Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

lucien2

Holding at 170, I don't expect it to last. Winter socked in here really early, so biking is down to zero. I'll wager I'm back up to 175 by Dec 31

xwesx

Well, it is tough to find anything with such a low ceiling this year, Bob, but I'll try.... :P

Thinking fun and utility, a 2009 STI (~$37,500) and a Honda Big Red (~$11,500) sounds pretty good. The "extra grand," as it were, should go pretty quick with a couple accessories on the Big Red. I was tempted to go for a bike this year, but could not pass up the revival of the Big Red. Heck, I have a 1984 Big Red (3-wheeler) that needs a big (little) brother, er... son, er... whatever.

ladywclass

I think I'm with you on when I'm starting. I think I actually have lost about 5-6 pounds, but not through any real effort ... just working hard, I think .. eating out less ... I do know all the numbers were better when they were done a bit ago, but still higher than they should be on a couple ...

xwesx

I did weigh in yesterday - 185. Nothing too exciting, but better than I was expecting!

bat1161

I was kind of hoping we forgot about the weigh-in as I am only down about six pounds myself. Thought with everything going on I would have lost more weight, but not too much. Guess that's another reason to get out of the house - won't "snack" as much.

As for our Stocking stuffer:
- 09' STI
- and for the environment a 08 Smart ForTwo as the commuter car. Seen a couple on Staten Island and they seem ok for the streets - just wouldn't get on the highway for long trips. And they can squeeze into the smallest spots in the city .

Mark

tsy

Saw an ad about an '08 STi at a ridiculous price and so inquired about one. Was thinking about buying a forrester but I just couldn't resist so I am now the proud owner of an Aspen White STi!

It's a surprisingly comfortable car and have been very happy with it so far- still breaking it in so not really sure what the capabilities of it are yet. It certainly handles a little better than my Camry Hybrid!

I was hoping the '09 would have heated side mirrors and heated seats but they made no changes whatsoever. I'm guessing that with the prices they blew out the '08s at and the improvements to the WRX they have something in store for '10 or maybe '09.5? More horsepower and tighter suspension?

I'll have to post some pics when I have the car home when there is actually some sunlight!

tom

hammerhead

So Tom, may we (I) be so bold as to ask what constitutes 'ridiculous'?

Congratulations on the new ride. Enjoy it over there on the wet side!
We're bracing here for a major storm over the weekend, followed by subzero temps by the middle of next week.

Snow tires are on :shades:

Cheers!
Paul

rsholland

Congrats Tom. Yes, Subaru has some INCREDIBLE deals going on the '08 STI. If I had known about this, I might have have waited until this sale was on. I learned about it a week after I got my new car.

Having said that, I'm glad I got my '09 WRX, as heated seats and a moonroof were items I really wanted, and, unfortunately, are not available on the STI.

That's great news! You might want to check out what Edmunds thinks of the car, as they have one as a long-term test car. http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/Vehicles/2008SubaruImprezaWRXSTI/

Bob

volkov

Congrats! To everyone else - see ^^^^ I'm not singularly weird. I did actually consider the STi for a moment, but given our driving conditions the softer WRX suspension is really a much more reasonable choice and I couldn't justify the added cost.
BTW my heated seats are really warm mmmmmmmm ;-) Of course I'm talking Canada, so we get WRXs at STi prices up here.

volkov

Exactly, heated seats and a moonroof are two biggies for me. Have to pony up to the top tier 09 STi for both of those.

xwesx

That's awesome, Tom.

I was half-considering doing the same thing, but my practical side got the better of me for now. Even at ridiculous prices, they are still spendy automobiles.

stever

We're bracing here for a major storm over the weekend

Hey now, don't jinx us. With a 4" base we need any storm, major or not.

Heated seats weren't an option on the last three or four cars we looked at. They all had side air bags in the seats, so I guess that ruled out the seat warmers. Doesn't sound like aftermarket is an option either.

hammerhead

I'm gonna wish I had seated seats in the LGTW next week:

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?site=otx&smap=1&textField1=47.65889&tex- tField2=-117.425

Cheers!
Paul

kyfdx

They all had side air bags in the seats, so I guess that ruled out the seat warmers.

Not sure I understand the logic there.. :confuse:

Either way, my wife's car has both..

I'm down 17 lbs.. to 201..

volkov

All 4 of our latest vehicles have had both, and my parents had them added to their car aftermarket. It helps to have someone who knows what they are doing mind you. This guy is recommended by the local Toyota dealer, and it looks OEM in their car.

ateixeira

Timing is everything, and you pretty much nailed it.

Congrats.

stever

I don't mind heated seat kits but I've heard that if the air bags are in the seat, most people won't work on them. I've done a little gauge work on my minivan, and it's a bit unnerving having that airbag staring you in the face as you pull the cluster out.

I haven't actually asked anyone about a kit, mind you. :shades:

I'm shopping cheap cars so maybe they're just being cheap (in spite of offering lots of air bags).

xwesx

Oh, come now, Paul. Those temps are downright balmy!

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=AKZ222

:P

-Wes-

volkov

You just need to find someone who will ; ask around. Dad had asked him at the beginning if they were an issue and he said they just disconnect things prior to working on them.

tsy

Yes, ridiculous was I got the car for under 30k WITH 0% financing for 5 years. It would have cost me more to get an '09 WRX.

Unfortunately there's no sunroof or heated mirrors or heated seats on the '09 STi either, so like Juice said, timing was great. Just barely though. They ran out of STi's in WA so they got mine from OR. I guess the extras would drive up the price? Kind of annoying for a Subaru not to at least have the option of the heated stuff. I was told I can add heated seats aftermarket pretty easily though.

Paul, it's getting cold here too and snow and my summer tires means no driving my new car this weekend.

Bob, I've been following the Edmunds blogs on their STi which made me think the STi would be a livabely daily driver unlike an Evo, and it really is. I can see how it has lost a little of it's edge (although I don't think performance has decreased from the last model) which I actually like since it's easier on my old back! I agree with you though, in my day to day life I don't think having an STi over a WRX will make any difference, except drink a little more gas!

tom

tsy

I think Canadian STi's get heated seats and mirrors unlike the US versions. Must be why they cost more!

tsy

I spent a lot of time thinking about what to get and the STi is an amazingly practical car- it seats 4 adults reasonably comfortably and has lots of cargo space and is fun to drive without being punishing. It is a bit more spendy at the pump than my hybrid though. Oh well, just call it another mid life crisis for me.

tom

lucien2

:surprise: I'm so jealous. I have a company Camry. Its suspension has been perfectly calibrated to deliver its occupant head-on into whatever obstacle he may have been trying to drive around, thus deploying its airbags and sacrificing itself for its human. It is not what I would call an engaging experience, and I won't be autocrossing it any time soon. Unless it's an understeer competition.

volkov

Heated seats yes, but you have to pony up for the fully loaded 09 with Nav to get a moon-roof. MSRP is $45 995 for that!!

volkov

It is not what I would call an engaging experience, and I won't be autocrossing it any time soon. Unless it's an understeer competition.

Maybe you should start a new race phenomenon and call it "Pushing" - no dumber than drifting IMHO. I've always thought that drifting was invented by a guy with a 100 old Nissan 240's lying around his junkyard.

lucien2

I like it! It could be done in reverse, so the bigger the pig, the better it would reverse drift. It woud be kind of like racing forklifts or something.

The camry would win.

rsholland

I'll be interested to see what you average in mpg. I know the Edmunds long-termer isn't getting great mileage—but I suspect there are a lot of lead-foot editors using it .

So far I seem to be averaging around 23.1 mpg on my '09 WRX; sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more. That's a mix of rural and somewhat urban driving, but more rural than urban. I also noticed that the gas mileage dropped a little as the outside temps dropped, which is normal. I've got a little over 1600 miles on it as of now.

What I find annoying is the mpg read-out works in 3/10 of a mile increments, not 1/10 of a mile. So you really don't get a "true" read-out of your mpg.

Bob

ateixeira

Our Forester is the same way.

One nice thing, though, is you have 2 trip odometers and the trip computer will calculate the mileage for each of those 2. That's nice. You can tell how much you got in one tank, and also how much you're getting for an entire, long road trip.

Another minor nit pick - it doesn't give you any average at all until you've driven 1 mile. So it's not really "instant on".

My minivan is instant, and does 0.1mpg increments, but it cannot track 2 seperate trip averages.

rsholland

What are you averaging? Your driving is more urban than mine.

Bob

tsy

I've only been driving in "I" mode and pretty conservatively, so my mpg is hanging at 22.5, so I am hopefully that driven reasonably the car will get ok mileage. Most of my driving is urban so I'm sure with more freeway driving I'd do a lot better.

I'm sure "S#" would not do nearly as well.

Bob, what tires do you have on your rex? Do you still have the summers on? I'm looking at some all seasons myself for a winter tire since it only snows here about 3 days a year in Seattle.

tom

xwesx

I spent a lot of time thinking about what to get and the STi is an amazingly practical car

I completely agree with you, Tom. Actually, I also share Loosh's sentiments regarding being jealous! Although I have never driven a modern one, I half think that his company Camry is likely more fun to drive than the Escort I have. The only things my car has going for it are: 1. It was dirt cheap - I mean dirt ($800), 2) It gets excellent fuel economy (~35 summer, about 27 so far winter), 3) it has a manual transmission.

But, back to the STi, I had never considered an Impreza or its variations before due to the smaller size than Legacy. Always being a a one-vehicle family, we needed the best all-around fit for every purpose. I mean, I used my old Outback for hauling, pulling, pushing, and yanking all sorts of things. But, when it comes to passengers, the Legacy has no real advantage over Impreza. I realized this when I first acquired the Escort, which seems like a miniature vehicle compared to most everything I have ever driven. But, I can fit my whole family in that car just as easily, if not as comfortably, as I could in any of my Outbacks. Every since I purchased it, I have eyed the Impreza line more so than the Legacy as my next Subaru. So, sure, the STi is a serious performance machine, but it does not sacrifice the ability to be a family hauler in the process.

That combination is appealing to me. Being away from Subaru vehicles, the longer I am away, the more I want the driving experience of Subaru....

tsy

I agree with you Wes, it's not any functionally smaller than my Legacy was and in fact has more cargo space, so it's been great! It's been over 2 years since I've owned a Subie so I know how you feel!

I think Loosh is being a little harsh on the Camry, it is what it is, very comfortable daily transportation. A good place to meditate. I wonder how many Camrys get to AutoX?

tom

ateixeira

Typically we get mid-high 20s, in mostly suburbs driving. She does go to VA once a week, and that's highway, but traffic is so bad across the bridge that's actually when we get the worst mileage.

I think I've seen as low as 22 and as high as 36. 24 to 27 is more typical, though.

tsy

Well, it's not the greatest picture, and the car is already filthy from driving in the snow, but here it is! I've had quite some fun already driving in the snow- just changed out the summer tires for all season tires this week- just in time I guess.

tsy

Let me try this again:

See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

rsholland

Looks good Tom, like a snow leopard.

Bob

tsy

Thanks Bob! I like the description! I'm pretty camoflauged in the snow!

Driving up and down these steep hills in Seattle in the snow and ice has not been fun- I'm much more afraid of other drivers! The good news is the STi actually has been pretty good going up and down these hills when driven carefully.

Have a safe weekend everyone!

tom

xwesx

Yep, it's beautiful. I love that profile.

lilbluewgn02

To wish the crew and family
1) Happy Latke Time (Chanukah)
2) Merry Christmas
3) Happy Kwanzaa
any other winter holidays I may have missed AND

A happy and healthy NEW YEAR to all
Serge, Michael, and Dina Ferrari Superfast American Dog

ateixeira

Very stealthy, I had to look twice.

tsy

Yeah, I sometimes don't see it with all the snow we have now. We're under a foot of snow which is really rare here in Seattle! We've got like 2 snow plows total for the whole metro Seattle area and lots of hills so driving has been scary- not for me but because I have to worry about everyone else. People here have a hard time driving in rain let alone snow!

Have a safe and wonderful Christmas everyone!!!

tom

hammerhead

Happy Festivus for the rest of us! :P

Best word to describe our weather: slammed.
Allegedly a break tomorrow, then another 6-8 inches Christmas Eve.
As long as the wind stays calm, it's fine, but twice yesterday, we had to get plows or graders to either cut through drifts to get TO a patient, or cut us a path to get away FROM a scene. Stuck the truck once, but got help from the neighborhood
20 tons of fire engine, hard chains, ATC, and we still got stuck. BUT! We got further than the first rescue plow - he got stuck on his way to us!

Let's be particularly careful out there!
Cheers!
Paul

rsholland

Tom, you put snow tires on the STI, right? How do they work?

Bob

subearu

No envy there....but I can believe it no doubt. Strange this winter, or actually pre-winter has been. Didn't the Farmers Almanac call for a mild winter? More snow tomorrow through the end of the week for us too, with a mix of sleet/rain somewhere in there....

We got 14" on Friday, and I moved my household via a borrowed '08 Tundra 4x4 and 20' covered trailer. Roads were not passable, saw many vehicles stuck in unplowed snow. Thought the title company would cancel the closings, but they didn't, so we ventured on. Thankfully we moved a few trailer loads Thursday night prior to the snow. Now we just need to figure out where things should go in the new house.

Kids are excited, the new house has a fireplace so Santa has a chimney to come down!

-Brian

tsy

Hey Paul

Was wondering how you were doing- we have it bad on our side of the mountains- you guys must be under a sea of snow!

Keep safe!

tom

tsy

Nah, I put all season tires on to replace the summer tires- mostly because of the cold temps and for light snow duty.

They've actually been reasonable in the snow- driven up some steep hills with no problem. But since the snow has gotten deeper I've been driving our SUV. I'm sure the car would do great with snow tires! But the car has it's limitations because of it's limited ground clearance.

We just don't get much snow here (usually- this year is very unusual) so getting snow tires is not something I've ever considered (although thinking about it now).

Hope you guys on the right coast are doing ok with the storm that his us.

tom

ladywclass

so I see we're doing weather ...

last week on Thursday, we had rain which then turned to ice .. on top of that we had a combination of snow, large sleet/small hail/thunderstorms for an extended period early Friday morning...

Friday was last day before winter break for our school ... all of the schools around us, and I do mean ALL of the schools- opted to close EXCEPT ours .. and we had a 2-hour delay ...

husband came home from work at 7:30 in the morning and said it was soooo awful on the roads and getting worse that he thought they would have to cancel school .. but no ... so I finally get in the shower to get ready, and hear the THUNDER ... at least he went out and chiseled the thick layer of ice off the windshield and windows of my car for me ...

trip that normally takes me about 20 min to get to work .. took almost an hour .. roads were awful ... (but you know .. I have the Subaru ... so I was more concerned about the IDIOTS who don't know how to drive in this mess ...)

that was on Friday .. since then we have been in the DEEP FREEZE ...mostly below zero temps with much colder wind chills ... yesterday we went out for the first time since Friday evening, and the roads are still just awful ... today we are finally "warming" up a bit and right now at 4 AM it's 10 degrees which is the warmest we've seen in awhile around here!

oh yeah .. we have another storm headed our way ... supposed to start with snow, then moving to rain and then sleet and ice ... and .... uh ... yeah ...

at least we're off work for awhile and don't have to worry about getting there ...

and keep us in your thoughts ... we're still hoping that husband has a job to go back to when they (supposedly) reopen plant on Jan 4 ....

lucien2

Yea the last biig snow Baltimore had, our Subie was doing ok on AS tires........until she got high centered. In the end the tires weren't the problem, just the sheer volume of snow she was trying to push through

ateixeira

I can beat all those stories: a massive, 66" water main broke about a mile from my house, it's probably still on the news now. Cars washed away and helicopters has to rescue a dozen or more people out of 7 cars (one was an Outback Sport, too). :sick:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

It's not even snow or rain. Just a massive fluctuation in temps. We got a deep freeze last night.

xwesx

Whew! All those stories make me glad to be in the frozen (and normally frozen) north. Stay safe, y'all!