Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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Comments

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    K, but I got dibs to co-pilot for you.

    :oO

    -juice
  • FrankMcFrankMc Member Posts: 228
    And in theory, everyone should evaluate car purchases objectively each time. (In a perfect world the fact that you had a lemon of a '73 Pinto should not deter you from looking at Fords for the rest of time). I find this easier to say than to practice as well.

    Frank
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Anytime you want, you let me know!

    I'm actually doing a road rally this weekend up in Cromwell, CT. Most likely I'll navigate and my uncle will drive since he's not good with directions.

    I'll be sure to let you know how it goes, should be a blast.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Frank: I agree, for the most part. Thing is, how many bad experiences before you sour on a particular brand?

    For some people, one is enough. I've tried Fords twice. Family members have had a few others, a pair of Tauri, a Sable, and a Cougar.

    The Escape looks great on paper, but I would not take the dive for a third time. Heck, if you need to seat 7 people and want an SUV, it's hard not to end up with an Explorer.

    Fords do seemingly offer a great value, and that kind of sucks you in. You just have to look beneath the surface, IMO.

    -juice
  • thecatthecat Member Posts: 535
    Does anybody know why the position of the various topics keeps changing on the "front page" of the Subaru Crew. It's not a problem ... just curious.
    -hutch
  • FrankMcFrankMc Member Posts: 228
    I'm not saying that you ignore the firms customer service, repair history, etc.. I'm just saying that you should not just write the firm totally off forever. My favorite example is a guy I work with had a Nissan Maxima that he eventually had to use the "Lemon Law" to get Nissan to buy it back. This is over 10 years ago and he will never even consider a Nissan. I think that he would be able to make a better car decision if he didn't totally rule out anything. Like I said though it is easier to say than to do.

    Frank
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Hutch: I think the busiest ones are at the top. Or the most recent are listed first, in some places.

    How are the AT3s?

    Frank: I would not write a vehicle off. But it would be a factor in my decision making process.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The 10yo Maxima is still better than the new ones. At least they had Indy rear suspension! My favorite Maxis were about '89-92, they were known for bad electrical systems though.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The 4 door sports car.

    Then the bean counters stepped in and mandated the torsion beam rear suspension from the Quest minivan. Pitiful, it's not even independent. On the former 4 door sports car.

    Talk about killing a performance icon. OK, it was FWD but at least it had a limited slip diffy.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The generations after that all had the same interior as a camary! Talk about bland.

    I'm quite interested in the new altima. Might have to stray away from the subie fold and pick one up eventually.

    -mike
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Nissan lowers power ratings.

    http://www.auto.com/industry/nissan15_20010815.htm

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Anybody able to log on to the SOJ site recently? When I try, I get a message that the site can't be found!!

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Interesting, Bob. IMO Mazda had the best response for customers. Still, it's kind of embarassing.

    The new Altima looks good. It's going to put pressure on the mainstreamers. Subaru is more niche-oriented and won't be as affected.

    -juice
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    I'm sure Nissan's press release was influenced by Mazda's mix-up in the past.

    The Altima does look quite nice. It looks more interesting that Accords and Camrys plus it's got plenty of power. I'm guessing it's going to sell quite well.

    The SOJ site was working fine when I just checked.

    Ken
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Last night my father in law left our house to go home to Queens (~ 1hr drive). After 3 hours, no one is home and my wife and sister in law were in a panic. So I decide to travel down to investigate. It took me over 3 hours to cross the Whitestone Bridge (construction), at one point shutting off the OB. This was around midnight! When I finally reached his house I pulled up right behind him! Took him 7 hours to get home and me 3.5 hrs and I wound up right behind him. After making sure everything was OK, I turned around and headed back and the traffic (now going the other way) was down to nothing. Strange. Got home around 3:15AM. What a nightmare. But Subie did great and I awarded her/him with open throttle on the way home to clean out the idle gunk. BTW, do road construction teams enjoy putting people through misery? I could have done a better job routing traffic than they did.

    Greg

    P.S. In desperate need of sleep. Hmm, if I fold the back seats down.....
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    ...and move the front seat all the way forward. Then remove both headrests, tilt the front seat down until it's level with the folded rear, and voila!

    I'd still put an inflatable mattress on top, though.

    -juice
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Just need the tinted windows now, so none of my collegues will know.

    Greg
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
  • thecatthecat Member Posts: 535
    A little something to remind us all that dispite the fact that I'm okay and you're okay .. there are many out in the world that are .. ah .. not

    - hutch


    http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1995-04.html

  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    thanks, lark, :))) but I think we had a ban on simpson's quips a while back.

    LOL Ralph.... LOL
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I love the list of sponsors. Good one.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    can't log onto Subaru of Japan's site. I keep getting a message that the site can't be found on this server. This has been going on for two days now. Anybody using AOL having the same problem?

    Bob
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    loosh - I missed the Simpsons ban. Will refrain from here on.

    Ed
  • 1subydown1togo1subydown1togo Member Posts: 348
    Bob, I was able to get on a minute ago...here is the URL I used

    http://www.subaru.co.jp/
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Hey folks. Keep your eyes peeled for any XT6s you see for sale. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna sell the MX6 and buy another XT6.

    Here is what I'm looking for:
    XT6, 88-91, AWD, 5-speed prefferable, Automatic ok too. Under 130K miles preffereable.

    Thanks, hopefully you guys can help me out on this. Also if you know anyone who wants to buy a good commuter car, my MX6 will be going out the door as well.

    -mike
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    o 0
    ~~~
    I know it wasn't long ago a question 'bout performance driving school was asked and answered; but... thanks to the SEARCH (or lack thereof) function haven't found the post(s).

    What is the name of the 'school' in the NY Tri-State Area again? Got 2 weeks to burn next week.

    TIA

    David aka Hypov in Brooklyn, NY
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Wow, cars.com had no XT6s within 500 miles. They really are rare!

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    performance driving schools in the NY area.

    But you should come to some auto-xs in Englishtown and Giant's stadium!

    I go regularly to E-town and G-stadium for them.

    -mike
  • FrankMcFrankMc Member Posts: 228
    in NE Penn.


    http://www.racenow.com/


    Frank

  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Thanks for the link. It worked fine. My old link must have gotten corrupted somehow.

    Bob
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    I found 3 within a 100-mile radius of my home, including one at Becker Subaru in Allentown. I think your home falls within that radius, Mike.

    Ed
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Those are all dealers, they are asking mad prices (like $5K!!!!) I'm gonna go offer em like $1K-$1.5K max

    -mike
  • 1subydown1togo1subydown1togo Member Posts: 348
    Skip Barber at Lime Rock CT..supposed to be one of the best
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    image


    ...at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!

    http://www.edmunds.com/chat/subaruchat.html

  • wmiller4wmiller4 Member Posts: 97
    Offering 1 - 1.5k on a 5k car doesn't follow your preaching.

    What gives?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It's on an '88 XT6. Used cars are pretty much worthless, not to mention they probably got the car for $500 on a trade-in. If you want to go by "invoice" of a used car, I paid $1000 for my XT6 with 50K miles on it. So I'm not gonna pay more than $1.5K for one in similar condition. My profit formulation is only for new car sales anyway, where you know the actual invoice price. There is no way of knowing the actual invoice price of a used car.

    -mike
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Well here goes. I went to Jeep 101 yesterday evening; DaimlerChrysler had a track beside and I drove on it as well. I'll try to be brief yet cover the essential info.

    Liberty: drove the Limited off-road, the Sport on-road. Off-road course fun and not too difficult. The 4-banger Sport is woefully underpowered for the weight; hard to tell if the V6 is adequate given that I had to keep it in 4 low for the entire drive. Good turning radius and the very short overhangs (plus that low range) allow it to do things I never would in my Forester. Headroom worse than Forester. Odd interior surface textures (like a golf ball over center a/c vents) a potential haven for dirt. Nice liftgate and floor cargo ties but SOMETHING forces continued use of external spare. (Edit: not an IRS, but Liberty has IFS and a solid axle link-coil rear.) Aluminum trim on Limited, though metal, looks cheap and nasty (like WRX), also hard to keep clean. Uncomfortable flat seat cushions, especially in Limited's leather. Weight good for off-roading and good towing rating (thanks, Drew) but EPA estimates - even for 4-cylinder - not so good (20/25 and lower). In short, an improvement over Cherokee but a lot heavier and more expensive.

    Did not drive the other two Jeep models.

    On the Chrysler track I drove the 300m and PT Cruiser. 300m very nice, elegant interior, odd steering wheel position, a lot of FWD torque steer. PT a real slug, poor visibility, poor ergonomics (window switches under a/c vents, long reach for shifter), sloppy handling, good cargo area in that it's very configurable. Seems to me DC should offer a panel van conversion with no rear seats for commercial applications.

    Ed

    PS: Forgot to mention the ridiculously bad rear cupholders - mounted low and to the rear in the door panels. Sitting in the rear seat and having stuck a water bottle in one, I couldn't see it, much less reach it, with the door closed. Front cupholders consist of 2 cutouts in the console, which have removable rubber liners to adjust size and for cleaning(?). I'm sure some folks will appreciate that.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The Liberty doesn't have an independent rear end! :)

    -mike
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    It's got some three-link thing - let me go get a brochure and edit my post. Still lousy rear cargo room.

    Ed

    Edit: okay, done. IFS and solid axle with link-coil rear.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I think the reason they have so little cargo room is that they made the rear seat room bigger, thus cutting into the cargo area.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    the rear link-coil sholdn't stop the spare from being underneath (the rodeo has it with a rear multi-link solid axle)

    -mike
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    I've been spoiled by the neat and, apparently, novel way the full-sized spare is stored in the Forester. Having lived with it for a while now I don't understand why others don't do the same.

    Ed
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I have to disagree. I hate having to pull all my gear stacked up to the roof, out on a highway in the rain, on a hill, to get to my spare tire. Or if I'm up to the bumpers in mud, trying to get underneatht the vehicle and get one that is bottom mounted out really sux, then when you do get it out from underneath, you find that a stone or debris has been kicked up previously and slashed the spare! Rear mounted doesn't take away from any interior room as all the others do. :)

    -mike
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Rear mounted cuts into visibility. I hear what you're saying about schlepping stuff out in the rain but that's a compromise I'm willing to make for now. As a kayaker I can always use dry bags to store my gear. After all if I still had a sedan I'd have to take things out of the trunk to reach the spare.

    In addition rear mounted makes having a hard cover a necessity given the malicious mischief that goes on in this world.

    Ed
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I parked my rodeo in harlem for weeks with a soft cover, never had the tire touched. You are right about the sedan being the same thing. Maybe it's the way my truck is setup, but my rear tire doesn't block my view at all, my side-view mirrors cover me w/o a problem.

    -mike
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Ed,

    I thought your review was tedious until I came to the postscript describing the most important of a vehicle's characteristics, da cupholder. That brought a tear to my eye. Ya done good, my son.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    I never had a car with a cupholder until the one before the current one, unless you count the kind that clipped into your window channel. I seldom use the ones I have now. I just think it's noteworthy to point out a vehicle manufacturer's ergonomic mistakes.

    Ed
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I was at the auto-show in NYC about 3 or 4 years ago. They were introducing the Pontiac Montana or other GM mini-van...

    The hand model went on and on about 17 cup holders.

    So my buddy asked during the Q&A session...

    "Why do you need 17 cup holders if it only seats 7-8 people at most? That's 2/person. And as a followup, does it come with a portopotti, cause with 17 cup holders I'm gonna need to tinkle a lot!"

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    paisan: your XT6 only cost a grand? Sweet. Did your dealer buddy give it to you for his price?

    For a spare under the car, just use a cover. I've heard this helps.

    Ed: I mostly agree, except for the brushed metal trim. The WRX' trim is cheapo painted plastic, while Jeep uses real textured metal, far nicer.

    You didn't comment on the handling, though. I thought it felt tall (because it is). I can't imagine using that roof rack.

    -juice
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Woops, that didn't come out as I intended. I was trying to bust my chops; seems I regularly focus on the human factors engineering of cupholders. Ok, so maybe that should be "obsess" instead of "focus". :) And I actually do enjoy learning about other makes through the eyes of a fellow Scooby owner, so keep 'em coming (you, Drew, juice, Bob, everyone!).

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

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