Subaru Crew Cafe

rsholland

Paisan has been MIA for some time. I think the last time he posted here was back in March or April, maybe even earlier than that? Maybe you should e-mail him? If you need his e-mail address I think I have it somewhere. You can e-mail me if you like, and I can give it to you.

Bob

bat1161

Lucien,

So sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. To be optimistic, my wife's cousin had stage IV 3 years ago and was a smoker. He is still around today - matter of fact he;s coming out for a BBQ in a few weeks. The advances in cancer care today are amazing. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Congrats on the OBS. Have a safe trip home!

Mark

hypov

er....where's Paisan?

he's tied up planning an addition.

I'll let him enlighten.

-Dave

lucien2

wow, that's good to hear, Mark. We're full of hope here, as she is quite strong and has an awe-inspiring attitude.

Off early early tomorrow. If anyone is looking for a well-loved FXT, I've got one that needs a good home! I've got it listed on Nabisco. I'll give it a couple weeks, then off to Carmax.

rsholland

http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/1367

lucien2

Rats. Oh well. There's a humble little 1998 Impreza wagon outside tonight. I'll be having it (her?) inspected next week and get the registration rolling.

jeffmc

The older Subies don't have the flash of the newer ones, but their looks grow on you, and they slowly become members of your family, with their personality and longevity coming through. Congrats on the new ride, Lucien - "she" will serve you well if you take care of her. My 2.2L Legacy was outstanding.

My mom's a cancer survivor (2X actually!) from about 30 years ago... think of how much treatment has improved over the course of a generation, and hang in there together.

lucien2

thanks, Jeff. It was funny, the first part of the "date" was pretty rocky. Unfamiliar noises, me convinced I had just bought a heap. But after the initial awkward conversation, we really started to get along, and by hour 4 I decided I had a pretty tough little car underneath me. I drove well over 300 miles and there is still over a quarter tank. It's possible the car is capable of a 400+ mile range, which would be fantastic. I can't wait to find out what the first fill up reveals mileage-wise. I can't find anything to gripe about. Body is what you'd expect for a 98. There's some grease on the rear diff and some grease on the steering shaft but north of the rack. In both cases it's pretty grimy, and a newspaper underneath yields nothing, so it may have been mess from a servicing. The MD inspection ought to reveal any serious problems (which I am cautiously declaring unlikely). Then to the dealer for whatever scheduled maintenance is closest.

My mother in law has got a tremendous attitude, so I am confident we have the holistic side of the equation pretty well covered.

kens

Congrats, loosh! Was this your first Impreza wagon you drove with a 2.2? How did it feel?

So, it sounds like a good detailing is in order. Was it a standard Impy wagon or the OB Sport?

Ken

rsholland

I will be interested in how you like the vehicle. It's similar to my son's old '96 Impreza Outback. Is it a 5-speed? Have you sold the F-XT yet?

Bob

rsholland

http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/1371

lucien2

Ken, Bob-

Tis indeed my first Impreza, but I've driven 2.5RS's and an old L wagon before. My car is an OBS, 5MT.

It's more sluggish than the Legacy OB we have, but not by a ton. I'd say 9.5 0-60 is about right. One the boiler is on though, it pulls quite willingly through 4500rpm, then begins not to care so much anymore. Overall the car feels pretty tight given the mileage, and the big weak spot is rubber. Some crappy $40 a/s things. Steering is slightly dead on-center, but communicative and direct otherwise, almost heavy. I'm anxious to get it inspected though, find out if I missed anything big in my visual once-over.

I've just now gotten a PM about the Forester, so we'll see.

kens

Sounds good so far! Since it's only a matter of time before you start tinkering around with it, I saw this link from an OBS owner.

Have fun! :-)

Ken

ateixeira

Lessee, noise is probably wheel bearings. Have the mechanic check those out specifically when he does the MD inspection.

Kate passed 150k on her EJ25, I'm sure yours will last longer if you take care of it.

-juice

lucien2

bearings done 20k ago. Although I do think the BG needs them, now that you mention it! :P The owner said the belts and pulleys were replaced. The belts are pretty new, but the pulleys don't seem to be, unless they were refurbs. MD Inspection is tomorrow, we shall see. She'll prbably go to the sube dealer for a once-over anyway, and lawd does it need real tires!

Already has a 17mm RSB froma 9-2x. So I got that going for me. Which is nice.

ateixeira

Sounds like a plan. Change all those fluids, who knows how old they are. Most people never to the gear oil (front diff/trans and rear diff).

-juice

robr2

I was on vacation in the NH White Mountains last week.

Some observations:

Subies as expected are all over the place in such an outdoor activity environment. Yakima and Thule must generate the same revenue percentage as Subaru does in the Northeast.

I saw more Tribecas there than around Boston. Again, most were sporting kayaks and bikes on their roofs and hitches.

I saw at least 5 Mazda 5's - all with Quebec or Ontario plates. What a great little minivan although it looked a bit overburndened fully loaded with a family and all it's gear for a week's camping.

tsy

Hey, I was thinking about how much horsepower cars had in the 80s, and how 150hp in a sedan seemed like a lot. Economy cars had less than 100 hp. And we (I anyway) was happy if my car made it to 60mph in under 10 sec.

Fast forward 20 years, econocars have almost 150hp, and sedans are pushing 600 hp! (ok, maybe just uber-sedans) but average sedans are 200-250 hp and fast getting your latte to 60mph in 5 sec (or less).

Have we all been brainwashed into thinking we need more horsepower? Maybe we're just spoiled?

Just wondering as I miss my sub 6 sec LGT on a cloudy Seattle day.

tom

ateixeira

Yes, the arms race has gotten a bit absurd lately, especially given the price of oil.

-juice

hammerhead

There's a whole lotta crotch rockets out there with more HP than our Subarus! Saw one in Osoyoos last weekend complete with a nitrous injection system. Speedometer maxed out at 280kph (174mph), but the owner admitted to over 300! Way too fast...

Cheers!
Paul

tsy

Hey Paul, what do you use to scrape them off the pavement when they crash at 180mph? (Do they call you?)

Motorcycle + SUV = bad outcome for motorcyclist

Although, at 180 mph crashing in a car proably isn't so good either!

Anyway, I guess my thoughts about the hp race is we could save more fuel, pollute less, and get to work 2 min slower. It's just not as fun.

I haven't turned into an eco-maniac just because I drive a hybrid. I must be getting old?

tom

hammerhead

Usually they're not much in the mood to use the phone. Someone else does it for them

You hit anything at that speed, it has the chance of being catastrophic... imagine trying to dodge a road critter or debris? And how much time would you have to make the hit it/avoid it decision?

I've wrestled a car or two to a stop after a blowout - I can't even begin to imagine losing a bike tire at speed!

Cheers!
Paul

lucien2

Well she got a new front left axle/CV joint, because the boot was gone. And she needed an E-brake adjustment. But that's it, I'm going to pick up now. Tonight I'll order tires, and get her into the dealer next week.

summer, or UHP A/S? hmmm...

ateixeira

You have a 2nd car, so get good summer tires. Do you both have to go out when it's snowing?

How much for the axle? We had to do that on the 626 and it cost a bunch, $900 or so IIRC. Of course that dealer always ripped us off.

-juice

lucien2

$440 covered the axle, the E-brake adjustment, and the $65 inspection fee. the dealer doesn't do state inspections, so I went to a reputable local garage, who also did the work. Dropped it off at 9, picked it up at 5.

locke2c

I'd get performance all-seasons tires, slam dunk.

The gist of this vehicle is saving money so IMO no point in buying separate summer / winter wheels and tires.

~Colin

lucien2

What!? Mr I'd-never-accept-the-compromise-of-all-season-tires (Colin circa 2002-ish)!? :P

too late, I ordered a set of Wide Ovals for the SSR Comps. I'll use these stock steelies and whatever no-name A/S is on there for this winter, or drive the wife's OB if I have to slog through something significant.

kens

Some of the new UHPAS tires are supposedly pretty good. Of course, never to the same stickyness as summer tires, but I don't think you'll be doing much Auto-Xing right?

What size SSR Comps and for how much? I like the SSR GT7 (kind of like a lighter weight PFF7) but they're not quite as light as the Comps.

Ken

lucien2

They're 16", not a popular size with the kids, but at 12 pounds, just about perfect for me and the pothole-riddled environment I drive in. I bought them from a good guy on, uh, not Nabisco but the board for Foresters. I paid $700 for the set at the time, which was a great deal for nearly perfect rims. I ordered 205/55/16 tires.

ateixeira

Just 12 pounds? Wow...that's what my 14"x6" rims weight on my Miata. And they're alloys too!

-juice

locke2c

Yeah they're forged aluminum. Or semi-forged maybe; cast center and forged rim. I would've sold them.

~Colin

lucien2

Are you people getting all this!? In case anyone was wondering if fatherhood has an effect on a person's automotive perspective! :P

I figure the rims were paid for long ago, and they fit this OBS, and even match the paint kinda, so what the hey. The car guy in me can't bear the sight of the hubcap-less steelies, so I would have ended up buying a set of WRX take-offs or something anyway, just to spruce the thing up a little.

ateixeira

You don't have to convince me. I did a Plus One on the Forester and a Plus Zero (upgrade to alloy) on the Legacy. Plus a full size spare for the wife's car.

Colin pounded this in my head - don't skimp on tires! The Falkens I have on there now track a *lot* better than the Nittos that came off, even though both beat the lame Duelers that came OE.

-juice

locke2c

yep, I don't skimp on tires but even still I have a very hard time buying the absolute best available. well on cars at least-- I just put a new set of Metzler's finest on my CBR, but they were only $20 more than 'ho hum' tires.

~Colin

bat1161

Rob,

That sounds like when I was in Alaska at the beginning of the month. It seemed every third vehicle was a Subaru, and I met people who were on their 4th, after 400,000 miles.

Definitely the colder/harsher the climate the higher the percentage of Subarus to be found.

Mark

ateixeira

And you only need 2!



-juice

kens

Sounds like a great deal. 12 lbs would do wonders for unsprung weight! I would have gone for at least WRX take offs too.

Ken

lucien2

yea I could feel the difference when on the Forester every Spring going from stock to SSR. I Klassed them today before taking them to the installer. Tires ought to arrive tomorrow. My only worry is they are going to completely out-class this little wagon...it's pretty clean, but hey, it's still a '98, and has a little, uh, personality here and there.

kens

So, did you Klasse the OBS for a touch of, ahem, class? I'm sure you could bring out the original shine with that PC of yours.

A nice clay, maybe some swirl remover if needed, and a work over with some AIO with a pad with some polishing action could do wonders. Three coats of SG and she'll shine like the day she rolled out in Gunma.

Ken

lucien2

Well she was owned by an older lady for the first 100k. The paint is in pretty good shape, and the last owner did wash and wax it before the sale. Thing is, that little old lady should probably have quit driving a couple of years earlier than she did :sick: Nothing major, but some scuffs and a very small crack, all on the bumpers, plus one small scrape on the fender by the wheel well. That I think I can solve with some patient touch-up work.

But yes, I will be giving it a thorough once-over soon. The car passed MD Inspection except for the torn CV boot. I think I'll take it to the dealer next and pay the $100 for a more thorough going-over (and a potential list of things that will need addressing in the near future), then back to my local guy to get all the fluids flushed and refilled. At that point she should truly be good to go, unless the dealer finds something I need to worry about right away.

It's really growing on me. The overall experience of the 2.2l is that it would rather be coddled, which I do, but then I open it up and it's willing to run. My instinct tells me that it isn't going to be thrilled with rapid slamma jamma upshifts. If I do autocross it, I think it will be more about finding one gear and staying there.

ateixeira

I remember ramon (Alwin) had one of those early OBS and had all kinds of fun in it. He vanished, which is too bad because he was a funny guy.

-juice

lucien2

well she got new kicks today. Boy what a difference. That numb, dead spot on-center I noticed before? Gone. Nothing pleases like a new set of tires. I've snapped a pic if someone can host it.

subearu

if you make a carspace site, you can host it there.

or imageshack.us

-Brian

PF_Flyer

All you have to do to set up your CarSpace is click the My CarSpace link in the upper left corner of the page looosh. Then just set up your photo albums. Really simple to just select the image files on your computer and upload them with a click.

Visit some of our CarSpaces to see what folks have done with photos.

http://www.carspace.com/pf_flyer

lucien2

ok, figured it out, a couple of pictures are up in the gallery. More later, perhaps. I just got done washing it today and I think I will wait on the Klasse. It has a great coat of wax on it right now. I'd spend half the energy just getting that off, so I'll hold off until October or so.

Oh, and the Forester left for her new home in CT today. She's got a good home though

ateixeira

Great, so you found a buyer?

That's cool. No more car payment!

Wifey is actually pushing for a Tribeca now. We thought about getting a newer Forester and a minivan for our long trips, but the math just didn't add up. No way could we swing two car payments.

I'm accumulating Subaru Bucks and just got a decent raise, and a small bonus on top of that. So we're in better shape. Early next year I may go car shopping.

-juice

jeffmc

Congrats on the raise & bonus, juice.

You gonna wait 'til spring to see what the '08s look like before making the decision?

ateixeira

That plus a few other things.

Basically some money coming in, other monies going out. I have to pay for a trip to Brazil (5 tickets including the nanny, so figure $6 grand) but then I get reimbursed for 4 of them in the form of Home Leave, plus I have to pay off property taxes in two big bangs, September and December, and I'm hoping my little brother can pay me back some of the money I lent him.

So I'll wait until the bank account setttles down a bit to see how much I'll have after all that.

Meanwhile, I'm accumulating Subaru Bucks, $600 so far. The prices on 07s aren't as good because it's the start of the model year, so I would not buy now anyway.

When the 08s come out, either I'll be wowed and wait, or I'll get a deal on an 07 if they're avaiable.

I'm more curious to see the 3.6l H6 engine, rather than the revised stylingh. I like the current look, it's daring and unique.

-juice

rsholland

but other models are off, resulting in a net gain of 2% for August.

http://vocuspr.vocus.com/vocuspr30/N...b-54775d287801

The recent surge in Impreza sales is amazing, considering it's about to be replaced in a year with an all-new model. Usually vehicles at this stage of their life cycle are losing sales, not gaining sales.

Bob

grahampeters

G'day

Well, not entirely off topic, but the route to a car connection is a bit circuitous as I will explain later.

Can anyone remind me of the artist and name of the famous American painting of a stern faced older couple, he with a pitchfork, standing amongst a farm scene. It's referenced in the opening (wedding) scene and the entry foyer to the castle of The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Now the car bit. Melbourne is a very artistic and cultured city, with a real appreciation of all of the arts. It is the home of the Australian ballet and the best Art Galleries in Australia. It also really loves live theatre and film and has a lovely, always controversial, international film festival each year.

One of the oddities of film in Melbourne was a long lived (many years through the 70's and 80's) Friday night event, starting at midnight (okay, let's call it Saturday morning), where the Rocky Horror Show was shown at a cinema (the Valhalla) and a large group of eccentrics would turn up dressed as characters, indulge in throwing rice for the wedding scene and such like. All very audience participative and a great cultural marker of college life for a whole generation.

We just got hold of the DVD and after some negotiation, Tamsin, our thirteen year old is permitted to watch it (I guess you have to learn how to do "The Timewarp" at some age).

The second big movie that The Valhalla showed was the Blues Brothers Movie, rescuing it from its initial cinema flop and bizarrely launching it, from suburban Melbourne, on a worldwide career of late night movie showings. The degree of audience participation here was markedly greater, with youngish members of the Police particularly liking it. The cinema had a relaxed attitude and permitted the off-duty Police to abseil off the balconies. Toast also featured heavily although I am glad to say that I never saw the Carrie Fisher character actually light up a flame thrower in the cinema.

Ah, yes, cars - I knew I would get back there eventually! Some of the theatre goers were so enthusiastic that a Blues-mobile look-alike '74 Plymouth Monaco or two would appear outside the cinema each week. Not something we ever saw in Australia in the '70s but good fun.

Cheers

Graham