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Comments
Craig
The story:
http://www.iihs.org/news_releases/2004/pr111404.htm
Full results:
http://www.iihs.org/news_releases/2004/pr111404_1.pdf
Tim
The steering wheel tilt is limited and I had to push the seat all the way down for a comfortable position. I drive with the steering wheel tilted all the way down and I can get in and out of my camry easily without having to adjust the tilt. But that's not the case in Outback, with the seat completely down, I could not see the hood and felt seated very low. The dealer was ready to go couple hundred dollars below invoice. I keep cars for atleast 10 years and I did not want to adjust the steering wheel everytime I get in and out. I think subaru could have done a better job with the interior space.
The seating surface and cargo area look and feel very upscale, I was very impressed with the cargo area. I would definitely recommend the car for short drivers, lot of standard features.
The doors are very light (which I liked), on a windy day, if you do not hold the door while you open, the door could easily bang the adjacent car.
During the test drive, I also felt the seats were little firm and steering a little stiff. The stiffness will probably disappear after a while.
Couple of features I have in my 95 camry LE and not in the Outback are:
Adjustable head restraints
Glass up and down after the engine is completely shutdown. I use this feature a lot in summer time, after I remove the key, I can still up the glass within a minute. I miss this feature in my Xterra too.
The driver comfort and back seat space were the main reasons for not buying the Outback, otherwise it is an excellent automobile. So serious buyers, do check the driver seating position and the space behind the driver.
I agree with you that the seats are a little too firm, but the head restraints ARE adjustable.
The lack of residual power after engine shutdown is definitely one of the little details that Subaru needs to take care of, but not a show stopper. I would put the priority on "auto-up" power windows before that though.
Sly
The salesguy told me that the head restraints are height adjustable but not <--> adjustable (sorry, did not get the right word) and so I did not try to push/pull them to see if I can.
However, I have heard of at least 2 people getting 300 dollar citations for not carrying chains. One of these people was driving a front wheel drive without chains.
As others here have suggested, a friend in Tahoe said to buy any old cheap chains and keep them in the car.
The guy at Kragens said cables would also not work. Could Patty find out for us?
Ken, I went skiing at Kirkwood. It waas great. A little warm and the snow is melting. But I cant complain for middle of November.
Michael
-juice
Excellent! I heard that Tahoe was open early due to the recent storms. I long for the child-free days when I could just hop in my car and drive up.
Don't trust the person at Kragen's. The main concern with traction devices other than fitting your tire size is if it will clear the suspension arm.
Cable devices are low profile so they typically do not pose a problem for most passengar cars. The best thing to do is find a store that will let you try it out in their parking lot to make sure there are not clearance issues.
Ken
-juice
I don't have any problems with position in the drivers seat, but I have power seats so it makes it easier.
It just depends what you're looking for. I wanted something with AWD, safety, reliability, and quite a bit more excitement than a camry. (I also had a 96 v6 camry- excellent car- just no character) My Legacy GT fit the bill to a T. ;-)
Good luck in your search. The new camrys are even nicer than the '95- but still boring. ;-)
tom
At least Subaru offers a wagon. That gives you lots more rear head room plus a ton more cargo capacity and versatility. Even the door opening is wider so it's easier to load kids and get in and out.
-juice
Want to bet the March Legacy will be the Liberty H-6 VDC? (in both auto trans lux and performance versions)
Dave
In my case, I use Mobil One and I drive almost 1800 miles a month, 95% highway. The thought of changing my oil every two months is not that appealing to me. What do you all think?
Sly
I would prefer Legacy GT LTD with H6 engine + Nav + HID projectors at around 30K. H6 should make the car even more stable, since the entire weight of the engine sits low down in the bay (Flat-6 !), unlike the 2.5T that weighs almost as much an an H6 but has a lot more turbo related hardware sitting above the engine, thus raising the CG.
Not meaning to stir up trouble at home, but I have the Atlantic Blue with Taupe interior VDC. My agreement with my wife was that I got to pick the car and she the colors. As usual, she has better color sense! Jason
After extensive research and a couple test drives, I pick up my silver/grey '05 OBXT manual this Friday and I am very excited. This will be my second car and first subaru. I paid $400 under invoice plus the dealer thru in mirror, cargo nets, bumper guard and security upgrade at no charge. I paid 750 for an extended gold plus 5yr/60K with $50 deductible.
Seeing that I would like to keep this clean and fast, your help in answering some questions would be appreciated:
this is my first turbo, anything major I need to know? (aside from normal engine stuff)
is synthetic oil after 15K pretty standard?
what can I use to keep the weather stripping supple?
can anyone recommend a good car cover? I drive on the weekend and on errands, but otherwise it sits in my lot during the week.
is it difficult to add an mp3 player input to the stereo?
a fork mounted bike rack is only available if I get the round cross bars from what I can see. Does anyone know any different?
thanks,
-jer
What is meant by break in time? How am I suppose to drive and for how long? I got the XT and know that I am going to be tempted to play, but will restrain if it will mean longer life and less problems.
Coming from my last car with a custom paint job, I am a bit of a snob wrt paint. Has anyone had any luck with rubbing out the orange peel? The dealer said that Subaru paint jobs were on the thin side and was not sure it could be done. Anyone have any idea how many layers of clear they put on? Again I have the silver/grey.
thanks again,
-jer
"But I have had full sized adults sit back there with no problem for several hours. But if you want to cross your legs back there, get a limo"
Well, if my wife were to drive this car, absolutely, tall adults can sit comfortably in the back seat and can even cross legs, don't need a limo.
I think the back seat space depends mostly on the driver's seating position. Few have their seats way back and few up front.
Like I have mentioned before, I should have spent more time adjusting the driver seat, I might give it a try once more. I really liked everything else in the car.
Like you said, I am too bored of driving camry and not going to buy one more.
- I'd switch to synthetic MUCH sooner than 15k. synthetic oil has tremendous value in turbocharged engines due to their extreme heat. I'd switch at or slightly before 5k.
- mp3 player: you can get an FM modulator for it, and they vary in quality with the really cheap ones being so-so. buy one and try it. the other practical alternative is to get an aftermarket stereo that plays mp3s natively and burn cds with the music you want. or, you can buy a deck with auxillary input and get a miniDIN (headphone) to RCA converter cable. in my Evo I've done both.
- break in: read the manual. also note that heavy throttle to 4k rpm and then abruptly lifting is HEAVY load and not in the spirit of the manual's intent. accelerate gently during break-in.
- subaru paint is thin. it'll chip up front from gravel but it won't orange peel.
~Colin
-juice
I have one spare 15"x6" steel rim if anyone needs one for something.
-juice
I agree with Colin- with a turbo I'd switch to synthetic way before 15K. I changed my oil at 2K with a synthetic blend and my next change at 5K will be with mobile 1. Think of oil changes as cheap insurance.
As for break in, keep it below 4K for 1000 miles. Very difficult with a MT. ;-) It's just too tempting! But after 4-500 miles, a few brief controlled bursts past 4K are probably reasonable every 100 miles (I'd stay below redline though!)
As for bike racks, I'd get an aftermarket one from Yakima or Thule- much stronger and well made. I saw a car that rolled with a Yakima rack- rack was fine! (car wasn't though.)
Good luck keeping your revs down!
tom
Don't try to buff out the orange peel unless you wan to repaint your Subaru. The orange peel on my silver 2005 Legacy sedan is underneath two coats of clear paint, so you would have to remove a lot of clear coat to start cutting into the orange peeled color coat. Don't do it!
I use a silicone oil preservative on my door seals(Armor All has a clear protectant with silicone). The oil disolves tars and leaves a very slick coating. Don't use it on your engine intake system because is will ruin your oxygen sensors.
I also am wary of using it on the interior surfaces,because I have found a black film on the inside of the windows that I believe comes from evaporating silicone. All this said, I still prefer silicone over the water based protectants.
Jim
Bob
I can relate to what you are going through. I spent many hours reading the Subaru forum while I was in the process of buying. I traded my 1997 Outback on a 2005 LL Bean, champagne gold. I originally was leaning toward a Limited rather than the Bean. I didn't want to be saddled with the lower gas mileage and the need for premium gas. As it turned out, the dealer could not find a Limited in PA or the surrounding states, so I decided to buy the Bean. I am glad I did. It has great power and lots of nice features built in. The Homelink remote in the mirror is something I wouldn't have bought, but it is fun to have. I can not only open the garage door, but also turn on a variety of house lights with the control.
My first choice in colors was the silver with a black interior...until my wife took a look at the interior and said she couldn't stand the all black interior. That is how we compromised on the champagne gold and tan interior. The car is great. Good luck on finding yours.
Kiko
my second would be that s/he possibly has chosen the wrong career.
really though: what crap! completely off base.
~c
I own a Legacy GT and I'm going to be permanently switching to synthetic at my next oil change (7.5K miles).
Ken
The GT gets lower profile tires while the XT gets a slightly wider tire.
Ken
Ken in Seattle
GT vs. XT?
GT is cheaper and sportier.
XT is more capable of handling the rough stuff and has some extra equipment like cross bars on the roof rack.
How do you drive? If you see gravel/dirt roads routinely and get lots of deep snow fall, XT is a no-brainer.
If you never leave pavement and don't often see deep snow, go with the GT.
-juice
I'm planning to change it to a PIAA UltraWhite 10watt bulb, should help with the lack of light up front when you get in the car.
Sly
I've always heard to make the switch early on in the engine's life to avoid what you saw.
Ken
One obstacle is that VDC is integrated into the VTD AWD. So they could do it easily only for cars equipped with an automatic.
We have yet to see VTD on any manuals. That's what they need to sort out. Then VDC would be possible.
-juice
-juice
what do you think juice?
The only other option is to dismount the tire and move the tires from one wheel to another, ensuring that the pressure sensor/valvestem gizmo stays at the right corner of the car.
~c