I need to know some info on Insurance on a 2000 subaru impreza 2.5RS 4 door. what things factor into insurance rates of the car. I would think the theft rates,crash test results ,reliablity, and number of doors ect. I am 21(I know that hurts the rate). with no traffic tickets whatsoever. no accidents either.
So far I have only checked with my current insurer, Farmers - and they quoted me $209 a month, and my family has 4 cars on the plan.
I know one factor that hurts my rate is that I live in the state of New Mexico where the rates are usually pretty high.(because of the high DUI rate)
Is there something about this car that gives it a high insurance rate.? or should I try to shop around.? any help on this subject would be great.
note. I payed $140 a month for my 97 civic(which I sold) and $102 on my 80 civic.
I am no insurance expert, but I'll bet a wad that there is a special internal designation at your company for the RS that flags it as a sports car prone to tickets and reckless accidents. I know the insurance for a Contour SVT was almost twice that for a regular Contour, for example. Or a type R versus GS Integras. Your age doesn't help, of course, but I bet it would be worse for a two-door. I would be surprised if shopping around yielded much. Maybe you could try going over to impreza-rs.com and tell them to collectively slow down...that just might affect the rate! ;-))
Hi Ed. Please apologize to your wife for me to take so long to answer this one. According to the folks in our engineering department (they were not able to confirm with the engineers at FHI), this was designed because that it is safer to connect the belt ends to the solid body structure rather than a foldable light structure like a seat back. You may notice that the lower ends also pass through the seat and attaches to the solid chassis floor. They felt that securing the belt to a solid surface vs. a "non-flexible" surface, like the seat frame was better. Also, if an adult is in the rear center seat, the higher the belt on the shoulder the more secure the protection. Hope this helps!
I'll look you up! If you ever call the 800 number, let me know. It's really great to see dealer folks here. It says a lot about their commitment to their customer's needs. Thanks for the welcome!
Hi! I hope you can hang in there. I believe that the Impreza is up for testing next year. I hope it does as well as the Forester and Legacy. Considering the technology, it just might.
Call us PLEASE. Something doesn't sound right and we'd be happy to help. If you get a chance, e-mail me via the webmaster and let me know your VIN and dealer. I'll ask someone to jump on your problem. I'm sorry you haven't gotten help yet, but I can promise that we will help now.
All I can say is: wow. Might not be the answer anyone wanted to hear, but I for one am pleased that you got an answer, even if it wasn't from FHI. Our link to SoA engineering. Thank you. ..Mike
I have a call into a friend at Subaru of Canada. I'm not sure where they are with staffing levels, but I'll see if I can direct some specific (non-U. S.) questions to them for response. I'll let you know!
Just to let you know - I sent all of your suggestions and comments up to Product Planning yesterday. They were very excited to get such heartfelt feedback. Keep it coming! While we cannot guarantee changes immediately, it helps "build a case" to have information like this. While I appreciate all of your compliments, I actually appreciate you for the time you invest in keeping us in touch with what folks want. Thank you all, very much! See ya tomorrow!
This car was actually imported by Malcolm Bricklin (the same guy who brought us the Bricklin sports car w/gullwing doors) and not Subaru. It was rear-engined, air cooled 2-stroke, and RWD, not FWD. The first Subaru FWD models to be sold by Subaru in the USA were the 70(?)/71 models. They were a completely different car than the 360 microcar.
In the late 70s I had a Subaru Station Wagon with on demand 4 wheel drive. I really can't remember which model it was and I am wondering if someone would remember. It had a very distinctive feature: the Subaru logo on the front grille was hiding a centrally located off road headlamp. A flip on the switch on the dashboard and the logo would electrically flip down behind the grille letting the lamp do its job through the new opening. Of course, this was not working when the temperature was way below zero as it would freeze solid every time! Anyway, this was a great car which gave me basically no problems for the 4 years I kept it.
I hope you meant it when you said you wanted us to keep the feedback coming! I thought I should get my 2 cents in before our dollar drops even more (I Am Canadian. (but I don't drink Molsen's)). What I would like to see incorporated into my next Subaru are: 1. Dashboard 'cruise on' indicator light. 2. Ability to darken the whole dashboard except the speedometer (like Saab). 3. One touch up for the power windows. 4. Steal a page from the Honda book and leave power to the windows on for 10 minutes after shutting off the car. 5. Illuminate the key bezel (sp?). 6. Ability to shut off the floor air to the back seat. Often there are just two of us in the car, so I would rather warm up my feet than empty air. Worse, if the dog is with us, she hates the heat and would be much happier with icicles hanging off her nose. A cheap little lever at the center console would work great. 7. Intermittent rear window wiper would be nice, but not vital to me. I'd rather have headlight washers first.
Thanks for listening. I hope I posted in the right topic :-)
Hey, Patti, that note you posted read, "Recently, Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd., our Japanese parent company, announced plans to build a Legacy-based pick-up truck in 2002 as a 2003 model." Does this really mean a new Subaru pickup is coming, or is this just a reference to the ST-X? (Which, to me, is much more like an old El Camino or Ranchero than a true pickup).
Patti: I noticed that Mike posed a question that I've also long wondered about -- what exactly is the reason that the Subaru sedans don't have folding rear seats like most of their competition?
I was driving Eastbound on Interstate 70 here in Missouri today, going about 65 mph when I was passed by a 2000 Outback towing a fairly large pop up camper. Judging by the North Carolina plates, they still had a long haul ahead of them, but the two people inside looked like they were in good spirits, and the Sube and trailer combo seemed to be quite stable. It did look a little weird once they got in front of me though. Even though the camper was not very tall, you couldn't see what was pulling it. Usually you'll see the top of a truck or SUV. It looked like the camper was moving down the highway all by itself!
Patti I had posted this on the Subaru Maintenance and Repair as well as someone else had about the brake pedal free play. I thought I would repost this and try to ask the Subaru Team again. I have a question about the brake pedal. After having the ABS recall done to our 99 Forester L our brake pedal is very spongy and in some instances it has gone down past the service limit as recommended in the service shop manuals. I asked the dealer to check this out last time in for service but he said its normal. Can you explain what you mean in your posting by illusion and normal and what is the brake pedal TSB so I can refer my dealer to it. Thanks for your response.
OK, my turn to make suggestions. Call it my wish list:
1. H6 or Turbo for Forester and Legacy GT ASAP 2. reinforced structure for higher towing capacity 3. low range in Forester and Outback 4. bigger tires for Forester 5. Outback's rear suspension for Impreza/Forester 6. auto leveling suspension from other markets 7. full size spare for Outback 8. firm up brake pedal feel, hardware is fine 9. keep GM out of engineering/design 10. push the new, bigger SUW launch forward
I believe all of these are consistent with Subaru's image and marketing strategy. More and more people will tire of their elefantine, guzzling SUVs and will look for hybrid alternatives, so SoA has to make sure they can meet the needs of those customers (6 cylinder power, towing, etc.).
Also, it sounds like you're already working on 1, 5, and 10, so you're almost half way there.
Personally, I can easily see myself picking up an Impreza turbo wagon, and the SUW a bit later (if there is ZERO GM influence).
Love your number 9 "keep GM out of engineering/design". That definitely gets my vote. One thing I would like to see from GM is the individual car controls they have implemented through the radio. As I understand it, things like auto-locking doors can be turned on or off in Gm cars. It would be nice to have even more control over car features - things such as whether or not switches remember their settings when the car is turned off, whether some dash indicators are visible or not (like a cruise control indicator light :-) I hope Subaru also keeps working on fuel miser cars like the Honda Insight or Toyota Prius, but AWD of course. I think high gas prices are inevitable and we are experiencing just the tip of the iceberg right now.
From admittedly an initial experience with my 2001 Forester (S-Limited, Cdn):
1. Rework suspension to decrease body sway in turns. Perhaps change the 12 mm rear sway bar to 18 mm as per some other Subarus. (I did this).
2. Reduce overall drive train slack in the M5 version: this can't be good for the drive train in the long run.
3. Add cruise on light (as per previous suggestion)
4. Make it impossible to lock the vehicle with the key in the ignition.
5. Upgrade the cheezy (thin) plastic headlight lenses
6. Use a bit harder clearcoat (the current one scratches more easily than does that of Honda or Toyota
7. Increase left side leg room on passenger side, at least for the M5 version (which doesn't need the same space underneath as the automatic)
8. Use better floor 'carpet'--also very cheezy compared with the competition.
9. Provide an alloy spare rim, so that one can rotate 5 tires rather than four
10 Provide a little more engine noise insulation: reving up the engine now in, say, 2nd gear (when road noise is therefore low) sounds a lot like driving an old VW bug (ok, an exaggeration)
Honestly, I don't even like the radio idea. If it starts there, they'll open the floodgates. They could copy some ideas without using GM parts, though.
Subaru expects to get hybrid technologies from GM. That's a few years off, and it's such a small niche that it surprisingly doesn't even bother me.
Subaru still has CAFE to contend with, though. They were exactly at the limit, so the new H6 and fewer 2.2l engines would in theory push them over the limit, so they'd have to pay fines.
So I'd like to see efficiency creep up with existing engines. The Fleet-X concept, while ugly, did have interesting technologies (use of aluminum, for one).
Norman: can you check your spare, I though it was alloy?
Also, can you post details on the sway bar in the Mods topic?
Hopefully the 2003 will include many of those improvements.
My 96 OB (with the 2.2L 5sp) has that hill-holder clutch. Wish it were to make a comeback.
Many manufacturers are phasing out Manual Transmissions. One of the reasons I got the OB was that it offered a 5sp. Please continue to offer these great cars with the manual options to us small (and dwindling I'm afraid) numbers!
juice -- My Forester S spare is on a standard steel rim.
Patti -- How about a 5-speed automatic option? The H6 VDC will probably be one of the few wagons in it's price range that has only a 4-speed automatic. As much as I love driving 5-speed manuals, I just might have to cave and get an auto in the future (wife & kids).
_Memoir_of_a_Geisha_ was two tapes too long. Dang, now I'm hooked too; I guess I'll have to listen to the rest in snippets as I trundle to and fro. The Subie, though it seemed relieved to finally make the transition from pack mule back to sports sedan, seems none the worse for wear. Better, in some ways; I averaged better than 28 MPG over my last two tanks of gas. At the beginning of the trip highway mileage was more like 26.5.
34 pounds of air in the tires worked well for me too, giving a balance between handling and ride that suited me well. Even the mechanic at Ogden Subaru agreed that the factory numbers are too low cheerfully set them all to 34. In contrast, the sales manager I chatted up whilst waiting for the service to be completed seemed appalled that anyone would dare to question the factory specs.
Bottom line: I would not hesitate to set out on a similar journey in this same car again. In point of fact I will do so in a few months when I return home.
Total miles: 3528 Total gallons: 130 Overall MPG: 27.1 MPG worst: 23.7 MPG best: 32.7 $/gal worst: $1.959, Mitchell SD $/gal best: $1.499, Pittsburgh PA Lessons: it is possible to get suntanned through tinted car windows--next time I will take moveable, removeable sun shades; be careful from whom you ask advice at a car dealership; the Japanese have a rich, deeply textured culture but are nowhere near as morally superior to us as I had assumed; people are people wherever you go; America abounds with helpful, interesting people who live and work and play in a wonderfully diverse, beautiful, and fascinating land.
Whoever was asking about insurance on a 2.5RS, get quotes from everywhere but especially try Allstate. My insurance is dirt cheap because they initially classed the RS the same as the L (hehe). It hasn't gone up either, but I suspect it soon will judging by all the idiots (sorry if you are one) who think AWD enables them to defy the laws of physics and have done some damage to their RS' on curbs, guardrails and other vehicles.
It will still be cheaper than a TypeR or Eclipse GSX.
Having met WDB in person, I doubt he meant it that way, but I didn't exactly understand it either.
Make sure to comparison-shop insurance. Try Progressive. They're supposed to give you a quote, plus quotes from 3 other companies. You can also get on-line quotes (any URLs handy?).
If you are an Executive Member of Costco, you can get insurance cheap from Travelers. Our rates dropped $1400/year to $1250/year compared to State Farm even with better coverage.
How? My guess is they cater to an affluent, drive-safely type of consumer to obtain lower claims, and can then offer better rates.
Perhaps WDB was refering to "Memoirs of a Geisha" audio-book he was listening to. One caveat -- the book was written by an American fellow.
It was kind of cool to read about places I go to on a regular basis through the eyes of someone who's never been there before. The description of the drive down from Tahoe to the Bay Area was accurate as well as interesting. For anyone wondering why the roads near Donner Summit are rough -- chain requirements. Of course, most Subies are exempt from this.
I wonder where in San Mateo he's moved to. Might be nearby!
Dang, I take off for a couple of weeks off and there’s a gazillion posts!
Well I just got back from an Atlanta to DC road trip in my (less than a month old) 01 Forester S 5sp. Just missed the Sube Owner get together on the 11th but was fortunate enough have a chance to meet both of our Crew Chiefs (Juice and Mike if anybody didn’t already know). We had a couple (or three) drinks after work and a good time. These are really a couple great guys .and I got a Subaru baseball cap out of it!
Hi Patti! Our own SOA rep....too cool. I’d like to add my pet peeve to the list of suggested improvements: ditch the dashboard cup holders on the Forester and replace them with a center console mounting location (and not the one that is already lost with the armrest extender). The current design is: kind of flimsy, blocks the climate controls, and allows container condensation to drip directly onto the CD/Cass player.
For the DC trip: Avg MPG: 26.5 / Worst: 23.3 / Best: 29. And this on a new car! I figure that breaking 30 will be a cinch when I get a chance to do some hwy driving without the A/C. The Forester performed great. It provided a nice smooth, quiet and comfortable ride. The 6-Disc CD player was much appreciated. Made both the drive up and back in just over 10 hours (650 miles) and was only slightly stiff at the end of the day.
WARNING: The following is not recommended reading for those in the audience who never let their gas gauge get below 1/4 tank!!!
I’m the type who doesn’t believe in filling up until the fuel light comes on. So, when on the drive back the light didn’t come on until 364 miles, I was compelled to see if I could make it to 400. Since the owner’s manual said that I should have 2.3 gal US left at the point the light comes on, I figured that I could go another 26 (approx 1 Gal) with no problem. Well, I chickened out at 398 and pulled off the interstate. When I came to a stop at the top of the exit ramp, the Forester almost stalled, and when I began to pull away, it hesitated so badly that I pulled to the curb. However, it never did stall completely, and once I got going it ran okay. At least for the couple hundred yards that I had to go to get to the closest gas station. Once I filled-up, it ran fine. I can only conclude that the fuel intake is at front of the tank and when the car is either on an incline or under acceleration, the gas sloshes to the rear and away from the intake. Anyway, at the time, it was quite disconcerting and I will be eternally thankful that the wife wasn’t there to give me the old “I told you so”. The lesson I learned from this was to start looking for a gas station immediately after the fuel light comes on in the future.
Gone <24hrs and a ton of posts to read...</cite> (locke2c) Hehe, still not quite as busy as i Club, Colin.
What I don't get is how he could conclude so much about Japanese culture. Did I miss something here?
Well I think it'll take him a while to get settled, and since I was posting his field notes, allow me to put words in his mouth I believe WDB had previously conceived notions of Japanese culture, which he as mentioned here:
the Japanese have a rich, deeply textured culture but are nowhere near as morally superior to us as I had assumed [my emphasis]
Dr. Dictionary, aka Dr. Thesaurus, calls this a stereotype or prejudice, a trait common to the species [non-permissible content removed] sapiens, though perhaps less so with maturity (right, Don?). After he listened to "_Memoir_of_a_Geisha_ was two tapes too long." and becoming enlightened, he changed his mind.
I believe WDB meant no harm, just offering a portal into his free association: he had an opinion of Japanese culture, took the time to assimilate knowledge (by driving across a none-too-small continent (as James Powers identified vis-à-vis the trek from Canada to SIA) in a MY00 Subaru Legacy GT sedan and listening to a book on tape, huh? ..but I digress), and changed his supposition.
Helms alee, let's bring this thread back on course! Sube's full speed, or as much as a 2.5l SOHC H-4 Phase II with 165hp@5600rpm & 166lbs-ft@4000rpm and 4EAT can muster, ahead! (now if that isn't troll bait I don't know what is)
Aw, shucks.. it was great to quaff a few with a fellow enthusiast that doesn't live in DC (not that I don't like juice and Lucien).
I was compelled to see if I could make it to 400
Hehe, great story about matching wits with the fuel gauge -- been there, done that.
Women are smarter than us guys and aren't affected by the Siren emanating from the fuel gauge. It's a XY/testosterone thing. (see, I have stereotypes too
True about the iclub, but the huge array of topics makes it easier to keep track of what the heck people are talking about. And to ignore the things you don't want to read about.
btw, WDB didn't mean anything by that comment. I had no idea what you all were talking about because I hadn't read a single one of the hidden journals. I got curious about all the hubbub, and it seems innocent enough to me. He expected the japanese to be morally superior to us, possibly because they do not watch "who wants to be a millionaire" and baseball still outdraws pro wrestling. Technically that is a prejudice, but it was minor and I for one can move on without a second thought.
the fuel tank is kind of dog-bone shaped and the pickup is on the right side, a bit off center.
next time the fuel warning light comes on, take a hard right... you should encounter some fuel starvation.
there's one for patti: fix the fuel pump / pickup. it's really annoying that I have to autocross with 1/3 - 1/2 tank to avoid fuel starvation, and yet another competitor in a '91 paseo can run on 1 gallon. I have to skip breakfast to try and make up that weight!
O.k., I'll jump into this product development fray...
I for one am happy with the Cruise light where it is. If the car is moving without me, I figure it's on :-)
I second the opinion that hybrid technology ought to be pursued. Toyota and Honda are not doing this out of altruism. It is a mistake to rely on GM development...it is all diesel-based, and Uncle Sam (taking a cue, as usual from CA) is zeroing in on this fuel type. Expect regulations in the next 5 years that will choke the life out of GM (and, for that matter, Ford's) hybrid research. My vote would be for an AWD model with ECVT. Edmunds review of the long-term insight has a great suggestion- solar power regeneration. DOn't ask me how to make an AWD hybrid...I ain't the engineer! How's about a 2-stroke engine......?
I too would probably go for a turbo wagon if I could swing it, but then I think I am probably on the low end of the income scale on this board...More emphasis on the sporting nature inherent in an automotive AWD platform. Patti, just do me a favor and make sure they don't price me completely out of the Subaru family!! Keep an AWD Legacy wagon model for $20K.....
How many people here would attend a day or two at Road America? **5 dozen posters and lurkers give a shout out to homey** That's what I thought. Too bad there aren't more closer to home. Better yet, how about classes in your own car, like the BMW CCA sponsors? That would build brand loyalty AND get people committed to the concept of AWD for good. ANyone here know how the BWM CCA is able to pull these classes off on a $35 a year membership fee? are they getting help from BMW? I think I am the only card carrying member of the CCA that DOESN'T own a Bimmer...I just joined for the driving schools!! 6 M5s, 7 325is, 9 M3s and one Outback in the paddock...what a sight...
Thanks for the tips on insurance. Do you think I should "conveniently" leave out the fact that it is an RS and if asked say its an L 2.2L?
The dealer said my impreza would be here in 4-6 weeks - three ½ weeks ago. (he said it was on a boat from japan) and I have yet to decide what kind of warranty I should pick or if i should leave the standard 3 year. any ideas? I am currently part owner of a performance shop here in Albuquerque(I also work for an internet/media company) I can do many of the repairs myself. although I imagine OEM subaru parts are probably expensive. I would also like to do a turbo upgrade and I imagine that would void the warranty. does anyone have any experiance with performance upgrades voiding-or not voiding the warranty. maybe our SOA freind patti may be able to shed light on the warranty issue.
(juice - collin thanks for the info and consistantly great post's -I have yet to have one of my questions left unanswered)
Mark, absolutely not. They'll have to VIN and thus the capability to know what it really is, and it could make filing a claim a very sticky issue. Now when you go to register / pay state property tax and THEY don't have a 2.5RS in their computer, that's tough.
1.5 years ago State Farm (and a few others) knew what a 2.5RS was and they rated it a tad higher than an L. Allstate didn't. My rates still have not gone up one bit...
The mountain-pass roads do indeed suffer from the indignities of chains (especially chains on big heavy 2WD "fake" SUVs :-) ), but also from snowplows. Incidentally, even the plows have chains. The chains that go on those enormous tractor tires are rather impressive.
Note: in California, at least, even 4WD/AWD vehicles are required to carry chains in these areas. Caltrans has three kinds of restrictions (or four if you count "none" as a kind"): R1 = chains on 2WD non-snow-tire vehicles; R2 = chains on all 2WD vehicles; and R3 = chains on all vehicles, even 4WD. R3 is virtually never used -- Caltrans goes from "R2" to "road closed until the snowplows clear it" -- but we are still legally bound to have the chains in the car. I bought the "Shur-Grip" cable chains "just in case" (and have never used them aside from the quick test-fit in my driveway).
I had problems with my paint on my 1999 RS and I tried to get it cleared up through my dealership. They seemed to want to claim that it was not thin paint or substandard and that there must be something I had done to it. I contacted SOA at the 1-800 number. The response there was for me to resolve it with my dealership. Apparently they missed the point of my call entirely. SOA wouldn't help cause I need to go through the dealership I bought it from. The dealership won't help cause they say it is not a problem or the factory would fix it. This is the kind of paint quality and treatment I would have expected from Buick, Ford, or any part of GM. The next car I buy is going to be German. H6 or not in the Legacy I'm not about to chance getting burned again. I will just repaint the car with a quality shop and forget about dealing with the dealership or SOA anymore. The car lacks a few things to make it worth buying again like more power, stronger drivetrain, bearing that don't go out at 30K, no MAS, rear wiper, HID lights, folding rear seats, trunk light, power antenna, better quality interior, better paint, less hassle at the dealerships for warranty work, more info available from its parent company, no GM 20% ownership, traction control, more torque, WRX style A/T tranny, not as heavy, and a multi link rear end. I gave the Subaru the benifit of the doubt. I gave SOA a year to help out and fix what should have been covered by my warranty. The car may be less then $20K to buy but this is another one of those times where you get what you pay for.
I used to drive limos for a company that also owned a import parts and service shop. My boss at that time had a great sense of humor and he also collectes exotic imports. He has a Subaru 360! As a gag on the boss we used to drive it around to the front of the building, open both glass front doors, drive the 360 in and park it in the customer area in front of the parts counter. It fit with room to spare. We used to hae so much fun with that little car! We would drive it around town and get alot of looks. Fun Car.
I hope this is right, here is the number on my service invoice from last week when the dealer adjusted the brake pedal. It says: Adjusted per bulletin SBC-88 A543-008. This was done under warranty.
1) For less than $20K what do you want? the world for a $1? If you stack your <$20K AWD car v. any other AWD car you are going to get more bang for your buck. If you want an audi S4, you are going to pay upwards of $40K, for that you could have 2 RSs, so let's not start asking Santa for stuff he can't give you.
2) Juice liked your wishlist, except for the auto-leveling suspension. I have heard horror stories about them on the Navigator, etc. Basically anything with an air-assist suspension will eventually fail and be costly to repair. I'd rather just add beefier springs/struts if the need arrised to tow/load it. Your comments on more towing capacity is definitely important.
For $20K I feel I should at least get a decent paint job from the factory, less hassles from my dealership, and some of the standard features that come on the rest of the Impreza's in other countries. The paint on my car is so thin that if you pop the trunk and look at the back side of the trunk lid you can see nothing but primer. The rally blue paint fades as soon as it goes over the lip of the trunk. There are also spots on the paint that are discoloring. I took extreme care of this car since I bought it. I took it to car shows and placed at them. There is no reason why the paint showed problems in the first 5 months of owning it. The seals aroung the doors also was ripped when I bought the car and you could hear a whistling noise inside the car while driving. I pointed it out and it took 1 1/2 months to get the dealership to fix it. With my stock intake the MAS was still going out on me. The rear wheel bearing went out on me also. I haven't done auto-x, track days, or even hard street driving in the car. As far as I can tell the AWD is the only thing making this car worth owning. If Mitsubishi, Toyota, Mazda or even Nissan send the US a AWD car they will get the first look next time. Since I already own this car I am not going to sell it and start over. I will just take the time to fix what SOA couldn't get right to begin with.
Well I was directing my comments about $20K toward the "HID lights, etc. etc." The other thing is that outside the US the Impreza is far more than $20K IIRC. If I had as many problems as you have had, my dealer would have made it right. Perhaps your dealer is to blame and not SOA. Maybe my family is lucky and out of the many subaru's we have ranging from my '88 XT6 to a '91 legacy to a '92 SVX to a '97 Legacy L and a '99 OBS, '00 RS, '00 Outback, any problems have been dealt with quickly and efficiently by 3 or 4 different dealers (near each of the car's homes).
I main beef is that if you can find a better built, cheaper AWD 2.5l car that includes power everything, 16" wheels, and a sporty suspension, for under $20K, by all means go and get it. Until such time, it's not fair to rip on SOA. Also when you called SOA, why didn't you talk to a supervisor there to get your problem fixed? It seems like you called once and then backed off, and are just settling with less than you deserve.
Comments
So far I have only checked with my current insurer, Farmers - and they quoted me $209 a month, and my family has 4 cars on the plan.
I know one factor that hurts my rate is that I live in the state of New Mexico where the rates are usually pretty high.(because of the high DUI rate)
Is there something about this car that gives it a high insurance rate.? or should I try to shop around.? any help on this subject would be great.
note. I payed $140 a month for my 97 civic(which I sold) and $102 on my 80 civic.
Thanks for any info
MARK §
Lucien
All I can say is: wow. Might not be the answer anyone wanted to hear, but I for one am pleased that you got an answer, even if it wasn't from FHI. Our link to SoA engineering. Thank you.
..Mike
..Mike
Stephen
It had a very distinctive feature: the Subaru logo on the front grille was hiding a centrally located off road headlamp. A flip on the switch on the dashboard and the logo would electrically flip down behind the grille letting the lamp do its job through the new opening.
Of course, this was not working when the temperature was way below zero as it would freeze solid every time!
Anyway, this was a great car which gave me basically no problems for the 4 years I kept it.
I hope you meant it when you said you wanted us to keep the feedback coming! I thought I should get my 2 cents in before our dollar drops even more (I Am Canadian. (but I don't drink Molsen's)).
What I would like to see incorporated into my next Subaru are:
1. Dashboard 'cruise on' indicator light.
2. Ability to darken the whole dashboard except the speedometer (like Saab).
3. One touch up for the power windows.
4. Steal a page from the Honda book and leave power to the windows on for 10 minutes after shutting off the car.
5. Illuminate the key bezel (sp?).
6. Ability to shut off the floor air to the back seat. Often there are just two of us in the car, so I would rather warm up my feet than empty air. Worse, if the dog is with us, she hates the heat and would be much happier with icicles hanging off her nose. A cheap little lever at the center console would work great.
7. Intermittent rear window wiper would be nice, but not vital to me. I'd rather have headlight washers first.
Thanks for listening. I hope I posted in the right topic :-)
MikeF
I think a cruise light in the instrument panel would annoy me. I've never had a car with one, and never felt the need for it.
>>4. Steal a page from the Honda book and leave
power to the windows on for 10 minutes aftershutting off the car.
5. Illuminate the key bezel (sp?).<<
I'll endorse both of these ideas.
Dave
Dave
1. H6 or Turbo for Forester and Legacy GT ASAP
2. reinforced structure for higher towing capacity
3. low range in Forester and Outback
4. bigger tires for Forester
5. Outback's rear suspension for Impreza/Forester
6. auto leveling suspension from other markets
7. full size spare for Outback
8. firm up brake pedal feel, hardware is fine
9. keep GM out of engineering/design
10. push the new, bigger SUW launch forward
I believe all of these are consistent with Subaru's image and marketing strategy. More and more people will tire of their elefantine, guzzling SUVs and will look for hybrid alternatives, so SoA has to make sure they can meet the needs of those customers (6 cylinder power, towing, etc.).
Also, it sounds like you're already working on 1, 5, and 10, so you're almost half way there.
Personally, I can easily see myself picking up an Impreza turbo wagon, and the SUW a bit later (if there is ZERO GM influence).
-juice
One thing I would like to see from GM is the individual car controls they have implemented through the radio. As I understand it, things like auto-locking doors can be turned on or off in Gm cars. It would be nice to have even more control over car features - things such as whether or not switches remember their settings when the car is turned off, whether some dash indicators are visible or not (like a cruise control indicator light :-)
I hope Subaru also keeps working on fuel miser cars like the Honda Insight or Toyota Prius, but AWD of course. I think high gas prices are inevitable and we are experiencing just the tip of the iceberg right now.
MikeF
1. Rework suspension to decrease body sway in turns. Perhaps change the 12 mm rear sway bar to 18 mm as per some other Subarus. (I did this).
2. Reduce overall drive train slack in the M5 version: this can't be good for the drive train in the long run.
3. Add cruise on light (as per previous suggestion)
4. Make it impossible to lock the vehicle with the key in the ignition.
5. Upgrade the cheezy (thin) plastic headlight lenses
6. Use a bit harder clearcoat (the current one scratches more easily than does that of Honda or Toyota
7. Increase left side leg room on passenger side, at least for the M5 version (which doesn't need the same space underneath as the automatic)
8. Use better floor 'carpet'--also very cheezy compared with the competition.
9. Provide an alloy spare rim, so that one can rotate 5 tires rather than four
10 Provide a little more engine noise insulation: reving up the engine now in, say, 2nd gear (when road noise is therefore low) sounds a lot like driving an old VW bug (ok, an exaggeration)
Norman
Subaru expects to get hybrid technologies from GM. That's a few years off, and it's such a small niche that it surprisingly doesn't even bother me.
Subaru still has CAFE to contend with, though. They were exactly at the limit, so the new H6 and fewer 2.2l engines would in theory push them over the limit, so they'd have to pay fines.
So I'd like to see efficiency creep up with existing engines. The Fleet-X concept, while ugly, did have interesting technologies (use of aluminum, for one).
Norman: can you check your spare, I though it was alloy?
Also, can you post details on the sway bar in the Mods topic?
Hopefully the 2003 will include many of those improvements.
-juice
Many manufacturers are phasing out Manual Transmissions. One of the reasons I got the OB was that it offered a 5sp. Please continue to offer these great cars with the manual options to us small (and dwindling I'm afraid) numbers!
Patti -- How about a 5-speed automatic option? The H6 VDC will probably be one of the few wagons in it's price range that has only a 4-speed automatic. As much as I love driving 5-speed manuals, I just might have to cave and get an auto in the future (wife & kids).
Yes, keep the 5 speeds. It's just the way God intended. That was implied!
More cogs for the auto would be a plus, though I may be the last man standing by the manual tranny.
The traction and stability enhancement technologies are a great idea, and should trickle down through the line.
-juice
34 pounds of air in the tires worked well for me too, giving a balance between handling and ride that suited me well. Even the mechanic at Ogden Subaru agreed that the factory numbers are too low cheerfully set them all to 34. In contrast, the sales manager I chatted up whilst waiting for the service to be completed seemed appalled that anyone would dare to question the factory specs.
Bottom line: I would not hesitate to set out on a similar journey in this same car again. In point of fact I will do so in a few months when I return home.
Total miles: 3528
Total gallons: 130
Overall MPG: 27.1
MPG worst: 23.7
MPG best: 32.7
$/gal worst: $1.959, Mitchell SD
$/gal best: $1.499, Pittsburgh PA
Lessons: it is possible to get suntanned through tinted car windows--next time I will take moveable, removeable sun shades; be careful from whom you ask advice at a car dealership; the Japanese have a rich, deeply textured culture but are nowhere near as morally superior to us as I had assumed; people are people wherever you go; America abounds with helpful, interesting people who live and work and play in a wonderfully diverse, beautiful, and fascinating land.
America, America. God shed His grace on thee.
Signing off,
Dave
..Mike
* get your gas in Pittsburg
* buy a Soob, then...
* ...overinfalte the tires
* wear sunscreen
* or at least tint your windows
What I don't get is how he could conclude so much about Japanese culture. Did I miss something here?
-juice
Whoever was asking about insurance on a 2.5RS, get quotes from everywhere but especially try Allstate. My insurance is dirt cheap because they initially classed the RS the same as the L (hehe). It hasn't gone up either, but I suspect it soon will judging by all the idiots (sorry if you are one) who think AWD enables them to defy the laws of physics and have done some damage to their RS' on curbs, guardrails and other vehicles.
It will still be cheaper than a TypeR or Eclipse GSX.
-Colin
Is this some sort of back handed compliment?
Make sure to comparison-shop insurance. Try Progressive. They're supposed to give you a quote, plus quotes from 3 other companies. You can also get on-line quotes (any URLs handy?).
If you are an Executive Member of Costco, you can get insurance cheap from Travelers. Our rates dropped $1400/year to $1250/year compared to State Farm even with better coverage.
How? My guess is they cater to an affluent, drive-safely type of consumer to obtain lower claims, and can then offer better rates.
It's worth a shot.
-juice
It was kind of cool to read about places I go to on a regular basis through the eyes of someone who's never been there before. The description of the drive down from Tahoe to the Bay Area was accurate as well as interesting. For anyone wondering why the roads near Donner Summit are rough -- chain requirements. Of course, most Subies are exempt from this.
I wonder where in San Mateo he's moved to. Might be nearby!
Well I just got back from an Atlanta to DC road trip in my (less than a month old) 01 Forester S 5sp. Just missed the Sube Owner get together on the 11th but was fortunate enough have a chance to meet both of our Crew Chiefs (Juice and Mike if anybody didn’t already know). We had a couple (or three) drinks after work and a good time. These are really a couple great guys .and I got a Subaru baseball cap out of it!
Hi Patti! Our own SOA rep....too cool. I’d like to add my pet peeve to the list of suggested improvements: ditch the dashboard cup holders on the Forester and replace them with a center console mounting location (and not the one that is already lost with the armrest extender). The current design is: kind of flimsy, blocks the climate controls, and allows container condensation to drip directly onto the CD/Cass player.
For the DC trip: Avg MPG: 26.5 / Worst: 23.3 / Best: 29. And this on a new car! I figure that breaking 30 will be a cinch when I get a chance to do some hwy driving without the A/C. The Forester performed great. It provided a nice smooth, quiet and comfortable ride. The 6-Disc CD player was much appreciated. Made both the drive up and back in just over 10 hours (650 miles) and was only slightly stiff at the end of the day.
WARNING: The following is not recommended reading for those in the audience who never let their gas gauge get below 1/4 tank!!!
I’m the type who doesn’t believe in filling up until the fuel light comes on. So, when on the drive back the light didn’t come on until 364 miles, I was compelled to see if I could make it to 400. Since the owner’s manual said that I should have 2.3 gal US left at the point the light comes on, I figured that I could go another 26 (approx 1 Gal) with no problem. Well, I chickened out at 398 and pulled off the interstate. When I came to a stop at the top of the exit ramp, the Forester almost stalled, and when I began to pull away, it hesitated so badly that I pulled to the curb. However, it never did stall completely, and once I got going it ran okay. At least for the couple hundred yards that I had to go to get to the closest gas station. Once I filled-up, it ran fine. I can only conclude that the fuel intake is at front of the tank and when the car is either on an incline or under acceleration, the gas sloshes to the rear and away from the intake. Anyway, at the time, it was quite disconcerting and I will be eternally thankful that the wife wasn’t there to give me the old “I told you so”. The lesson I learned from this was to start looking for a gas station immediately after the fuel light comes on in the future.
Regards, Frank P.
What I don't get is how he could conclude so much about Japanese culture. Did I miss something here?
Well I think it'll take him a while to get settled, and since I was posting his field notes, allow me to put words in his mouth
the Japanese have a rich, deeply textured culture but are nowhere near as morally superior to us as I had assumed [my emphasis]
Dr. Dictionary, aka Dr. Thesaurus, calls this a stereotype or prejudice, a trait common to the species [non-permissible content removed] sapiens, though perhaps less so with maturity (right, Don?). After he listened to "_Memoir_of_a_Geisha_ was two tapes too long." and becoming enlightened, he changed his mind.
I believe WDB meant no harm, just offering a portal into his free association: he had an opinion of Japanese culture, took the time to assimilate knowledge (by driving across a none-too-small continent (as James Powers identified vis-à-vis the trek from Canada to SIA) in a MY00 Subaru Legacy GT sedan and listening to a book on tape, huh? ..but I digress), and changed his supposition.
Helms alee, let's bring this thread back on course! Sube's full speed, or as much as a 2.5l SOHC H-4 Phase II with 165hp@5600rpm & 166lbs-ft@4000rpm and 4EAT can muster, ahead! (now if that isn't troll bait I don't know what is)
..Mike
a) tongue b) cheek. Insert a) in b)
..Mike
I was compelled to see if I could make it to
400
Hehe, great story about matching wits with the fuel gauge -- been there, done that.
Women are smarter than us guys and aren't affected by the Siren emanating from the fuel gauge. It's a XY/testosterone thing. (see, I have stereotypes too
..Mike
..Mike
btw, WDB didn't mean anything by that comment. I had no idea what you all were talking about because I hadn't read a single one of the hidden journals. I got curious about all the hubbub, and it seems innocent enough to me. He expected the japanese to be morally superior to us, possibly because they do not watch "who wants to be a millionaire" and baseball still outdraws pro wrestling. Technically that is a prejudice, but it was minor and I for one can move on without a second thought.
-Colin
next time the fuel warning light comes on, take a hard right... you should encounter some fuel starvation.
there's one for patti: fix the fuel pump / pickup. it's really annoying that I have to autocross with 1/3 - 1/2 tank to avoid fuel starvation, and yet another competitor in a '91 paseo can run on 1 gallon. I have to skip breakfast to try and make up that weight!
-Colin
O.k., I'll jump into this product development fray...
I for one am happy with the Cruise light where it is. If the car is moving without me, I figure it's on :-)
I second the opinion that hybrid technology ought to be pursued. Toyota and Honda are not doing this out of altruism. It is a mistake to rely on GM development...it is all diesel-based, and Uncle Sam (taking a cue, as usual from CA) is zeroing in on this fuel type. Expect regulations in the next 5 years that will choke the life out of GM (and, for that matter, Ford's) hybrid research. My vote would be for an AWD model with ECVT. Edmunds review of the long-term insight has a great suggestion- solar power regeneration. DOn't ask me how to make an AWD hybrid...I ain't the engineer! How's about a 2-stroke engine......?
I too would probably go for a turbo wagon if I could swing it, but then I think I am probably on the low end of the income scale on this board...More emphasis on the sporting nature inherent in an automotive AWD platform. Patti, just do me a favor and make sure they don't price me completely out of the Subaru family!! Keep an AWD Legacy wagon model for $20K.....
How many people here would attend a day or two at Road America? **5 dozen posters and lurkers give a shout out to homey** That's what I thought. Too bad there aren't more closer to home. Better yet, how about classes in your own car, like the BMW CCA sponsors? That would build brand loyalty AND get people committed to the concept of AWD for good. ANyone here know how the BWM CCA is able to pull these classes off on a $35 a year membership fee? are they getting help from BMW? I think I am the only card carrying member of the CCA that DOESN'T own a Bimmer...I just joined for the driving schools!! 6 M5s, 7 325is, 9 M3s and one Outback in the paddock...what a sight...
The dealer said my impreza would be here in 4-6 weeks - three ½ weeks ago. (he said it was on a boat from japan) and I have yet to decide what kind of warranty I should pick or if i should leave the standard 3 year. any ideas? I am currently part owner of a performance shop here in Albuquerque(I also work for an internet/media company) I can do many of the repairs myself. although I imagine OEM subaru parts are probably expensive. I would also like to do a turbo upgrade and I imagine that would void the warranty. does anyone have any experiance with performance upgrades voiding-or not voiding the warranty. maybe our SOA freind patti may be able to shed light on the warranty issue.
(juice - collin thanks for the info and consistantly great post's -I have yet to have one of my questions left unanswered)
eagerly awaiting my impreza
Mark §
Bonnie Rick
Conferences Manager, Town Hall
Edmunds.com
1.5 years ago State Farm (and a few others) knew what a 2.5RS was and they rated it a tad higher than an L. Allstate didn't. My rates still have not gone up one bit...
-Colin
Note: in California, at least, even 4WD/AWD vehicles are required to carry chains in these areas. Caltrans has three kinds of restrictions (or four if you count "none" as a kind"): R1 = chains on 2WD non-snow-tire vehicles; R2 = chains on all 2WD vehicles; and R3 = chains on all vehicles, even 4WD. R3 is virtually never used -- Caltrans goes from "R2" to "road closed until the snowplows clear it" -- but we are still legally bound to have the chains in the car. I bought the "Shur-Grip" cable chains "just in case" (and have never used them aside from the quick test-fit in my driveway).
Chris
Spencer
--Kathy
1) For less than $20K what do you want? the world for a $1? If you stack your <$20K AWD car v. any other AWD car you are going to get more bang for your buck. If you want an audi S4, you are going to pay upwards of $40K, for that you could have 2 RSs, so let's not start asking Santa for stuff he can't give you.
2) Juice liked your wishlist, except for the auto-leveling suspension. I have heard horror stories about them on the Navigator, etc. Basically anything with an air-assist suspension will eventually fail and be costly to repair. I'd rather just add beefier springs/struts if the need arrised to tow/load it. Your comments on more towing capacity is definitely important.
-mike
What needs to be done? I'll be on vacation this week, but I'll be logged on more than if I was at work.
-mike
I main beef is that if you can find a better built, cheaper AWD 2.5l car that includes power everything, 16" wheels, and a sporty suspension, for under $20K, by all means go and get it. Until such time, it's not fair to rip on SOA. Also when you called SOA, why didn't you talk to a supervisor there to get your problem fixed? It seems like you called once and then backed off, and are just settling with less than you deserve.
-mike