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Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Yes, as much as I was curious about new Forester'14, at the end I wanted to get something time-proven and well-tested by the public. There is also a certain pride of being an owner of each of 3 generations of Forester.

    First impressions: that baby got power! Yeah! You can blast your A/C at full power, and engine does not seem to notice.

    Originally, I came to the dealer, to buy silver 2.5X Premium. I wanted power driver's seat and telescopic steering wheel. I test-drove two different non-turbo versions: one Premium, another Limited. And both felt a bit underpowered, even in the "dyno" mode.

    So I asked for a turbo version. It did make all the difference. And it's totally a beast in the "dyno" mode.

    I'm now suffering from the buyer's remorse and am thinking I should have taken base X with alloy wheels package (16" alloys and roof rack), and save some money.

    But then again - I've driven economical practical cars all my life, and by now I feel that I might just deserve this little "Beauty and the Beast", even though it cost extra.

    And I realized I'm tired of silver color. Go red!

    I was not sure I really want Touring version, but XT Premium are scarce in our area, and I did like feel of the perforated leather :) , and controls in the dash.

    anyhow, back to crying (buyer's remorse) :cry:
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Steve, it doesn't get much colder than Ottawa and I have had zero problems with mine, don't know about gloves though since I never wear them driving. After having the touch screen I would never go back to a regular head unit.

    Cheers pat.
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Kate, way to go, health to enjoy your new car .

    Cheers Pat.
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    No crying allowed! You just bought the sports car of SUV's. Now go out there and teach those young kids in their buzzy Civics that Momma can drive!
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Wow Kate! You go girl!! :)

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Did you get navigation with it?

    Bob
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    No NAV. I'm ok as I'm using 5" Garmin Nuvi, with updateable maps and traffic. Now I am researching where to mount it. California has severe restrictions on mounting device on the windshield.

    I'd like to utilize that big boxy opening where 12 volt charger is located (below climate control), to hold my GPS, but did not figure out exactly how to mount it there.
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Congrats on the car. Nice choice- no sense in feeling bad about it!!

    As for the Garmin, do you have one of these mounts?

    http://www.staples.com/Garmin-nuvi-Automotive-Mount/product_647544?cid=PS:Google- PLAs:647544&KPID=647544

    It's got a sticky/gummy base that just comes off so it's not permanent (although there is a permanent sticker so don't use that one!). I've used one for years and it allows you to put the Garmin on your dash without the big sandbag mount.

    tom
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That works if you can find a flat surface.

    For my Sienna, I fabricated a custom mount, bolted it to where some screws hold the dash in place.

    Nowadays the in-dash GPS head units cost a lot less, you may want to consider those as well. I saw one at the Sony store for $500, plus $80 for professional install.
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    I would say the one in the BRZ is worse than my Garmin.

    The only positive is no one would want to steal it! Although the backup camera I installed is nice, come to think of it.

    tom
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Well I can confirm that on my aftermarket touch screen Nav. gloves make no difference. I checked this morning with gloves and was able to access all of the touch screen functions.

    So to sum up, fingerprints are not a big deal, I have actually never seen any on mine but it does get wiped down regularly with a microfiber cloth, and gloves are not an issue either.

    Now can I collect a fee for my research? :P

    Cheers Pat.
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Kate, never have buyers remorse, keep telling your self I earned this baby I deserve it. The only time I ever had buyers remorse was when I bought a base vehicle and then kicked my own [non-permissible content removed] every day until I got rid of it. I kept saying I should have bought top of the line.

    Cheers Pat.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,217
    My wife got a new pair of Isotoners for Christmas, that have special fabric at the tips of the index finger and thumb, so they'll work with smartphones..

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  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    edited January 2013
    Was having an email marathon with an old friend who I've known since kindergarten. Among things discussed were some of the cars my friends/parents/brothers owned while growing up. Here'a the list I came up with:

    '31 Ford Model A 4-door sedan, '51 MG TD, '54 Alfa Romero Guilletta Sprint, '54 Chrysler New Yorker limo (aka the "Green Latrine"), '55 MGA, '58 Fiat 600 Multipa, '59 Ford unmarked police car (with "3-on-the-tree), '63 Shelby 289 Cobra, and finally an original '64 Mustang.

    Now match that folks!

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's a serious fleet!

    No WRX. ;)
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    edited January 2013
    These were cars that existed before I graduated high school. I don't think Subaru even existed as a brand back then.

    I might add that my next door neighbor to the left of us, an elderly lady, drove a 1940 Mercury 4-door sedan. The neighbor on our right had a bullet-nose 1950 Studebaker Land Cruiser. In the garage behind our house was a 1937 Packard; never saw it driven.

    And diectly across the street from us was some big shot who drove new Cadillacs. Who was this guy? Joe Ida, godfather of the Philly Mafia back in the 1950s (until he got deported).

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Ida

    Yeah, I'm ancient...

    Bob
  • saedavesaedave Member Posts: 694
    Yeah, I'm ancient...

    Bob, you may not be.

    My personal cars: 1928 Chev.,1932 Chev, 1936 Studebaker President, 1952 MG TD (2 of them), !954 Corvette, 1956 Olds, 1956 Ford Police Interceptor, 1961 Buick Electra Concertible,1965 Mustang, 1971 Camaro (horrible car), 1974 VW Dasher, 1975 Audi Fox, 1980 Rabbit convertible, 1982 Audi turbo diesel, 1984 Audi 4000S Quatro, 1987 Nissan Maxima, 1989 Maxima, 1993 VW Passat wagon, 1997 Legacy GT wagon, 2000 Passat 4Motion, 2002 Passat W8 4Motion, 2005 Legacy 3.0 VDC, 2010 Forester XT.

    I have left out multiple motorcycles.

    Does any one have a greater range of model years?
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Got me beat. :) I've owned a few cool vehicles too, but can't top your list.

    Bob
  • saedavesaedave Member Posts: 694
    Possibly the most interesting motorcycle was my 1936 61 cubic inch Harley, their first OHV model which had been lightened and modified for running in motodromes (barrel shaped track) No, I never raced it but I did jump with it....about 30 or 40 feet perhaps. I did occasional jumping with my 1971 Norton (the rare off-road model with the 1.8 gal. peanut tank and high pipes).

    When I had to take an on-road exam (required for the elderly in Illinois) I arrived in a car and was notified that I had to bring a bike also for the motorcycle endorsement...so no more M on my license. If I ride a friend's bike, it won't be legal. I also dropped the large truck endorsement years ago.
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    When I had to take an on-road exam (required for the elderly in Illinois) I arrived in a car and was notified that I had to bring a bike also for the motorcycle endorsement...

    Too bad you couldn't bring the '36 HD and see the jaws drop. :)
  • saedavesaedave Member Posts: 694
    Too bad you couldn't bring the '36 HD and see the jaws drop

    The examiner also inspects your vehicle for lights, brakes, etc. The very modified Harley would not have passed. :P
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I had a few cool bikes too:

    '62 Honda 305cc CB77 Super Hawk (w/flat bars)
    '68 Honda CL350 Street Scrambler
    '70 Kawasaki 3-cylinder 500cc Mach III
    '72 Kawasaki 3-cylinder 350cc Mach II
    '74 Honda 4-cylinder 550cc CB550 (traded it in for one of the very first '76 Honda Accords)

    Bob
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,762
    Don't regret it! Shoot, if you want an auto transmission, the XT is the only way to go.

    You only live once, and the FE isn't really that much worse in the XT. ;)
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • saedavesaedave Member Posts: 694
    Bob,

    Glad you traded in the bike; you're still here! Overly aggressive and drunk auto drivers have made bikes a bad bet. I lost a friend from the engineering department who was broadsided by a drunk running a stop sign some years ago and watched a woman force a bike into the oncoming traffic lane two months ago.
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    '70 Kawasaki 3-cylinder 500cc Mach III

    My brother still has a '72 Kawasaki 3-cylinder 750cc Mach III.

    I drove it into town one day and wound it out a little too much between gears and passed a cop doing a wheelie. :surprise: I got out of town real quick. :)
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Dave, the 750cc model was called the Mach IV. It was pretty thirsty and not that much quicker than the 500cc model, as I recall.

    All those 2-strokes eventually got replaced by "cleaner" 4-stroke engines. The 4-cylinder 900cc Z1 being the first. That bike picked up where the 750cc Honda four (CB750) left off.

    Bob
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Well here goes.
    !939 Vauxhall 12,1947 Austin 10. 1949 Austin A40 Devon, 1954 Austin A30 Country man, 1951 Austin A40 Devon, 1954 A40 Austin Somerset, 1960 Morris Minor, 1964 Morris Minor, 1967 Vauxhall Viva These cars I owned in Belfast .
    Cars since coming to Canada.
    1970 Ford Cortina GT, 1974 Ford Capri,1978 Ford Fairmont (first brand new car) 1981 Chev. Malibu Classic, 1982 Plymouth Reliant, 1979 Honda Accord4 door, 1983 Honda Civic wagon, 1983 Honda accord Hatch, 1986 Mercury Topaz (total junk) 1988 Honda Accord LXI, 1989 Honda Accord SEI, 2001 Honda Accord EX, 2003 Honda Accord Wagon EX, 2001 Subaru Legacy GT wagon, 1993 Mazda 323, 2002 Mazda Protege 5, 2010 Mazda3 Sport Gt.

    Quite a list EH!

    Cheers Pat
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Wow, that's quite a list Pat. Like your Belfast rides the best. ;)

    Bob
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,217
    Is the new Forester Turbo, automatic only?? :surprise:

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  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    Is the new Forester Turbo, automatic only??

    "8 speed" CVT only.
  • prouloproulo Member Posts: 26
    edited January 2013
    Here is my list starting when I was 16:

    1932 Ford Model B
    1938 Pontiac Business Coupe
    1949 Ford
    1951 Chevrolet Coupe
    1957 Studebaker Hawk
    1956 Ford Fairliner Convertible
    1955 Ford Fairline
    1954 Ford Wagon
    1955 Chevrolet
    1958 Pontiac Catalina
    1960 Chevrolet Impala
    1968 Datsun Pickup
    1969 Datsun Pickup
    1970 Datsun Pickup
    1971 Datsun 210
    1965 Plymouth Belvedere
    1973 Mazda RX3 Wagon
    1965 Chevrolet C10 Truck
    1977 Datsun Pickup
    1979 Jeep CJ5
    1981 Saab 99
    1982 Subaru GL Wagon
    1982 Fiat X19
    1984 Chevrolet Astro Van
    1987 Pontiac Bonneville
    1986 Suzuki Samauri
    1990 Mazda Miata
    1991 Chevrolet Cavalier
    1993 Eagle Summit Wagon
    1995 Dodge Neon
    1995 Nissan Frontier
    1997 Auda A4
    2000 Subaru Forester
    2002 Jeep Liberty
    2005 Ford Ranger
    2007 Suzuki SX4
    2010 Honda Fit
    2012 Subaru Impreza

    First car 1932 Ford was owned by my brother, but after he left for the Army it was mine to use. The rest were owned by me and leter my wife and I. There may be some missing the 60's were just a blur!
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    My only cool ride was my first... plain-clothes 1985 Ford LTD Police Interceptor that I bought from the NJ State Police in 1990. Looked like a hand-me-down from a grandparent that gave up driving but had the dual-intake police-spec 302 EFI under the hood, and still snapped off 7-second 0-60s with 110K on the odo. Crowning moment was dropping a Corvette from a standing start at a highway traffic light :)
    image

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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,217
    "8 speed" CVT only.

    :(

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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,217
    So... what you are saying is that you never had a cool car? ;)

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  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,762
    That list is mind-blowing, proulo! I think that is longer than Pat's!

    I seriously doubt I will come anywhere near owning that many cars in my life time. I've only had 11, and I still have more than half of those today. Of course, I've only had cars for twenty years, but that's likely a third of my car-owning years right there.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    My list isn't cool either. Probably the closest we ever came to cool was the Datsun.

    '72 Mercury Montego MX Brougham 2 dr (first car)
    '79 Ford Fiesta (first new car)
    '76 Ford F-150
    '79 Datsun 810 (odd looking but technically 1st class for the day) - new
    '87 Chevy Nova CL (dubbed the Novarolla) - new
    '90 Toyota Camry LE V6 wagon - new
    '93 Toyota Corolla wagon - new
    '97 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport - new
    '00 Ford Windstar SE - new
    '02 Subaru OBW - new
    '02 Honda Odyssey EX - new
    '08 Toyota Sienna LE - CPO used
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Cop car. Cop suspension. :shades:
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    '72 Mercury Montego MX Brougham 2 dr (first car)

    My brother had the same first car.
  • saedavesaedave Member Posts: 694
    I forgot my most unusual car which was in between the two MG TDs. It was a 1950 Chev 4door with a bore and stroked and cammed 1950 Olds engine and driveline. It had a 1950 engine and Hydromatic with a 1949 Hydro. valve body that provided quicker shifts. On a road dyno it registered higher than a D type Jaguar. The trans was good for 6 wide open throttle starts between band adjustments. The last upshift at 80 MPH broke traction.

    I bought it with the mods and fixed most of its many problems including an off=angle driveline that robbed power. I had free-to-me custom parts that I designed and had made in the corporate mil spec machine shop. Chevy panel truck rear leaf springs with (from the factory) clamps cured a loose rear end.

    I actually drove that car on business trips many times!
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Yeah Bob, there are two I would like to have back and that would be the 54 Austin Somerset, and the 64 Morris minor.

    Pat.
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    Let's see .. my list probably isn't as long as some, and the 1st one was probably the most impressive ... lol

    57 Chevy BelAir (with an auto transmission! - my grandmother's old car that I drove when I was in high school. I LOVED this car even if I drove it in Houston with no AC!)
    67 Dodge Coronet (parents thought I needed more "reliable" transportation when I was commuting to University of Houston every day)
    70 Buick Grand Sport Stage 1 (1st husband's 'sports car' he bought when he returned from Vietnam and I 'inherited' it when he wanted to buy a pickup truck - it was a COOL car with a BIG engine - 455 - don't accelerate without your seat belt on or you'd suddenly be sitting in the back seat)
    75 (?) Chevy Nova - as I recall it had "blow away" blue paint on it
    77 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup truck (with a small camper on it)
    78 Chevy Suburban Silverado
    81 Chevy Malibu
    88 GM Suburban (mid-level trim - don't remember the badge name - This one had "blow away" gunmetal gray paint on it and I actually ended up having it repainted under a recall after I'd had it quite a few years - maybe 8 or so. What I remember is that the Suburban didn't have any dents, etc. in the body when it was repainted and the body shop even remarked at how well it had been taken car of. About 2 months after it was repainted, I had a neighbor who "repositioned" a mailbox and I didn't know it and I backed straight into it and creased the rear doors!)
    Somewhere in here my parents 'gave' us a Dodge Aspen (76?)
    93 Olds Cutlass Ciera S (while I was the car-shopper, dealer, haggler, and payment maker, this car was the 1st one that I bought without husband co-signing and he was surprised that I could DO it! ... yeah .. the 1st husband ... don't have that husband OR the car anymore as we donated it to the local Center for the Homeless last month!)
    98 Chevy Suburban (pretty much top of the line model)
    Along with all the rest there were a number of pickup trucks that really belonged to the husband and I didn't drive them
    01 Subaru Outback Wagon (finally came into the fold!)
    91 Mitsubishi Montero - new husband's car lol
    97 Lincoln Town Car - his replacement for the Montero
    98 Cadillac DeVille - father-in-law's car that he has beaten around the last year or so when he shouldn't have been still driving and we brought home Thanksgiving weekend

    Most of mine aren't all that exciting .. but for so many years I needed something to haul kids, their friends, church youth, Girl Scouts, band kids, groceries, etc ....
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    You're just jealous that YOU didn't have a cool stealth car like me... with a cop motor, cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks...

    kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,217
    The 810 and Camry wagon are definitely cool!

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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,217
    I had a '70 Galaxie with the 302.. Nothing cool about mine, though.. :)

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  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    The '79 Datsun 810 was the 2 dr coupe, and there were under 2,000 total imported. The parts manager at the local dealership kept after me for years to sell it to him, but we drove it until it wouldn't move any more.

    The Camry wagon was unusual for the time. We searched for months for the high line V6 with ABS. Odd thing is when we couldn't find one, our #2 choice was the first generation Legacy wagon. We came that close to being Subi owners before we located the Camry a few states away and had it transported here.
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    The Montego (powder blue with a black vinyl roof) was my college car, and made the 400 mile trips fast and easy. Unfortunately it wasn't terribly reliable, and it cost me a bomb to keep it going. Good thing is with help of my friends I learned a lot, like how to do a valve job, rebuild a carb, brakes, shocks, body work, etc. Good times!
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,217
    Wow... I don't remember the 810 coupe...

    A friend of a friend bought an '81 810 sedan, new.... I think that was the first year they used the term Maxima, though that might have just been the top trim line, at the time...

    That Gen II Camry might have been the best car ever made.. except for motorized seat belts.. (though not all years have that)..

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    edited January 2013
    The first car I bought myself was a used Datsun 210. I should have sprung for a 510!
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    edited January 2013
    The '81 cars, although they were called 810 (base model) and 810 Maxima (high line trim) for that first year, were actually a new series called the 910.

    "Real" 810 production ended in 1980. The '79 & '80 810 coupe was essentially a 280ZX with a more sedate body and the smaller bore L24 EFI 6 cylinder engine.

    The achilles heel of these cars was the complex semi-trailing arm IRS, with replacement parts for the limited production coupes near impossible to find in the US by the late '80's. The U-joints (7 in total) were welded to the shafts, and when my center finally went in 1991, my local Nissan couldn't order them. I found a shop that could custom fabricate, but before I could act, my car got caught in a flooded parking lot and we were forced to total it. Very sad ending.
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