Subaru Impreza Outback Sport & TS

ateixeira · August 2001

Those are sweet rides, but will an insurance company even offer coverage? If so, can he afford it?

When I was a teen my dad bought me a Mustang and insurance was $2 grand a year. I could not afford it and had to sell the car, and ended up on motorcycles for several years after that.

If he wants to customize, what about something really tame with affordable insurance rates, that he can then soup up for performance?

Just remind him of an old saying, that the best way to make a small fortune in racing is to start with a large fortune!

Start a speed shop, eh? Well, the Miata market is saturated. There is so much aftermarket stuff out there it's incredible. I guess if he wants to be a reseller/installer, there are ample parts and half a million Miatas on the road.

If he wants to gain experience with mods, I guess a Civic, Integra, Miata, Impreza, Prelude, Sentra, Eclipse, or Celica would be a place to start, given the popularity of the import scene. The RX7, Supra, and 300ZX definitely fall into that category, but at the high end, and there's that finicky insurance agent to deal with.

-juice

drew_ · August 2001

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

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

celeste2 · August 2001

Well, we always tell him that he may have to settle for what he can afford.

He says the Eclipse GST (or whatever the AWD turbo one is called) wouldn't be bad, but he'd prefer a car with rear-wheel drive unless he can convert a Prelude to rear-wheel drive by rotating the engine 90 degrees, or something like that. If not, he wants to go with a Miata. He hasn't driven one yet, though, so that may determine things a little more, along with how much he can afford, as you said, insurance is a real scam and rates are incredible for single young males.

Maybe because they want these fast little cars?

Or he could go with those shoes that have roller skate wheels built in.

celeste2 · August 2001

Where are you Ramon? If you're lurking around here give us an update and let us know how your busy summer race schedule is going!

brettski314 · August 2001

After lurking around this board for the past several months gathering info, I finally became the proud owner of a 2002 OBS this past weekend (Aspen White, automatic). It really is a sweet ride! It came with these options already installed: spoiler, keyless entry, splash guards, cargo net, tailpipe cover, and armrest extension. My impression so far is that it's very smooth and solid, a real joy to drive. Too bad I can't really ring it out yet because of the break-in period (it only has 54 miles as of now).
I've gotten nothing but compliments so far. Comments on the appearence have ranged from "cute" to "very aggressive". One guy at work said he didn't even know anybody still made station wagons, but I kindly reminded him it's actually called a "sport" wagon.
Oh well, just thought I'd tell everyone my story. See ya later...

pattim3 · August 2001

Welcome to the group and thanks for buying a Subaru. I look forward to your posts and opinions!

Patti

aaluke · August 2001

I just finished installing the Round Cross Bar Set and two Yakima fork-mounted bike racks (one Steelhead and one Copperhead). I got the Steelhead because the store I returned my other Copperhead to didn't have any more Copperheads. I can't say I really prefer one over the other, but their dimensions and other features aren't exactly the same, so there's no doubt that I have two different models of bike racks.

If anyone wants a Steelhead and will give me a Copperhead (slightly used or new), I'll gladly trade

If not, the bikes that are going on there are so different it'll seem natural that way.

Just for anyone else looking for the same thing (fork-mounted racks), I have one of two recommendations:

1) Become a member of IMBA before buying your Subaru. You'll get a free set of Copperheads and the Round Cross Bars.

OR

2) Buy the Round Cross Bar Set ($125 at subaruparts.com).
Buy two Copperheads ($160 total).
Don't waste your time trying to fit fork-mounted racks on the standard flat cross bar set.

The car's running great after over 5000 miles. The only thing I don't like is the slow down-shifting in the automatic transmission (just a minor annoyance, but one worth mentioning if someone's on the fence about a manual/automatic). I really appreciate how nice the OBS is to drive after being forced to drive a Buick Regal in San Francisco.

Luke

celeste2 · August 2001

Luke: A Buick Regal? Yow, that's close to torture for sure, do you notice any better gas mileage after break-in? I do.

Brettski: Congratulations! I also have the automatic and am very pleased with it especially since I added an air intake. Gives a little extra boost at full throttle and sounds real nice.

Juice: Test drove a new Miata yesterday. Really did it for the kid to top off his summer before school. I got out and let him drive, he's really good at shifting. It was really fun, really notchy shifter, really EASY to shift, and easier to put in reverse than my manual OBS was. Just felt more road bumps, probably because sitting so low. That icy blue color is nice and the hardtop seems a good idea, besides I think adds to the look of the car.

brekke · August 2001

I'd thought I'd share my recent mileage for anyone who's interested:

All suburban mixed driving (fairly conservatively), just commuting to work

I've been using Amoco Regular

1st tank, brand X dealer gas, no A/C: 22.6 mpg
2nd: used A/C sparingly: 25.4 mpg
3rd: A/C used freely: 27.3 mpg w00t!

I always get better mileage in summer because they add MBTE? MTBE? in the gas here in winter.

fyi: I got a check engine light (CEL) 10 miles into my third tank. I tightened the gas cap, and the CEL did not come back on after I completed four trips.

ramon · August 2001

I'm here celeste. Just a bit busy. Well my girlfriend came over for a visit and guess what? we're engaged! =D Been goind all over Canada to see the country. Best places we've been to so far was Quebec City and Montreal! My poor car is being neglected of late. Racked up lots of kilometres. Only been to one autoX event and I didn't even take my Scooby out. Drove the miata instead.
Anyways yes I do read this forum once a while. Just that I've been busy with err... somethin' else.
Got to test the Protege5. it's a nice car. But for that price, I'd get an OBS wagon!

brekke · August 2001

congrats Ramon, you little devil! Best of luck.

Caroline

p.s. the protege5 people say it outhandles our Subies. What did you think ramon?

ramon · August 2001

well it does drive very nicely. And on the dry, I have no doubt it will outhandle the Imrpeza wagons. Big reason being that it comes with 16" Dunlop SP5000 all seasons. That's the best all season tires in the market right now. I wasn't impressed with the interior. The dashboard was disappointing as it is made out of cheap plastic! They reminded me of those computer plastic panels! The seats aren't as blstered as I thot. However the steering wheel is much much better than any Subies, I've came across! Small and meaty! Just like the current gen Nardi wheels.

celeste2 · August 2001

All God's blessings to you and your fiancee. When is the big date? If you decide to take a tour thru Florida you'll have to stop by. I guess you read above that I test drove that Miata (during the test drive we swapped out and my son got to drive, too, did a little fishtaily-thing in an empty lot). My son wants one (used naturally) when he "grows up" ha, ha-- and gets his own car because he can do so much stuff to it. I saw that Protege 5 when we drove the Miata, and it looks quite impressive. Very nice design. How did you like the shifter and clutch?

I was reading at the I-club about someone who was wondering if modifying his suspension on his new WRX would really improve the performance. He contacted some guys with prodrive and others, I forget, but ones who really knew their stuff. Anyway, they said the WRX comes with the suspension that is perfect for the car, not to change it, but to change the tires out for more performance, and I would agree, because I'm not crazy over the tires I have. I think they feel "squooshy" or something.

barresa62 · August 2001

I personally don't like the body roll in my WRX wagon. I would (and probably will) opt for the 20mm rear sway bar that is std on the WRX sedan. I think the wagon only has a 17mm as std. You're definitely right on about the tires. They are undoubtedly the weakest feature of the WRX and would also be better upgraded on the OBS as well. I am actually going to upgrade to a 17"wheel/tire combo because of asthetics even though it may be a little less smooth than the 16". Just my .02 :-)

Stephen

stakman · August 2001

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm enjoying the posts. Only have about 250 miles on my 2002 OBS 5-spd, not much to report. Been trying to be a good boy and keep it under 4000 rpms.

Some one said do that for the first 1000 miles. It's hard.
Different clutch from my Civic SI. Can't wait to wind it up and see it compares off the line.
check back soon...

ramon · August 2001

the date's set for june 2002! So much for my big plans to turbo up the scooby! =(
well your son would have to worry about the insurance tho as it's considered a sports car and if your son is under 25... yikes! unless u be the principle driver. Anyways a miata is too kewl. Cheapest sports roadster!
I'm pampered by my GGR short shifter, so I have to say the P5's shifter sucked. The clutch is like any othe Mazda cars.
WEll the rear cargo has a light. hehehehe...
do change the tires. I say go for a set of Bridgestone RE730s since u don't have winter! You're so blessed in Florida! We might come down sometime in the near future. But no way will I drive down with my scooby tho. Too far. Prolly fly down and rent a car for a few days.

celeste2 · August 2001

Hey! You know, they put rear cargo lights in the 2002's!!

As far as what #2 son can afford and what he gets, they may be two different things. You know how that goes.

Are those Bridgestone RE730's hard? Good in rain? Someone at i-club was raving about those Dunlops... any thoughts on those?

Hey, there's a place near the Orlando Airport that rents dream cars, Farrari's, Lamborghini's, you name it... now there's an example of it being a difference between what you want and what you can afford!

mosovich · August 2001

I'm having to buy a car real soon and can't decide between an 2002 OBS and a Jetta GLS VR6. I need some feed back on experiences both good and bad on the OBS. Thanks Email mosovich@home.com Purchase date will be 8/20.

pocahontas · August 2001

Got a moment to spare? Perhaps you can offer mosovich some insights to the Subaru Outback Sport vs the Jetta VR6 in this new discussion: VW Jetta VR6 Wagon VS. Subaru Outback Sport. Thanks for your participation! ;-)

Pocahontas
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

ramon · August 2001

if i were to look for an all seasone rubber, those sp5000s would be my numero uno choice. Having said that, i have a set of winter tires anyways so i much rather use a dedicated summer tire like the re730 for non winter use. For sure the re730s are much much better than any all season tires including the sp5000.
and if I have a million dollars, i would put a set of Pirelli Pzeros or Bridgestones S02s on my scooberoo. And with extra 990,000 in changes, i'll pick up a coupla Ferraris on the way home too! So no need to rent!

apparently the deposit for renting these exotic mobiles is very very high!

celeste2 · August 2001

Well I never had the occasion to check their fees, but I would rather guess they are expensive to rent.

We were at our local Ferrari dealership gawking at cars the other day and up walks a guy we saw at the last i-club meet who does professional autocross! He details the cars there and was showing us one of the engines that takes like 16 quarts of oil on an oil change! Dang, what if you needed this much and used Amsoil or Royal Purple?? You'd have to save for 6 months to get your oil changed, even if you did it yourself!!!

Are the Pzeros really that expensive?

moosh · August 2001

i recently bought an OBS wagon after testing the protege5. Hands down for the money spent, subaru is amazing. Today we went to a subaru ride and drive event, 5 wrx wagons and sedans on a cement course with wet skid pads.....unbeatable. After seeing what these cars can do under severe conditions at full speed i am happy i made the right purchase. I went through a new set of tires in one day! Only draw back so far.... hard to get parts here in canada, can anyone help a new subaru driver out with tips and info about these fantastic cars?

pattim3 · August 2001

Congratulations! I wish you both many years of happiness.

Patti

brekke · August 2001

I don't like body roll either, and would like to upgrade my (13mm?) rear sway bar. Do you think a 20mm bar for an OBS would be too much? I was going to do 18mm but I can't imagine there's much diff between 17mm and 18mm. Then again, you're probably more aggressive than I.

Ramon also recommended a rear strut brace as well, are you doing that too?

ateixeira · August 2001

I like Mazdas (we own 2), but I wish they'd put more power in the Protoge5. Even the MP3 could use more power. All the real contenders have 160hp or more (Civic Si, Mini Cooper, Sentra SE-R, RSX, Matrix/Vibe, Celica, and OBS/RS).

RWD used? What about a Nissan 240SX? Or an older 300ZX, Supra, or RX7? Those will probably be tough to insure, though.

ramon engaged? Wow! Congrats!

-juice

paisan · August 2001

A Starion/Conquest. They should be real cheap. A 4-banger truck engine with a turbo. Yum Yum.

300Z is nice too.

-mike

paisan · August 2001

I have a fine MX6 5MT sitting on my driveway if you are interested...

-mike

ramon · August 2001

for the rear will defitenily stiffen up the rear and complements the rear no roll bar (18-20mm). Go for shocks and springs only if you require less body roll and won' mind the drop. I have no idea what the new OBS have in terms for spring choices.
yup... by next year, ramon's gonna say bye bye to his bachelor ways. =( Does that mean no more toying around with his Scooby?!
celeste : i would assume ferrari would give the owners like 5 years of free oil change!

ateixeira · August 2001

No way, ramon. You should have her sign a pre-nup that lets you Scooby around for at least one day a week, plus an hour a day for these boards!

-juice

celeste2 · August 2001

Moosh: You can try logging on to i-club.com as there are several different very specific areas there having to do with Subarus, also forums on the Forester, SVX, Legacy, etc... There is also a search function there and you can learn in depth about a particular item. Also there are regional forums. You can ask on a forum of people from your own region about how they get parts for their cars. There are several places that sell Subaru parts online. What color did you get?

Ramon: I don't believe you would really marry this girl if it meant no more Scoobyin' around. You'll just need to get her her own little Scooby.

ateixeira · August 2001

...and then they can have little baby Scoobies.

OK, I'll stop now. ;-)

-juice

ramon · August 2001

actually i'm either giving her my current ride now and I get a miata/wrx?! or... if she likes, she can get either a Legacy or a Forester and I keep my RS. She quite like the Forester...
well she's all kewl with me scoobying around and all. But you know how it is. Once knotted up, i'm afraid that it might not be the same. =( So scared.

ateixeira · August 2001

If she has similar interests (i.e. cars) you should be fine.

Mine think oversteer means a ranch with too many cattle!

-juice

paisan · August 2001

They haven't had a post in the SVX forum in a while

-mike

zrock · August 2001

I was wondering if anyone out there recently purchased the 2002 model? We have an offer from a dealer at 19,400 +TTL, 5 speed, plus quite a few options and wanted to get some feedback from other owners (SF Bay Area)). According to Edmunds, the price we have been offered is about 250 over TMV but we think we can do better.

celeste2 · August 2001

zrock: Edmunds doesn't take into account regional differences. Here in Florida Subarus are not that numerous and your bargaining power is about nil. In an area with many Subarus you probably have better bargaining power. You did not mention whether this was for the Outback Sport or their TS wagon. There is a price gap between the two. The Outback Sport is about $20,000 so that's probably the one you mean. I wouldn't say that's a bad price for Florida, but I couldn't comment on whether it's good for your area. The Outback Sport comes with several built-in options that are standard.

celeste2 · August 2001

Don't be scared, man... us ladies is not out to getcha! :^)

Funny, on the TV the other day a survey came up about disagreements and one of the big ones was decorating. So look out, she'll probably make you throw out that ugly chair you love with duct tape all over it!! Just get rid of it now and avoid the hassle...

ramon · August 2001

my dirt brown lazy boy?! Not a chance!!! it's going to the new Condo next year! and will fit in whatever motif she plans on! :P She said that she likes the lazy boy now... but really who knows after we move in together eh? Oh no! does that mean I have to throw out my old Nike Air Jordans as well? We never discussed about these! Yipes!

ateixeira · August 2001

Anything that smells will have to go. Quick - sprinkle baking soda on everything, including your car interior!

-juice

ramon · August 2001

anyone here put car fresheners on their scoobies? I have this 30 dollar one that makes my car smell yummy. Also how come there isn't any product out there that can give out that new car smell? =(

ateixeira · August 2001

Actually, I think some air fresheners do come in that "flavor".

But new Subies have New Car Stench. That undercoating burning off gave me nausea. Yuck.

-juice

brettski314 · August 2001

Is that what that smell is? Man, I thought my engine was on fire =P

I tried one of those "new car" air fresheners a while back. It didn't smell anything like a new car at all; can't really describe what it was. Lasted about 2 days before I got sick of it and threw it in the garbage.

250 miles and still breaking in...

texsubaru · August 2001

Anybody know offhand if the ground clearance on an OBS is substantially different from that of an Impreza?

barresa62 · August 2001

between the WRX wagon and the OBS it's something like 2/10's of an inch difference, 6.1" vs 6.3". I know I don't have to say this...:-), but somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I would assume the Impreza TS wagon and RS sedan would be similar to the WRX ground clearance. Hope this helps.

Stephen

ateixeira · August 2001

6" is pretty good ground clearance to begin with. Audi A4s have something like 4", so despite quattro they are not good in deep snow. My next door neighbor has an A6 quattro and oddly enough I have to buy him milk when there is a storm 'cause he won't go out.

If you need more, the Forester has 7.5" and the H6 models have 7.9", plus the new BRAT should have that much or even more.

-juice

celeste2 · August 2001

Yes, there is a product that gives that new car smell. It's called M-O-N-E-Y, also manufactured under the name D-E-B-T !!

ateixeira · August 2001

LOL.

It is the most expensive smell in the world!

-juice

perrito · August 2001

Juice, don't the H-6 have .1" LESS ground clearance than the Forester. I don't think it's any higher. I remember 7.4" as the ground clearance on both the Bean and VDC H6-3.0 models. I might be wrong but.... I still think the Forester is jacked up just a tad more.
best, perrito

ateixeira · August 2001

Per Subaru brochures, Outbacks have 7.3" and H6s have 7.9", while Foresters have 7.5".

They're optimistic numbers, though. The front cross member on the Forester is about 6.8" off the ground, and sturdy enough that you could jack the car up at that point.

-juice

seamus53 · August 2001

I'd never been able to find a definitive answer on the ground clearance of the OBS. That's interesting if the only difference between the OBS and WRX is 2/10ths of an inch. I mean, Subaru touts the OBS as having "raised heavy duty suspension", but doesn;t define what that is. To my way thinking, 2/10th of an inch hardly qualifies as "raised". Don't get me wrong, I don't expect SUV ride height in the OBS, but Subaru's advertising of "raised suspension" seems suspect. You'd think there would be a more meaningful ground clearance difference between the OBS and other Impreza models.

Subaru Impreza Outback Sport & TS

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