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Subaru Impreza Outback Sport & TS

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    brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    what hp will the OBS competitor have? I would hope it's more than the 130 hp, although i don't know curb weights.

    Either way, I don't regret ordering the Sube, but more competition is always nice.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Probably 130hp in the top model. That's what the sedan has.

    If it gets AWD it would be kind of slow.

    -juice
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    brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    I looked at the specs and the curb weight for a MT is 2716 lbs.

    The cargo capacity is only 24.4 cu ft with the seats folded down (19.8 cu ft with the seats up). I wonder if that's a typo...

    Oh well, too many sacrifices for that pretty face.
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    scubyscuby Member Posts: 5
    All 2002 Imprezas only have a vanity mirror on the Driver side. Stupid huh! I have a 2002 RS. MY girlfriend has to lean over onto me to look in the mirror. I guess thats not so bad though. I thought about swithching it around too, but they would be facing the wrong way. the mirror would be facing the windshield. I would just like completely different visors, thier cheep and ugly looking. they have more info written on them than the manual. Whoever got the idea to put writing on visors is a [non-permissible content removed]. It makes the car look cheep. Only thing I HATE about the car!
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    well back in the old days, i used a xacto knife to carefully slice them out. I'm too lazy with my current car tho. i think it's a design flaw that the new Impreza gets the vanity mirror on the drivers side.
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    rgsjr99rgsjr99 Member Posts: 17
    Good point Ramon,

    Makes you wonder if they forget to convert the visors to left hand drive ... domestic market goof?
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    barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    The WRX (which is still an Impreza) has driver and passenger vanity mirrors std. Maybe this is so the driver and passenger can look at their expressions as they go screaming around some backroads! :-)

    Stephen
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    why you outcast non OBS owner!!! git outta here!!! =D
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    orangelebaronorangelebaron Member Posts: 435
    What's up with cheap looking visors, taking away the fender signal lights, no heated mirrors, burlap looking OBS seats, and not even optional side airbags in non-WRX imprezas???
    Don't complain just here!!! Email Subaru and let them know how you feel. I have!
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    celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Well, cheap visors may be better than cheap sunglasses (ZZ Top song, remember?).

    I wonder if the mirror wasn't put on the driver's side because most of the time people drive alone in a car. If you really want a mirror on the right side, buy a small mirror and some double stick tape or adhesive, and just stick it on.

    Ramon: we have what are called "love bugs" down here in May and November. They are useless black bugs that are almost always doubled up mating, so you hit two at a time. They don't seem to have any natural predators or any real place in the ecosystem which is a real enigma. In the city they are minimal. However, my older son has to drive his white Legacy GT to Disney where he is on the night construction crew and going out there they are BAAAAD. And the mosquitoes leaving blood splotches on his grill. He's pretty ticked off about it.

    Orangelebaron: Don't knock the upholstery in the new 2002's. I did before I bought one and couldn't see the sense. But here in Florida I can attest to the fact that this uphostery is much cooler feeling to your legs, especially when you're wearing shorts, than the older fabric. This stuff is really comfortable to sit on in hot weather and I wouldn't have dreamed this just looking at it. But they clean really well (I know, my son got a big dirty footprint on one of the front seats a few days after I got the car) so it must not be natural fiber, which puzzles me as to why it's so cool feeling.

    Please be sure that if you e-mail Subaru to complain that you also compliment them on some of the added bonuses. That rear cargo light is great along with the front map lights, LOUDER horn, better quality carpet, heavier duty seats, much nicer highway ride, bigger rims, really great looking wheels, rear headrests with center 3-pt. seatbelt, CD player, see, they really didn't rip us off that much! I could probably list more if I sat here and thought some more. Oh, yeah, the odometer stays lit when the car is off, too.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Do they also have the outside temperature guage, and the 2nd odo, like the newer Foresters?

    A lot of that little stuff has been added since my '98 Forester. I guess they are re-contenting.

    -juice
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    i sincerely think that the vanity mirrors is a design goof. My current GC8 Impreza and even my old OBS has the vanity mirrors on the proper place. Actually the WRX has it on the proper place too. Hmm... I wonder if the new RS has this weird issue as well.

    wow celeste! your son has a legacy GT? which model? I really dig the current model. It's very classy! The older one was nice too...more rugged. Actually i secretly wished that the new Impreza would sport those nice Legacy headlights....but alas, they went with the err.... nevermind. It's all good.
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    brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    amen, sister-friend!

    I don't know why everyone cracks on the OBS seats. I didn't think they were that bad, although I was sitting on plastic during the test drive. VW owners always complain how their cloth seats tenaciously hold onto fur and lint which to me would be much more of a pain, so I hope it's not the case with the imprezas.

    Then again I didn't notice the cheap visors so I guess I'm not observant.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The one I test drove had excellent seats. Great side bolsters, good support, very comfy. I'd gladly trade for the ones in my Forester, which aren't bad.

    I have to agree on the visors, though. Cheap, cheap, like the kind you'd find in a JC Whitney catalog if you shopped only by price.

    -juice
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    bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    I had the driver side visor on my 97 OBS replaced under the B - B warranty. It came apart at the seam with use. Bad seats? You should see mine. But Subaru is more about function than form and they've held up well. The pluses far outweigh the minuses. How many vehicles out there have full time 4 or AWD, cost 20k or less and have over 60 cu. ft. of cargo space?

    We don't need to e-mail SoA. There's an SoA rep that checks these forums and forwards our comments to Product Planning. ;-)

    Dennis
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Easy, Dennis. Two. The Impreza TS and the Outback Sport.

    -juice
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    bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Oh yeah, can't forget the TS.
    Dennis
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    the RS too. they are 20k or less.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Nope, doesn't meet his cubic feet of space requirement.

    Oh, you can add the Forester L to that list. $19,005 at fitzautomall.com, and it meets all the criteria. So I guess there are 3.

    -juice
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    barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    Don't be too hard on me...If you're ever in the Emerald City (Seattle) you can drive my WRX wagon. I'll take you on a couple good benders (roads that is...) I won't even make ya look at the stinkin vanity mirror. :-)

    Stephen
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    u know i was just teasing you mon! Man.... Seattle is too darn far for me! Daggamit! well i did test drive a 5spd WRX silver wagon at the test and drive clinic. Took it out to the streets. Make mine a wagon please!
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    bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Ok, what car other than a Subaru. :-)
    Dennis
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    brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    I don't even have my car yet and I'm worried about paint chips. Many people at i-club are complaining about paint chips and the Subaru paint in general. They mentioned putting something like x-pel or the 3M clearbra but I'm worried that might look bad too. Would a hood deflector help? I always try to keep a safe distance from the car in front of me but I find it hard to believe that all these paint chips are caused by aggressive driving.

    Any suggestions, I would appreciate it!

    p.s. I was driving home yesterday, glanced in my rearview mirror and there was a WRX sedately looking back at me...I rolled down my window to give him a thumbs up but he had already passed me by then...(not because he was driving fast, it takes forever to roll down my window!)
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    celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Ramon: He has a 2000 Legacy GT, bought it the same day we bought our 2002 OBS. He got a good deal on it because it was a manual and they were having trouble selling it because of that.

    Ateixeira: The 2002 OBS had the outside temp gauge which I don't need, I can tell you it's hot most of the time here, and the regular odometer and trip odometer that display one above the other. You can see both at once, and they stay on when you turn the car off, unlike the 2000 OBS.

    Brekke: My 2000 OBS didn't seem bad with dirt/lint, but then I vacuumed about every 4 to 6 weeks. For people that take their dogs around alot, someone (I forget which club, now) used packaging tape (stick strips of it to seat to remove hair, pull off) and said it works like a charm, much easier than trying to vacuum all those little short hairs off when all they do is dig in further!

    It seems to me those with alot of paint problems drive where there are alot of gravel/ rocks. Like Alaska, near the Rockies, etc. If you do alot of city driving you may not notice much damage. After a year with my 2000 OBS the only slightly small nick is one I put there myself!
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Dennis: can't think of any currently available in the US. Golf 4Motion would qualify, maybe. That's about it.

    Cool, Celeste. I'd like the temp gauge just to know when temps are freezing to look out for bridges and such. Usually with AWD I don't notice.

    -juice
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    i heard from a lil blue birdy that you've installed a ganzflow in your OBS eh? Whoa Baby! That thing's gonna eat some CR-V and RAV4's for breakfast! =D
    Nice choice. The new Legacy GT in white are just plain icy cool. Well now then, u can always drive your son's GT whenenver you feel like romping thru the gears now too!
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    action303action303 Member Posts: 17
    I sent an email to the Subaru people regarding the driver side vanity mirror on the OBS. They replied within a day, and assured me that it was not a design flaw, or an oversight in bringing the Imprezas to the American market or anything like that. They must have their reasons.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Marketing BS. Sorry, I love subies, but that's a simple case of cost-cutting. They make 'em for RHD and didn't change them for LHD.

    The vanity mirror should be on the passenger side, unless it's on both sides.

    Reminds me of the RAV4 owners that were defending the wrong-way opening rear hatch. It's cost-cutting, clear as day.

    -juice
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    action303action303 Member Posts: 17
    ateixeira: I definitely think you're right. I wasn't defending Subaru, and I think it (no mirror on the passenger side) might be one of those little irritiating things that will make me (and my girlfriend) enjoy the car less. Bummer.
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    a minor gripe. But it is annoying as every passenger who sits on the passenger side and if it's a girl, she's gonna wonder what is wrong with it.
    I agree with Juiceman. that's pure BS. If I were you, I'd head off to your nearest Subaru dealer and ask for a GC8 model's passenger side visor which has the proper vanity mirrors. It's just a blatant BS from Subaru. Now I am pissed too.
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    barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    dual vanity mirrors are std on the WRX. Why aren't they just carried across the board throughout the Impreza line? It's not like the mirrors are expensive. They are basically little makeup sized mirrors imbedded in vinyl covered cardboard. If Subaru is paying a supplier a lot for these then they are getting ripped off. They are quite cheap feeling. Seems to me it would be more expensive to exclude on some models instead of just leaving as is.

    As a side note, I really hate corporate responses like that listed in post#627. The arrogance that somehow Subaru buyers are going to believe that this BS isn't (as Juice put it) Marketing babble-speak is anger-inducing. OK...maybe I'm projecting but still burns my butt!!

    Stephen
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    BTW, my Forester did not have it on either side so I got a clip-on one. No big deal, it just doesn't look half as good.

    If it bothered me a lot I'd just order the ones from the Forester S, but it doesn't.

    -juice
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    drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    No way jose! Those Subaru Yahoos are really fanatic over their silly little AWD cars! =)
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    celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Ateix: Yep, I never thought of the need to know the outside temp to see how COLD it is, in Florida we might want to know how Hot it is so we know how fast to run from our air conditioned cars to air conditioned buildings!

    Ramon: Yep the intake's on and wow what a difference. It shifts thru the gears quicker in drive, even tho' on my next tank of gas I'm going to leave it in 3rd in town, I just hate when it's trying to fish for overdrive before it's really needed. The sound is cool. I went for a drive after doing the ECU reset last night and went in a large industrial park where no fear of cops could intimidate me from getting the RPM's up in 1st and 2nd gear, as the instructions tell you to do. Whoa, my kid's sitting next to me and just giggling with glee he can't contain himself. Then today I let him drive past me in a lot, starting where I couldn't see him take off, and I could hear the roar before he came into sight around the building. It was cool. By the way, he's getting pretty good at doing slides in the dirt using the emergency brake, what do you call them, "power slides", can flip the car around 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

    He has a friend who's in college and looking at Audi's. We're trying to convince him to get a WRX. So he and my son go test driving cars every week and no WRX's around, so for fun take out the new 6-cyl. Outback. This friend of his was totally impressed with the way it handled in a dirt lot compared the Audi's he's test driven. We're still working on him...... he'll be a convert soon...... They're going to the Audi lot tomorrow so the saleman can show my kid how much better Audi's handle than Subie's. Boy, that poor man doesn't know what he's in for!
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    rgsjr99rgsjr99 Member Posts: 17
    Now that I'm a just few miles from completing the break-in, it's been real hard work ;), I thought I'd take the OBS up to speed tonight on the turnpike, still stayed under 4000spm though.

    I noticed that it got a little twitchy approaching triple digits. Anyone else have this experience or know of anying tips to settle it down? I do not have the rear spoiler if that makes a difference. I was wondering if the OBS starts to develop a lift issue at high speeds.
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    celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Triple digits! What are those!! I probably have not gone over 85 to tell the truth, and it seems I have read somewhere about it getting squirrelly at very high speeds. This will never be an issue unless this is something you'll be doing on a regular basis. Does it perform alright at normal highway speeds? I've had mine up to 75 and it was just like silk. This car is much smoother at highway speeds than my 2000 was.
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    celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Had it up to 80 tonight on the interstate in the fast lane, and especially with the air intake, just as smoooooth as silk, it amazes me how much more integrated the 2002 is than the 2000. Pretty amazing! It would be interesting now to drive a manual to see what it's like. Today I took off in first gear (automatic transmission), and with the intake it really kind of threw you back in your seat! hotchacha!!
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    brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    how hard was it installing that intake? I have no experience.
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    celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Well, my hubbie and son installed it. It came with everything and Larry Ganz (if you buy his kit) has complete instructions. It looked really simple and the instructions were good. I guess maybe I could have done it but refuse to start doing that kind of stuff since I do everything in the house and do not need to increase my territory if you know what I mean. Do you have a hubby, boyfriend, or dad who can help you? If not a good car shop would have no trouble. There are shops who specialize in Japanese imports.

    However, it just involved taking off a big plastic box-type thing that is the existing air intake, and connecting the new intake where the old one came off. The Ganzflow is basically a big machined aluminum tube about 3 or 4 inches in diameter, and it just gets clamped on the place the old intake went into the air filter. The other end goes thru a hole in the body of the car, under the hood, that connects with the inside space of the front fender. If you needed a picture of it connected we could send you some. It sounds really cool. Larry Ganz' instructions also have pictures and you can download these off the internet from the site listed below.

    Larry Ganz sells a kit with an air filter and intake for $145.00. You can find it at www.ImprezaRS.com or fax him at 719 623-0253 (fax and voice mail). This guy sells a LOT of intakes!
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    celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    oh yeah, forgot to mention that the reason it took two people to install it is that my son is a budding mechanic and pretty good but needed an inspector to back him up.
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    brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    I guess I have to wait til my OBS gets here. I know exactly what you mean by "increasing your territory"!

    Celeste, are you going to do the rear sway bar and strut brace too? I think you should you Subymamma!
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    celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Probably after the summer, though. We have to watch our income over the summer months....
    I found out I can get the rear spoiler installed, painted, etc. for $459.00 at the place I bought the car in Tampa. I looove that spoiler!!
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I like the spoiler, too. Both, actually.

    -juice
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    brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    what do you mean, "both"?
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The ones at the top and bottom of the rear window. There are still two available, right?

    -juice
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    barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    the waist spoiler is not available through the dealer for the 02'wagons yet. There may be some aftermarket sources though.

    Stephen
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I swear I thought I saw one...

    -juice
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    celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    I think you had asked me awhile back if the 2002 OBS has a double odometer (I forget your exact wording). Well, I just found out that it has a double trip meter, one marked A and one marked B! Lo and behold, I'm still discovering stuff on this car.
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    amishraamishra Member Posts: 367
    how's the ride of the OB sport compared to the TS wagon?

    Mostly I'm after the stiffer ride, but I really like the Sport's silver paint job...
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