Subaru Crew - Meet The Members

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    rallynut: welcome to the Crew. Glad to see you drive like just about everyone else here! :)

    Edmunds got 12mpg on one tank with their long-term XTerra, so just be happy you didn't get one of those!

    That looks like a perfect road; care to identify it?

    Mike: I can't believe I fell for that trap! ;)

    -juice
  • dannykadannyka Member Posts: 115
    Hello all,

    I've been looking at all the profiles, but haven't seen ANY Utahns in the bunch! C'mon now! I mean, we must drive 70% of the Outbacks that Subaru makes! (With all due respect to texsubaru's observation of the most Subarus in CO, did you come up to the Salt Lake City area?) I already feel left out because my name's not Dave or Mike and that I don't own a dog -- I grew up with them, but my wife's allergic to the fur. (dogs' fur, not Daves' or Mikes' :-)

    (Okay, back to anonymity now...)
    Dan
    '97 Outback
  • pattim3pattim3 Member Posts: 533
    FYI - This is bandied about a lot so I thought I'd jump in and clarify. If there is an aftermarket component on your Sube, it does not automatically void the warranty. If it is determined that the aftermarket part caused a failure, the warranty will not cover the repair. That's all. We have seen some aftermarket security systems (mostly with kill switches) cause some electrical problems. In a few situations, we have asked that the accessory be removed to help find a problem so it can get a little time consuming, but we are not here to deny warranty claims. Our goal is to provide the coverage.

    Hope this helps!
  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    Mike, I don't see a prroblem with my spelling of Forester - do you?

    Juice, I don't know why I get the gas mileage numbers I do, maybe it's the 75 lbs of air in the tires. Not really! I do run them at 34 to 36 lbs though. Even so, the car was loaded down with all the foo I took along for a 4-month stay; the trunk was stuffed, and the back seat nearly so too. Plus I'm not much one for drafting behind other vehicles; I like being in front.

    I use the cruise control a LOT on trips like that, and I'm a believer that they produce better gas mileage than a human can. I really like the Subie control; tap up or down once for a 1-2 mph speed change, twice will get you 3-4 mph. Very nice.

    Rallynut, welcome to the Edmunds crew. Your car is handsome! I too want to know where that road is; gravel roads in Subies are a hoot.

    Cheers,
    -wdb
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    DAn is close enough to DAve, so welcome to the Crew! Any one else from that area?

    Patti: thanks for chiming in. If aftermarket parts voided any warranties, I'd be left out in the cold for sure! ;)

    Actually, though, most of my mods are OE Subaru parts, and they do offer a nice custom fit. But please, ask the product planning folks to expand the SPT catalog!

    Just take a look at what TRD offers (Toyota Racing Development), they're way ahead in that department. You can get superchargers installed on just about any model and yet they're still covered under warranty!

    What about acquiring someone like Rallispec and making them a performance arm like M is for BMW and AMG is for Mercedes?

    WDB: I use the cruise-tap feature all the time. If your legs are tired, you can pretty much drive with your hands!

    -juice

    PS I told ya Nader would lose! ;)
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    frozentundra (psycho) is in New Mexico, don't know anyone in Utah. Speaking of profiles, if yours is accurate, you're looking for an Audi A4. An Avant, perhaps? Don't be anonymous, post away!

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • rallynutrallynut Member Posts: 4
    When I signed up on here quite a while ago, I preferred to stay anon. My name is actually Jim, just so you know.

    The road in question is just a side road that is on my way to work. I live in Minnesota. I wish all the roads on my drive to work looked like that. At least we (will) have snow.

    Regarding "rallynut", I have a ClubRally VW Rabbit (I know, I know, but it was only $750!). I normally co-drive for people and next year I will be co-driving for a guy in a Talon.

    I will be driving the GT in some TSD's here in Minnesota over the winter, so that should be a blast. I hope to put some skid plates on and also a strut tower brace and maybe upgrade the rear anti-sway bar. Hints here are welcome...

    If you want to see my Rabbit, check out the project section on SpecialStage.com and you can see my bio in the team section (a pic of me standing by a Focus WRC that I actually got a ride in! - Story on SpecialStage.com). For more info on rally, check out my site here: www.rallysport.net

    Later!
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    WRX RalliSpec edition. That would be great!
    Or maybe STi or Prodrive N. America. I believe though, that Prodrive is working on a package for our WRX. AEM packages are also now being sold through Honda dealers.
    Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    See, it's happening every where. Subaru ought to launch an STi, SPT, or similar division.

    Jim: if you pick up a WRX and need a driver gimme a call! Not sure I can buy it if I wreck it though!

    -juice
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Jim, Great sites! Your moniker fits!

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • aussierooaussieroo Member Posts: 78
    from a six day 1400km trip north. fuel economy was great (see posting under mods). finally got to drive about 40km of unpaved wet forestry road. the silver bullet did not put a tread wrong even in the thick muddy bits. i went up to see my dad he hadn't seen the forester before and his comment was it's a tough looking bugger. he should see it now with the real live mud on it!!
    it looks sooooo good i don't think i'll wash it for a month.

    cheers

    gus
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    $27.6k? WOW!

    Who said it would be $32k for the H6? Told ya they could be found cheaper.

    Now, then. Suddenly $36k for an RX300 seems like a rip off. A $40 grand XC seems completely out of the ballpark.

    gus: take photos! The muddier the better!

    -juice
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Those are LLBs though, not VDCs. $27.6k isn't a firesale... Pretty good deal? You bet!

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I realize that, it's just that all these editors are freaking out than the H6 costs $32 grand, and it doesn't.

    Stability control, traction control, a RWD bias, and an audiophile's stereo may cost $32k, but you can get the H6 for less than that, and few people seem to realize that.

    Another Forester award for the trophy shelf. This time it's the AMES award for environmental sensitivity. Forester was a "preferred" compact SUV (last year it won "best"):

    http://amesaward.com/

    The RAV4 took "best" this year, but that's because 2WD models (what's the point?) get much better gas mileage than their 4WD models.

    Also, Forester had a great October, with 4,969 units sold, way up from last year. So much for the Escape hurting Subaru sales!

    -juice
  • nu2soobnu2soob Member Posts: 7
    Does anyone have any service experience with Santa Monica or Culver City Subaru. Thanks.
  • FrankMcFrankMc Member Posts: 228
    Has anyone seen sales figures for the Escape.. I know I haven't )and I looked a little). I have seen one on the road so far, and the loacal Ford dealer (small town Gettysburg PA) has had 2 on the lot for over a month... none sold yet. I wonder how bad the 5 recalls are hurting them?

    Frank
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    Here's a link to AutoSite that has sales volume. It doesn't have October yet, but should by next week.

    http://www.autosite.com/editoria/asmr/svolsu.asp

    -brian/subearu
  • texsubarutexsubaru Member Posts: 242
    Welcome Dan! No, in fact, never got anywhere near Salt Lake City, just the southeastern corner of Utah. And I did see a lot of Subarus in Utah, just not quite as many as I did in southern Colorado (of course, I also just plain saw a lot more cars in general in southern Colorado, so it might just be a total-population vs. per-capita issue).
    What I did find really interesting about Subarus and Utah -- at least Moah, UT -- were how many Impreza Sport Wagons I saw. They're a rather rare Subaru model in Central Texas (about as rare as Outback Sedans or Legacy GTs, which is to say pretty uncommon compared with Outback wagons, Foresters and the other Imprezas). But the Sport Wagons just seemed to be all over the place around the Moab/Canyonlands/Arches area.
  • FrankMcFrankMc Member Posts: 228
    Frank
  • dannykadannyka Member Posts: 115
    We just seem to have a lot of Subarus here, period. In our 30-person company alone there are 3 Outbacks, a Legacy wagon, a GT sedan, and an OBS. Imagine if Subaru had 20% market share everywhere! Surprisingly, there are no Foresters. My Outback is on lease and will be turned in next March, so maybe that's what I'll have to get. I was leaning toward an Audi A4, or maybe even one of the new BMW xi's, but I'm leaning back toward a Subaru (story on that later).

    By the way, hey JUICE! I've been tearing it up in the SNOW here! Neener, neener! :-)

    -Dan
  • hairchopprhairchoppr Member Posts: 1
    I am a new Forester owner. Can I just join in here or do I have to JOIN formally somewhere?? I love my new Subaru, omly 200 miles on it so far but I plan to change that this weekend!!! The moonroof is huge, the 6 disk cd changer is great to have, the ride is great and I can't wait for snow!!!
    Michele from Eugene
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Welcome to the crew! Mmm we've been calling the moonroof of the new forester a skylight cause it's so huge. I have a slightly larger one on my Trooper and love it!

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Frank: we may never know the REAL September Escape sales. With the stop-sale orders, there may have been a lot of hidden illegal sales! Sounds like Ford ran the voting booths in Florida, too! ;)

    Actually, consumers have very short memories, and I predict the Escape will soon head the class, perhaps just because of the sheer volume of Ford dealers.

    Dan: you're killing me, stop! Aw, man, we've had the mildest weather so far, I'm not sure it'll ever snow!

    Michele: sure, just send a large check to my home address...

    JUST KIDDING! I declare you an official Subaru Crew member! Welcome and congrats!

    What color? Options? Transmission? Any photos to share?

    -juice
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    The number of dealers has an effect, but the main reason will be if the vehicle is a perceived good value and meets the needs and desires of the consumer. Pontiac has a lot of dealers also, and the Aztek is having mediocre sales (being charitable) at best
  • 4bangn4bangn Member Posts: 2
    Hello Owners,

    Just picked up my 01 Prez this week. Have looked at Soobies for least a year. Old transpo was a Camaro SS. Had to be garaged for 5 months each year...not fast at all in snow unless spinning out-of-control.

    Looking at perf mods. Any recs on where I start? The 'Prez' (my rides name) is a blk sedan auto, CD, prem snd, and SR.

    Friends are still laughing :{ Can't see me in the Soobie. Hope to silence this laughter . . . SOON!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    tincup: I agree, though Ford has many more dealers than Pontiac. And Escape does have good perceived value.

    4bangn: Welcome to both you and Prez.

    To silence the laughter - pray for snow! Take the twisty roads to work. Heck, take UNPAVED gravel and dirt roads to work. That'll really shut 'em up.

    As for mods, how much you want to spend? $400 or so for a cat-back, $180 for an UR Pulley, and a cheap custom cold air intake are a good start. Headers and forced induction will set you back a little more.

    Hop over to Subaru Crew - Modifications. Sounds like you'll feel right at home.

    -juice
  • chat_managerchat_manager Member Posts: 14
    I'd like to invite you to our first Member-to-Member Chat TODAY! What a great way to actually chat live with your buddies from the Subaru Crew!
    Today is the debut of our "Friday Freeway" Chat, but we will be having these weekly "open" chats every Friday. We hope to see you!

    When
    Date: DEBUT, Fri., Nov. 10th
    Time: 5-6pmPT/8-9pmET

    About This Chat
    It's Friday rush hour. Your nerves frazzled, you
    seek relief. We have just the place for you.
    There's no stress on this cyber Friday Freeway...just a place to relax, meet new friends,
    chat and have fun. Remember our motto...Miss the
    traffic: Chat instead!

    If you'd like to be on our mailing list for
    Upcoming Chats please email me at
    chats@edmunds.com.

    Thanks so much!

    Dana S. Livingston
    Chat Manager
    Town Hall
    Edmunds.com
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Dana, I believe you forgot the "where".

    -Colin
  • jerrys2jerrys2 Member Posts: 189
    I was disappointed when priceline went out of the gas business, but MT has a pretty good deal...among other things you save 10% on gas this more than offsets monthly membership of $5.99. Check it out on www.MOTORTRENDcarclub.com.

    Happy 225th birthday to any Marines out there!

    Jerry
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    October sales from Automotive News
    Forester- 4,969 up from 4,163 Oct 99
    Escape- 9,818
    CRV- 7,728 down from 10,571 Oct 99
    RAV4- 7,637 up from 4,331 Oct 99
    Trooper- 1,324 down from 1,861 Oct 99
    Acura MDX- 2,458
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Interesting. The RAV4 had a huge spike in sales. I wonder if that's due to the new model? Or, was it a combination of that and heavily discounted out-going models?

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    So looks like Escape/RAV4 sales hurt the CR-V but had absolutely no effect on the Forester.

    The RAV4 just came out, so it probably is a mix of 2000s and 2001s. Interesting that the plant didn't idle for the change over long enough to hurt the supply chain. Toyota knows manufacturing.

    -juice
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    if it was only Escape which brought CR-V down. CRV is by now feels like underpowered and outdated model. New RAV4 is stealing the show from CR-V I think.

    My impression (from discussions here at Edmunds) was that most -- not all of course -- of Escape buyers are not cross-shoping with CRV, but rather "upsizing" from smaller Ford/Mazda model they have or downsizing from a big clumsy SUV or pickup truck.
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    I'm sure they had that plant shut down a couple of months ago for the change over. The RAV4 sales have been declining for several months. Most manufacturer's take changeover into account so they run low but not out.
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    I'm sure Escape is taking some sales, you have a very small sample of buyers on these boards
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    I would look for a link on the main Edmunds.com page or the Townhall page. Even though I'm not an owner, I'll try to be there :-)

    Hey juice, can I be an honourary crew member? You know, kind of like an honourary doctorate?

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    Click here to go to the chat page. Hope to see some of you there!!

    Note that this Freeway chat will be scheduled every Friday, so if you can't make it tonight, there's always next week.

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Drew, we'll bestow that upon you as soon as you learn how to spell! Sheesh, you Canajians, defiling the Queen's English! Erm, wait, maybe it's the Yanks that do that.. I forget. You bet, you're a Crew Member! But don't forget, juice gets to be the coxswain.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Can't make the chat.. nor can Loosh.. I'm off to hear his band tonight in Baltimore! :D I'll give an independent audit of his plans for the BMW track car. :)

    ..Mike

  • chat_managerchat_manager Member Posts: 14
    Thank you for reminding me to give you all the link to our chats which are featured on the Town Hall page (and yes aling you can see the banner on the Home page too!) The link to all of our chats can be found at:

    http://townhall.edmunds.com/cgi-bin/townhall

    We look forward to seeing you at our first member "open" chat today at 5-6pmPT (8-9PpmET):
    Friday Freeway! :)

    Dana S. Livingston
    Chat Manager
    Town Hall
    Edmunds.com
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Both of these models should have their rear door fold the opposite way that they do (it folds toward the curb instead of away from it) I think it's just a little thing that could have been fixed for the US market. My Trooper has the larger door fold away from the curb so you can easily unload to the curb. Just a tid bit. (of course if it's a liftgate it's not a problem)

    -mike
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I agree. The problem with any rear door setup is that it may be right for some markets, while not the best for others. The CRV and Rav4 doors are perfect for those living in Japan, the UK, and other markets that drive on the opposite side of the road than we do.

    That's why I prefer a liftgate. Of course, that won't work very well if you have a spare attached to it. But since I'm not a fan of rear-mounted spare tires, it's not an issue for me.

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    The December 2000 issue of Popular Science has a comparison road test that includes: The Outback VDC, Chevy Tracker, Nissan Xterra, Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe, and the Mazda Tribute.

    I've only scanned the article, but one item did standout: because of the way the VDC operates, and that there is no cut-off switch, it was the "slowest" vehicle through the slalom and lane-change maneuvers - even though it was the only "car" among all those tested.

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Missed the drive-time chat -- mainly because, for us east-coasters, it's not drive time. I had long ago shut down the computer for the evening. Sorry.

    Bob
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well when they change the steering wheel, they could change the rear door hinges... Just figured that Honda and Toyota who were sticklers for details would have figured out a cheap way to change the rear doors.

    -mike
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    Yes, well the argument over moving the door hinges would hold water if American exports recognized the reverse problem. However, the cost of re-engineering for the export market usually makes it too hard. Hence we get silly things like windscreen wipers that don't clean the whole screen as they are mounted for Left Hand Drive. It irritates. Happilly if you buy a Subaru, you get a car properly engineered for both Left and Right hand markets.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I agree. But it actually involves more than that. The spare tire is positioned off-center for better rear view for the driver. So, ideally the spare should also be moved, and the same for the license plate/door handle. So, the bottom line is, that to do it right, you not only need to move the hinges, but also have a different rear door panel.

    It can, and should be done. They flop the dashboard, they can certainly flop the rear door and related gizmos.

    Graham - I hadn't thought about the wipers, but you're right.

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Have you (Australia) gotten the new Outback H-6 yet? Would be interested in your comments, upon a test drive.

    Bob
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    Yes, we have the new Outback VDC but at about AUD52,000, or about AUD10,000 more than a fully loaded Outback Limited, you are not going to see me lining up for one. Press reports suggest it is very nice but the very slight weight increase results in additional understeer. I suspect that is probably more to do with a programmed in safety component as historically designers tend to see Understeer as a safer handling characteristic. I am also less than convinced of the objectivity of journalists who claim to be able to interpret understeer/oversteer characteristics. It usually means that when pressing a car too hard they have attempted to aim it at a lamp post. "Dramatic oversteer" means they hit it.

    The value equation makes the VDC a questionable buy. That sort of money can buy an awful lot of car here. I will check it out next time I go near a Subaru dealer.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    While you're at it - fill us in on the new WRX
    too. As you know, we're not getting it here until this spring at the earliest.

    Bob
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