Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

barresa62 · February 2001

aussieroo · February 2001

on the way back from a four day camping weekend.
I have the job of finding the next spot for the next camp and went home the long way looking for campsites between the Myall lakes and the beach. (just a bit north of the famous Stockton beach).
saw a sign to the right indicating camp sites and turned off to investigate. after 50kms of unmaintained, low range, full of waterholes, bloody rough road finally found out where i was and drove on home.
the road was passable for a non four wheel drive but you wouldn't have done it, however yours truely the interpid forester owner forged on,and,on,AND on, hoping that when I finally got to the end i would not have to chuck a 180 and drive the same way back.
two things came out of the experience
the forester handled it with aplomb
and i didn't find a camp site.

bloody good fun though!!

cheers

gus

tlima · February 2001

"PS Juice, I did notice a lot of Subaru's all over Rhode Island!"

Yeah, and I was driving one of them.:^) Being a resident, I've noticed lots of Outbacks (mostly wagons, but a few sedans), Foresters, and Legacy sedans. Us "rhode islandas" love our subarus.

Mark, I hope "Little Rhody" lived up to your expectations.

-Tony

aussieroo · February 2001

check out this site

http://www.oppositelock.com/index.htm

click on stratos seats

miksmi · February 2001

Loosh, thanks for the welcome. From sunshine (FL) to snow (DC) in 24 hours -- for what more might I ask?

Gus, funny camping story. Those Stratos seats look nice. But if I were to place my bum on a squab the maître d' would be appalled.

..Mike

grahampeters · February 2001

G'day

Well actually, the correct heading should be "Not lots of Subarus". I have been in Tokyo for a few days with a quick trip to the other side of the country (near the Sea of Japan) by Shinkansen (Bullet Train). The big surprise was the comparative scarcity of Subarus, particularly in Tokyo. I did see a couple of Legacy GTs but only spotted my first Forester (a black GT) on the Ginza (main shopping strip) just before I left town. Absolutely no Imprezas.

I saw a fair few European cars, particularly BMW and Audi. Only one American, an ancient Cadillac used as a limousine.

What was disconcerting is that there is a Nissan wagon and a Toyota wagon which are indistinguishable from the Legacy unless you go hunting for badges. Given that at least one of these is also AWD I felt terribly confused.

Most of the Japanese cars around Tokyo streets were pretty much as you would expect but there were some wierd ones. There is a Nissan beast which looks like a Hummer with a growth problem. Not actually a dwarf but you get the picture. I think it has a 1300cc engne.

The taxis are all a particular squat Toyota Crown with a whacky setup which allows the rear kerbside passenger door to be opened from the driver's seat. There is something eerie about the door swinging wide to let you in and then slamming shut behind you. I didn't try to drive but was surprised at how smooth the traffic flowed. Less awful than London by a long way.

The subway was also nowhere as bad as I expected. Certainly crowded but after London, much better controlled and the passengers are politer.

When I went up into the snow (2 metres plus, just to make you jealous) there were a few more Subarus but they are sure not common. Given that here in Australia, Subarus are among the top ten selling cars and there are probably ten in a parking lot of 100 cars at my office (well okay we have a lot of IT neighbours and WRX are de-rigeur fr tech-heads), this was still a surprise.

I did see one slightly grimy and obviously well used Legacy B4 in the snow. Yes, they do work well! When I mentioned to my hosts that I own an Outback, there were appropriate noises. Apparently they are known to be good cars.

I have to say that I am glad to be back in the warmth. Going from 100 degrees to below freezing and back in a few days is a rude shock.

Cheers

Graham

pattim3 · February 2001

with all that white fluffy snow. Really slick stuff (if one more person asks me if I need them to hold onto me when I walk. . .. Like I don't already feel like a klutz!!)

Got to check out the ABS in a real situation for the first time. An idiot decided to stop and make a u-turn suddenly two cars ahead. Everyone locked up and ended up all over the road except me. I felt the ABS kick in and stayed straight and stopped. As folks got out of their cars cussing and yelling, my daughter and I smiled in relief. She suggested passing out business cards to those looking at their cars buried off road in ditches. We opted to help instead.

DRIVE Magazine Issue: Kate - I'm glad you got yours. For anyone else waiting - there was a "glitch" at the vendor. Some address issues. They are correcting it and sending out the rest. If you'd rather not wait, call us at 1-800-SUBARU3 and we can send you one. I've asked for a supply for our department.

Have fun and be safe to all of those who got some of this lovely stuff!!!

Patti

grahampeters · February 2001

Mike

This is the harness we use for our kids. Australian laws on kids seats are fairly tight but when the kid gets too large for a seat, we can still use a harness as a supplementary restraint. This is one such and seems very good.

Both our kids doze off in the car and slump down so the restraint of a conventional lap/sash belt is less than perfect. The H-harness offers significantly better protection and means they are supported even if they slump sideways. This is particularly important for our 7 year old who is tall and slim.

http://www.safensound.com.au/SafenSound/index.html

Cheers

Graham

bluesubie · February 2001

That makes two of us. It wasn't my first time, but my scariest time. I was going about 20 mph on a slight downhill and came to a red light. I pressed the brake too hard and the ABS was kicking like crazy. I could see I wasn't going to stop in time so I started to turn right as if I were making a right hand turn. A BRAT comes flying around the curve and layed on his horn because he thought I was making a right turn without looking. I thought, "Relax buddy. I just avoided hitting you".
Business cards?? That would've been a great idea. Dennis

paisan · February 2001

I had some fun going down the GSP last night. If it wasn't for the other idiots on the road, i'd have been in much better shape. But at least no casualties.

Wish the XT6 was done but we only got 1 of the front struts on last night...

-mike

miksmi · February 2001

Did you see any of the smaller Pleo, Dias, or Sambar vehicles? Funny that the Dias micro van is called a wagon. I would think you'd see many of these little machines (Subaru or otherwise) in the city. As they're not sold in NA, I'm not sure I would have noticed them.

..Mike

kens · February 2001

Graham,

As you experienced through your travels, Subarus are not as popular as Toyota or Nissan in Japan. I usually have to look around a bit to find one when I'm there, too. And yes, wagons are quite popular there and so it makes spotting Legacys difficult.

A couple other tidbits about taxis in Japan:
-Many of the cabs run on LP gas to help reduce emissions. If you ever get a chance to look inside the trunk, you'll see a big LP tank in the back.
-You'll get in trouble if you try and close that rear passenger door yourself. It apparently breaks the door closing mechanism. Many foreigners often get yelled at. Interestingly, many first-time Japanese visitors in the US get yelled by our cabbies because they walk away without closing the door! Go figure.

Ken

bat1161 · February 2001

Actually I noticed quite a few Subaru's in the area. It was my first time stopping in RI (usually I'm just passing thru on the way to the Cape). My wife and I loved it so much we plan to go back for our anniversary.

On a different note, with last nights snow, I finally felt the ABS kick in. I have to admit it was a little scary feeling the whole car shake while coming to a stop, but it worked just like it is supposed to. This is the first car I've owned with ABS, so I am assuming that the AS is supposed to shake as it takes affect. I did see some city buses slipping on the local side streets in Staten Island, but I just went right by them with no problems.
Mark

tazereli · February 2001

THis is the best thing to happen to Subaru in America since they made AWD standard back in the early 90's

ateixeira · February 2001

Gus: sounds like fun. In some parts of Brazil, you can drive your dune buggy on deserted beaches for hours.

Lots of good stories, folks. Keep them coming.

paisan: don't forget the pix of the project.

Kyle: I will not disagree! :-)

Our snow melted quickly, but I managed to have some fun yesterday. Found a few side streets and plowed around.

The Nitto NT460s just stink to high heaven in snow. In normal driving, the AWD makes up for it, and you never feel out of control. But play around and traction breaks early and often. Braking is not good on those tires, so ABS kicks in almost immediately. Laterally too. If I apply power in a turn, the tail wags about 2-3 times. Fun, though.

The tires are fine in the dry, good in wet, but not snow. If we got more snow in this region I'd get snow tires.

-juice

ateixeira · February 2001

PS I should add that you most definitely feel the 18mm rear sway bar (vs. 13mm stock) in action. No question it's also a factor in the propensity to wag the tail.

WMarton · February 2001

I saw on the Fitzgerald's internet site that the LL Bean's and VDC's are now selling for $300 under invoice. While I am still hoping to test drive a 2001.5 Passat SW (available in March supposedly), I have to admit that these prices are very tempting. If I go the Outback route, however, I will have to decide between the LL Bean and the VDC. I've mostly seen posts that indicate that folks don't think the VDC is worth the $2k increase in price. Are there any VDC owners out there that want to voice an alternative opinion? Also, is there a noticeable difference in performance between the LL Bean and the more RWD biased VDC?

Bill

drew_ · February 2001

Hey guys, my cousin has a yellow Subaru Pleo in Singapore. There's a Subaru in my family after all! :-) My first intro to the brand name was when one of my mother's business partners (in the late '80s/early '90s) first bought a white Loyale Turbo 4WD sedan, and supplemented it with a white Loyale Turbo 4WD wagon. This was a (very wealthy) guy who had owned MBzs and MGs, so it was a big surprise to us when he bought Subarus. As an aside, for some reason, Legacys are apparently popular among stock brokers in that country.

Drew
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drew_ · February 2001

is starting in 6 minutes time. See you there!
/direct/view/.eea61db

Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards

rsholland · February 2001

Anybody, besides myself, have any problems logging on to last nite's chat?

I couldn't log on. I keep getting some strange "redirect" garbage. I finally gave up.

Bob

rsholland · February 2001

Yesterday, while out playing in the snow with our new Forester S Premo (aka: the Toaster), I noticed a very subtle "clunk" every now and then. I was wondering if that was the LSD kicking in?

Our '96 Impreza Outback doesn't have a LSD, and I've never noticed that noise while driving in the snow.

Any thoughts?

Bob

armac13 · February 2001

yes I had exactly the same experience. Tried again about 6:45 and finally got in. The interface has changed and I don't know what else.

Ross

subearu · February 2001

I had trouble with Netscape getting into the chat. It redirected back to the townhall page. I thought my Netscape had gone buggy! (or maybe it was just me)

So, I tried IE. I had to login (I have autologin in Netscape), but after that I was able to get to the chat. I'm not sure if it's a Netscape/IE or autologin/non-autologin thing.

Incidentally, I think the new chat window is WAY to small. The Edmunds moderators with us last night in the chat stated it was for compatibility with those running at 640x480 resolution. I'm not sure who still runs at 640x480, but, I don't :-). There was a lot of chatting going on last night that made it hard to keep up.

note to moderators: please change that chat screen. at least make the requirement 800x600 so it's a little bigger.

-Brian

armac13 · February 2001

I agree about the size issue. BTW, I had my problems using IE so I don't think that was the critical factor.

Ross

rsholland · February 2001

I see SOA has re-done their website. However, some items are not working properly yet, such as: "locating a dealer."

Bob

subearu · February 2001

Bob: I was able to get the dealer search to work. I just typed in 53142 and GO. The resulting page is a MapBlast map with the dealers in my area (3 of them - not exactly near me though).

Overall, the page seems to respond quicker. But, this may just be me. Still has that Flash stuff.

-Brian

lucien2 · February 2001

sribbble scribble scribble. Oh why can't we have a scribble........

(edited because post was irrelevant)

hammersley · February 2001

on some responses from previous posts... (cross-posted on Legacy/Outback VI because I can't remember where the original posts came from - I must be the father of small children...)

Hard starting in cold weather: 1)Load test the battery. I had it done on my test drive - failed - dealer replaced before purchase. 2)Oil viscosity matters. 5W30 is thinner by definintion than 10W30 at colder temps. Thicker oil = starter has to work harder to turn engine over.

Cleaning/waxing: anybody else use "ClayMagic" or equivalent? I've used it on Ford paint before with good result, followed up with a good coat of pure carnauba. Maybe doesn't last as long as other stuff, but works.

Sound system upgrades: Local car stereo guru I know & trust said if you're on a budget (aren't we all!), upgrading speakers is the one best, most economical thing you can do to improve the sound of any factory system, bar none. Has the added advantage of making the new deck sound even better when you finally get around to it!

Tires: I apologize for beating the subject to death, but I'm still mulling 70/15 vs. 60/16 tire/wheel upgrade. How much difference is there in ride/handling between the two? I know the 16's look better!

Cheers!
Paul

texsubaru · February 2001

The Sunday New York Times reviews the H6 Outbacks (it likes them a lot, but, like pretty much every other review I've seen, says their MSRP is simply too high). The review is on their <AHREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/25/automobiles/25AUTO.html">Web site here. (Access does require registration on the NYT Web site, but it's free and reasonably easy to do.) If you get the print edition, along with the review there's a nice little sidebar and chart explaining what a horizontally opposed engine is; oversimplified for anyone who posts here (and there are one or two points one might quibble with), but it's a handy explainer for someone utterly new to the concept. target=_blank

dsackman · February 2001

Just returned from Yosemite with a bent Outback Sedan Auto with 1,500 miles on it. The snow was just too much for the car and I.

This was one of the worst storms I have ever experienced driving. Highway 120 had copious amounts of fresh snow, slush and ice and everybody was driving around at about 20 mph. Everything was extremely slippery and visibility was poor. The guy in from of me pulled off into a vista spot and when I turned around him it happened. I am still trying to figure out exactly what went wrong. I think the car went into rear wheel drive when I accelerated (softly) around him and that caused me to loose control. Nothing helped. The ABS just made a noise, I had no steering. Even mild acceleration did nothing. I slid into the barrier at about 10-15 mph. Quite a lot of body damage along the front and right hand side, but no mechanical damage it appears. Nobody injured, except my dignity.

Some additional observations about driving in those conditions:
· VDC or some such system will provide additional control. I went into under steer conditions on quite a few occasions, even at 20 mph or less. I was also quite disturbed that on uphill portions the steering would sometimes jerk from side to side as the left and right front wheels alternately find grip. I believe VDC will eliminate this. In view of this I believe the $2,000 extra for VDC is well worth the cost.
· I think the Yokohama tires on my Forester provide better grip than the Firestone tires on the Outback. There is not empirical evidence, merely an impression.

Yosemite is still an absolutely beautiful place. I have no regrets spending a lot of time there.

Daniel

bassist · February 2001

How do i join this outfit

kate5000 · February 2001

Daniel,

sorry to hear about your Outback. I sincerely hope your body shop experience won't be as horrible as mine (my Forester is still in the shop, 12 weeks and counting). Are you in the Bay Area? If yes, please share with us which body shop you choose. Hope insurance will pay for fixes w/o problems.

--Kate

grahampeters · February 2001

G'day to Cameron

It's very tempting to put you through the full initiation ceremony in orderto join the crew but we'll let you off most of the rituals. You just have to tell everybody how much you like your Subaru and how silly you have been in the snow.

Welcome

Cheers

Graham

thecat · February 2001

Cameron - Graham neglected to mention the $10 you must send to all other crew members

Actually, by asking the question "how do I join" you did! Welcome aboard. Our "Chiefs" (Juice and Mike) will no doubt follow up with an official welcome. Until then, consider this your temporary pass.
- hutch

lucien2 · February 2001

So what do you play? My main ax these days is an early 60's Kay. It doesn't look like much, but is well set up, and plywood takes a lot more road punishment than something fancier from Italy or Germany.

And my wife has a P-bass

Daniel-

Sorry to hear about that; I guess in conditions that bad, even AWD only goes so far. I am surprised to hear about your oversteer problem, but in messy conditions as varied as you describe, who knows what was under the car just then. At least you are o.k.

ateixeira · February 2001

Bassist: consider this your official welcome. A warm welcome, considering you have a Forester and likely access to good snow!

Bill: definitely try the Passat too. I don't like all the added chrome, but the revised front and rear give it a tad more character. Only the base engine got a power upgrade though (150 to 170hp). I think the V6 could use more spunk (still 190hp).

Drew: we knew you were part of the Subaru family. :-) Remember I mentioned the turn signals in the side mirrors? What do you know, Autoweek now says the ML is getting them for next year. What a coincidence!

Bob: that clunk is either the rear LSD activating, or the AWD system itself sending power to the rear.

Paul: a Plus One upgrade to bigger wheels with a lower profile tire can actually maintain the same ride height.

Daniel: bummer, man. Must have been black ice, or some type of zero-traction situation. Snow tires might have helped a little, but even then maybe not. Glad you are OK.

-juice

originalbitman · February 2001

Daniel - Sorry to hear about your Yosemite experience. Glad you are okay. If you live in the Bay Area and are on the peninsula you might want to consider Al Car in San Mateo as a body shop. Highly recommended to me and I have seen their work on my friends cars and it was first rate. I went their after my roof was damaged and even though I ended up trading rather than getting the repair I was impressed with the shop and the people. I was referred their by my dealer.

bit

paisan · February 2001

I need opinions...

subaruz.com
or
subaru-crew.com

???

And don't go steal em on me...

-mike

aussieroo · February 2001

but first a little history.

I work in Sydney, and my family lives in Newcastle an industrial city approx 140kms north and I do a weekend commute. Newcastle is known as a four wheel drive town as the city is situated at the southern end of the famous Stockton beach and to the west there is almost unlimited high country (for us) and forest tracks.

I keep telling my wife that there are stacks of Honda CRV's in Sydeny and the ratio of CRV's to foresters would be about 5:1.

Not so in Newcastle its almost reversed and she who must be obeyed keeps reminding me of this. I tell her that it is the same car going around in circles and being repainted on the way.

At the weekend the quest for the october camping spot continued and SWMBO initiated a count of the two vehicles and the result was

CRV two(2)
Forester thirteen(13)

Moreover one of the CRV's was on the highway coming home.

The prosecution rests you honour.

The moral of the story in doggerel

If you need a Ken & Barbie SUV
Get a HONDA CRV.

Ps the bad news is haven't found the campsite as yet and more irrelevent stories like this are in the pipeline.

cheers

gus

locke2c · February 2001

Mike,

I'd favor subaru-crew.com!

-Colin

drew_ · February 2001

Actually, it was supposed to be compatible for 800X600 users. However, you all will be glad to know that this will be rectified for this week's chats; the chat window size and font size will be changed. We were experimenting with the new software and just wanted to make sure than everything was up and running properly. :-)

juice, yes I always knew that the ML would get the LED turn signals, but the question was when. I'm not sure I believe AutoWeek's text on the ML though. What they're describing seems to be for the MY2005 ML, not the MY2002 version.

Daniel, sorry to hear about your damage. Yes, I agree that VDC would've probably prevented your mishap. Winter tires would've helped either, since VDC can only work with whatever traction it has. WRT the steering wheel jerking because of the split-mu surface, VDC would've braked the spinning wheels to (at least) minimise if not eliminate the effect.

Mike, I personally like subaru-crew.com too, but be careful that it doesn't violate any copyrights. I'm not sure how sensitive Subaru is WRT this, but many Honda fan/accessory websites have had to change their domain names because of cease or decease orders from Honda.

Now don't go leaving Town Hall on us! Let's keep the discussions here.

Drew
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locke2c · February 2001

Feh, at worst Mike will need a disclaimer on his startup page.

www.imprezawrx.org and many others persist. Some Subaru enthusiast and tuner sites have been contacted by SOA legal and have added disclaimers... the domain name doesn't matter, it's content and how much of a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] the lawyers feel like being at the time. Scroll to the bottom of Teague's Auto to see an example.

-Colin

paisan · February 2001

Yeah, i don't have the resources to do a forum type thing. My idea is to setup a FAQ page, and put up pics for people, and a big link list with descriptions. Check out http://isuzu-suvs.com for something similar.

-mike

rsholland · February 2001

Always good to hear about stories from Oz.

Bob

amishra · February 2001

Daniel, sorry to hear about your experience. FWIW -the basic Firestone tires on the Outback are mostly to blame for poor traction in winter. I have a 2000 OB, and we have snow up here for a good 5 months a year. I slide around like ice cream in a wet bowl. The standard OB tires are no match for snow tires on a 2WD car. However, stick a pair of real winter tires on the OB, and the difference is phenomenal.

-- ash

drew_ · February 2001

Sounds good to me.. One small tip so you don't get into any trouble with Edmunds' legal dept. Don't copy and paste any messages verbatim from Town Hall into your FAQs as that would be considered copyright infringement. According to the Terms of Use, all TH posts are property of Edmunds.com.

Hope this helps!

Drew
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drew_ · February 2001

Most interesting...I'm glad to hear that Subaru's legal is not as picky as Honda/Acura's.

Drew
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pattim3 · February 2001

I'm glad to hear you are okay. I agree with the post here that indicate that not all situations can be handled by a car. Ice is a really difficult challenge for ANY vehicle.

If we can help at all with parts or such, let us know?

Thanks and get well to your Sube!

Patti

pattim3 · February 2001

I kinda like Subaru-Crew.com. Our legal department doesn't get nuts about sites like this. They recognize the importance of sharing information. Just make sure you have a clear disclaimer that it is not associated directly with Subaru.

Good luck!

Patti

pattim3 · February 2001

Welcome! We need to know? Upright bass or electric? What do you like to play?

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