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Comments
I guess they now all fall into the category of "idiomatic expressions."
Bob
In the 6 1/2 years I've owned it, outside of normal wear items I've only had to replace the rear wheel bearings. (I also had to replace a seat heater switch after my son spilled a milkshake inside it, but I don't count that. :P) The cloth seats got badly picked early on so I replaced those with an aftermarket Katzkin leather kit, but technically I didn't need to replace them. I've also replaced a windshield and with all the salt and sand that gets kicked up I should replace another.
Now I need to find out what other high-mileage FXT owners are doing to keep the car going well into its second hundred thousand miles. The timing belt service will be done sometime this month.
I have to admit, however, that in the last month I've started thinking about parting ways with the car. The consistent 19mpg city/23-24 highway/20-21 combined was tolerable when fuel prices were <$3/gallon, but are less so now. Even less tolerable is the car's short range; my low fuel light always comes on at about 215-230 miles on the trip odo.
What's gotten my attention are CPO 2008-09 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec diesel sedans. What appeals is the drivetrain, the fuel economy and the range. Horsepower on par with the FXT but gobs of torque for passing/merging and a very nice 7-speed shiftable automatic. What does not appeal is giving up AWD and cargo capacity and the poor reliability of M-B relative to Subaru. Currently common sense has the best of me and tells me to hang on to the FXT and modify my driving habits.
I'm just hopeful that Subaru can develop a drivetrain that delivers similar performance to my current car with some increase in fuel economy. I spent two weeks with a N/A 2010 Forester in December and the increase in mpg was minimal compared to the loss of power for highway maneuvers. I'd think that going to direct injection and adding an additional gear or two to the manual and automatic transmissions could get the XT into the mid-20s combined average. Maybe you all who are still Subaru insiders can shed some light on the future? :confuse:
Ed
One thing to keep in mind regarding anticipated expenditures on your FXT would be possibly a head gasket swap sometime down the road. Still should not be a deal breaker I wouldn't think. Are Subaru's known to have good longevity with their turbos?
I would like to see a picture of your Katzkin leather seats if you can post one?
Sam
The XT turbo engine does not have the open deck die cast block which eventually eats head gaskets. The original gasket probably will last several more years.
Sam
Hard to believe, I know.
Bob
SoA is hinting no AWD for the USA, which is a tragedy. Who wouldn't buy the Scion? More dealers, likely to be cheaper, and better looking.
I've said it all along, let Toyota market the RWD model and Subaru the AWD one, both exclusive.
With no more EVO, Colin, you thinking about one of these bad boys for your next purchase?
I'm curious - would you want AWD or RWD?
There is a huge gap in size/weight/cost between these and the Sienna/Odyssey.
The 2009+ models got a 16.9 gallon tank, to replace the 15.9 gallon one.
And I think the new XT auto gets slightly higher MPG, but not much.
Combined you'd get slightly better range, but maybe not meaningfully so.
My Miata annoys me with a low fuel light at around 260 miles, so I can sympathize.
I bet Ed would love to see something similar in the F-XT!
Crosstour: 1,710
Venza: 2,551
Outback: 7,951
Incredible but those new entries haven't even put a dent in Outback sales. That's a record and 28% higher than a year ago.
The looks are okay, and not very controversial; and most important—the car fits their needs—and that's what sells.
Look at the (arguably better looking) last-gen Legacy and Outback. It was smaller, and didn't get as good gas mileage as the new one. As a consequence it sold "okay," but the newer (and not as good looking) models sell much better because they're roomier and get better fuel mileage. Styling—good or bad—played a less important role in the decision-making.
Bob
Bob
To me the Crosstour is particularly unattractive, though.
The Outback sells on function - width between the wheels wells is about a foot wider than the Crosstour (yes I measured). The cargo area dwarfs Honda's.
Hopefully it will be a fun driver- but will definitely need more hp to be a significant player.
Without the Evo, who wants a Mitsubishi???? I don't even know what else they make anymore.
tom
I will say the Legacy wagon in Europe is better looking.
tom
A small lineup in a market that loves big cars - they're doomed.
Personally, I just would not be counting on a 10 year warranty, though.
08 is a sweet year - it's pre-cost cutting, but new enough to get the 2GR engine with 266hp and a timing chain (06 and prior had a belt). So 07-10 is ideal IMHO.
Did you get AWD? 7 or 8 passenger model?
The 7 passenger seemed to have better mid row seats, so we were happy to stumble upon that.
I have come to find that these vans hold their value amazingly well. There aren't many bargains out there to be found.
On 3/1 Toyota revised the B-to-B coverage on CPO cars from 3/3 to 12/12. That lifted our last objection, as we were pushing for better initial coverage from the dealer. Timing seemed to fall into place nicely!
So here's the real kicker. They had 'in the flesh' a 2011 XLE with nothing on it other than a couple of trivial items, so the uplift from an LE wasn't too bad. It's an amazing transformation from the 2011 LE that was such a turn-off a week earlier. We drove both and had to go to lunch to mull over buying CPO, verses buying new. It was a very tough choice, but in the end we both knew that new was beyond our budget this time around.
Back in 07 I saw street prices from $21-38k.
Now it's more like $26-44k. Up across the board.
Funny story. When we got home, the dog came out to the van and freaked. Tail between legs & backed away. Getting her up in it took real effort, and she shook the whole time. She was happy to get out of the Toyota, and gleefully jumped into the old Honda. Once back into the house, she whined and kept barking at the door to the garage!
They say dogs have good senses about these things. We've since named the new van "Christine". It seemed funny at the time....???
Hahahahah; it seems funny to me now! That said, let time do it's thing.... :surprise:
Funny, though.
Weird about the engine problems. The new V6 doesn't seem to have any pattern of problems.
-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor
Have fun with your pistol. Try to find a local IDPA match, you'll enjoy it! Google suggests this one: http://idpaforum.yuku.com/topic/1155
(Intentionally not embedding, in case some folks don't want to see it for whatever reason.)">
I thought I was doing pretty good until I asked one of the instructors who races Miatas to take me out on a lap- WOW- big difference! He really knew how to drive on the edge of control. Very cool. Very fast.
I am pretty happy with how my Miata did- I've got huge 225s on sticky summer tires so it was pretty fast. I don't think the C6 Z06 was much faster (of course, it's the driver, not the car, right?) on the autocross course. The best 'car' was a lowered Tacoma pickup truck (is it the x-runner? It's stock lowered with huge summer tires) watching the guy rip through the cones was quite a sight to behold!
Anyway, I'm doing part 2 in 2 weeks, which is the high speed track which should be more fun!
tom
I'm now the Race Director for http://NASANE.com it's a blast!
-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor
I'm envious!
There's another track nearby, Pacific raceways, which is more of a traditional road course, and a short technical track (Kart track) that cars run around on as well.
It should be a pretty fun filled summer!
tom
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/massive_earthquake_hits_japan.html
paraphrased from Cars101.com:
Subaru has essentially been shut down in Japan and there will probably be major shortages of new Subarus within a few weeks, especially Foresters.
Many other Japanese manufacturers are not much better off.
Hopefully that new engine will prove more durable as its chain drive implies.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110314/OEM01/110319954/1117- #ixzz1GaLTJ4VW
My brother is still waiting for a stick shift Premium. Hope his is already en route.