Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

nygreg · January 2003

Great line up. Hmm, perhaps a dating service for Subaru owners is needed. You see, Subaru owners actually do use their cars to go skiing (OK snowboarding), running, biking, etc.

Greg

ladywclass · January 2003

Will the real Patti please stand up ....
I think I've been complimented in the best way that Patti could be posting under my alias ...

yeah .. right .. !!! .. lol
(although you never know who it really IS with my name anymore ... now do you ... )

ateixeira · January 2003

Serge: if you need another excuse to make a trip to Brazil at some point, there's something to see in my home town. The first Synagogue in the Western Hemisphere is located right in my home town of Recife. Brazil is truly a cultural mixing pot and accepted all kinds of cultures and religions with open arms, and for Jews it all started right there.

Oh, as if beautiful beaches, great food, and a wonderful 3.5:1 exhange rate weren't enough!

Welcome Steve. I recognized you from a few others topics.

Loosh: the song "Get Ready for This" is by 2 Unlimited, it was a popular rave song a decade or so ago. Good work.

I'm doing a little victory dance myself - managed to refinance down to a 20 year mortgage at just 5.625% interest. :-)

Not bad because we had 27 years left on the old mortgage, and the payment is about the same. 7 years knocked off the prison sentence.

Downside is that means no Forester turbo this year - I'll definitely have to wait a while. You can bet I'll still sample one and just plan way ahead, though.

-juice

nygreg · January 2003

Juice - just so happens, my wife and I closed on our refinance yesterday! 20 yrs, 0 pts, 5.875%. This will allow us to pay off the Sienna and install new windows and siding on the homestead. Just don't know if I should go with replacement windows or Anderson. Add to that my recent consideration of starting to run. This board is getting scary.

Doin the dance,
Greg

ateixeira · January 2003

I got lucky and got that rate for zero points also. Actually I did pay 1/8th of a point for them to allow me to lock (5.75% at the time), and then float the rate down when it dropped later (5.625%).

Hard to believe. I told my family in Brazil, and some wanted to know if it was 5.625% per MONTH. That's the kind of interest rates they're used to, though a lot of that is due to inflation.

-juice

nygreg · January 2003

Brazil is having some monetary issues right now, to say the least. That is a great rate. I could have floated down to 5.75%, but, it wasn't worth the cost.

Greg

ateixeira · January 2003

For me it was - my loan amount is still rather large, so I really looked at the rate primarily. Their closing costs were actually high, but in the long run I'll make it up.

The points would have only lowered the rate a little - it would take 4-5 years to break-even. That's too long for a 20 year loan IMO, so I passed.

But I'm psyched - my mortgage will be paid off when I'm 54, that's pretty young. Maybe I'll retire early. Nah, I'll probably get a 2024 Forester turbo!

-juice

nygreg · January 2003

I wanted to do it in 15 years so I don't need to worry about a mortgage while my last is in college. My wife felt it was better to go the 20 yr route. The plan is to pay a little extra per month. I'm patiently waiting for the B4.

I've noticed that my dealer is offering 0% financing for 2 years on all 2003s. And their service is now opened on Saturdays.

Greg

ateixeira · January 2003

15 years would be sweet - perfect timing for me also because my first kid would just be getting into college. So no tuition + mortgage payments at the same time.

Alas, no can do, the payments would sky rocket and I couldn't qualify nor could I afford it. Oh well. We're saving up for college seperately.

-juice

fibber2 · January 2003

Welcome to the Steve, er, I mean Subaru Crew!!! What kind of lab??

Steve

fibber2 · January 2003

We bought our first home when I was 24, and paid it off in 14 years. We lived mortgage free for a few years, then got the itch for THE BIG HOUSE in '99. Now I am back to a lifetime of payments, even after refinanced this past October.

Steve

ladywclass · January 2003

I can give you one more reason to stay married and 'protect' your finances ....

I was divorced after 26 years of marriage, and left with almost nothing (but debt free) ... he has a house with a 'refinanced' mortgage ... I signed a 30 year loan last May (if I pay on that til it's done I'll be 78 .... )
We will probably try to refinance at some point ...

kens · January 2003

Don't get me depressed here, folks. I just signed up for a 30-year mortgage in one of the priciest markets in the US!

Ken

hammersley · January 2003

If we didn't have less than 6 years left on our existing mortgage, I'd sure be looking to refi as well.. but we're at 7% now after converting from a 30 yr variable (with 25 left) in 1993. For once, just slightly ahead of my time

Greg: Anderson's are cha-ching! Consider vinyl?

Cheers!
Paul

lucien2 · January 2003

We locked in a 15 year around 6.7% a couple years ago. I'm pretty happy with that, especially since we plan on staying in this house for a while. I do need to think about a refi on the HELOC we took out to get the cello for Kirsten though.

Heh heh...and we just got new windows, and I bought running shoes last month.

lilbluewgn02 · January 2003

We refinanced around 8 months ago at 5.825% for 15 years...
juice, some friends of ours here (the ones who introduced us to those yummy candies) are from Brazil and Jewish also...they said there is a really large Jewish community there. His parents are originally from Egypt....strange mixture...he speaks Portuguese, Arabic, and English.
Never been to Brazil myself though it's on the list

ladywclass · January 2003

reading about the 'cello' ... I'm still in hock up to my eyebrows for the euphonium for the daughter in college ...

outback_97 · January 2003

I work in a chemistry lab for a coatings company; a very low tech industry compared to ion beams and such. And I work for a very small company, so there's lots of other widely different things to do as well.

I refinanced about 18 months ago, from 30 yrs. at at 8.5% to 20 years at 6.625%. It was a good deal at the time, but I'm not sure that any further refinance makes sense for me. Congrats to those who have gotten some good deals, though.

twrx · January 2003

got a 12% mortgage in 1984. It was adjustable within the first 5 years it had dropped to 8%. I never changed my payment. It was paid off in 14 years rather than 25.
TWRX

lucien2 · January 2003

Brass instruments can get pricey, but I am willing to bet you didn't need a 2nd mortgage..... =8^o

nygreg · January 2003

Yeah, I am wondering if the Anderson windows are worth the extra $$$. The other quote we have is with Mastic (Dow) replacement windows. Any input on this would be helpful. Loosh, Paul - what kind of windows did you get and would you recommend them? I would like to make a decision in the next 2 weeks. Thanks,

Greg

fibber2 · January 2003

and that was with 4 points! And that was a "good deal" (NYS Teachers Retirement Fund money that we bought into). A friend of mine closed the next month at 16.75%. Of course, credit cards were well over 20% at the time also. Ahh, the good old days were not necessarily so good......

Steve

twrx · January 2003

Hmm, 1980's, during the Raygun administration when the Congress cut taxes to the rich to "stimulate the economy" and the federal deficit was the higest ever. Glad I got my mortgage paid before WW3 (aka nuke Iraq).

TWRX

c_hunter · January 2003

Pella windows are pretty good, but may be as pricey as Anderson these days. We put Silverline vinyl windows in my new house; I was surprised how nice they are. I would never have considered vinyl windows before, but these are quite good, and the fit/finish is excellent. The only reason I heard about this brand is that the company my dad works for makes some of the springs in their window mechanisms. Don't know if they make replacement windows or just new construction types.

Craig

ateixeira · January 2003

Loosh: my credit union has 15 year conventionals for 5.125%, it's totally worth refinancing. You can even finance the closing costs, and just end up with one lower payment. You should consider it.

We'll eventually need a new roof (about $8 grand) and then siding, not to mention my next new vehicle. Time to start savin' up!

-juice

originalbitman · January 2003

Windows - we have Milgard. Contracter line but very nice.

Mortage - Okay, I'm an old fart. Been through several mortgages and many refinances. Property ownership is still the best investment there is. And Ken- don't worry. You are in a great area that always will be in demand. We worried after our last purchase in '94. Pushed ourselves to the limit. But the tax write off is great and in the end we doubled our money. Last year we sold (cashed out) and bought our current home with cash. Mortgage free!!! Ye hah.

bit

fibber2 · January 2003

If you are dealing with a historic restoration or other situation where you want the same size sashes as the original as don't want have to change the exterior brick mouldings or interior trim, I strongly recommend Marvin Tilt Packs. It is a 'kit' that you construct yourself. They require some carpentry skill, but it is a great product. I put in a couple per year at the old house.

Steve

nygreg · January 2003

for the window info. I need to check out these Mastic replacements at the "Store" the contractor has.

OK, I now officially hate the changes Edmunds has made. Every time I leave a discussion, it pops me out of the owners club into a different topic. Am I missing something?

Greg

kens · January 2003

bit:

Thanks for the reassurance. It's sometimes easy to forget about the location-location-location aspect of real estate when you hear stories from other parts of the country (let alone city!).

I'm hoping that home values on the Peninsula continue on it's path. I guess the fact that there is not much room left to build in the area and that it's in a geographically ideal location make it a relatively safe investment.

Ken

ladywclass · January 2003

no .. no second mortgage ... it cost $4000 and when they brought it out I asked, "Where's the steering wheel?"
See y'all in chat tonight ...

(not posting where to go to 'stay' in the club area .. last time I did that I ended up posting stuff I didn't know I had any intention of posting ... lol)

hammersley · January 2003

Ours are vinyl, replaced all of 'em in the whole house all at once, got a great deal from a co-worker doing remodels on his days off - he knew a salesman. Can't even remember the brand name, but we went from aluminum clad to vinyl, low-e glass, with grids, but no argon gas. The gas between the panes leaks out after a few years anyway, so you're paying for it for nothing. I also heard that if windows are shipped over altitudes (say, mountain passes), the pressure differential causes the gas to escape before the windows are even installed.

Low-e glass makes a big difference, though, both in summer & winter. The glass is designed to either reflect or absorb solar heat, depending on the angle of the sun (low in winter, high in the sky in the summer.

Installation was not difficult, just have to make sure they're square & level. Re-trimmed the outside (we were already planning exterior paint), and new casings & moldings were already planned on the inside. As you can see, the windows were but one part of a larger overall remodeling plan.

Let's keep it on-topic by saying that after you're done, you can see your Subaru through your new windows!

More than you probably bargained for...
Cheers!
Paul

lucien2 · January 2003

ours were custom built by a local company
http://www.burchcompany.com/

Because our house in 91 years old, we decided to go this route- the windows were built to fit, not a standard size built-in like what we had before. The installers took out a good 2 inches of filler per side. We have a lot more light in the front bedroom now.

SO:
3 new replacement triple pane windows (custom)
2 new storm windows (Custom)
1 big custom Storm for the living room window

total including install was around $1300. Worth it; energy costs already down, the house is quieter, and already less diesel soot making its way in from the street.

fibber2 · January 2003

This site lists the local distributers, then has links at the bottom to the product pages.

http://www.vinyl-windows.com/mastic/pvc/

My builder used Mastic windows in the new house. He started the house on speculation, and already had the windows in before we shook hand on the deal. If I could do it again, I would have spent more for Anderson / Marvin / Pella / Peachtree, etc. They are OK for the price, but I think there are better products out there.

And yes, I can see the Subaru in the driveway (Paul!!!) also....

Steve

hypov · January 2003

I'm tickled to think about the unsuspecting that does a search on "window" about their car and...
hee hee hee

-Dave

fibber2 · January 2003

It is a diverse crew that helps each other with their problems! Gotta love it...

Steve

hammersley · January 2003

Greg: Regarding your remodel...do a web search... 'windows'

tee hee!

Cheers!
Paul

nygreg · January 2003

lists and lists of Microsoft product info.

duh

Greg

jfl · January 2003

Steve, (post 13072) I remember those early 80's mortgages; we had just completed a custom home in No. Calif and the rates were 16%! Still don't know how we managed it. Eventually refi, divorced, and sold it.

On the flip side, in 1998 I only had $65k remaining in my mortgage...then we decided to get a new house. More than doubled the mortgage payments and tripled the property taxes.

What's that phrase - "Just say NO!" One of these days I'll learn.

Jim

toboggan · January 2003

Hi, I'm yet another Steve. Been lurking and posted several times. My Outback is a '98 Limited 5spd with about 52,000 miles. Bought it new in July 1998. BRG racing gree is the color (forgot the real color name). Right now it is wearing a Thule ski box on the top and Bridgestone Blizzaks on the bottom.

Of course, Ma Nature really fooled us in Central Minnesota this year. After a wet May through the first part of October there has been a paucity of snow. So we're skiing on artificial snow with mostly brown grass on the sides of the ski runs.

The subie (Sabrina) has generally been a good machine. At about 30,000 miles the rear crankshaft seal sprung a leak. They ended up installing a new clutch assembly and gearbox (after it locked in 3rd gear when they tested it). A K&N air filter was installed several months ago. Feels like it goes faster.

During the warmer months Sabrina gets hauled behind the motor home while visiting various parts of the U.S. (Canada next year).

You guys keep working as I start collecting SS pretty soon.

Steve in Minnesota

fibber2 · January 2003

As one of the more talkative members, I welcome you back to the Steve's club. Er, uhum, I meant Subaru crew...

I think we outnumber the Dave's and people with 'K' now, don't we???

Steve

bluesubie · January 2003

Welcome newest Steve! Yeah, it looks like Steve is replacing Dave.

-Dennis

Karen_S · January 2003

Any new visitors looking for "window" will most likely use the top level search, which scans topic titles only. However, if you enter "window" in "Search Discussion" on this page...it will return only the "window" posts in this discussion.

Welcome aboard to the new folks...another Steve??? Sheesh, the Daves and K's need to start recruiting! :-)

hammersley · January 2003

Welcome, from a fellow RV'er! I also tow my 97 OB behind "the bus" (what the kids call it), although we're contemplating going to a towed trailer after we upgrade my wife's car to a Suburban. Too many Saturns being towed - had to do it with a Subaru!

Cheers!
Paul

bat1161 · January 2003

Welcome to our newest Steve!

Mark

originalbitman · January 2003

Juice - looks like your plood arrives today. Have fun.

bit

twrx · January 2003

What are the Subaru Crew's favorite two words?

Answer: Plood and Bloop.

TWRX

ateixeira · January 2003

Hmm, it might warm up on Sunday so maybe if I have time I can actually do it right away. That would be cool.

For the chat, those may be the favorite words, but normally mine are "Turbo" and "Free". ;-)

-juice

kate5000 · January 2003

what'up? Daves, come back!

kate5000 · January 2003

We got adjustable ("variable" for you in UK and Australia) on the house, last year it adjusted down to unbelievable 3.6%. Now if only property taxes could go down too...

hondafriek · January 2003

Being called Pat, I am really in the minority here.BTW, Sunday the 2nd is our wedding anniversary, 36 years married.

cheers Pat.

Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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