Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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Comments

  • hammerheadhammerhead Member Posts: 907
    Mark: I'm about 300 miles ENE of the mountain. We got about 1/2 inch of ash here in the 1980 blast - the so-called experts are saying this event won't be that big. We visited there a few years ago - what an awesome display of nature's power, even 20+ years afterwards!

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Just a "half step" better handling than the average family car?

    I would think the 2.5i is at least a full step and the GT several steps better than your typical family hauler.

    Ken
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Thanks Mark. It's supposed to be a small burp compared to 1980. This is what I get for laughing at Florida. ;-)

    tom
  • erics6erics6 Member Posts: 684
    I'm bummed. I was supposed to do a one day hike around St Helens this weekend or next, but they closed the Lowwitt trail. Probably won't be open before the snow hits.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Well I suppose they're just playing it safe. After all, better to be a little bummed than risk the same fate as that which befell those 57 individuals in 1980.

    -Frank
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    This coming week will likely be my last chat for the next 20+ years....

    I'll be starting my new shift in 2 weeks and I'll be trading from 5p-2:30a EST bad things: less surfing, good things: more money, less likely to get laid off. :)

    -mike
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    Hi all. I'm now the owner of a 2005 Brilliant Silver Legacy 2.5i Ltd. wagon. So my turbo days are over. So are my premium gas days. My first tank of gas only got me 24 mpg in mixed driving but I know it takes 20,000 miles to break in a boxer. Anyway better mileage seems like the best idea in George Bush's oil company owned Amerika.

    Am I missing the turbo? Not really, the 2.5i has a really good kick to it. I am really impressed with how quick this car feels. Sounds so much different though--boxer growl as opposed to turbo whine. I guess it is the cult car thing and the mt 5 I miss so far. Otherwise the car is still max fun to drive. And the luxury...

    Leather heated seats feel wonderful. Car seems roomier from the drivers seat. Much quieter and smoother than any of my previous Subarus. My home state workers have done a nice job. Build quality seems super. I like the tasteful metallic trim in shades of flat gray and bright silver. Seems to go good with the exterior. The shifter looks really nice with the flat gray plastic trimmed in leather. Only the turbos are supposed to have Momo wheels. If the leather steering wheel is not a Momo then it's a good fake.

    Best thing about this car? Well one of the best is all that glass. I can't remember when I have had a car with this much outward visibility. I love the styling, front lights, twin exhausts, spoiler and especially the wheel design.
    And what can I say about the sunroof? Stereo sounds fine and controls are easy in the daytime (read on). Dual zone auto climate seems to work well, Susan and I have different settings and we both seem happy with temp.

    Complaints? Well I picked the car up at night and had not gotten used to the controls. Subaru has changed the location of just about every control from where I was used to it in the WRX. The window/lock switches are at an angle on the door rather than flat and the door pull makes them hard to get to. The fog light switch has moved from dash to stalk and the mirror controls on the dash are now in the third position out of 3 Subaru models I have owned. (dash this time with a joystick type knob rather than a 4 way rocker) At night with the 6 disk changer and the auto climate controls illuminated it
    is really a sight. It's all red illumination and really looks cool but there are more buttons and knobs lit up than you can count. Mind boggling to find a button. The lower left on the dash now has a door to the fuse box with no coin box. Guess those go in the upper center dash compartment.

    On the other hand, I have wanted a second power outlet in the center console for my cell phone for some time. The slot that is just the right size for your owner's manual in the glovebox is really clever. Finally I have a car with a mesh map pocket on the back of the passenger seat. (Living in Indiana where I do I always need a Louisville, St. Louis, Nashville and Indianapolis map). Cupholders finally make sense. Roll top feature over them is a nice touch.

    I wish I had 5 speeds but the sportshift will be nice. I used it on the way home to vary my RPMs for breakin. I think it will be fun and useable on two lane hilly/curving roads around Indiana and obvioulsy in the mountains out west. Since Susan is also no longer a manual shift owner I was planning on letting her try it out right away. So far I have not!

    More reports to come.

    AG LTD OWNER
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    sounds great.... making me look for the fence !!

    ok .. anyone else have to try all kinds of around the corner ways to get into the discussion this morning???? i kept getting weird error messages i've never gotten before ...
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Congrats, Bruce!

    Friend in business (Mr. Silverman), used Agman as his user ID.

    Steve
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Mike and Bruce.

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Subaresque, adj. Something of high quality, yet with plenty of character. More recently, extremely fast cars that humiliate the competition. ;-)

    mike: you're gonna be a vampire. Actually the shift is a little better than the one you have now, isn't it?

    Bruce: congrats, and 24mpg on the first tank of a green engine is a good sign of things to come. I was getting 22 or so at first, and my average is up over 25 mpg. That would put you at 27+, potentially. On cheap octane, too.

    Enjoy it!

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It's a little worse time-wise than my current shift however the $ is significantly better and more longevity than my current position so that's a good thing :)

    -mike
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    I think those mileage estimates are pretty optimistic Juice. Not once have I ever seen a single person reach the mileage that you return with your '98 Forester and we've covered many times that you're either really bad at math or Sandy is just special. To get 24 MPG on the first tank is pretty impressive, I agree, but it must've been done through very conservative driving.

    btw surely it is impossible that Bruce's net car expense will be lower with a new car loan than a 2002 WRX. for one, if driven very conservatively the WRX should get better gas mileage. it's a smaller engine and a lighter car. two, he surely owed less money on it.

    I ditched my M3 a few months ago for an Evo because I was sick of it being in the shop and ready for a change, but even if I put a brand new motor and tranny in the M3 there's no way it would've cost more to own over the next 5 years than the Evo will.

    nevertheless I'm quite happy and it sounds like Bruce is too.

    ~c
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    FWIW, Frank did better than I did with his Forester (pre-turbo), and someone in the Forester thread has a record tank of 33 mpg.

    Lately I do a lot of highway miles, because of the beach condo. Plus the Miata tends to do the shorter/city trips. So that boosts the numbers for the Forester.

    From my observations the 5MT can beat EPA numbers but the automatics usually don't.

    You're preaching to the choir as far as holding a reliable car long-term, my Miata is 11 years old and my Forester a comparatively young 6.

    The 2005 Forester X is tempting with a 23/30 EPA rating, but I agree with you there - no gas savings will offset the new car payment.

    Still, if Bruce managed 24 mpg already, EPA is 22/30, it's fair to expect he'll manage to match those EPA numbers. His WRX was 21/27 and on premium, so we're talking maybe $300 per year in fuel savings.

    Not enough to pay for the new car, of course. But I think his primary reason was the need for the auto tranny, not the mileage.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I noticed this thread has 22,403 posts as of this post. I just did a quick check here at Edmunds, and I don't think there are any other threads with anywhere near that number!

    Not bad for a car company with just 1% of the car market!

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You sure? I'd think the IDLSWDY thread would be way ahead of us.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I just read now, but if you missed it, check the Photo thread for pics and the announcement for Lucien's new baby girl!

    9/29, and 7 lbs 15 oz, who was closest in our little pool?

    -juice
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    I'm pretty good at keeping track of my mileage.

    Both WRXs got 20 mpg city all the time. On the highway once broken in they got 27 mpg highway at 70 mph. On occasion I got 29 at 60 mph. In Colorado I got 30 at 70.

    The 98 Forester got 27-28 highway locally 21-22 city. In Colorado it got 28-30.

    My trip back from St. Louis in the Legacy was at 70 mph all the way and I was using the sportshift to vary RPM so some of the time I was 2000 rpm range and part in the 3000 range. Another 60 miles was local and the remaining 70 miles was 60 mph two lane. So I was not going easy on it. I hope to get the 30 mpg since I have had good luck with EPA numbers on Subarus.
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Colin: After my '00 Forester w/4EAT hit about 12K miles I would consistently turn in 21-22 mpg city, 27 highway. Subtract 1 mpg in the winter months when we have to use reformulated fuels.

    With the '05 XT? Almost 21 mpg on the first tank, nowhere near that since.

    Ed
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    My departed 98 Forester 5MT consistently gave 24mpg with 90% freeway driving at speeds of 70-80mph. I'm sure it could have been a bit higher had the flow of traffic here been closer to the 65mph posted limit.

    With my 05 LGT Wagon 5EAT, I'm getting about 22-23mpg on the same commute and use pattern. However, that figure is off the trip computer which I've heard is a bit optimistic.

    Ken
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Yeah I averaged almost 27.5 mpg (mostly hwy miles) with my 01 Forester and the avg mpg for my FXT has now crept up to 24.2 (again mostly hwy). I can't explain why I get such good numbers since I certainly don't drive conservatively but I'm not complaining! BTW, I've got a spreadsheet documenting 52 tanks of gas rounded to the nearest mile and 1/10 gal (661 gals total) for anyone interested :-)

    -Frank
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    I get almost 25 on the highway too. But the city....oof. You ask it to pull like an M3 and it will, with a commensurate drain in the tank. I bet I could get 12 mph pretty easily if I really wanted to. :-)

    Maybe we should hold a contest to see who manages the WORST FXT mileage, no brake stands allowed? LOL
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    as you can see, my mileage is short trips, city stuff (short 5 minute commute). it does get some exercise on the highway throughout the week and I'm not *light* on the go-pedal except first thing in the morning.

    Click the image for a larger version:
    Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

    -Brian
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    who remembers what they had in the 'pool'? .. not me at this point!

    and I'm still getting weird messages when I try to get here ... I usually log on with my user name then do a search for the boards ... I'm still 'borrowing' b/f's computer to do this ... anyway .. I get weird error messages when I try to search for 'subaru crew' and have to log out and search for the board first and THEN log in to get here ....
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    as you can see, my mileage is short trips, city stuff (short 5 minute commute). it does get some exercise on the highway throughout the week and I'm not *light* on the go-pedal except first thing in the morning.

    And there goes Brian winning the nerd award for October! Just kidding, this is exactly the type of thing my wife heckles me for doing.....

    Craig
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    my DW already knows I'm a image

    -Brian
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yup my Legacy Turbo gets near that when I'm driving it around town here. Usually cause I'm doing 75 on the highway then down to 0mph and back to 75 over and over every day. :(

    -mike
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Congrats to Loosh, Mike, and Bruce! Three different, but happy celebrations.

    Mark
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    until one day my wife simply said NO! She even threatened to burn my notebook if I continued to push it....

    I still write the odo reading on the gas receipt so that I can check mileage occasionally. My '02 H4 Auto OBW runs a pretty consistant 23mpg in mixed country driving.

    Loosh: Congrats on the baby!

    Steve
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I have a similar chart for my Forester and even for my wife's Legacy. She complains about having to save receipts!

    For me it's a way to tell how it's performing, any sudden drop would indicate...well, it would indicate that I reset the ECU, that's the only time the mileage dips significantly.

    Colin implied that I'm not driving as hard as I used to, and that is absolutely correct. I have two kids in that car about 90% of the time, because when I drive alone I'm usually in the Miata.

    -juice
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    I received one in the mail after the Car&Driver Ride and Drive in Philadelphia last month. It's good through November 1. The first prospective Legacy/Outback owner who PM's me with their snail mail info either at subaruforester.com or nasioc.com (my screen name is the same there as here) can have it.

    Ed
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Edmunds "Crew" in DRIVE!

    http://www.drive.subaru.com/CurrentIssue.htm

    http://www.drive.subaru.com/Fall04_SubaruDifference.htm

    They did a screen capture of one of the threads, and several posts made it in (Colin, Tom & Patti), Patti is mentioned in the article too, and there are a couple of ugly mug shots!

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    on Subarus being eco-friendly is a very good response to those who were upset by the "truck" rating the Outback now has.

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Ed's in there too with his son's Subarito (see letters section), as is Glenn Wallace with a double-header* Alcan rally article!

    This is a good issue folks!

    * = He also did an article in the current issue of Performance DRIVE too.

    Bob
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Bob, did you and juice get to choose those pictures? ;-)

    They must have had to pick an inoffensive screen shot!

    Does this mean we're famous? Can we start a reality show? ;-)

    tom
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    wow, I had to squint REAL HARD but that looks like my post about the STi's factory immobilizer.

    interesting choice of screenshots!

    ~c
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Cool!

    I agree -- interesting choice of screen shots. Especially since one of them ties back to the recent ruckus about the Service Coupons! But the "I feel your pain" title by Patti is an excellent one to share.

    I had to view the page in Opera and use the magnify feature to see the text!

    Bob, juice: you guys have mugs that are ideal for on-line chats. (j/k) ;-)

    Ken
  • ozman62ozman62 Member Posts: 229
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Tom

    Juice and I were interviewed via phone last month by DRIVE magazine, again many thanks to Patti. They requested some photos, which we both sent. We actually sent a bunch, and they made the selection. Both those images were from Las Vegas last May.

    Bob
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Wow, you guys are famous! Can you send us autographed pictures? Oooh, I know. I'll send you my copy of DRIVE when I get it and you guys can autograph the pics!

    Maybe Patti can give them out as prizes. ;-)

    If you sent a lot of pictures, does that mean these 2 were the best ones? ;-)

    tom
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    If you sent a lot of pictures, does that mean these 2 were the best ones? ;-)

    LOL! Yeah, those are the best. Actually juice looks pretty good—but me... YIKES!

    I showed the site to my wife and daughter, and they couldn't stop laughing. My wife thought I looked like someone who just had brain surgery, and needed protective headgear.

    Bob <feeling like Rodney>
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    The real reason for the helmet is to keep your head from swelling:-)

      Cheers Pat.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    once this gets out and about, we should some new Crew members. The more the merrier! :)

    Bob
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    I agree about the odd choice for the screen shot (not very flattering what with Colin and Tom criticizing the frameless windows and Patti mentioning the coupon debacle). I also found the article somewhat confusing. Or rather I suspect the writer was confused on exactly how Edmunds works (I.e. the difference between weekly chats and the numerous topics like this one). No doubt they wanted to focus on Patti's contributions but I dare say a number of us could have done a better job of explaining it.

    Hey Ed, congrats on the letter!

    -Frank
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    Bob is special. He used to go to to school in a little bus. Now he drives a Subaru and hangs around on the internet all day.

    Volkov
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Maybe with this exposure more people will come and join us and Brenda and Patti won't be our only female members! It's nice to get some feminine input to keep us honest. ;-) (Think I'll get some points with the wife for this?)

    Have a good week all. I gotta fly to Chicago for a few days on Business. No internet for a while. I'm gonna miss Mike's last chat. Just don't give me too much to catch up with on Saturday, ok? ;-)

    tom
  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    I guess the secret is now out.

    I did notice that the article glossed over some of the most important topics of discussion - food, beer, pets, the weather, occasionally something about a Subaru, some people's typing skills ......
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