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Comments
Steve, Host
Boy, rough crowd around here this morning. We're just getting up, but you guys should have had enough coffee by now...
-brianV
Gotta see if I can talk them into using the name "Dave"...LOL
Rode to the airport today to pick up my folks in my sister's Forester. They had 4 suitcases, plus she had some Xmas gifts in the cargo hold. No problem squeezing us all in.
Oh, and at 6" I fit in the back, no problem. My sister is short so I had abundant extra leg room.
-juice
I'm really conflicted on the subject of whether the Forester's rear legroom is sufficient. Another inch or so would certainly be nice but not if they have to stretch the overall length to acheive it. I'm suppose I’m fairly satisfied with the current setup where I sacrifice a little front legroom on those infrequent occasions when I'm transporting someone in the back.
-Frank P.
Craig
Mark
-Frank P.
Maybe if you're driving Shaq and Kobe somewhere (probably court, LOL), but how often does that happen?
Note the double meaning of the word "court"...
While we're on the topic of Hoops, how 'bout them Terps beating the #1 team in the nation?
-juice
PS Got my tix to Detroit, it's official!
Congrats Juice. Take lots of pics. I really want feedback on the new Legacy.
Greg
OMG juice I didn't KNOW you were a miniature !!!
-juice
Cheers Pat.
"So how do you feel about the Saabaru...oh never mind."
Neways, the XT.
After I tamed the auto climate beast, we got on down the road. This car feels higher than the Outback, but the seats are more comfortable and my tooshie was warm.
Powaaa. Dayum. This car really pulls; too bad about the gearing though, it is a little loud at highway speeds. But it is fast, I'll give you that. It certainly does not feel as tossable as a WRX, and although it has a more tractable powerband, I found it less confident to drive near the limit, no thanks in part to the useless dead weight in the passenger seat. He wanted to make sure I understood the car was AWD.
While learning that gosh, it has a 6 CD changer and a long travel suspension, I appreciated the fairly quick steering reponse, although I found it a bit disconnected. This isn't entirely fair though, since my car is reaally dialed in.
I think the FXT has great potential. No doubt in my mind that a plus one tire upgrade and maybe those Cobb swaybars would make it a very tossable little ute. But, and it is a big one, at that point you may have spent what the new Legacy Turbo is going to cost.
No help on my fence position, then. WRX let down by lag, FXT needs new shoes right away, although I would prolly spend that on a WRX too. I feel the WRX wagon has a slight edge out of the box, simply because its suspension feels a lot more ready to play stock for stock. Then again, there is tons more practical space in the FXT. Maybe
I need to revisit just how much used Miatas are, get a cheap one, and autocross THAT without remorse.
With your work, I'd think the FXT (hadn't seen it referred to that before) would be welcome, especially with the extra cargo room. Tires and a sway will likely do it good, but you should check out the 'other' forums to see if someone already has done it and what their impressions are.
-Brian
How 'bout them Bulldogs beating the #4 team in the country?
GO ZAGS!
Cheers!
Paul
Maybe time to come down from the fence. The suspense on pricing is killing me!
I went for a long drive in my WRX today, touring coastal VA. Saw some great scenery. It's neat to be cruising through woods and farmland one minute (looks like Vermont!) and then see marshes and the Chesepeake Bay the next minute. I was actually looking for a seafood restaurant I had seen on Food TV, but couldn't find it. Had to settle for a burger....
I was really amazed how comfortable the driver's seat was. I was in the car for three hours straight for one clip, and got out feeling great. All my other cars would have left me feeling sore or cramped up. The seats on the 02-03 WRX are about the best I've sat in.
Craig
Brenda - glad to hear your dad's home and on the road to recovery.
Jim
We'll see how the bank account feels about it 1/5/04. ;-)
Cheers Pat.
The screen is black, for a moment or so while it's loading. Are you on a slow Internet connection?
Bob
-c
Cheers Pat.
Cheers Pat.
Ground transportation problems, flight delays, etc., all conspired against us and cut into any layover sleep time we might have enjoyed. So the three flights (Guangzhou to Hong Kong to Tokyo to NY) sort of merged into one long 30+ hour nightmare with overtired kids. First the baby, then Emily had major meltdowns somewhere over the Artic Circle. So if the tides suddenly rose and flooded your coastal town, you can blame us!!!
For two days everyones clock was totally screwed, with long, sleepless nights. We are only just starting to feel human again. But we made it!! And we have one hell of a prize to show for our efforts. We celebrated Anne's first birthday yesterday in low keyed fashion, her second day as an American Citizen, She is a wonder - smiles and giggles the majority of the time.
So ends our journey. This week we have some legal and medical stuff to attend to.
BTY, it was fun driving the Subi in the snow this morning!
Juice, did you ever get my e-mail with intersecting sleepers?
Steve
Congratulations to you all ..
Craig
Foon Yeng Lei Fahn Lay
Translation:
Congratulations
Welcome Back
-Dave
Brenda - great to hear your father is finally home. That's what it's all about. Will you see him for the holidays?
Greg
Oh, and that teaser website! Thanks.
Steve: Welcome back from your journey! What an amazing experience!
Ken
My brother and I are planning on flying out for the Detroit Auto show!
When will you guys be there? We MUST hook up!!
Ken
Congrats to the whole family.
Jim
Steve - Welcome back!
A brief update to the crunched 04 OBS. The other insurance company is NOT going to total it. Full repairs, including labor of course, come to just over 10k. I've been given to understand by the collision shop that since nobody has a clue to salvage value on this car, that the decision to total the car is a lot of guess work. Apparently, they would rather make the repairs. Looks like 5k parts, 5k labor. Won't get the car back till mid-January, what with the part ordering and the short holiday weeks. Everything is guaranteed for life, and I've had VERY good experiences with this company before, so I'm really not worried about the repair. I just want the car back. I'll update as we go.
-Dan-
After the drive a complained about the lack of turbo lag. :-D You really have to go easy on the pedal for low-speed driving.
The WRX shines in the handling dept., but the FXT screams more practicality. Seats aren't quite as snug as the 02/03 WRX.
Craig - I agree on the seat comfort. I put 2,000 miles on my WRX wagon on a summer trip. I couldn't believe how fine I felt during the trip (not as achy as the past in the OBS).
Steve - Welcome back!!
-Dennis
So then all of a sudden here's me contemplating almost $27k for a new car!! C'mon! I back away from it all, get away from being wrapped up in that spiralling way of thinking, and remember that $22k for a new WRX wagon leaves $4k for other things in life, like a cool vacation or a new deck. So it's a daily struggle between need and desire here in Lucien's brain this week.
Most handsome Subaru sedan ever.
Argh, must resist temptation to go with a sedan over a wagon, what am I thinking? We need more space, not less!
Miata is a fun handler, but my Forester is fun in its own way. I have 16"s and an 18mm sway, that's it. There is relatively more roll, dive, and squat, but in a way, that's fun, I can approach the limits more easily. I've spun the Miata once, nearly a 2nd time (tires - could not possibly blame my skills LOL).
I've had many, many more controlled slides in the Forester (usually in rain or snow). The Miata is knife-edged handling, get it right and it's great, but it's much harder to get there, and even then let off the gas and you'll spin. The Forester is forgiving, the Miata ain't.
Steve: I'll check my e-mail now, that's my 2nd e-mail addy so I don't read it as often.
Congrats. So when is the official Gotcha Day, is it when you arrive in the USA, or the day you picked her up? I gotta learn the etiquette.
-juice
-c
First goal in my quest will be to pop the hood and look for the boxer engine and AWD system. ;-)
It's almost as if they hired the guy who used to style Bimmers, pre-Bangle. LOL
-juice
So let me throw some more insanity at you. If you got a WRX, you'd likely want to upgrade the tires and wheels on that as well. It pretty much cries out for 17" wheels and tires visially and for handling, and it's a great upgrade. My WRX feels much more secure at speed on 17" rubber. At minimum, you'd spend $1200-1500 on that. Some other WRX must haves:
Kartboy shifter bushings $35
Prodrive Axleback $400
So, I can see adding $2000 in mods to your WRX. Where does that put you?
Craig
Brenda: Glad to hear your dad is home and doing better. My father unexpectedly passed away two years ago on 12/22. So this time of year brings a measure of sadness to our family. Have a good visit and cherish your time together!
Bob and I will be there January 6-8. Public days only start on the 10th, so I doubt our stays will overlap.
Still, we always miss something. It's great to have someone follow-up for us. You'll recall that paisan played that roll for the Crew at the 2002 New York auto show. He got pics of several things we had missed.
So, it's all good. We'll get you a list. :-)
-juice
Cheers Pat.