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Comments
Slow going...doesn't really matter. Shift early, shift late. all calm and relaxed.
Fast going...need that thing to jump off the line.
The once in 10 years offroad (rocky or steep downhill)...need a creeper gear w/out clutch slipping.
From some of the posts I read, it appears that a lower than current 2nd will allow for 2nd gear starts.
As you can see I am not that busy here.
Don
Now will I get a Christmas card next year?
Bob <dreaming as usual>
www.google.com "AC and Defrost".
Interesting reading. Most think this is a feature not a fault, and you can see it is not exclusively a Suby feature/fault. The general [non-permissible content removed] seems to be that most cars don't allow you to override this "feature".
Like not being able to override the dingbat cruise-always-off-at-startup master switch.
-B
Inquiring airheads want to know.
Nothing like a row of 30 BAT switches to impress the folks back home :-)
I'm going to sour your morning yet, Jack, LOL. You really need a periscope for your rig btw.
Steve, Host
Problem is, you boys don't live in Fresno. You gotta love something about it--no auto auto control issues.
John
My old man never hesitated to "improve" a car, no matter where that meant cutting, drilling, or welding. The dashboard of his beloved '53 DeSoto Firedome hemi V-8 station wagon had dozens of add-ons - altimeter, compass, extra gauges for everything but blood pressure, switches for things nobody ever thought of (or should have) - even a switch to override the usual (read:normal) operation of the overdrive.
He always installed an extra fuel tank in every car he owned, so on long trips he could drive from one gas-price war to the next without having to buy in-between. Now you know where I got my cheapness.
After my mother died and he remarried, he bought his new bride a new Buick Skylark coupe. Naturally, he installed the requisite extra gas tank, in the trunk atop the ledge over the rear axle. How to get gas into it? Simple. Hacksaw a gaping 3" hole in the top of the fender and shove the fillpipe up through it with a big exposed gas cap on top. Pure Bob Brown.
Later, the extra tank developed a minor leak, and he removed it so it could be repaired. He left the filler pipe and cap in place, thinking he'd get the tank back in quickly. Not quickly enough. His wife pulls into a gas station (Oregon full-serve, remember) and says 'fill it up'. She sits yakkiing with her companion for quite awhile, until the attendant asks, "lady, how much does this thing hold?" That's when she smelled gas fumes. Gets out of the car and finds to her horror that the attendant had pumped about 50 gallons of gas through the connected-to-nothing filler pipe, straight into the trunk. It was seeping under the back seat into the passenger compartment, which is why she smelled it. Also draining out onto the ground under the car.
She calls my dad and asks what she should do - should she drive it home? He calmly says, no dear, wait til I get there. Then he calls the firemen, who are just finishing foaming the whole car and surrounding area about the time my dad gets there.
Never a dull moment in the Brown family.
Which model Skylark was that? I've always liked the looks of the '61-62 coupes and convertibles, nearly bought one when I was out hunting for my Lark. Then again I have a soft spot for almost all the early 1960s American compacts, save for the Corvair.
Ed
srp
ps: and I worry about stripping the screws adding on my splash guards...
Been lurking here for a while studying up on the XT. Getting ready to pull the trigger on an XT PP, looking for some help.
Looks like I have got the dealer down to 2% over invoice which I think is pretty good especially since they are going to have to get the car I want from another dealer.
Any reason I should be thinking about doing any better than this? Also, I am pretty sure I know the answer to this one, but do the sound proofing and rust proofing treatments from the dealer have any real value? Particularly the sound proofing.
I plan on keeping the XT for 5 years plus. Any other suggestions before I jump into the pool?
Sound and rust proofing treatments are widely acknowledged to be complete rip-offs and if improperly applied (assuming that anything is actually applied) may even increase the chances of rust developing.
-Frank P.
My siblings and I could easily fill entire books with hilarious or hair-raising (or both) true tales about our father. He was a genuine original. There are no words to describe how much we miss him.
Which model Skylark was that? I've always liked the looks
This would have been in the early '70s. And why is it not surprising that you'd like SkyLARKs?
soft spot for almost all the early 1960s American compacts, save for the Corvair.
My late brother-in-law (the one killed by the punk street racer a few days before Christmas two years ago) owned, among many other interesting cars, a new '62-63 turbocharged Corvair Spyder convertible. It was nice, but I always liked the Bill Mitchell-styled 2nd-generation Corvairs best. Thanks, Nader, for singlehandedly wiping out a promising strain of small, quick American sporty car before its time.
Since I didn't make the chat last night (renovation issues), I have to pose the questions to the main board.
1) My wife and I have noticed that our brakes have some trouble from a cold start. Gentle pressure on the break pedal will sometimes make the brakes shudder before engaging and even trip the ABS. I theorized that the hydrolic pressure in the brake lines wasn't up to snuff the first couple of times I hit the brakes (again, from a cold start). Doing some empirical testing, I fully pressed down on the break pedal before going anywhere and noticed no shudder. Any thoughts? (I plan to let my service guys look into it at the first oil change in two weeks.) Note: we've had no other issues with brakes on the car when warm.
2) We got our first cracked windshield over the holiday travel. Should I file an insurance claim (with potentially higher premiums in the future) or just suck it up.
3) I'm doing accessory shopping as well. Anyone know if the "square cross bar attachments" work with Thule bars?
--dcdouglas
You may have a defective or incorrectly-installed brake pad. Whatever it is, brake issues are never trivial; I'd have this one checked without delay.
Bob
-Frank P.
* cruise control
* glass pop-up moonroof
* moonroof wind deflector
* dual cup holder from 2001 models
* intake silencer removed
* driver's grab handle
* 6 CD changer from a WRX
* OE premium speakers front and rear
* AWD stickers removed
* windows tinted
* air filtration
* trailer hitch and harness
* bike rack (removeable of course)
* rear skid plate
* front SPT strut brace
* SPT short shifter kit
* 16"x7" aftermarket rims
* bigger tires
* 18mm sway bar
* horn that goes honk, not beep
* fender flares
* Hella bulbs (went back to stock)
Probably more, that's all I can think of off the top of my head (LOL).
-juice
You should write a book of short stories if the rest of the stories are as funny!
Don
One of my uncles had a '63 Corvair Spyder hardtop. Corvairs of all stripes are a handful to drive, restore and maintain, Nader or no Nader.
As for other 'sixties compacts I had a '62 Falcon and a '66 Mustang, and wouldn't mind owning another car with a Ford 260/289, like a Falcon/Comet or Fairlane/Meteor. Shoot, I think I'd even like a Rambler American coupe or ragtop, Third Rock style.
Ed
On my best days, I could never approach his worst ones. Picture this. His mother was a schoolmarm and piano teacher. He learned piano so well that he unquestionably could, had he wished, have been a successful concert pianist. Instead, he became a self-taught mechanic, a master among masters, and chose to buy up failed gas stations, building and running a large chain - during the Great Depression, of all times. He later sold off most and switched to equipment rental during the boom years after WW2. But I digress. He would come home from the 15-hour workdays doing work he loved and unwind by sitting at our (formerly his mother's) Steinway piano; with grease indelibly embedded under fingernails, he'd play Brahms, Bach, Beethoven, Mendelsohn, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and all the rest for several hours before bed.
It was almost ludicrous to hear the grimy gas station man play. My childhood was filled with exquisite music. Even years later, after he was stricken with Parkinson's disease, he could still sit at a piano and his hands would somehow become steady again as he played.
It's good that you have such fond memories of your dad. My dad passed away when I was 12, and was ill with Parkensons from the time I was was 5. So I never really got to know my dad. I envy those who did have good father-son relationships. I know he loved cars, so I guess something rubbed off on me.
Speaking of dad's, mine was 55 when I was born, and I'll be 59 in a couple of weeks. He was born in 1889, fought in WW I in the Canadian army. I've got picture of him on horseback, in uniform, in France. He was also educated, in that when he retire due to health issues, he was Acting Dean of Mechanical Engineering at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program...
Bob
Thanks for the input. I was hoping the sound proofing might do something for the road noise, but sounds like it is a waste.
Anyone out there care to share how they got an XT below invoice? Are dealers getting any factory incentives/rebates right now?
Steve, Host
My Dad had a nice '66 Comet "Caliente", with a 289 and a 4 speed. That little sucker flew. I had a '69 Falcon (200 cube straight 6 and a 3 speed auto) and a '70 Mustang Mach 1 (351 Cleveland with a Hurst Pistol-Gripped 4 on the floor. That was a most unruly beast. Even with traction bars, the L78-15's (on Cragar's, of course) wouldn't hook up when you dumped the clutch at much over idle. The rear end would just hop, skip and jump until you got it rolling. Ah, what a car that was!!!
Len
1960's American cars are fun but very few of them stayed well planted to the road in stock form. Nothing like a Forester XT (to bring it back on topic...).
Ed
-Frank P.
I know; I'm the '55 Studebaker Speedster guy, remember?
that sweet aluminum 215ci V8, later sold to Land Rover
And which made the Morgan Plus-8 absurdly fast.
Corvairs of all stripes are a handful to drive, restore and maintain, Nader or no Nader.
Common half-truth. The '65-on 2nd-generation scrapped the swing-axle back end in favor of a superb fully-articulated IRS adapted from the Stingray. Take my word for it, they stuck like glue. You had to work really hard to get their tail out of shape. But by then Nader's enormous and overblown damage had already been done. Liberal lawyers (maybe excepting Hayduke; he's still on probation) screw everything up.
Have you emailed all the Subaru dealers within, say, a 100 mile radius? I drove 80 miles to get mine. The Fleet/Internet managers are the only guys to deal with. They will fight amongst themselves to win you over.
I'd also venture that the bigger dealers deal bigger. Place I got mine was like a bleedin Subaru factory - just pumpin' em out.
Don't know what part of the map you're on but round these parts Invoice is easy. That being said, I wouldn't flinch (well, I'd flinch, but...) if I got a couple of hundred over but a with a well greased, no hassle exchange...
Get all the numbers up front - before you step foot on the lot. License, doc fee, tax, etc so you will know the total price going in. Sitting with the finance guy is not always an easy place to keep one's wits. If the numbers change - walk.
Make your deal and remember that Zero percent financing is also available on the XT.
"0.0% Financing - Now through February 2, 2004, all 2003 Subaru Legacy®, Outback®, Impreza®, Forester® and Baja® models and all 2004 Subaru Legacy, Outback, Impreza (excluding WRX® STi®) and Forester models are available with special financing as low as 0.0% APR. Length of contract is limited. In addition, any Factory-to-Dealer Incentives or Customer Cash Rebate available may increase the savings depending on models! Hurry, you must take delivery from dealer stock between January 6, 2004 and February 2, 2004. See your nearest participating dealer for details."
I'm with Frank P. Ixnay on the rust, paint protection, sound proofing, etc. I also declined the XTended Warranty (but that's a personal preference).
Remember, once you drive off the lot you are gonna be grinning ear to ear so don't sweat a couple bucks this way or that!
Pull!
srp
The Studebaker coupes were ahead of their time - especially the Hawk.
Bob
-Frank P.
You STILL haven't picked up a FXT yet? ;-)
Ken
Anyone have these? What do you think of them? From the pics on Subaru's site it almost looks like the snow/ski attachment might not accomodate more than one board.
All comments welcome.
-juice
Defininte no-no. I suggest you go the clear-bra route. That's what I'm going to do (hope to get installed Friday).
Drive magazine has a new bug deflector for the XT
paddy
Westland MI
SOA930P004
Hood Deflector Forester 2004 (XT Models)
reckon Subaru is not gonna sell something that is incompatible or detrimental - but we'll see!
can always take it off, mark it up 200% and eBay it ;-)
srp
"Hood protectors for turbocharged Impreza and Forester models have been introduced recently."
"The designs of the hood protectors for the turbocharged Impreza and Forester models take into account the need to maintain airflow to the intake scoops on the hood. To that end, the flip-up portions on the trailing edges have been removed so they can offer protection without having a detrimental effect on airflow or performance."
srp: get some pics of it on your XT, I'm sure many of us would like to see it.
-Brian
"Went for a long drive in my son's XS today (MT) and while it performed beautifully (as expected)in most areas, I was discouraged by its ambivalent gearing at @45-55 MPH on our hilly, curving back roads. It was comfortable in 4th at 45, but anything higher made me feel like it wanted to shift, but there was clearly not enough torque in 5th at that speed under those conditions.
Is this a common complaint, or am I simply too used to my Volvo 850 (5 cyl. MT)? Since those road conditions comprise most of my traveling (his environment is more suburban), would the XT be a better fit?"
The Mudge
Will the real Jack please stand up. ;-)
DaveM
-Frank P.