Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Power to the fogies!

    Bob
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Re: nygreg Aug 24, 2001 10:52am

    Greg,

    As your wife's Irish and it's been a while since I've blathered on about it, let me relate a story. My wife (of Irish descent) bought a 00 GT wagon from Tischer Subaru, a dealership that graciously bedecked her Maryland license plates with frames emblazoned with their appellation. After a mild sandpaper mod, I proudly display the
    "TIS HER SUBARU" frames on her Timberline Green Pearl Legacy GT when I visit Tischer for maintenance.

    Cheers,

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Bob: I think they reduced Forester production a little in Gunma, Japan, to meet demand for Imprezas.

    Anyone else wish they had a rear-mounted Blaster flame-thrower for those pesky tailgaters?

    I already mentioned my age (32), but I should ad that I used a Mac for DTP for quite a while and enjoyed it. :-)

    We have the requisite dog (though many swear it's a cat, it barks!), too. I love hiking, though I we don't go as often as I'd like. I love all kinds of water sports. Everything from wave runners, water skiing, sailing, swimming, to diving.

    I do get to go biking a lot (Don is smiling), since our toddler loves it. I like soccer, automobiles (driving and working on them), theatre & film, and especially tourism.

    So I guess my ideal vacation was the drive from Napa Valley to Big Sur. Hmm, make it a timed rally-bike-hike triathlon and I'd be in heaven, so I could take my dog on the hike, the toddler on the bike ride, and the wife slideways in a Scooby. Oh, and at the end we'd all jump into the ocean!

    What about you guys? Ideal vacations? Try to incorporate a Subaru theme.

    -juice
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    Hi, sounds like we need a subaru dog section to this forum. So here is my question: who carries the largest dog or the most dogs in their Subaru? I say this to see who can beat this: In my WRX wagon we carry a 60 lb Husky and a 130 lb. Great Pyrenees.

    Question: How do you know a Subaru owner is also a dog owner?

    Answer: Look for the nose prints on the rear windows.
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Kate, mid-30s, married with 2 kids, owner of her 3rd Subaru (2001 S+), hanging out at this Forum for almost 2 years, programmer, likes hiking and biking, never liked Macs though.
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    should we confess our height-to-weight ratio too?
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Annie, our Golden is a 95 pound puppie that fits nicely into both our Subies.

    Bob
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Just got back from Colonial Williamsburg and finally caught up on the posts here. My name is Mark, I'll be the big 40 this November (shudder),married, no kids but I do have 2 Cats. I started out going for an engineering degree, and wound up on Wall Street as a trader! I love driving my OB (too fast according to my wife) and enjoy long drives. My ideal vaction would be taking the OB cross country, camping along the way.

    BTW- hypov- I kept the psi at the rated level and finally hit 26.7 mpg coming back from Va.

    One final thing- thanks to my love of my car, if I even say "Suabru" at work there is a collective groan:)
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    If you get something going on the island, let me know. Unfortunately looks like I won't be able to make Pine Barrens on the 15th. When were you thinking of doing your test run? It also looks like family obligations are going to prevent my going to the Outback rendezvous upstate. I am bummed!
    Mark
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Nose prints - absolutely! I recommend a damp cloth to remove those.

    I may hold the record for the smallest dog, at 12 lbs. He's usually on someone's lap, or harnessed.

    No height-to-weight ratios, Kate. Besides, mine is always changing!

    -juice
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Hmmm. No dogs, but I get nose prints. Must be from my rear seat passengers when I take the Forester through the twisties! ;-)

    Ken
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Very good on the plate. Wonder what I can do with "Colonial Subaru" and an Irish wife?

    Greg
  • bigfrank3bigfrank3 Member Posts: 426
    Take the ratio when your height is maxed, and ignore it when you are short. ;)

    Regards,
    Frank
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    would be when you are in the back seat of a bug! Unless you use the sunroof.

    Greg
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    height to weight ratios don't work. 7' 233.3 lb, 6' 200 lb, 4' 133.3 lb all have the same ratio but very different body types. :-) We could do BMI's if you wish. BMI = weight in kilograms / height in meters squared, a crude but viable measure.

    Ross
  • ffsteveffsteve Member Posts: 243
    Leo, are you a Corvair owner or ex-owner? I caught that mention hidden in the attention-getting subject of a certain backseat activity.

    I admit to having three in my history, and love to claim that once again I am driving a pancake-6 automobile - although now water cooled, quicker, more comfortable and probably more reliable.

    Much as I enjoy driving my Bean, I miss my oldest friend, a 63 turbo convertible owned for over 20 years.
  • ffsteveffsteve Member Posts: 243
    I'll contribute to the demographic study here...

    Wife and I are 44 and enjoy our 3 month old Outback.

    Only use IBM compatible comupters.

    Two cats in the family, no kids, no dogs.

    Enjoy RC models, sailing, hiking, camping, watching soccer.

    Appreciate the good feelings expressed in the Subaru Club. All of you were a big factor in deciding on the Outback! Truly, good karma emanates from things Subaru.

    Steve
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Greg: if you changed your name to Al you could get "ol al'S ru".

    I could do BMI if it meant Beers per MInute. I'll take any one of you! :-)

    -juice
  • 1subydown1togo1subydown1togo Member Posts: 348
    Just went thru the 200 or so messages. We are back from Las Vegas only $10 poorer, but relaxed. We picked up our car, a Pontiac Grand Prix GT(upgraded by Alamo for free) and drove straight to Zion National Park. Once out of Vegas, the vistas were spectacular. It's been 2 years since our last visit out west, and the grandeur never fails to take my breath away. Spent the night in Hurricane, UT (appropriate for Floridians!), and then drove to Hoover Dam; the approach is neat...rock walls and canyons on both sides and twisties galore...the Grand Prix handled pretty well...The tour was alot of fun and interesting...hearing the water passing underneath you in the tunnels is scary, especially when you think about where you are at that moment. Las Vegas is another world altogether; temps were in the high 90s...but we had a great time seeing all the "shows" that the hotels put on; the pirate battle at Treasure Island, the fountains at Bellagio, the moving statues at Ceasar's, and the half-scale Eiffel Tower at the Paris, which is where we stayed. Michael and I went to the top at night...550 ft up and a spectacular view of the strip. We saw Lance Burton..Michael got his program autographed and he is thrilled; we also saw Siegfried and Roy(just missed Bill Clinton...he was there the show before). All in all, a fun place to visit. We went to the local Subie dealer, and I finally got a brief but fun test drive in a WRX 5-speed...Michael in the back and the salesman in the front...what a blast that car is..great power...though I stalled it once, my stick driving abilities being on the rusty side.
    I will post pics when we get them back.
    As for the poll, I am 51, an applications developer for a BIG phone company, Susan is ..., Michael is 11, and we have a 57 pound shepherd/lab mix named Dina.
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    LOL about your stick shifting ability. It reminded me of my WRX test drive. I and 3 others had already placed our orders for the first allocation of WRX's in WA State. None of us had test driven one yet though. We all showed up to the dealer on the same day, hoping to look at a real, live, honest-to-goodness WRX and, hopefully (if the gods allowed), a test drive. Well, there was one Rally Blue WRX wagon 5spd there and we all salivated over it like a cold Corona on a Mexican spring break vacation! Our salesguy asked if we would all like to go on a test drive. Of course we were all in the car before we even finished saying yes. I was the last person to complete the fire drill at the stoplight for my chance at piloting the beast. The pressure of getting the shifts just right with 3 other people aboard was a bit much. I never stalled but I was way less than smooth! :-)

    Stephen
  • bigfrank3bigfrank3 Member Posts: 426
    The long and short of it is that was a process well worth engineering! :)

    Regards,
    Frank
  • thecatthecat Member Posts: 535
    Just found this little tid-bit over at Autoweek. Subaru & GM announce .... ah .. you'll have to read it for yourself.


    http://www.autoweek.com (crap .. I can't post the entire url it exceeds the 115 char. max.)


    On the right hand side under "car news" "Subaru, GM unveil first alliance vehicle"


    Worst of all .. it's not all wheel drive.

    - hutch

  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    you haven't been to "Future Models" lately have you? :-)

    Ross
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Hey gang, just wanted to share some exciting news -- I finished paying off my Forester and got my title in the mail today!

    Woohoo! It's all mine now!

    A very happy and proud Ken
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    now you can call him (forgive me) Paid For. I obviously have too much time on my hands.

    Ross
  • pattim3pattim3 Member Posts: 533
    Oh, alright - - - 45 as of last week, happily married, three children (24, 15 & 12), one dog (Maggie) - 65 lbs shepard/Rottie mix, one "grand dog", (Killer) 5 lbs (Maltese), Systemax PC at home, Micron at work. Lot's of dog nose prints. Activities - boating/fishing, skiing, cooking,hiking - this year my goal is to try snowboarding. And, unfortunately, I just became aware that I am a fogie. ;~{

    Patti
  • thecatthecat Member Posts: 535
    Ross - ah .. no. :(

    - hutch
  • red927red927 Member Posts: 118
    I'm 52 (at least for another month), married for 28 years, 2 daughters (25 & 18), 1 dog (9 lb. mini daschund), no nose prints because he can't reach the windows, PC at home and at work, and 3 Subarus.
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    how was your 'testing' with the WRX?

    -Brian
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Ken: congrats! Now too bad you have about a million miles on it! You drive almost as much as paisan! ;-)

    Actually, now is the sweetest period - no payments. Start saving up for the 2004 Forester Turbo now. You can accumulate about $10 grand by then if you save up $400 a month.

    Patti: please relate our opinion to the powers that be that a GM vehicle with FWD, transverse mounted, in-line 4 cylinder engine, and a non-independent torsion beam rear suspension certainly does NOT meet our definition of a Subaru in any way, shape or form.

    This is such a key point I don't think we can even fathom the consequences. They cannot sell out. It's about losing Subaru's identity entirely, all for very short term profit. We don't want to see this in the USA, please.

    A simple formula:

    Boxer engines + Full-time AWD + 4 wheel independent suspensions + Longitudinally mounted powertrain + quality + reliabiliy = Subaru.

    Apologies to GM fans, but most GM cars have only one or two of those characteristics.

    -juice
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Bob,
    The allocation rose from 10,000 to 12,000 fairly quickly. Not to much later than the release date IIRC. The only other place I've seen the 15,000 number is in the current issue of Sport Compact Car (which has great US Rally coverage, btw).

    Ken, congratulations. Adding a turbo soon? :-)

    Dennis
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    should be something along the lines of the Exiga in function (not form though:-) ).

    http://www.subaru.net/prototype/exiga.html


    Dennis

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It's funny to read about that now, given all the features that made it onto the VDC model.

    Just restyle that bad boy, and start selling! I'd take one.

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    bah, only cos you drink Miller Lite!

    And which of those characteristics, exactly, are you willing to ascribe to GM? Oh right, I guess there is a version of the Safari with AWD..... ;)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Four wheel indy suspension, on a few. That's about it! ;-)

    -juice
  • jimmyp1jimmyp1 Member Posts: 640
    The wife and I are both 32, one child, no pets, originally from Nebraska (go Huskers!), then Colorado (post divorce)(where my love for Subarus was born), now Houston, Texas. Civil Engineer, going back to school to learn more about Genetics, so I can understand my son's Cystic Fibrosis a little better.

    Jim
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    We knew this all along, but anyone else see the Today show this AM? They had a fleet of wagons, including a Subie, to show off, and mentioned how SUVs are falling out of flavor.

    Look at the newcomers - 2002 Outback Sport and WRX wagon, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda Protoge5, Jetta wagon, Kia Rio wagon, Lexus IS300 SportCross, PT Cruiser, BMW 3, Mercedes C, Baby Jag, Focus wagon (5 speed is new), and Suzuki's new little wagon.

    With all the new product, I'd expect sales of sedans and SUVs to suffer as a result. Wagons really can be the best of both worlds.

    -juice
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    make sense to me. Most of my cars over the last 25 years have been either small wagons (like the Forester) or hatchbacks. They are the most practical and versatile design IMHO.

    Ross
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Even those are making a bit of a comeback. Many of the wagons look more like 5 door hatchbacks, and in terms of styling it definitely works. Edmunds' editors like the SportCross better than the sedan! The Protoge5 also looks better than the MP3, my wife saw one and was actually oogling it!

    Besides that, there is the ZX3 and now a ZX5, the Golf and GTI, and the RSX.

    I prefer a square-back wagon, but I'd take a hatch back over a sedan/coupe any day.

    -juice
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Thanks, guys. It sure felt good to get that piece of paper last night. I feel like I went through another bonding experience with my Forester. ;-)

    I'd like to save up for the B4 RSK that I'm sure is coming to the US, but in the meantime, my wife and I are trying to save up to buy our first home. It's tough when the median home price is $500K for a 1,000 sq ft. 2BD/1BA shack.

    Ken
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Congrats Ken!
    Dunno if you bought that house already but in case you haven't: it will help you to get a better mortgage by having paid off a car loan.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Interest rates are good, but property values are inflated, IMO. We were lucky enough to buy before the boom, but right now I could not afford my own house if I had to buy again!

    I'd advise you to move East to the Dulles Corridor except we have as many Dot Bombs as you!

    -juice
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Sorry, your message slipped before mine... so you're still in the market. I know you like Peninsula but look at the East Bay: much better prices. My commute lightened up lately, with so many folks laid off from the Silicone Valley. I don't have to wake up at 5:00 am anymore (woo hoo!)
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Kate,

    Yeah, we're still shopping around. Part of the reason why it's taking a long time is 1)we're still watching prices slide and 2)summertime is a slow time for new listings.

    I'd live in Oakland/Berkeley area in a heartbeat if I didn't have to work out here in Cupertino. Living mid-Peninsula is more out of need vs. want. I don't think I could endure a 1.5hour one-way commute every day even if it meant I could get a similar home for about $50-$100K less. Right now, my commute takes me 30 min down scenic 280. Can't beat that.

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Why move? Are you renting?

    If property values are inflated, you may be better off renting until they cool down.

    -juice
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    Actually from Subaru they never left. I grew up in a family where I had a father who always bought wagons. Beginning of my life I rode in a '50 Plymouth Suburban wagon. When I got out of college my parents were driving Honda Civic wagons. '91 Honda Accord wagon was one of the sweetest cars that my wife and I ever owned. It went to Colorado or Yellowstone from Indiana 4 times. So comfortable smooth and roomy and with the 5 speed it was pretty peppy and was fun to drive in the mountains. Next summer we will go out west in my new 2002 WRX wagon. I can wait to drive the turbo on mountain roads. What a perfect car for that area!

    I had seen that page on the Exiga several years ago. Wow it is pretty amazing how much made it onto the VDC Outback. Thought I'd buy one if they had put it out. Looks like what would happen if Ferrari had designed a wagon--so radical!. Anyway I have the ultimate wagon now in my WRX. Here is something funny about the demographics on it. Only the very young know what it is. Two twenty some people and one fifty some person asked me if I liked my new "Outback". I teach high school and the 15 year olds here know that it is a WRX! Hope daddy's insurance can afford to cover one for them!
    TWRX
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Looks like Mazda took a cue from that kind of radical wagon styling (NexTourer IIRC). I bet they'll come closer to that design than Subaru will.

    It's a bit too radical for me. Looks like it has a beak. Put some of those same ideas (like the 3rd seat) on a stretch Legacy or Forester and I'm in.

    -juice
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Juice,

    I was renting here in the Bay area for 6.5 years, and I deeply regret I did not buy the house earlier in 90s. Prices are ALWAYS over inflated over here, and even when they cool down, it's a miniscule amount. We had a few slow years, but generally speaking real estate's always been pretty high.
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Time to celebrate. Little dinner, little wine. Outdoors of course. Did you tell your Subie yet?

    Greg
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Kate's right. If you look at the last 10 years of data, Bay Area home prices are up and to the right.

    Also, rents here are pricey too. A two bedroom apartment probably goes for $1800 or so, but it varies even more by location.

    Ken
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