problems with the 2.5 DOHC of this vintage. If that goes, you're looking at pretty big $$ to fix.

But, I love this car and it has never left me stranded, just had a few small problems. More than I can say for previous vehicles.

utahsteve

paisan

Juice,
   You never had to pay for GPS service, at least not since ~95 when I got my first unit.

-mike

miksmi

bat1161

Mike,

I thought of the laptop GPS system similar to what you have, but I would prefer something more compact. If I do any long trips with my wife, I can not see her sitting there for several hours with the laptop in her lap :-) That's what made me think of something like Dave's Streetpilot (J&R has a refurbished unit for $699). There are cheaper hand units as well that would be better for the budget.

Mark

tincup47

You can have the same setup with a PDA instead of a laptop. Then you have the smaller size, but it has other functionality

Karen_S

Congratulations!

I enjoyed reading the account of your first marathon. I could visualize you high-fiving (or low-fiving?) those little hands as you ran by. :-)

paisan

You could also make a holder for a small laptop. I have a big 15" screen, but you can get one that is far more compact than mine and build a holder similar to http://isuzu-suvs.com/howto/laptopstand.html

-mike

hypov

Mark-
For $699 [refurbished] from J&R, might as well put out another $96 and get a new one from SelectZone
 http://www.selectzone.com/cgi-bin/shopper.exe?preadd=action&k- - ey=GPUC0100023210

They are listing it at $999 but it is actually $795. For that price your get 128mb memory chip and full unlock of city maps. Back then IIRC, I paid $699 for the unit with 64mb memory chip and had to pay an additional $180 for the full unlock code.
$699 from J&R might not get you everything that you would need.

-Dave

lark6

Ken: congrats on the marathon. You finished very well for a first-timer. I'm like paisan: I'd just like to run a couple of blocks.

Ed

ateixeira

Price is high IMO. Especially given the miles and the fact that it's out of warranty. My Forester is worth just a tad over $10 grand, with just 50k miles and still under warranty (until August).

Portable GPS seems to make sense because then you have one for all your cars.

-juice

fibber2

I bought my wife a Sony CLIE PEG-SJ30 PDA for Valentines day. Nice color unit with Palm OS 4.1 software. Then I went shopping for a GPS adaptor. So far, no luck. They make them for units that run MS (like Windows CE), but I have yet to find one for Palm operating systems. Keep that in mind when shopping...

Steve

hondafriek

My wife and I got the scary news tonight from our daughter that she is being deployed to Iraq with the first cavalry division out of Fort Hood.

  She did not get much of a break home, she just returned from a one year tour in Korea on 28th January,she could be gone again in days.

 I ask for your prayers that God will return her and all of the soldiers over there safe to us.

  Not so Cheery Pat tonight.

rsholland

My thoughts are indeed with you, and your daughter. We just have hope and pray that our Subie "Mojo" is working, and that she will be safe.

I too am concerned, as my daughter is flying to London for her college spring break with two of her girlfriends this Saturday. Not exactly the best time to be traveling overseas. Fortunately (I hope!) she will be home next Thursday, before the s*&# hits the fan.

Bob (another worried parent)

ladywclass

Thinking of all our kids all over the world in all the things they are doing ... especially our kids in uniform ...
my son-in-law (Army medic) has been in Korea for just a couple of weeks and is due back to his home in Hawaii on Friday ... can't imagine having one in Iraq or Korea long term ...

postmodern

I've got a Handspring Visor Neo which runs the Palm OS (3.51?). While I don't have one yet, there are at least 2 third party GPS modules listed on Handspring's website. Have you tried the Sony CLIE website?

Incidently, love my Visor. It may not be flashy, and the display isn't colorful, but it's great for everything from schedules and phone numbers to shopping lists and a lot more. I don't know how I ever lived without it!

And Steve, if Beth doesn't have a shopping program yet, download (for free) the latest version of Handy Shopper from palmgear.com for her. Handy Shopper is my PDA killer app -- before HS, I'd call home, write my grocery list, then leave the list on my desk a work. Now I update as I go, and the list is actually with me while shopping!

And may all the loved ones arrive home safely -- the US needs to be very sure that this war is unavoidable before sending anyone into harm's way. Crying at one Vietnam Memorial was too much...

Lyn

hypov

Pat-
My thoughts and prayers are with and for you, family, and especially your daughter.
To all, God speed and keep ye safe.

-Dave

twrx

there is also a GPS for Palm 500 series handhelds. Having said that there are upper line models by Garmin which are designed more for car navigation purposes. They have larger screens than the strictly handheld units. There are mounting brackets for these models. There is a B&W one in the $500 range and a color in the $900 range. But that beats the $2000 to $4000 premium that car manufactures charge for their upgraded nav equipped models.

paisan

Your daughter will be in my thoughts. Thank her for me when you get a chance. Without people like her the world would be a far less safe place to live.

-mike

paisan

What was your daughter thinking booking spring break to London? It's not like the war with Iraq just sprung up out of no-where! Hopefully she will be safe and return safely.

-mike

paisan

Delorme makes a unit for the palms. Not sure what models it works with.

-mike

lucien2

Obviously my first and most fervent hope is that neither she nor any of her brave compatriots have to face combat at all. Should it be necessary though, we shall be thinking of her and the entire 1st Cav.

I notice that Patrick Olsen over on NASIOC has fallen off the face of the earth for about 4 weeks now. He's in subs.

Karen_S

Pat: I have a nephew in basic right now. At this point, no clue where he will be going, but it won't be a surprise if it's to Iraq. I'll include your daughter and family in my daily "positive thoughts and prayers".

Bob: England? Not Cancun??!! Hope she has a safe and fun trip!

nygreg

Just came back from France last week. I had no hostile interactions. Europeans don't want the war, but, they are not necessarily anti-American as the press makes it seem. Your daughter should have fun.

Greg
P.S. Praying for all of our forces around the world, including CIA, FBI, NSA, etc (God knows what situations these people are in).

fibber2

Like many Americans, I too am torn about war this time around. '90-'91 was clear, cut and dry - the right thing to do. If we had only finished the job then, we would not be in this mess today. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. For those with loved ones at risk, we can only hope and pray for a speedy resolution and a quick return to normalcy.

Steve

fibber2

I goofed - there are systems for Palm OS, but not cables & interfaces for some of the brands (like Sony), that run Palm OS. Seems that the Windows units are more universally supported.

Lyn - I forwarded your comments to Beth. Thanks! Sony sells a direct plug-in GPS module (goes in the memory stick slot) for Asia, but not for the USA. Still searching....

Steve

subearu

Yes, our thoughts and prayers and respect are with all the sons/daughters (and their families) serving our country.

-Brian

ateixeira

Steve: isn't that the type of present you'll use more than your wife will? ;-)

Pat: let's hope this can still be resolved peacefully, somehow. Even the Pope is involved now.

-juice

bat1161

Pat,

Your daughter and all those serving will be in our prayers. Let them all come home safely.

Mark

fibber2

Funny, but I have felt no burning desire to buy one. I have a pretty good memory, and go for pen & paper when necessary.

Beth is the high tech member of our family. Loves her gadgets. She pushed for camcorders, home PC and digital cameras before I was ready to step up to them. She has two PC controlled embroidery sewing machines. So the PDA was something she started dropping hints on months ago. She wanted the nav system in the Honda Odyssey, but at over $2k, I pushed back. Now she wants a DVD burner (and faster PC) for video tape to disk conversion. I cannot keep up with her, and I am the electrical/computer engineer!!!

Steve

bat1161

I have found a few places that sell the GPS add-ons for the Palm and Handspring, as well as the Pocket PC's. One such place is www.thegpsstore.com They carry adaptors for everything. It's getting to be confusing.

Mark

ateixeira

Steve: good for her. Bet you could sell her on VDC pretty easily.

-juice

lilbluewgn02

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all your children that are in harm's way for a safe return and peaceful solution to a messy situation.
Serge

c_hunter

Well, I have mixed feelings on the Iraq situation, but I appreciate the dedication and sacrifices made by all those in the armed forces. Pat, I hope your daughter has a safe return home. I appreciate her efforts.

I have been somewhat neutral on the whole situation with Iraq, but recent discoveries about the Al Samoud missiles really have me shaking my head. The range of these missiles clearly violates post-Gulf War agreements, but Iraq kept saying it was because the missiles were not equipped with warheads or guidance systems (which would weigh them down and reduce range). Well, it turns out that the missiles do have a basic guidance system. It is not an advanced targeting guidance system, but it is as good or better than the guidance system on Iraq's Scud missiles, and we all know that they worked reasonably well when they weren't shot down. In addition, the Al Samoud missiles are actually deployed, ie, ready to launch. Who would deploy a missile if it was not "complete"? So, I think Iraq got caught with their pants down on that one. Was it just one violation or the tip of the iceberg?

Craig

rsholland

I don't want to get into a long debate here on this subject, but I will say this: I honestly don't think Iraq can be contained, regardless of how good the inspectors are. They are playing games with us, and we will never find their weapons of mass destruction, which I honestly believe they do have.

Nobody wants a war, least of all me; but I really think, at some point, a war is inevitable. If it's not this month, or next month, it will be next year, or the year after. It will almost surely happen within our lifetime. The longer it is delayed, the worse it will be for America and the world.

My last comment on this is: I believe in the long run, history will prove Bush and Tony Blair, and others who support this cause, to be right. That's all I'm going to say on this subject.

Bob

ateixeira

US intelligence knows a *lot* of stuff that we don't know, and we're probably better off not knowing. I bet they know because they were the ones that gave some of the missing weapons/chemicals to Iraq.

The press in Brazil in having a field day with that theory.

-juice

bsvoller

First of all, our thoughts and best wishes go out to all of those people who will be in the line of fire, and their families. We sincerely hope that no harm comes to them, either during combat, or as a result of being in the combat environment.

As many of you know, I count myself among those who remain unconvinced that war is necessary at this time. You can either look at the rocket thing as an example of how Iraq can fool the world, or as an example of how inspections and diplomatic pressure can work to expose Saddam's follies. Either way, the manner in which this administration has gone about strong-arming our allies on this and many other foreign policy issues has been much worse than counter-productive, and has fueled the controversy overseas unnecessarily.

As to whether there will be war, the Washington Post reported over a week ago that the US had informed the other members of the Security Council that a "final decision" had been reached - that the other members of the Security Council "could not decide whether there would be a war", but only if they would support the war that has already been approved.

This was also picked up by overseas news agencies, like Der Spiegel. Unfortunately, none of our other news outlets thought it fit for coverage to my knowledge.

I hope the WP got it wrong, and that war can still be averted. But I have to honestly say that I have no reason to believe otherwise. Bush and his team want this war, and they're going to get it. I sincerely hope that history proves them right in this decision.

-brianV

lucien2

All the CIA has to do is go back over Saddam's shopping list receipts from the Reagan era to see all that. Hell, while we're at it, here's a picture of an Iranian Air force fighter:



looks familiar, doesn't? Thank you, short-sighted Middle East Policy advisors!

lucien2

I forgot about the linked pic policy. Sorry, that was unintentional.

enjoy all the lovely US of A hardware: http://www.iiaf.net/archive/aircraft.html

ateixeira

Ironically, at least they're familiar with the enemy's hardware.

I still say give all the world's weapons to Brazil - they are far too corrupt to actually ever use any of them.

-juice

nygreg

The F14s were sold to Iran just prior to the overthrow. Before Grumman engineers left the country, they disabled the fighters (or so the theory is). Since then, the lack of hardware keeps these planes inoperable. Yes, we need to stop supplying these arms to groups/countries that have questionable long term futures.

Greg

ateixeira

Sell them Brazilian-made "Xavante" fighters. You can effectively defend against those by throwing rocks at them! LOL

-juice

bsvoller

There are rumors that Rumsfeld himself sold chemical weapons to Saddam in '83, to be used against Iran.

And the Taliban were trained by our CIA.

Gee, maybe we ought not do that anymore...

Duh.

-brianV

bluesubie

Pat, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I always say a prayer for those fighting against terrorism.

No matter what the U.S. government reveals to the general public, we will NEVER know all of the details. I was in the Persian Gulf in the late '80's and saw some incredible information (had Top Secret clearance).

-Dennis

bluesubie

Steve,
Check out the unit that Radio Shack sells. I forget the name, but you can put the brand in a search on Google and you'll get web sites that sell the adapters. That's the route I was thinking of going.

-Dennis