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Comments
I decided to live with the knee problem though. :-)
-Dennis
Len
I took it really easy in the black wagon I test-drove even though the dealer didn't come along with me. I had previously test-driven a mule sedan and knew what how great it feels when the power comes on. In that case another dealer was with me and encouraged me to get on it. Good fun, but made me feel a bit guilty and mistrust that dealership.
During my last drive I was testing the overall livability of the car (noise levels, ride comfort, seating position, 5 speed transimission, etc.) so it wasn't a "flogging it" affair - it was a "see how she'll be every day" deal.
The car I'm waiting for is a swap with another dealer. I'm going to be very careful about the mileage the car has on it. I'll ask what dealership it came from and how far away it is and then deduct that mileage from what is showing on odometer. If the car was driven for more than 50-100 miles before my dealer picked it up there's a good chance I'll refuse the car. I agree that boys-will-be-boys and any miles on the car are probably hard ones.
I know my compuctions about thrashing a car that will one day belong to someone else are unique.
-jim
I have always wound up buying the exact car I test drove, since I do LOTS of homework before hand, and am basically set on the particular model I want. I know I wouldn't want to buy one that someone else had driven hard during a test drive. By the same token, I'd feel guilty about test driving one hard, knowing full well that I had no intention of buying that particular one, or of buying one at all. Maybe dealers should have one or two vehicles dedicated to test drives, which could be driven hard without much consequence. That would seem especially well suited to performance models.
Len
The list on the 17" sub zero rim is $340CDN,guess I will have to live with it, after two cons with net transactions, I would rather pay a little more and see what I am getting.
Cheers Pat.
In my case, I probably would not buy the vehicle that I test drove, especially if it has some number of miles on it and the dealer encouraged me to "push it". When it came time to purchase, I would have the dealer pull one out of their lot that was clearly not driven yet (white plastic on it) or have them order me one on allocation and wait the painful 4-6 weeks.
Ken
My dealer is in the hills of Western Jersey and you can go on test drives alone. That's all I'm going to say. :-)
-Dennis
Or maybe yours was less green, with a tranny that had been test driven hard a couple of times, and adapted better. Also, I did not shift manually, I purposely wanted to see how the supposedly new tranny logic did (not well IMO).
Len: I have every intention of buying one, in fact if they had an XT 5 speed with the moonroof I would have bought it then and there. And yes, even if it was the one I drove. Note that I did not redline it once, and on both occasions I made sure the engine was fully warm before pushing it.
Trust me, I would not mind being that "poor sucker" that was stuck with that fantastic XT 5 speed I sampled. In fact it has me reconsidering the moonroof requirement.
But how else can you tell if you want a particular car for driving fun? I'm not talking about driving it like you stole it. No clutch drops and no tire squeel (except a tiny amount on the on-ramp to determine she understeers slightly).
I agree with the suggestion that every dealer should have a demo model for customers to drive, though.
The whole break-in thing is being debated anyway, there is a theory that driving it hard from the beginning (if it'll be used that way) may help the piston rings seal better in the long run.
One more thing - my automatic XT had a very nearly empty tank of gas. I wonder about the quality of that fuel, and this is a turbo engine after all. The guy said it had been prepped, FWIW, but that tank had not been filled up yet. It only had 12 miles.
-juice
PS I e-mailed the Subaru guys about Patti, and will keep everyone posted
Ohmy2
They had no brochures on the XT. After my test drive I heard a manager tell them "around the block only, we're trying to keep the miles low". I drove 6 miles in it, clearly not long enough for the tranny to adapt to my style.
-juice
I personally could live without the sunroof. Yeah, it's huge, but the extra responsiveness means more to me than seeing the pretty clouds overhead.
The dealer training for the STi and XT is apparently being held on a track -- at least for the Western region held in Phoenix. A couple of sales people I spoke to had just returned from it and all of them were gushing about the STi. They first ride with a professional to show them what it can do (ie. mad drifts, yo!). Apparently they barely are able to hit 6th gear because they keep running out of straightaways.
Anyone know how I could pose as a salesperson?
Ken
Although you might know too much about Subies to pass...
-jim
I can't even imagine what an STi feels like, after driving a majorly de-tuned 2.5T in the Forester, and being so overwhelmed.
-juice
When we bought our Forester XS last July, my wife drove a red one (equipped to my liking) in order to appease my whining, and then decided she really liked the car. Once she got serious, we picked out a silver one she liked, and I got to drive it. After negotiating the sale, we stopped off for Italian food and she had a few glasses of wine while I sipped ice tea. And then I got to drive the car home! Fun day.
When I got my WRX in January, I spent a good 30 minutes walking the lot with the salesguy before finding a suitable candidate (I had scoped out the inventory online first, so that helped). There were actually a couple of cars that fit the bill, but I bonded with the first one and had to have her. I took it pretty easy during the test drive, except for one 90deg curve where the damn paper floor matt slipped while I was downshifting and braking, causing me to hit the brake *and* gas at the same time with my right foot. I ended up revving the engine to 5500rpm or so while in neutral (talk about confusion, I had no clue what was going on), but the overall effect was exiting the corner as if I had performed a slightly sloppy heel-toe downshift. The car just took off like a rocket. Trust me, I couldn't do a heel-toe on purpose if I tried, but this came off almost credible. The salesguy said "nice driving" as I reached down to straighten out the matt, and I realized what happened. Afterwards, I decided that was the car for me!
Craig
We've decided to create an official XT Envy Support Group. All current Forester owners are automatically enrolled. We try to focus on the negatives of XT ownership:
* you lose envious friends
* severely over-powered
* lots of speeding tickets
* higher insurance rates due to tix
* premium fuel makes only Colin's oil company richer
* torquey engine is for wimps, too easy to drive fast
* hood scoop is bad for the environment
* XT appeals too much to the Fast & Furious crowd
* more tire wear to put that kind of power to the pavement
See? So it's not so bad to have the normally aspirated 2.5l. It's perfectly adequate. Really. Peppy even.
-juice
(note to self: call about 2005 5 speed/moonroof availability)
Bob
Bob
Actually, he's doing overtime to save up for that XT!
Join our support group, it's cheaper.
-juice
Bob
Jim
-Colin
Useful tip for Jimmy. Enjoy being the cuddly lap. It still seems to be the best cuddly spot for our almost ten year old and almost seven. You hear all the important secrets and worries when snuggled close. Laps are extraordinarily good places for listening and reassuring.
The other spot that seems good is chatting one to one when alone in the Outback, kid in rear seat, dad in front - no eye contact but close. Dad is concentrating on driving, but listening. I wonder whether this will still work at seventeen.
Cheers
Graham
We also celebrated 'Gotcha Day' this week. It is the day we got her (as important as a birthday to an adopted kid).
Now if it isn't a wet day wipeout tomorrow (most of this spring has been so here in the N.E.), we have the final soccer event - 3 game tournament. I absolutely love coaching. The kids are a real blast.
Steve
You can view/download the theatrical trailer. I copied the DVD onto tape to keep. It rates up there as one of my top movies.
Steve
But I did love coaching soccer. The league I was in stressed that we were there to learn about the game and teamwork and whatnot, and the parents seemed to show up with a different attitude right at the outset. The kids were a joy, even as they grew into teenagers, and as a result I had a great time for all 4 years. I don't even think my son minded being the coach's kid too much...
rgds,
-wdb
-Colin
Craig: Your story makes it sound like it was meant to be.
Ken
-juice
Between the two boys we're at baseball games 4 nights/week til almost the end of July...
aaaahhhh..... summer!
Cheers!
Paul
As they get older, the game gets much more physical. She quit because she just got tired of getting pounded.
Jim
It was black with gold wheels, a gigantic wing and a 3" tall hoodscoop. Yup, I encountered my first STI locally. Rolled down my window and talked to the owner while we were both waiting in a double left turn lane to get onto a local expressway. Local dealership wanted $2000+ list so he had bought it in Clarksville Tenn. 3 weeks ago. His best mileage so far was 20 mpg! He told me, "I'll hammer it when the light changes." I was in the further left lane so I got around the corner first and then I heard the whine of his engine as he shot by me. What a sound! He got far ahead and I was standing on it and then he backed off or I'd never have caught him.
BTW, the guy driving was 50 something like me. That car may not be too much of a kid's toy at $32k.
Help, think I need a support group. I've only got a few months left on my car loan on the WRX.
I love the wing and the black with gold wheels is the way to go. Black seems to have so much metal flake in it that at the stoplight the sun was reflecting my WR blue over on to his car and it looked dark blue.
TWRX
I played more than my share of soccer, and I hope my daughter gets into it. She's a giant, still way off the charts in weight and height for her age (4), and very strong physically. She could be the next Mia.
-juice
Steve
So what does the BMW tech drive? - an '01 OB of course. But what is he lusting after? - the WRX STi :-)
Hopefully this tech won't go back to another dealer service department and will open his own shop; if so, I've found my mechanic.
Steve, Host
-Colin
[edit] ah, "Inspection and Maintenance." The IM here is just for emissions since we're in a Los Angeles type basin that traps a lot of junk during inversions.
Steve, Host
Sorry for missing the chat - worked late.
I now feel complete with my subaruness. I will be picking up my new Giant Mountain Bike tonight. Probably fall off and crack my head tomorrow.
Greg
Unfortuantely, my wife hasn't warmed to the idea of driving a wagon. She took a quick spin in one and came back complaining at the lack of oomph. I knew that dang VR6 would spoil her. I'll keep working it.
On a slighlty unrelated note, I saw an STi come out from detailing while we were there -- blue with the gold rims. Some lucky guy was there picking it up. His entire family -- mom, dad and uncle was there with him (the guy was in his mid 30s). The whole family got in and drove away. I chuckled at the sight of the STi being used as a "family" car.
Ken
And pleeease WEAR A HELMET. The skull you save may be your own.
Jim
I'd wait a while, maybe let her drive an XT, which would free you up to buy whatever. If she thinks that's small, look at the next Legacy. Base models will be lighter and may get AVCS, so even the base Legacy should be interesting.
The price is phenomenal, though. $1200 under? It's not like your risking a big investment.
-juice
The new Legacy is indeed interesting, but the current model with it's incentives are very attractive.
juice -- maybe your wife can talk to my wife and tell her it's okay to drive a wagon? ;-)
In any event, we're not in a big hurry. I'm pretty sure the MY04 LSE will also be sold with incentives. Also, the one feature I wish the MY03 LSE had was the height adjustable seats. Kana's tiny so she needs every little bit possible.
The other fine line I need to walk is the impact on me getting my next vehicle. If we end up getting a bigger vehicle for her that's too expensive, it might just push out my XT/WRX. :-)
Ken
The 2005 Legacy sedan has a much bigger trunk, FWIW. If you go with a sedan, that is.
Wait for the 2004, though, it'll be called the Anniversary edition if they follow what the NY had on the stand. And guess what - I think it had power seats! Bingo.
-juice
So it was the MY04 LSE that will get the power seats. I was looking for them on the MY03 and couldn't figure out what happened.
I'm pretty comfortable from a feature/saftey standpoint about the LSE. It is a little short on power, but I think my wife drives too fast anyway. ;-)
BTW, do we get comission from SOA for getting our wives to buy Subies?
Ken
It was 36 in a 25, a little absurd IMO, but since it's a photograph they do not assess points, you just pay a fine ($50 in my case).
Do insurance companies get this info, since there are no points? Anyone know?
Red light cameras have held up in courts so far, FWIW. Dunno about these. Seems like taxation without representation.
If I had an XT I guess I'd have a lot more of those. I can't imagine if they put one of those on paisan's street! ;-)
-juice
Jon
maybe if you tell them it's like a big 'purse' and you can carry all kinds of stuff without ruining your back and shoulder?
maybe if you tell them it's secretly FUN to drive a wagon ... sort of like being a 'bottle blonde' ... (stealth intelligence)
tell 'em they'll have a place to put all that stuff they always wanted to take on vacation and you wouldn't let 'em pack ...
<shrugs> ... what do I get for being a woman who LIKES to drive a wagon?
FYI: The photo must clearly show the driver and license plate to issue the ticket, otherwise they cannot prove you were driving when the speed was registered. An acquaintance of mine used to intentionally speed in front of the cameras and then cover his motorcycle's license plate with his hand just before the camera took the picture :-)
-Ty
what do I get for being a woman who LIKES to drive a wagon?
Eternal gratefullness and respect. ;-)
tyguy: they are using the "no-points assessed" strategy to bypass having to photograph the driver. At least that's their claim.
-juice