Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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Comments

  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    are you computing based on retail, private sale or trade-in?

    retail is not a good estimate IMO because you'll NEVER get that yourself.

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Private party sale. Dealer retail is a lot higher.

    I'm comparing that to the actual price I paid, i.e. my own TMV.

    I was able to beat the Edmunds private party sale price for our 626, but not the dealer's retail, of course.

    Any how, the point is, you can still get a Forester X today for $19 grand. Knowing a 5 year old model with less equipment hold most of its value after that long is reassuring.

    -juice
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Bob -- So, how come you predicted a "whopper with cheese" for me, but a nice 6-5 for Brian? ;-)

    juice -- Do I hear the gears turning for an XT? :-)

    Ken
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Actually it was a "Double Whopper w/cheese."

    Good question. I guess to be an equal-opportunity glutton (does that mean I eat babies??), I'll revise my prediction to a 7 pound "Big Mac!"...

    This getting too weird...

    Bob
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    I can almost guarantee this won't be a 6 pounder. The last ultrasound she had back in early April estimated the weight to be 4 pounds. Typically, they grow at about 1/2 pound per week. But, I won't stop people from guessing since we won't know the weight until they place 'em on the scale!

    BTW, I just signed up for the IMBA, so at least 6 months from now...

    -Brian
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    2004 Forester 2.5 XT...must...resist...the... new...car...urge...

    Oh boy, if it's this bad now, I can only imagine what it'll be like when the reviews start appearing and Edmunds posts the specs. :-(

    -Frank P.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Ken: I gotta convince the wife some how! Though seeing the new Legacy puts me at east to see what else Subaru has in the pipeline. I'm patient.

    Frank: wait 'til you drive one. Not just you, Ed, Ken, and myself too. It's gonna take some serious discipline! ;-)

    -juice
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Juice,

    Letters went out today to you.

    Mark
  • storytellerstoryteller Member Posts: 476
    that I could claim a commission on the Subies I've "sold" by educating other people about them. I sold two of my dog-walking pals on Foresters (one used, one new). Then I sold myself on an OB. This weekend my daughter bought a used Forester. Of course, the real satisfaction is recommending cars that other people love when they try them.

    My daughter went shopping with a man who is a hard bargainer, and he gave Molly a real clinic in how it is done.

    This guy is a fan of BMW and Lexus. I think he owns three Bimmers and one Lexus, which is one more car than there are people in his family. He was really dubious about the Forester when Molly said that's what she wanted to test-drive. He got behind the wheel of the 1998 L they were looking at and was instantly converted. "This is a NICE car! This is really a NICE car!"

    Steve
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Speaking of the XT, has anyone seen any updates on it's specs? I'm particularly interested in the drivetrain and suspension.

    I've been thinking about my future garage and here's what I see:
    Stage 1: In 1 year replace 98 Forester S with something fun yet practical enough for daily driving. This vehicle's for me. Contenders: Forester XT or WRX Wagon, maybe turbo Legacy wagon.

    Stage 2: In 2-3 years replace Kana's Jetta with something more practical for the family. Most likely an H6 Legacy wagon of some sorts.

    So, for Stage 1, which should it be? Of course I'll have to drive them first, but what's going to give me that balance of fun and practicality? The Legacy looks promising, but it won't be here until MY05 and it's a brand new model (I'm done being a beta tester :-) ).

    Help me with my mental car shopping.

    Ken
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    whatever you decide on...

    My choices, given your situation:

    Stage I: Legacy turbo wagon.

    Stage II: Subie 7-passenger crossover. I suspect that more Whoppers w/cheese will arrive by the time you reach this stage. :)

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Knowing you'll likely get a bigger car later, and that one can wait, would change things a little. That means you won't miss out if the new Legacy is as good as most of us expect it to be.

    Resale for the '98 is good, so no harm trading up to an XT, which IMO will best balance fun and parenting one kid. Until the 2nd child arrived I was convinced the Forester was ideal for us. Now it's maybe a tad small.

    But by your 2nd Kana will most likely have a bigger car, the one you'll take road trips in with the family.

    -juice

    Edit: I noticed Bob goes with medium, then large, I choose compact, then mid-size
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    I'm not worried about choosing an XT with 2 'little' cubs - we've got the mini-van if we need the room for long trips.

    When the time does come to go shopping, I'll surely drive an XT, but I'll probably take a VDC wagon for a spin as well.

    -Brian
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    With kids, you can never have too much room. Speaking from experience; I've been there, and done that.

    Bob
  • ningabeningabe Member Posts: 12
    Just wanted to hi to everyone and say I've enjoyed reading the posts here.

    Sold my '97 RAV this morning and I'm picking up a yellow Baja Tommorrow. My dog could'nt figure out why someone was driving off in his car, but I hope he'll enjoy his new ride as much as I will!

    Jeff
  • yellowbikedon1yellowbikedon1 Member Posts: 94
    We owe you a vote of thanks for spearheading the letter writing campaign on behalf of Patti's participation on the board.

    Patti provides a service to all Subaru owners that is most unique. She does this in a positive and yet forceful manner that has proven helpful to more than one of us. Having Patti participate as our "link" with Cherry Hill is invaluable.

    If you, the paticipants on this site, have not sent Juice your letter, I urge you to do so NOW. We must do all we can to quickly "welcome" her back to the Crew!

    Don
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    I could volunteer to write a letter, guys, and on your say so I'm sure it's worthwhile ... I just don't think it would really mean much when Patti was not ON the scene when *I* got here ...
    Brenda
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Well, Jeff, you can explain to the dog that if he (or she) is really good, he can ride in the tray and bark at passing cars. Make sure he knows that his lead must be firmly secured so he canot leap out.

    You should provide lessons in barking at cyclists, looking cute for blondes in sportscars and stealing icecreams from folks on rollerblades silly enough to come too close. Critically, explain that a dog's job is to guard a utility.

    The above is more confincing for big, tough looking dogs. It might lose something on a Maltese Terrier.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Juice- Please note that the above post by Graham does not apply to Hadji! (Who is neither big nor tough and doesn't even look like a dog!)

    -Frank P.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Bob- Sounds to me like you've been brainwashed by the current pop culture trend to super-size everything. Don't you remember when a family of six could make do just fine with one full-size sedan? Instead of buying bigger and bigger homes and cars, to store or haul all our "stuff", wouldn't it be refreshing if people just pared down their possessions? After all, we Americans are the undisputed global leaders of material goods.

    Okay, rant off. Sorry about that. I guess a radio news story I heard this morning got to me ($93B spent last year treating obesity. Which was more than what it cost to treat smokers and half of which was paid for with our tax dollars via Medicare & Medicaid).

    -Frank P.
  • newcar4newfamnewcar4newfam Member Posts: 20
    Dear Crew,

    My wife is a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) which allows us to purchase a new Subaru under the VIP program.

    Have any of you purchased your new Subie with the VIP discount? How much do you think you saved and is this the best way to get a new Subie for the best price?

    Do you think I can now get a $30,000 L.L. Bean for $22,000? (You can laugh out loud).

    Barkley
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    Price is dealer invoice (same as Edmunds invoice (dealer cost) but includes an advertising fee ($125?)) minus any dealer or customer incentives. The only way to get it cheaper is if the dealer gives up some of the holdback which is doubtful.

    Be aware that some, but certainly not all, dealers will low ball your trade when using VIP.

    DaveM
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    At least with the IMBA membership/Subaru VIP program, you get pricing at invoice. http://www.imba.com/tcc/subaru.html

    (interesting they have a IMBA painted Baja on that page)

    Not sure how the asha.org VIP program works, but would guess that it is similar.

    According to http://www.carsdirect.com, LLBeans are pricing a bit below invoice for the Chicago area. That's about $27k.

    -Brian
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Don't you remember when a family of six could make do just fine with one full-size sedan?

    I remember that! I owned one! But you know what? It was 21ft long, 8ft wide, the rear seat was like a couch, and in the advertisement, they showed a guy putting in a full set of golf clubs, an outboard motor, AND all the family luggage for a weekend at the country house!

    :)

    I miss my '74 Old 98 Regency Sedan!

    -mike

    PS: It got 8mpg City and 12-15mpg Highway.
  • ningabeningabe Member Posts: 12
    He would do just about anything for ice cream.
    Look cute or tough or slobber all over you.

    Now if I can get him to point birds from the back when we are driving the back roads next fall, instead of having to crawl thru the brush we might have something:)

    Jeff
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Congrats. I keep thinking a Baja would be great vehicle to have, especially turbo charged. If I was looking for a new car now, I would consider it. Must say, I also like the RAV4 although I have a problem with the location of the spare. Let us know how it goes with the Baja.

    Greg
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    In a perfect world, perhaps. The reality is people just seem to have more stuff today, and wherever they go, they want to bring it all with them.

    In the "good old days" we didn't have car seats, which are bulky and take up a fair amount of space, certainly much more space than munchkins do, plus, as piasan said, the cars were larger too. Hence the minivan and/or SUV are now the vehicles of choice for most families.

    Bob
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Jeff,

    Good luck on the Baja! Let us know how you (and your dog) like it.

    Mark
  • hgutsteinhgutstein Member Posts: 65
    As described above - check out the "dealers and pricing" forums here. The one thing to watch is that dealers can charge whatever they want for accessories - my dealer charged his cost (including labor) and I got the car about $650 under invoice total.

    HG
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Juice- Well there's one more letter, singing the praises of Patti, in the mail to you.

    -Frank P.
  • outback_97outback_97 Member Posts: 130
    I just read about this (had to go back >100 posts to find the original request... don't you guys ever sleep? LOL!) and I had some questions after reading through...

    1) I'm pretty much a newbie here and never had the opportunity to talk w/ Patti or ask her for assistance. Haven't really needed any yet. Are you only looking for folks who have worked with her?

    2) Is this specific to Patti, or are we asking Subaru in general to be more involved with addressing concerns raised on these boards? In either case, I'd definitely offer my support of this idea. I think there's a mutual benefit for SOA and customers (and potential customers who see customer service in action).

    Thanks for your work in this effort. Sorry for my ignorance about the particulars of it and Patti's involvement here.

    utahsteve
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    We had a '58 Chevy BelAir and I'm tellin ya that car was BIG enough for a large family ... whether we'd had car seats or not!!! I agree with paisan .. those sedans were a lot bigger than my outback WAGON!
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Utah Steve- I'll take a stab at answering your questions.

    Right now we're trying to convince SOA to again let Patti participate on Edmunds and yes, personal knowledge is desirable. But now that you mention it, I suppose a general letter to SOA, stating that you would appreciate them having a Rep participate in the Town Hall to answer your questions, would still be productive. It certainly couldn’t hurt!

    A little background for those of you who are relatively new:

    Patti works in SOA's corporate customer service dept and was active on these boards for a couple of years until medical issues caused her to drop off. During the time she was active, she had SOA's official permission to participate. However, there was a catch in that she pretty much had to do it on her own time.

    While Patti never directly responded to owner complaints here on Edmunds, she was very good at directing owners to the proper channels for satisfaction. Her usefulness would be demonstrated when a long suffering owner would post that, thanks to Patti's involvement, whatever problem they were experiencing was finally brought to a satisfactory close. In fact, I can recall a couple of instances when a disgruntled owner, after months of fruitlessly working with an uncooperative/non-responsive local Subaru service dept, would come to Edmunds seeking advice (and to vent) and Patti would personally get involved. Next thing you know, the owner, who was fully prepared to trade his “lemon” in and never own another Subaru, suddenly was all smiles and going around telling all his friends what a great company SOA was and how he was already planning his next Subaru purchase.

    Patti was also extremely helpful in finding answers to our technical questions and would pass along product improvement suggestions to the appropriate dept. Bottom line is that her presence here created loads of goodwill for SOA at virtually no cost to them.

    So I hope you can see why we miss her. Besides, Patti was a regular “crew member” and as such, a member of our virtual family.

    -Frank P.
  • yellowbikedon1yellowbikedon1 Member Posts: 94
    Your description of what Patti accomplished for all of us was WELL DONE! Thanks for your words.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Frank summed it up well. In addition, Patti would forward our suggestions on how to improve future Subarus to their product planning department. About a year or so before the '03 Forester debuted, she asked us what we wanted to see in the new Forester. Just before the car was launched, Patti said that eight suggestions we made here at Edmunds.com got incorporated into the '03 Forester. You can't ask for much more than that.

    Bob
  • ningabeningabe Member Posts: 12
    Had a great ride home with my new Baja, the nearest dealer being 65 miles away. Had a hard time keeping under 60 mph. Plenty of power for me and a very smooth ride.

    LOVE the yellow(actually mustard?) It is definitely a head turner. As soon as I pulled in to home a kid almost crashed his bike trying to stop fast enough to look...."sweet car" "awesome"

    Hans (my German Shorthair) jumped right in. I really like the flip up back seat so he can stand on the floor and still hang his head out the window and let his ears float in the wind.

    Greg - I really liked my RAV and would really recommend it to anybody...fun to drive, reliable, get you anywhere. but there are alot of cabin buzzes and it is a bumpy ride & wind is no fun on the highway.

    i do have to get used to sitting a little lower to the road and having to stand when I get out of the car, but other than that I am really excited to have this car. I like having a unique car(not many subies around here) and I think it will really fit my needs.

    One dumb question-I had the soft bed cover installed-what is the easiest way to role it up, what is the bar that runs under it for?

    This is my first Subaru so I appreciate all your posts and thanks for the background on Patti, hope she is able to come back.

    Jeff
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Congrats, Jeff. The Baja is more car-like and I hope you'll enjoy it more.

    Barkley: my last purchase was through the VIP program, it was an easy and painless experience, plus they gave us the red carpet.

    Steve/Brenda: if you feel up to it, you could write a letter in support of having an SoA rep back with us. "I think it's a good idea because..." and fill in the blank. Your call. I have 9 letters in hand plus at least 7 more on the way, which is great.

    Towed home another 3 yards of wood chips yesterday, after borrowing Bob's trailer. They really filled it up this time, it must've been 4 yards. I was spilling chips over the sides, pretty much. No problem towing it.

    The only problem? It's not enough, I need another 2-3 yards!

    By the way, we'd talked about using pea gravel, but when I asked the guy at the counter he looked at me like I was crazy. Any how, that stuff is $25 per yard, so I'd need $150 worth at least, plus it's so heavy that I'd probably need to do 4-5 trips, so I went with wood chips. $15 per yard for high quality filtered stuff. It even smells nice!

    -juice
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    I used some pea gravel for a walkway around our garden, and it's working out quite nicely. Used hardwood mulch everywhere else, however, in the flower beds, planters, etc. The only downside is that I need to refresh it every year. But it looks nice.

    Depending on the application, pea gravel can pay for itself pretty quickly, since it won't compost or break down like bark mulch (no need to replace every so often like the mulch). But, you'd definitely want to have pea gravel delivered if it's in large quantities!

    Craig
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    My back doesn't want to shovel all that weight. The wood chips were bad enough.

    Looks great, but like I said I need another load to really get it padded enough to prevent injuries in that playground. I've got 2 little tikes to protect now.

    -juice
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    where is Ross? Serge? anyone heard from them lately?
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    Watch that "old"timer thing. I am enjoying retirement (3/4) a lot, but I do read here regularly. I just haven't had much to add lately. I do really like the looks of the new Legacy. I hope the campaign to get Patti out of the dungeon will be successful. Even though she had no ability to influence things here in Canada, I was very impressed that Subaru would let her be active here at the Crew. I also found her to be a thoroughly delightful person. I'll try to spend a few minutes at the Chat tonight.

    Enjoy the day,

    Ross
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Good show, papa bear.

    My vote - June 11 @ 8lbs, 14 oz

    Steve
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I guess I might as well vote too. 4.2 kg (9-4) on 4 June. Whenever the event and whatever the weight, I hope all goes well for you, DW, and newcomer. You really do need to work a "K" into the name somewhere.

    :-)

    Ross

    PS, it was great chatting again tonight. The Crew really does need psych help!
  • hammersleyhammersley Member Posts: 684
    Ross: Sorry I missed you at the chat! Duty called (you know how that goes)

    Brian: I'll take my daughter's "half"-birthday, and her birth weight: 6/2, 7.5 lbs.

    Juice: Bark vs. pea gravel: good choice. Pea gravel is WAY too hard on a dad's back! I have some good ol' dirt to move soon - then the river rock arrives!

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Must have been geezing...

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Ross had great timing, he even joined us for the chat. Get ready to treat us for turbo envy when the XT arrives!

    Bob: you need to put a weekly alarm reminder on your calendar. ;-)

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I got caught up with some of the TV shows "final" season shows.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I watch Motorweek on MPT at 8:30, it's done and then I head right to the chat. The timing is perfect (until Hadji comes for his walk!).

    Yesterday they featured the STi. Last week they had a long-term Baja. They tend to like Subies.

    Bummer that it was raining, I could not see the Eclipse at all.

    -juice
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    NAME........ - ..WEIGHT..LENGTH..DATE
    armac13..... -> .. 9-4 .... - ... 6/4
    ateixeira... -> .. 8-4 .... - ... 6/4
    bat1161..... -> .. 6-8 .... - .... -
    fibber2..... -> .. 8-14 ... - ... 6/11
    grahampeters -> . 10-0 .... - ... 5/29
    hammersley.. -> .. 7-5 .... - ... 6/2
    hqutstein... -> .. 7-2 .... - ... 6/2
    hypov....... -> .. 9-12 ... - ... 6/8
    jfl......... -> .. 9-1 .... - ... 5/31
    KarenS...... -> .. 9-2 .... - ... 6/7
    kate5000.... -> .. 9-11 ... - .... -
    kens........ -> .. 9-5 .... - ... 6/2
    ladywclass.. -> . 10-0 .... - ... 5/29
    lilbluewgn02 -> .. 8-15 ... - ... 6/3
    nygreg...... -> .. 8-5 .... 21 .. 6/1
    p0926....... -> .. 7-8 .... - ... 5/31
    rsholland... -> .. 7-0 .... - ... 5/26
    steve_...... -> .. 6-4 .... - ... 6/4
    subearu..... -> .. 8-8 .... 20½ . 6/1

    -Brian
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