By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I'm with you on this one. Suspension is, in my book, ok IF it is something well proven (a little lowering on bimmers for instance, and the bilsteins) or a swap for a performance model (M werks suspension on a lesser 3 for instance, or STi bits for Soobs). I am also happy with my Brullen. But I have no further plans for the car at this point, not even rims. I just can't justify 17" rims for a car that's got what now, maybe 180 @ 4500 or 5k? When the S-03s were good, I ran out of engine waaay before I ran out of grip. So I used the $1200 I could have spent on rims/tires and went to France. Well o.k. I still got those RS rims, but that's a budget solution to the auto-x bug.
Oh Loosh, you're guilt-tripping me big time. I don't even have that HP output in the less aerodynamic Soob, yet I managed to delude myself into going the 17"/high-performance all-season route. It let me do things I never thought would be possible with the Forester, though.
Ed
PS: Oh yeah, I went to France, too - en route to Italy. ;-)
I'd be lying if I didn't say I am a little shocked to hear the news! Wow, I had no idea you were having all those problems! But I am glad to know that you're much happier with your new Wrangler.
By all means, keep posting here. Owning a Subie is not a prerequisite of being a Crew member. You know you'll always be welcome, Subaru or not. In fact, you can share some of the Jeep experiences with us and diversify our views.
Out of curiosity, what did you do with the WRX? Did you trade it in? Did you need to convert back to stock?
Ken
But no way will I get into the power train on this Subie, I want this car to be around for ten years, If I want a performance car I will buy one that is a performance car from Day one from the factory.
Anyway owning a Sube is not a requirement to be a member here, looking forward to you participating on a regular basis again,I have to say you went 180 degrees from a WRX to a jeep but they say variety is the spice of life.
BTW> why did you not put the stock rims and tires back on I am sure you could have gotten more for your 17" rims than you will for the WRX rims.
Cheers Pat.
Anyway, from what I can tell the guys and gals on this board are really great folks and will welcome you (and your Jeep) as on of the "family". Good luck with the new vehicle!
-Ian
Bob
Yeah, I have to agree with you that modding the powertrain can be risky. I actually knew this going in but I guess I had more faith in the group that was doing the work (including myself).
Ken:
I didn't have to convert back to stock and I never told them of any power mods I did. I feel a bit guilty about this....but only a bit. :-)
Serge:
I've never had the brake lines out of the pkg. I'll let them go for $75. I also got a good deal on them when I bought them through Subiegal's connections.
Kate: I will post a pic w/me next to the black beastie but with more clothes on this time...I mean it's winter and all, LOL. :-)
Yes, I now have my "sunroof" w/the Wrangler. I'm also very glad I got the hardtop. It makes driving the Wrangler much quieter. It also has a rear defroster and rear wiper with the hardtop.
As far as reliability, I'm not worried w/the Wrangler. It constantly rates well, especially compared to the older Cherokee & old/new GC.
We have so many wonderful back roads and mountains to explore in the NW. The Wrangler will be in its element to be sure.
Anyhow, I will try and participate in this week s chat.
Feeling better,
Stephen
The more complex the engine, the risker the mods are. Any engine with a turbos and computer chips is complex. Glad it worked out.
You're already one of the family and always welcome.
Jim
Seriously, although many of us fall in love with our cars, they are just machines. Friendships are what counts. I hope you remain active to share your knowledge and opinions. Enjoy the 'beast'.
Steve (spelled the correct way.....)
Nah, I totally understand the desire for moonroofs - even if I have to put them in myself. Don't know why 8 windows around me aren't enough, I want one above me. Or a top that folds.
So you'll join me on the wait list for a 2008 SVX roadster?
Still enjoying Brazil, though I'll be back home on Friday. Loving the food, it'll be hard to go back to our usual diet. Here we get fresh coconut water, ripe pineapple, papaya, and about 300 other fruits not available in the US.
It's funny, every time I come I try at least one new fruit I'd never heard of. This time it was "cupuaçu", which I'm hoooked on. The taste is half way between Pineapple and Graviola. Oops, you guys have probably never heard of Graviola either.
Guess what my favorite Xmas gift was? A big can of Sonho de Valsa chocolates! :-)
There are some WIERD cars here, I'll try to pick up some car mags and bring them to the Philly Show, or the next Crew gathering. You'll LOL at the Citroen Xsara Picasso (an Egg) and some of the Renaults here.
See you folks soon.
-juice
Btw, have you seen the pictures in Jeep Owners Photo Gallery? 01r1 has posted some gorgeous pics.
It's quite a different market - premium small cars is an oxymoron in the US, here it's all the rage. My brother's Civic EX has goat leather and separate rear head rests. US models get a lump and cloth.
Maybe it's more like the Canadian Acura Civic clone. Either way, here it's a Medio-Grande (medium-large), along with the Focus. Passat is large. A Fiesta is small, and a Ka is a Popular (mini car).
It's hatchback heaven, too. The Fiesta is actually really cute, better sorted even than the Focus hatch. The new Astra 5 door is also kinda cool.
Here's something funny - Subies are very premium cars here, rare but sought after. Compared to, say, an imported Honda, a Subaru is worth about 25% more. I mean Legacy vs. Accord, or Forester vs. CR-V.
But Subaru will have to build cars here. In the past couple of years Toyota, Honda, Renault, and Citroen all have built new factories here. M-B too, those A classes are just TINY in person. Imports cost about 40% more and cannot compete in any real volume here.
Gas, at least, is more affordable now vs. last time I came. About $2 per gallon for gas, $1.50 for diesel, $1 for alcohol.
Still, AWD would be a hard sell in such a poor country where fuel efficiency is a top priority. So I think Forester and Outback have a better shot as more efficient truck alternatives, vs. Imprezas and Legacys.
Speaking of Jeeps, DCX should sue Troller, who makes a virtual Wrangler clone in Brazil, it's ridiculous how much they look alike.
Loosh: you'd love the Land Rovers, they're still selling Safari-like Defenders here, 2 and 4 doors. Diesels, vinyl seats, manual trannys, true-blue trucks.
-juice
Yeah, I was wondering where you where too. I was thinking of PMing you on nasioc or sending you an email. Which forum did you post your problems in?
Welcome back, juice!!
-Dennis
will wait for a factory backed Prodrive
Performance Package if I do any powertrain mods.
Dennis: I never did post all my problems on the Naisoc but shared them in person w/some of the NW group at the last couple of meets. The most bitter pill to swallow in all of this is that I only have myself to blame for the soured experience w/my WRX! (Man, I hate being an adult sometimes!):-)
Jim: Thanks for the kind words. It's posts like yours (& the rest of the Crew) that make this one of the best (maybe...THE best) forums on the Townhall.
Steve: LOL!!! I thought someone just left letters off your name. :-) Seriously, thanks for the perspective on cars. As an enthusiast, I need to be reminded of this from time to time.
Juice: Hope you're enjoying your vacation! Yes, 2008 will be a good year to buy a new car. Heck, 5 years is longer than I've ever kept any vehicle so I may be setting a record! :-)
Stephen
Glad to hear you're enjoying your vacation down there! I was wondering if you've kept up with the news. Maybe it's not just conincidence -- why don't you extend your stay another month. I'll bet we'll get the B4 RSK, Blitzen, Forester STi, H-6 turbo and 6MT/5EAT this model year. ;-)
Ken
Do they sell Fiats in Brazil? The Panda is the most bare-bones, slab-sided thing I've just about ever seen - they look like they're stamped from surplus Quonset huts. They do make a 4x4 variant that would probably appeal to old-school Subaristi.
Enjoy the rest of your vaca. When do you plan on going to the Philly show? I'm on the fence for this weekend and have an appointment to get the Forester inspected Saturday morning.
Ed
Somehow Wranglers and WRX's seem to sort of draw the same people. They are funky different cars that are very capable in their specialities. Jeeps are VERY fun cars to drive (I had a 2.5l '95 Wrangler). I think I had more fun driving my Jeep around town than the WRX due to all the torque down low. Once the WRX can "stretch it's legs" a bit, it's a different story.
Also, don't listen to people who tell you you will have a lot of problems with your new Jeep. I had mine for 100,000+ and I didn't have a single issue. Just a few scratches from the Off road trips.
Have fun!
-ken
Rented one once, and it was fun to drive to the point I was thinking about the possibility of purchasing one as my next car.
Oh well, I was thinking that after the warrentee is up (maybe in another 2 years since it looks like I will be putting +20K miles a year on my WRX), I would consider a power mod.
Any suggestions on ways to go? Would just a boost gauge be fine, or another company? Actually, the car is fast without the upgrades.
Stick around and share the love of your Wrangler, you will still a real Subie crew member.
Time to unwrap a Lacta Bis!
Those "Senior Moments" are coming on strong now...
Bob
Mod_Bob tried to liven it up a bit with some photo links that I could not view.
Steve
The Kangoo is an eye sore. No Vel Satis but lots of Twingos running around down there.
Fiat has an ugly box, too, the Doblo. It's funny to see executives driving those things around in Brazil. No Pandas, but tons of Palios and variants from that platform.
I'm back home, finally, back to work, too. It's a little hard to adjust to a SIXTY degree change in temps, though.
When is Philly? I need to settle in, and we don't have a nanny for another 2 weeks (she's staying 5 weeks total, we did 3). I'm way too nice of a boss!
Serge: I still have a whole tin of Sonho de Valsas. I decided to give away the Garoto candies at work, instead. ;-)
-juice
-Frank P.
See Events for Ed's report. :-(
-Dennis
For any would-be travelers out there, the exchange rate is very favorable. It cost us $5 per day for each nanny, and I'm talking a 7am to 9pm "day".
Go if you want to buy hand-made goods, leather, wood carvings, semi-precious stones (amethyst, blue topaz, aquamarine), etc.
Wow, Philly snuck up on us, then. Guess we have to wait for New York in April.
-juice
Steve
-juice
-mike
Bob
juice, welcome back. I will forever remember Brazil as being a much more hospitable country as compared to Argentina (IMHO, of course).
Greg
Kate: Which dealership did you go to? Was it Santa Cruz? Didn't know Bajas were available as loaners!
Ken
BTW, those cars are only true loaners for customers who bought their Subaru in SC. For people who bought elsewhere it's $19.95/day, except when they cannot fix/service car in 1 day and have to keep the car overnight. Then it's a true loaner and is free.
Baja loaner? Cool.
-juice
I've rented an OB Sedan twice and a Legacy wagon from them before.
Great dealership.
Ken
scott
is that a used truck? even still I get the feeling you've lowered your payments by stretching them out over a longer term... not my slice of pie, but whatever works for you.
sorry to hear about the loss of your WRX wagon.
-Colin
Last Wednesday lost my hearing aid thats $1300 out of pocket, then Sunday I was putting a larger surge bar on the computer I had to cut some cable ties, well just as I am about to snip a tie with sidecutters Mac nudged my arm and I sliced the monitor and speaker cables.
The monitor is only 4 months old and they want about 50 bucks less than the cost of a new monitor to fix it, so a practically new monitor is being junked, needless to say Rita is very unhappy with me at the moment.
Welcome back juice I hope you had a good holiday.
Cheers Pat.
Pat- DOH! Pets can induce costly actions like that at times. I've broken a couple things that way.
I also understand the pet mishaps. Last night my wife was in the armoir rearranging some champagne flutes to try to fit some wine glasses that we just received as gifts when Max (one of two cats) jumps in to help out and broke one of the flutes (crystal of course and no longer available). Oh well, at least he wasn't hurt (nor my wife).
-Ian
Greg
Patti, if you're listening, we miss you here... Are you back to work yet?
Bob