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Comments
Do you still have access to the above mentioned article? If so please let me know, I am very interested in finding out more information on the two-tier tailgate, prior to 2004!
Thanks,
Angie
As I recall, the mid-size GM pickups had a tailgate that opened flat (like all pickups), and could also open partially, so that 4x8 panels could be laid flat.
If you have one of those trucks, I think it's just a matter of adjusting the 2 straps that support the tailgate. I think there are 2 positions from which you can choose: one that allows it to lay flat (the default position), and one in which the tailgate will only drop 55 degrees.
Bob
How DO you clean a leather steering wheel?
Yup.
Front and front sides have limits, on the rest limo tint in OK.
One of the main reasons to get it there is for privacy - kidnappings are common.
That's nothing, though. My brother is a judge, and his best friend it also. His buddy's Toyota Hilux SW4 has the full armor, i.e. bullet proofing. I opened the windows and they were more than an inch thick!
From the outside it looks stock. Great conversion job.
I used a wet scrubber-sponge (e.g. ScotchBrite) to get the surface gunk off, then a leather/vinyl cleaner. Hated it. Standard steering wheel I have now? Simple spray-foam glass-surface cleaner and a paper towel do the job.
kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
Here's why I did it that way... your hand is going to have far more sweat and dirt on it than your body (which is generally clothed), so a leather wheel will see more actual dirt than most leather seats. The leather wheel in my 96 Ram was constantly covered in a dirt-film from my hands - not unlike the layer of gunk you always had to remove from the mouse ball contacts to keep them rolling freely.
kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
You can do worse than get some saddle soap on a damp cloth. rub it all over then buff off. Amazing how much direct comes off. The saddle soap has a mild soap, with beeswax and other stuff in it. Routinely used for cleaning saddlery and horse gear, keeping it supple. When we had small children, I reckoned well washed old towelling nappies (diapers to you) were the very best cloths to use.
Cheers
Graham
Saddle soap, I'll try that. Where can you get that here in the US?
Can't fling a dead cat without hitting a Tractor Supply store in Kansas.
Hilarious.
http://mavericklsa.com/index.html
Bob
Bob
Bob
His dune buggy gets him around Brazilian beaches just fine. :shades:
Did you see all the model variations? There's even one with a STI engine!
Maverick - Ultimate Roadable, All-Terrain, Aerial Vehicle (URATAV)
o Propeller- and wheel-drive has full capability; flight, roadable, and off-road. This is the ultimate Maverick.
Maverick - High-Performance Aerial Vehicle (HPAV)
o Propeller-drive only; reduces vehicle weight by approximately 100 pounds (45kg) for greater useful load in flight.
o The HPAV is fully ground-capable, but limited to propeller drive in ground operations and is intended for operations where flight is of greatest utility and ground use is ancillary.
Maverick - High-Performance, Roadable, All-Terrain Vehicle (HPRATV)
o Ground-drive only; this vehicle is designed for high-performance on- and off-road. This model can be retrofitted for flight capability at a later date.
Maverick - Xtreme Roadable Vehicle (XTRV)
o The Extreme Performance Roadable Maverick; at under 1000 pounds and more than 300hp has perhaps the lowest weight-to-horsepower ratio of any road-legal car available to the public.
Bob
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f25f054
Please stop by when you can!
But it looks like the 2014 Forester will be showing up next spring.
Am hoping Subaru will refine the XT version's interior, transmission, and side collision strength.
Comments?
http://imageshack.us/a/img7/1679/8189d0473377.jpg
Looks good, evolution of the current model. Interior will be the Impreza's, which added some soft touch materials but still isn't upscale.
Should have a CVT. Question is, what engines?
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/10/scoop-all-new-2014-subaru-forester.html
The one with the vertical air vents on the outside edges of the front bumper is the turbo XT model. Note that the XT no longer has a hood scoop. The XT also has different wheels and a chrome molding around the the side windows (black one on lower right photo behind the silver one).
Bob
The non-turbo looks better but at least it's functional.
I'd still buy one if they offered it with the diesel.....
Bob
Again, I think it is a good evolution, but loses the smoothness of the current gen.
It certainly isn't a Gen 3-to-4 Outback change, which was like a slap in the face.
Ironically, I didn't get to drive my new car on the first snow day of the year, as I had just put the winter tires on the Forester on Sunday, and a dealership had cross-threaded one of the lug nuts last April when I had new shoes put on it. So, I took the Forester in to the shop yesterday morning and asked them to replace that stud and nut, which they did no-questions-asked.
I'll say again... this is a dealership! And, it's a Ford dealership servicing my Subaru. It's like pulling teeth at the Subaru dealership. :sick: I've had nothing but great service at the Ford shop, so kudos to them.
Any how, I drove the Forester in the snow yesterday, but took my Fiesta to work this morning. It was an interesting drive. The rear end was rather wiggly in the soft snow, which is not something I'm used to feeling, so it will take a little adjusting. That said, rear-end wiggle might translate to a highly tossable ride under the right conditions, so I'm looking forward to finding some isolated road and playing with it a little to get comfortable with it at my first opportunity.
Of course I'll just steal my wife's Forester keys when I can. :shades:
We tend to go with the "what is most practical?" argument when deciding who drives what. If I'm home and she just needs transportation, she takes the Fiesta. If I need cargo capacity, I'll take the Forester.
Of course, this is a new development! When I had the Escort, she wouldn't be caught dead driving it (or riding in it, for that matter!). :sick:
I am happy to report though that the guy who bought it is as car obsessed as I am. I also got way over black book value when I sold.
Cheers Pat.
Of the 4 vans we've had, the '02 Honda Odyssey remains her favorite. She likes the Sienna way better than either of the new Honda or Toyota vans, however, so I guess this one is here to stay for a while.
Neither of us wanted a minivan, but we knew we could benefit from the room.
She actually test drove one as far back as 2002, but there was no way. She got the Legacy wagon back then. That's about as big as she'd go.
Then it was my turn, but I didn't want to drive a van daily, so I compromised and agreed to get one only if I could have a roadster, so I got the NA Miata.
Then I got the minivan. Later I replaced the Miata with a new one (NC).
So the Miata is actually my daily, the van never was.
She drove the Legacy, traded for a 2009 Forester.
The van is the kids' car, we joke. We only use it when they're coming along with us.
It works for us. The Miata is actually a pretty good city car, for point and squirt driving, fits in small spaces, doesn't use too much gas.
The van is quieter and smoother on the highway, happier on long trips, when we need the space.
I could never drive a minivan daily. It's way too overkill for city driving.
But Rita felt that the Subie was too big for her, go figure, and just didn't feel comfortable driving it. So came a reluctant sale since she wasn't comfortable we both felt it was a disaster waiting to happen if she was driving something she wasn't happy in.
Cheers Pat.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-subaru-forester-first-drive-review
is typical of the reviews.
We've shared a few links in the Future Models thread, if you want to join that conversation. :shades:
The only thing that really piques my interest is the turbo 2-liter, but you can't get it with a manual, so then my interest fades. That's okay, though. My current Forester is still new. There's always the next generation.
So, this year's crop of rentals:
In NY (home to JFK) - 2013 Chevy Sonic. Detested it at first, but came to appreciate that it's at least a fair/good value for the asking price. Did OK on upstate highways, reasonable in congested driving. Indicated fuel economy of around 30 mpg over 100+ miles.
Phoenix (6 days) - 2013 Ford Focus. Very impressive. Interior room / comfort / trunk room / electronics. Huge letdown - the dry box automatic. Lift off the brake at a stoplight, and you are treated to a stuttering clutch experience until you get to about 5 mph. Shifting was nasty when cold, but became acceptable when warmed up. Never better than acceptable.....
NY (trip home) - 2012 Ford Escape. Last of the old model. Feels way better than the earlier versions I've driven over the 10+ years, but it will not be missed....