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Comments
Ross
Hope the stay in england is enjoyable. I guess you will notice the comparative scarcity of Subarus around London although if you live out of town, as I did for 8 years, they are more common. You could try your luck with a WRX, even if the new ones look a bit wierd.
Alternatively, you could try no car for a while. Lots of folk in London use the Tube through the week and hire a car when they need one. There are even clubs which allow you access to flash cars like Ferraris and Jaguars for so many weeks per year. The idea is that you pay an annual membership which buys you so many weeks a year of car usage and you specify what you want and when.
I really enjoyed the nine years I spent in the UK although I was immeasurably relieved to return to Australia where the sun shines and people are friendly. Enjoy the history.
Cheers
Graham
-Colin
A couple of years ago a friend had a mid 70's 2002. Rust bucket. Money pit.
YMMV of course :-)
Regards,
-wdb
Ed
Is there an online site where one can purchase accessories for Subarus? -- that is with a price that is less than dealer retail???
Thanks.
HTH (hope this helps).
..Mike
..Mike
(for those that missed my buffoonery, it's here)
..The logophile formerly known as Mr. Dictionary
..Mike
Ross
4 cylinders, two carburetors. Nice big air cleaner cans plus a very large, smooth, header-like exhaust combined to produce a deep, throaty exhaust note, even with the stock system. No power steering, no power brakes, so bring your muscles because you'll need them for low-speed steering and braking from almost any speed. You'll also get the most amazing feedback through the steering wheel that you've ever experienced short of an open-wheel racer.
Stay away from anything after 1974. Those jacked-up things with the ugly black bumpers don't count as MGBs. They were sad, sad replicars of the real thing. 1967 is an excellent year, with no smog controls and a beefier, fully synchronized gearbox. Anything before 1967 is good too. 1969-1971 has a funny interior because of dashboard safety laws; Otherwise the cars are quite driveable. 1972-1974 has an nicely updated interior.
I had a very pleasant 1971 GT, white with a tan interior and a goldish tint to the glass, wire wheels with knockoffs. A beautiful car, visually and behind the wheel. I drove that car on 1000+ mile, multi-week trips, with a roof rack to hold our camping gear. Always got me where I was going, always got me home. I also had a mostly 1973 roadster (it had gotten tagged in front and I put earlier-vintage bits back on when I fixed it). Compared with those, and other English cars I owned before and after, the BMW 2002 felt like a pretty mundane sedan with a roomy interior and lamentable handling. The 2002 mystique, IMHO, is mostly myth.
As for electrics, I have to say that this "Prince of Darkness" everyone talks about never bit me nearly as hard as his German counterpart. I had lots of incidents with Lucas electrics, but I never had one that made it such that I could not drive safely home; Lucas electrics never stranded me. Bosch, on the other hand, stranded me repeatedly. Whether in German, French, or Swedish automobiles, Bosch electrics were never my friend. Give me Lucas any day.
I know, this is all probably off topic. But I am a Subie owner now, and this is arguably a way to meet or learn more about the members, so I forgive myself ;-)
Cheers,
-wdb
There's an old beat-up sedan for sale at the car lot next door to my fire station... might be worth a closer look, if only to reminisce. (Hope I spelled that right - I don't dare use spell-check lest I find more rally bread!)
Cheers!
Paul
Ross
The real dilemma is that (assuming I COULD afford to lay down 20 grand right now) Subaru has most of its lineup in a very tight price range: Forester L, Legacy, Impreza RS, TS and Outback Sport are all close enough in price to be competing with each other. Its at times like this I wish there was a 2002 Justy in the lineup to offer a bit of perspective.
Dave
Ed
However, they both address two different markets. The only cross-shopping I could see, would be between an OBS and a Forester S, and perhaps an Impreza TS vs. a Forester L. Folks looking at the RS and WRX aren't going to be looking at Foresters.
Bob
Of course there are down sides to British cars. My family had an Austin 1800 for many years and it was very pleasant to drive; sort of like a lounge room on wheels as it wafted along on its hydrolastic suspension. It did however have a few temperamental elements including a pathological hatred of rain.
Whenever serious rain built up, the distributor, mounted at he front of the engine bay, would be soaked and the ignition would die. This was a common complaint with transverse BMC engines on the Mini and 1100 as well. The general cure all for rain on the ignition is a can of WD40 and a dry rag but if the problem persisted, you basically got used to the idea of sitting out the storm.
The 1800 also had a tnednecy for the starter motor to jam, wedging the Bendix Spring out and not allowing the starter to fire. In older Austins, there was a nut on the end of the starter to spin it when this happened but the 1800 supposedly required a full dismantle to fix it. We discovered that a judiciously applied thump with a large piece of wood solved the problem and found the axe handle (where I come from fallen trees are a regular hazard) was just the right weight, clutching the axe by the head.
The axe also served as a convenient mallet to reattach the flexible section of the exhaust which periodically fell off and also to bash the skid plate below the sump back into shape.
However, I can say, from experience, that leaping from a car in city traffic, grabbing an axe and taking a swing at a car is a sure way to upset your fellow drivers.
Cheers
Graham
Ross
My favorite winter roadster was the Healy 100-4/100-6/3000. So toasty warm, you hardly even needed a hat. The Jag XK 120 may have been nice for that too but I never drove one in the winter.
Having also had Minis, I am familiar with the wet weather phenomenon described. Mini owners used to cut a piece of metal plate and screw it in place behind the grille and in front of the distributor, which went a long way towards eliminating the problem. (This may actually have been a factory installation in later models.) Speaking of covering stuff, the B came with a factory stock engine oil cooler; it was not a bad idea to block airflow through it in winter, if you ever wanted your engine oil to get warmer than, say, iced tea :-)
Plus, I too used to carry an object with a wooden handle in all my English cars. In my case it was a knockoff hammer; wood, lead, and plastic, all there in one handy tool :-) I too have whacked starters, generators, and fuel pumps to good effect. So perhaps I should modify my previous statement to say, "Lucas electrics never left me sitting by the side of the road, however it was not without the occasional appropriately placed thump!" There is something quite satisfying about reaching under a car, thumping the electric fuel pump, and having it resume its reassuring "click-click-click".
I never had German electrics respond, either positively or negatively, to a thump. They just quit, and I walked.
Cheers,
-wdb
Ross
Ah yes, British fuel pumps. Before the Austin 1800, my Dad had an Austin A60 Cambridge, a lovely looking Pinin Farina design, usually painted two tone with a darker colour below the waist line.
For a 1960 car, it was lovely but prone to typical British foibles like the gear linkage on the column shift breaking meaning that reverse was unavailable. I can recall this happening at the inconvenient moment when dad had the car pointed nose down, parked into a sand-dune. With just him and us three small kids to help, it was an exercise in perseverance to get the car out and then he had to drive home in second gear as he only had the choice of first or second. Forty miles is a long way at twenty maximum.
The fuel pump would fail regularly and was remedied by applying a trye pump to a valve mouned high in the trunk area. I cannot recall what this did but can recall riding home, wedged in the boot, pushing the tyre pump each time Dad shouted that he was losing power. The things you do when you live in the country!
Cheers
Graham
Turns out it was a mixed blessing: while it's wonderful to win anything, much less a car; this was the only vehicle I have ever owned, in which the mechanic (upon having the car towed to the dealer) wrote on the work order—"the carburetor fell apart."
It did have very comfortable seats though.
Bob
Your carburetor falling apart reminded me of another good reason not to buy one of the "black bumper" 1975 and newer MGB's. They had catalytic converters added to them, oddly enough placed directly below the (now single) carburetor. There was heat shielding in place between them, which usually worked well enough. BMC also chose to add an automatic choke mechanism to the venerable Stromberg carburetor perched north of the catalyst and shielding. That choke must have been designed to mimic the committee responsible for it; it did very little real work and could never make up its mind. When it did decide to do something, it was usually to jam itself into an overly rich setting and stay there. This would cause the catalyst to have to work extra hard burning all the unspent fuel exiting the engine, which caused it to get even hotter than normal--white hot, sometimes--which caused the heat shielding to disintegrate, which allowed the by-now extreme heat to reach the carburetor, which plastic bits would promptly melt, which would cause raw fuel to rain down onto the catalyst, which would dutily ignite same; in other words it would set the car on fire.
While MGB's burning down was a relatively rare occurrence, it was not at all uncommon for the choke's malfunction to cause the catalyst to self-destruct; it was a ceramic honeycomb design, and it would very simply fall to pieces from the heat. Then all of its former internals would proceed into the muffler where they would severely restrict flow.
Mid- to late-70's automobiles were forgettable, if not regrettable, for most manufacturers, particularly so for BMC.
Regards,
-wdb
-Brian
The owner is Andy, someone I met at an i-club meet. He picked up his car in Tampa and he lives in upstate NY. You can see his car here: http://www.mastrowrx.com/
Mastro is one of only a few U.S. Prodrive distributors.
First we were driving around in Manhattan, where you appreciate turbo lag. Then we hit the NJ Turnpike. I have had that much fun since Six Flags. Didn't notice the turbo lag at all. It's all in the driving.
We picked up my wife and then went Atco Raceway. There we saw Kevin Thomas run a 13.03 1/4 mile in his Turbo/NOS OB Sport. The announcer was in shock. It was so funny.
I'm really getting the turbo itch now.
Dennis
March 24th dawned bright and brisk as I trotted toward the car and reminded myself this was the first full day of my thirtsomethings. Kirsten wished me luck, kissed my goodbye, and I steered out of the B&B lot towards Oakland Acres. Arriving there, I immediately got in line for tech inspection behind a string of automotive highlights- Talon TSi, Lancer Evo V, Conquest, Karmann Ghia, 325is, and enough Imprezas to choke a container ship.
Drivers were split into 2 groups; those not driving would work the course. I was selected course marshall, so I grabbed an FRS and headed for the podium. That Lancer sounded like a running gunfight as it vamped around the dusty course, but it was the blowoff valve on the Audi Quattro that sounded the sweetest. It was loads of fun to watch all the different cars run, from full blown rally car to lowly volvo 145 sedan. After half a day of eating dust, it was my turn to get going.
We all got a parade-style drive through first. Hoo boy, this is gonna be interesting. Lots of elevation changes, lots of esses, and greasy conditions toward the end. The Lancer and Audi had really chewed some of the turn up. My first run was a get acquinted run, turning in a time of 2:02.30 (about the same as the novice 2wd drivers). I learned a lot though, and looked forward to my next run. Next shot I drove harder, managing a 1:56.8. Better, now running with the modified 2wd times. I got back in line, and crept toward the start of my 3rd heat, determined to give it my all this time.
Handing in my time card to the gate worker, I started to get excited; Got my time and moved up to the startline just after the car ahead launched. "one minute!" says the windblown gentleman with the stop watch. Leaning on my A-pillar, he watches the car on the course, then steps away and grunts, "30 seconds!" O.k., now I am pumped. Lifting off the brake, I find the car sits on its own, so I get my right foot over the gas and the other over the clutch. "Ten seconds!" as he takes a step back and throws a hand out in front of the windshield. "5, 4..." His fingers curl into a fist, one by one, and I gun it to 4000rpm "...3, 2, 1, GO!" Out comes the clutch and I fly for the first gate, my heart pounding already.
What a handful. I get in over my head a couple times, doing in a couple perfectly good scrub brushes, but nary a single cone. I'm not really prepared for the work, wrestling with the car through the now-deteriorated course. Sway bar is working though, as rounding a sweeper with throttle lift results in a healthy dose of opposite lock. The engine is howling, at least as much as a stock setup can, as I snake up toward the main spectator area. threshold brake going into that hairpin, downshift to 1st as the tail comes around, and put my foot in it. So that's a rooster tail....no time to notice though, upshift, my ears are ringing from the adrenaline and I am still a little loose from that last turn going into the next gate. yup that is now officially a problem, the car hasn't had time to settle, and I'm getting sideways. Crap. Lost it in the next turn, coming to almost a complete stop before bombing into the greasy stuff...Well executed, finally, as the rev limiter scolds me and I blindly grab 2nd. Full opposite lock coming out of the muddy hairpin, the car is clawing its way up toward the last gate and the finish. We're all over the place, it is greasy as hell...2nd gear rev limiter as we careen through the finish gate and slam the brakes. The car slithers to a stop, ABS popping a bit because I am too spent to care. "God, get this helmet off," is all I can think as I roll down the window and shakily hand my time card off. "Can we get a time on that run?" That is the question from the tower over the PA. Must have looked good, if he is trying to get the crowd into it. Declan, the ruddy Northern Irish Lancer driver, comes back with my card. "Looks loyk yer getting the hang of it, yea?" A wry smile as he hands it back. "1:53.8? 1:53.8!" from the tower. Dead average for the day, but I feel like I just won the Olympics as I pull away and get back in line....
Next run was 1:54.1, with some mistakes corrected, and new ones cropping up. Most of the N/A RS cars ran 1:50 or so, with a couple really modified cars going 1:45-ish. The Lancer finished the day with a best-of-show 1:35.
Can't wait for the next one. Tires are next- I got more than my share of ribbing for the amount of gravel I liberated.
-mike
LOOOSH! Wow, talking about living vicariously! I felt like I was your nav, sitting right next to you. Great soliloquy!
..Mike
..Mike
Damage report? Sounds like the OB did well. Any others wreck?
If I dip my rally bread in eggs and fry it in a pan, does that make it a French Rally? :-)
2002 - wrong period in your life. I've seen one fully race-prepped, but the amount of money invested was sinful. Twas sweet, though.
Ash: great news. Resale is a big plus. Nice to know that its character brought you back into the fold (after a few, uh, ruts), and then it didn't cost you much in the long run to boot.
Last week's chat was great - I was late, but someone said we had 14 going at one point? Wow! VW fans are fanatic, too, but that's cool. Hutch - if you want to annoy him, ask him if that's the engine from the EuroVan. ;-)
My latest home project is a swing set for the kid. I've been working my tail off building it myself. Sweet - the entire thing fit inside the Forester, hatch closed! And it's a pretty big wodden set (I'll share photos once it's done).
How? Well, I removed the headrests from the passenger seat and rear as well, then moved the pass seat all the way forward, and recline it. It actually goes all the way down, and meets more or less flush with the folded back seat.
The guys at the warehouse didn't believe it. They kept asking what car I had. "You want to see the boxes? We deliver..." they insisted. Two huge, long boxes, the smaller one was 300 lbs (all lumber). The bigger one had the swing so it was actually lighter.
I thought I might have had to use the roof rack, but nope. Both slid right in, with length to spare. The wider box made shifting to 5th a bit hard, but no big deal.
Again, I'm impressed. Buy a Subaru, save on delivery fees!
-juice
Awesome write up! Got my adrenaline pumping!
Looking forward to future reports! Do you think your upcoming clutch will help?
Ken
Wonder how you'd do if you had run BEFORE the others chewed up the track.
-Brian
A trailer would work. Maybe I'll borrow one, just wish Bob or Hutch were closer!
-juice
Is there a difference between "rally tires" and "gravel tires?"
Kens- If Colin wants to buy me a clutch, I'll let you know! ;-)
Yea, the track was getting heell-aciaous. There was a VW Jetta that understeered sidaways into the ruts that the Lancer and Audi had been making. Car got up in the air. almost settled, but.....flopped over on its roof instead. Doh! I took it easy through that bit...
Ken
Scary. Was the driver OK?
-juice
I had a great time on Saturday in the driving school, as usual. As I mentioned to Mike (Smith), one of the best parts was that there was a Subie running along with all of the other cars too! It was a white '99 2.5GT (standard tranny) and seeing it perform in the auto-cross and emergency maneuver exercises was interesting. Since the infield was a bit dirty with gravel/rocks, the driver was able to do some slight four wheel drifting on occasions :-) I found it interesting how the intial understeer changed over to oversteer in the slalom, as the speed increased. This was similar to what Motor Trend TV noted a few years ago. The boxer growl was unmistakable, and the owner did run into the rev limiter once! Heh heh
I wasn't the only other SUV that day. I was joined by a '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited as well. Let's just say that live axles and the higher centre of gravity did not work to the Jeep's advantage that day. My entry speed into just about all of the maneuvers was about 10-20 km/hr higher than anything it could manage. I tried the ML with ESP on and off and found that it made so much of a difference when activated, especially in the double lane change emergency exercise, that I just left it on permanently.
The system corrected the intial understeer and then the oversteer after flawlessly, and I completed each of the exercises without clipping any cones. Not bad for a 4586lbs vehicle that stands 5.825 feet tall. Braking was also excellent with Brake Assist (an unfair advantage, I admit :-)) applying maximum brake boost for me in the panic stops. I managed to stop quicker than some of the BMWs from 70 km/hr! The cars without ABS had a disadvantage here, with many locking up the rear wheels as the weight transfered forward.
My on-road/off-road biased Dunlop Grandtrek TG35 tires worked surprisingly well when inflated to the max cold tire pressure limit of 44 psi. Though I had accelerated wear around the edges, I was still better off than all of the cars. The Goodyear Wranglers on the Grand Cherokee did not hold up as well, upon inspection before and after the day.
'01 BMW 320i (yes we have these in Canada, new for 2001, with the 2.0 litre inline 6) vs. the Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT
More pictures here:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=137587&a=12271823&f=&sp=1&vt=vpall
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
-juice
PS I think they have a BMW 316i in Brazil.
..Mike
..Mike
ESP doesn't reduce the throttle unless it needs to. Since I had only used light throttle to maintain a constant speed, I don't think it intervened in that sense. I didn't feel like I was losing speed at all, but I did feel the selective brake application. MB's ESP can be aggressive if necessary though.
Mike, I can send you a video clip that looks great, but it will be huge! :-)
In Europe they have BMW 316,318,320,324 etc. I have never seen so many variations!
Your commentary about the ESP on your Merc got me to thinking: with electronically controlled systems such as that, manufacturers are now able to replace basic design principles with software. IOW they can design a car and not care whether it understeers or oversteers, because they can tune those characteristics in and out as needed in software.
I don't know whether that's good or bad.
Regards,
-wdb
Which Subaru (I pretty sure it's non-US) has the adjustable front-rear bias switch? Even though it's a user selectable feature, it kind of already bypasses the design principles, doesn't it? Or am I way off?
-Brian
FWIW, the stability control system is developed and calibrated for each individual vehicle. On some vehicles, they're designed to enhance handling and performance even more so (ex. Porsche 911 Carerra 4 with PSM - Porsche Stability Management). Obviously PSM is much different from the VSC in a Toyota Sienna minivan.
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
I've placed an order for a batch filters, it's been charged to my account for over 10 days, but still I do not have them.
I emailed them using their support page tonight, so we'll see. They do not provide a telephone number (what's up with that?).
-Tony
-Colin
bit